Theres nothing like a crossover, especially when it involves Green Lantern. No, not Earth’s newest (again) Green Lantern aka Kyle Rayner. I mean Alan Scott, Gotham City’s first protector! See, there’s a corrupt criminal mastermind who has become Commissioner of the Gotham City Police Department and is now using his position of power to take control of Gotham City and go after his enemies. Yep, that’s right, Vandal Savage! I mean, sure, this isn’t news – Vandal has been Chief of Police for quite a while now, but it’s time for Bruce to get to work. It seems the mayor of Gotham is going to empower the GCPD, and you won’t believe how serious she is about this plan. Once again, the odds are stacked against the Caped Crusader, so who better to team up with than the original hero of Gotham? In Batman #8, writer Matt Fraction teams up with Ryan Sook to have Gotham’s two most devoted protectors team up against the ever-changing forms of crime occurring in Gotham City.
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The story moves at a steady pace, but I think it actually works better to have a slower issue because there’s three different storylines going on. While comics often have one or two stories overlapping in an issue, typically converging near the end of an arc, this one benefits from having three. If Gotham is to be a living character, it’s going to have to be fleshed out. Here, Fraction splits up the issue between conversations between Batman and Green Lantern, Jack Dean and Huston Gray, and Vandal Savage and Poison Ivy. Each conversation helps reinforce the shifting power being held in Gotham. Where characters like Batman or Green Lantern used to be friendly faces, they’re now trying to remind people of their compassion, whereas characters with more nefarious intentions are now making their next moves behind the desks of public officials.
The issue works quite well as subtle social commentary. While politics in comics are nothing new, it’s often important that the commentary made isn’t superficial or surface level. Instead, Fraction seamlessly weaves it into the story where it’s truly more up to the reader to determine whether there was an intention to reflect what abuse of power in the real world might look like. By doing this, the issue becomes more solemn than others thus far, but there’s a lot of benefit in that. Without the occasional story like this, comics run the risk of being too fantastical that it’s hard to relate to. But here, that’s far from the case.
Welcome to the freakin’ show, Ryan Sook! Wow, I have no notes. While his art style is a bit different than Jorge’s, it worked perfectly here. There’s little to no action in this story, which kind of works in Sook’s favor. The emphasis on expressions that’s displayed in this issue helps reinforce how somber most of these moments are. Batman really feels desperate here. He’s not beaten nor broken, but he’s more human than you might be used to. In a funny way, this works as a great contrast to City of Bane as it reinforces how adaptable Bruce is trying to become. Ryan Sook’s detailed artwork helps to bring to life the image of a humbler Batman. Plus, Tomey Morey’s vibrant colors do a splendid job showing how bright and welcoming Batman’s new suit is. Altogether, this issue is full of stunning artwork.
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Batman #8 is a great issue. I wish we saw some more of what’s going on with Tim and Damian here, but that might be asking for too much without overcrowding things as there’s already quite a bit happening here. It just feels weird to have two plotlines take a backseat simultaneously, particularly when they both regard Robin. That said, I think one part that is worth a more direct appreciation here is the conversation between Jack Dean and Huston Gray as it reflects both how Gothamites might be feeling and is a pointed commentary on how people might view things such as corruption in a broken system. While the pending conflict between Batman and the GCPD is a tale as old as time, it’ll be interesting to see how this one plays out.
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