The best part of Immortal Legend Batman isn’t the Toku-inspired take on the Dark Knight and his friends and foes, though it’s a large part of what makes this Elseworlds stand out. It’s in the way that Kyle Higgins, Mat Groom, and Erica D’Urso explore all the different aspects that make Bruce Wayne who he is. The best example of this is the “Shadows” – the different aspects of Wayne’s personality that become villains and terrorize the universe. Immortal Legend Batman #6 takes this approach to its ultimate extreme, especially when you look at who’s involved in the final battle.
Bruce Wayne is still coming to terms with the fallout of his actions. Tommy Elliot, who most fans know as the villainous Hush, is attempting to kill Bruce to stop the final Shadow. Dick Grayson and Tim Drake, the Immortal Legends Nightwing and Robin, are locked in a deadly battle with the Man Who Laughs. Higgins and Groom manage to wrangle together all of these plot threads with relative ease, resulting in a narrative that’s charged with equal parts emotion and action. Bruce isn’t just fighting to save the universe, he’s fighting to save himself, and that’s a truly beautiful thing.
D’Urso also turns in some of her best work yet. The battle between Bruce and the Man Who Laughs is arguably the most intense sequence in Immortal Legend Batman’s entire run, with kicks that could shatter mountains and punches that could warp metal. Bruce is sporting a new suit that features a mix of black and blue, complete with a shining sword that contrasts the Man Who Laughs’ gradual transformation into a massive monster. Igor Monti lights up each panel with a mix of different colors; red and purple for the Man Who Laughs’ powerset, and blue/black/yellow for Batman. All the action is set against a bluish-black background that evokes the night, showing that Monti knows which colors work best in a Batman story.
DC
That leads to the best part of Immortal Legend Batman #6, which concerns the first Shadow Batman ever fought: the Frozen Man. While Batman fans might recognize this as the Immortal Legend version of Mr. Freeze, there’s more to the Frozen Man’s true identity and name than even I expected. Yet it also perfectly fits the themes that Higgins and Groom are touching upon. Books like these prove that there’s not only a lot of life, but also a lot of lessons left in the superhero narrative, and the right creators can bring those lessons into the light.
The comic ends with a potential tease for a sequel and some brilliant artwork from Dan Mora. Mora closes the series with a glimpse of yet another unique approach to a beloved Batman character, whose introduction is filled with promise. That isn’t the only big surprise, but it’s better that you read the issue for yourself to see what I’m talking about. Immortal Legend Batman #6 closes the book on a truly epic reinvention of the Dark Knight, and shows that you can take a character in any direction you want as long as you stay true to their core elements.
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