A new adventure begins, one without
that annoying Robin Beyond (Schway!). As Terry returns to action, he
investigates some high-tech thievery which lands him in trouble. It would take
the original Batman to help him escape, but Bruce isn’t himself today.
Bruce has paid a visit to Arkham Asylum, where the
“guests” may or may not be rehabilitated some day. It’s an overly-compassionate
environment, ideally made for the possibility of someone – or something – slipping through the cracks and
escaping.
I am usually a big fan of Dan Jurgens’ work, but in
this instance, there seems to be a great deal of exposition. “All we need is
your fingerprint, Mr. Wayne.” “We brought up the Powers files but can’t get
past the firewall without you.” “Scanner’s ready, Mr. Wayne.” We get it, Bruce
Wayne’s fingerprint scan. But in fairness, all the preceding dialogue comes
from Matt McGinnis, the former Robin Beyond. I wasn’t wrong when I called him
annoying, was I?
Ric Leonardi and Ande
Parks are handling the art for this issue. I’m used to seeing Parks teamed with
Phil Hester, but Leonardi isn’t a bad substitute. In some places, his work
reminds me of Carmine Infantino’s work in the late 1970s/early ‘80s. I mean
that with the utmost respect to all concerned.
I have a suspicion for
what has secretly transpired in this issue, but in the interest of keeping it
spoiler free, I’ll keep my theory to myself. It’s an interesting idea, and I’m
disappointed for (possibly) seeing through it so easily.
Rating: 7/10