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Batman #602
Bridget Haines |
| Title: |
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Turning the Town Red - Pt. 2 of 2 |
| Cover Date: |
June 2002 |
| Story: |
Ed Brubaker |
| Pencils: |
Scott McDaniel |
| Inks: |
Andy Owens |
| Colors and Separations: |
Gregory Wright / Wildstorm FX |
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Synopsis: (WARNING! SPOILERS!)
The second part of the saga involving new
meta-villain Nicodemus unforlds
with an image
of the mayor of Gotham chained
to the front
of a runaway subway train. Nicodemus
renders
his warning to the city proper,
that it will
be destroyed because it is evil.
Batman watches
from his auxilliary cave as Commissioner
Akins speaks to the public about
the threatm
then lets Thomas Hart be hero-ized
for surviving
being kidnapped (last issue).
Hart taunts
the villain to come to the memorial
on Sundat
for Jack McKenna and to honor
Hart.
The Bat internalizes as he reviews
his evidence
thus far. He decides there is
a deeper connection
between the victims. Hart is
idealized on
the news. Flash to the next part
of the Bat
trying to save the mayor. Flash
forward to
the Child Welfare office where
Batman looks
up records on Hart. Batman catches
a clue,
but the reader isn't clued in
to it just
yet.
The lights go out at the banquet
as Hart
takes the podium. Batman stops
to talk to
a paramedic. The paramedic tells
Batman that
someone had not a hair on his
whole body.
It appears that hands reach out
in flames
to grasp Hart's head, killing
him. Batman
arrives to see Nicodemus standing
over the
burning corpse. He grabs the
mayor and escapes.
Batman rushes to the call about
the kidnapped
mayor and now we catch up in
time to theopening
of the book. He stops the subway
car, saving
the mayor, who claims to know
who Nicodemus
is. So does Batman.,
It turns out Thomas Hart is Nicodemus, and
the guy who died at the banquet was the one
who sat beside him during it. His parents
were killed and the murder covered up. So
that throws Nicodemus out of the knowing
Bruce Wayne is the Bat running. Last issues
initial monologue was self referential, and
not about Batman afterall. Hart had a shrine
in his basement, and a letter to the Bat
saying he'd see him again soon.
Analysis:
Cover:  (3 of 5 cowls)
Not a bad cover, but not McD's best by a
longshot. The deposed Nicodemus was not an
indicator of the internal story. Old Nico
did pretty well for himself in it. The looming
bat silhouette is nice though, and I like
the green in the background for some reason.
Other than that, the composition and elements
are kind of weak.
Story: (4 of 5 cowls)
Ed is still the man. I really have enjoyed
the Nicodemus storyline, and was so busy
looking to see who he was that he know about
Bruce from the beginning of last issue, that
I was blindsided by Hart referring to himself.
Nice twisted plotline, I liked it a lot.
Though I would have liked to have seen a
smidgeon of reference to the BW:F storyline
in there somewhere.
Artwork: (5 of 5 cowls)
McDaniel...need I say more. He's a master
visual storyteller and he is no less so here.
I am curious as to which DC book he will
be moving to when Lee and Loeb take over
the reins of Batman for 12 issues?.
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