DC Black Label has a close connection to Batman, and that connection grows even closer this week with Batman: City of Madness. Christian Ward is writing and drawing a new three-issue series blending Gotham’s secrets, cosmic horror, and a dark take on the Dark Knight. Released in an extra-large format, the first issue is beautifully rendered in Ward’s style and, with it, a complex story with multiple subplots to dig into. At its base level, this is next-level comics.
A lot is happening in Batman: City of Madness, yet it never feels overly done or jumbled. The first issue opens with a pre-teen boy heading to Gotham from Metropolis. In his jeans is a gun, and his intentions can only mean trouble. The story shifts to Batman, but the Ward makes sure to check on the boy later on.
We also get a heavy dose of Alfred, who worries about Bruce whenever he goes out as Batman. There’s a sorrow to Alfred that is unique to this tale. He worries daily yet knows he can’t stop him, and that hopelessness fuels some of the horror in the story.
Two-Face is another central character in the story, and with him comes a complex relationship with Batman that plays out in intriguing ways. These plots naturally ebb and flow, creating mystery and building towards the cliffhanger.
As those elements move forward, the Court of Owls plays a heavy part in this story. The main threat, and how this all ties into cosmic horror, involves something locked away that the Court knows about. As Ward said on the AIPT Comics podcast, there is another Gotham below Gotham, and we get to see one of its monsters in this first issue. At this point the story reveals itself as more fantasy, with monsters running about and threats that go bump in the night. Some monsters are unfathomable, and this first issue is just the tip of the iceberg.
An unlettered page and first appearance of Batman in the issue.
Credit: DC Comics
Speaking of monsters, what Ward does with Two-Face is quite intriguing. A character who has had iconic runs in the past, Ward tries something a little different, adding a new layer to the character you won’t see coming. How this ties to the Gotham below remains to be seen, but given his complex relationship with Batman, it’s interesting to imagine how Two-Face further changes.
The art in this issue is spectacular as well. The use of color, in Ward’s style of bright pinks and purples mixed in with blues and greens, adds to the cosmic horror and otherworldliness of it all: cool blur effects and eye-catching angles on the action aid Splashy Batman introductions. Detailed buildings and backgrounds are Mixed with Ward’s linework, further adding to the realism that juxtaposes well with visually inventive ways of showing Two-Face’s alternate personas. There isn’t a page that won’t make your jaw drop at least once.
Letters by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou bring the uniqueness and attention to detail he’s known for. Well-placed tails on word balloons, extra emphasis on a “Batman, STOP,” and subtly choosing to lose a word balloon entirely for dialogue here or there add to the reading experience. While some letterers are consistent and clean–which is, of course, significant in its own right–Otsmane-Elhaou amps up the inventiveness of the art on the page with smartly designed lettering.
Batman: City of Madness is riveting, eye-catching, and authentically nightmarish. There’s an inventive take on Gotham and all that comes with it while spinning an impressively rich and entertaining narrative.
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