If there's one reservation I have about issue #5 of
BATMAN: STREETS OF GOTHAM, it's that guest writer Chris Yost wrote it TOO well. (In fact, I didn't look closely enough at the names on the cover and thought Dini DID write it, until Jett told me differently. That's a big compliment coming from me, Mr. Yost.)
As the Huntress chases a particularly feral Man-Bat across Gotham's rooftops, a young priest who's survived all of Gotham's various disasters thinks back on all the times he's tussled with his faith.
The contagion. The earthquake. The gang wars. The final crisis. All the big "events" that knocked the wind from the sails of his own heart -- and, for those of us reading at home, cut short the excellent stories those bloated events and crossovers interrupted. Yost and artist Dustin Nguyen do all of these moments justice, bringing class and weight to their efficiently presented glimpses of the big storylines that increasingly devolved into little more than the latest gimmick.
Yost writes the priest so well that he reminded me that I'm losing my faith, too. And that I'm tired -- of too many Batmans, too many Robins, too many Batgirls, too many Ra's Al Ghuls, and Damian, who's inherently one Damian too many. It's been exhausting, and the few uninterrupted stories we do get tend to get lost in the shuffle of the bigger events.
And then I think about the latest issue latest issue of BATMAN & ROBIN, a title that began with a unique imagination and a wicked sense of weird wonder but then fumbled a lazy, uninspired reveal of the "new" Red Hood with a boring, business-as-usual exploration of all the things we already know -- Dick's the nice one, Damian's nuts, and the Red Hood is REALLY nuts. We know, Grant. We know.
And yet this particular title continues to play the hand it's been dealt like a master, with Yost making the absolute most of every little character moment in ways that would make regular scribe Paul Dini proud. My heart went out to the Huntress when, as she battled Man-Bat, she wondered why the Bat family seems to have more faith in monsters than in her. And it's interesting and brilliant, too, how Yost chooses to dramatically interrupt her decision regarding the creature's fate and bring the whole story full circle on a cliffhanger. Because our young priest friend is hearing voices, and they might not belong to God….
It's a great issue. I can't complain about anything in it. And the Manhunter backup, as usual, looks fantastic and reads well, with a classic Batman villain laying down a bloody warning for Gotham's new District Attorney who just so happens to be a costumed crime-fighter in her own right.
But I'm also losing my interest in Batman comics, and it breaks my heart. And I can't even look forward to Bruce's return, because we'll still have too many Batmans, and too many Robins, and too many Batgirls, and Damian, etc.
"This craziness…it's too much."
Sorry for the sudden outburst of bitter sadness, folks. But I'm rapidly losing my patience for -- and my interest in -- all of this BATMAN REBORN stuff.
Oddly enough, the issue ends with an exciting (and beautiful) preview of DC's new "pulp and powerless" universe which features the likes of Batman and Doc Savage. At least that will give us some fresh stories starring Bruce Wayne, even though Brian Azzarello couldn't resist giving him guns. (I'll learn to live with it.)
You're losing me, DC. But thanks as always to the STREETS OF GOTHAM team for making tasty omelets from rotten eggs. -- John Bierly
