Batman: City of Madness wraps up with its third issue this week, and so far, the series has been epic in all areas, from the art to the story. Christian Ward has brought an incredible sense of scale and vivid imagination with his visuals while also portraying legacy characters in new ways. Two-Face, for instance, has been a breath of fresh air. In the third issue out this week, Batman must go to the Gotham Below to save an innocent teen and possibly lose his mind in the cosmic horror of it all.
After putting this issue down, I have to admit, it’s quite something Ward told this story in three extra-sized issues rather than a lengthier miniseries. There’s so much content to explore, yet he tells his story with great efficiency and then closes the door on the story for now. It’s rare for a series to offer so much ingenuity and not stretch it out over many issues, making this a leaner and more satisfying read than other superhero stories of an epic nature.
This issue opens with Alfred writing a letter to Bruce Wayne. Alfred has been a bit forlorn throughout this series, realizing he’s letting his surrogate son run around Gotham, risking his life. He wants to save Bruce, while at the same time, Ward shows us people in ancient times fighting a pinkish-purple bat monster.
We then learn about the first patient of Arkham and the terrible thing he did. This leads to a transformation in Arkham’s son, which then leads us to the story at hand with Batman going to the Gotham Below.
I think we need pest control!
Credit: DC Comics
The majority of this story focuses on the things Batman sees and the trouble of working with Talon. The Court of Owls has good reason to send Batman and Talon to the Gotham Below, and Ward reveals an intriguing hook for their connection. What we know of the Court of Owls is intriguing enough, but Ward makes me hope James Gunn is reading this as Ward’s idea is quite compelling. It makes the Court of Owls something much more and far more sinister.
As Batman seeks to save the teen, we get to see new iterations of key Batman villains. There’s one that takes up the brunt of Batman’s time, which is cleverly told to show that Talon can’t believe the time Batman wastes on these villains. By the end, Ward also does a great job looping in Two-Face, explaining how he had a third personality, and giving him a bit of redemption. Again, Ward shows he has a strong hand in writing a lean story that feels well thought out and plotted.
The Alfred letter bookends the issue, and there’s a nice epilogue feel to wrapping up loose ends. It doesn’t quite work as a bookend, though, as there’s a large gap between the opening and closing, making the return a little jarring. Some things don’t quite hold together, like the opening with the ancient people and what that meant. On some scale, the horrors Ward explores are meant to be a mystery, but there was a moment or two where I felt confused and unsure if I should be confused on purpose or if there was a loose end that wasn’t adding up. An entire issue devoted to the Batman Below may have helped land its desire to have its own Robin, but alas, I’m nitpicking at this point.
The visuals continue to be, quite frankly, insanely good. A Batman Below bat plane gets revealed in an epic double-page splash. Batman does quite a lot of fighting, and the layout changes as needed. Ward continues to show his art evolves with each project, with an impressive use of color and layering to create interesting effects. There’s no other comic like this on the stands today, or maybe ever.
Batman: City of Madness wraps things up in a story that will enliven your imagination and go down as one of the greatest Batman horror comics ever. There’s no question of that, especially since you’ll be pondering this store and how it might return days later.
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