Detective Comics #577 (August, 1987)
"Batman: Year Two - Chapter Three: Deadly Allies"
Writer - Mike W. Barr
Penciller - Todd McFarlane
Inker - Alfredo Alcala
Colorist - Adrienne Roy
Letterer - John Costanza
Editor - Denny O'Neil
Cover Price: $0.75
Who's ready for the wackiest issue of The Brave and the Bold yet? Today we've got the strange team-up of Batman and... Joe Chill?
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We open with Batman visiting the graves of Thomas and Martha Wayne. We get a brief revisit to Year One where the bat crashed through the Manor window, and son tries to justify to father why he's gone down the path of aligning with the very man who put him in the ground. He is approached by Leslie Thompkins... and though, I might be reading too far into this... he instinctively reaches for his firearm... they briefly chat, and part with Leslie informing Bruce that she'll be praying from him.
We shift to later that night where Batman meets up with his partner (in crime)... Joe Chill. They are seeking to infiltrate a building... one that is topped by a pair of armed sentries. Chill's first instinct is to start picking them off with his pistol, but Batman coerces him to try doing it "his way".
Batman swoops in and disarms the baddies... and yet, Chill still squeezes off a few rounds. Batman is able to knock the sentries out of the path of the bullets... and thus far, nobody had died. The pair enter the building and approach the door of their "bounty". Chill admires Batman's gun... and mentions that he once carried a piece just like that. Ya don't say...
They access the situation... and kind of discuss strategy... then Chill kicks in the door and starts a'blastin'. Batman fires off a few shots himself... but all are aimed at the blunt weapons of the folks in the apartment... he's definitely not shooting to kill, or even injure. Chill... well, he doesn't seem to care who or what he hits. With all the hippies in the pad "downed", Batman and Chill approach a door graffito-tagged with the ominous warning "Keep Out". A bald fella guards the door.
Batman approaches the thug... trying to reason with him so he steps aside. He doesn't get all that far, because Joe Chill decides this is the time to "take that shot". Batman is pretty ticked off... but not so mad as to divert from their mission. They continue along together...
... into a room inhabited by a... hippie... named Sunshine! Our men twist his arm to do a "job" for their "bosses". We'll find out more about that in a bit. Batman and Chill part ways... with Joe commenting that they "make a pretty good team". That is, of course, something Batman doesn't wanna hear.
Chill reports to his masters and shares the news of their successful mission. They convinced "Sunshine" to work a drug deal big enough to attract the attention of the Reaper. The boss-baddies express their distrust of Batman... and unease in working with him. Chill is given the okay to take him out just as soon as the Reaper is "done".
We briefly pop in on Commissioner Gordon, where he and Lieutenant Bukowski are discussing their briefing on the hippie drug deal... they will be ready to roll on Friday.
Next thing we know it is Friday... and we catch back up with Bruce as he and Leslie are about to arrive at the Caspian home for a dinner. In the car Bruce mentions that he cares for Rachel more than any other woman he's ever met... which, ya know... kinda sounds like a latent codependency problem. Shouldn't really be this stuck on someone he just met, right? And remember how she was about to join the convent? Yeah... that's not happening anymore. Maybe these two are meant for each other. Anyhoo... Bruce meets Mr. Caspian, and they appear to get along swimmingly. That's not much of a surprise, they are both quite charismatic when out of costume. The evening ends early though, as both gentlemen have plans later that night.
It's hippie time, and Batman and the Reaper are both en route to the drug den. Batman meets up with Joe Chill... and the Reaper, well... he kills an undercover officer who is posing as a drunken vagrant. Whoops.
We watch as the Reaper infiltrates the building, leaving a path of bodies in his wake. Batman and Chill are on his tail... as well as Commissioner Gordon and the GCPD. Batman and Chill burst into the room the Reaper is in with their guns blazing. Chill's got a semi-automatic that he is pumping directly into the Reaper's chest, while Batman appears to be firing the hinges off a door. They're pretty careful not to show Batman actually shooting anybody... but it's strange that he's perfectly okay standing alongside Chill as he pumps lead into a man's torso.
The bullets do nothing to stop the Reaper, and he begins returning fire. During the gunfight, the Gotham City Police Department enter the fray... led by Jim Gordon. Batman shouts a warning to his old friend, and even throws himself at him to knock him out of the path of fire. Gordon's response is to sock Batman in the jaw and proclaim him "under arrest". Yeah... right.
Batman grabs one of the fallen officer's flare guns and fires it skyward. Joe Chill, being a complete asshat, opens fire at a barrel full of ether (which was part of this drug deal, apparently)... which causes an explosion. The blast knocks Chill to the edge of the floor... he is barely hanging on. If he were to let go, he'd surely fall to his death. He calls out to his "partner" Batman... who, after hesitating for a moment... saves Joe Chill's life.
We wrap up this chapter with Batman carrying Chill to safety. Even though tonight wasn't a success (The Reaper got away), he's still pleased that they "iced" some hippies and cops. Whatta jerk. Batman fondles his gun, and vows to his father that once The Reaper affair is behind him... he will kill Joe Chill.
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Well... this is more like it.
Definitely not a perfect issue... there's stuff I don't dig about it, but we'll get to that in a bit. I feel this was a much stronger chapter than the last one though... in just about every way. The art is much more "Toddy" than the second part... which may be due to it being a bit of a rush job. Can't be sure, but in the letters page Denny O'Neil mentions that Alan Davis (along with inker Paul Neary) left due to a shift in their priorities... which, I think might have to do with Marvel's Excalibur title at this point... and there may have been a scramble, or simply not enough lead time for McFarlane... or hell, maybe he just needed to get his feel for the cast of characters. Either way... the art here is a big step up.
The writing, while still the high quality we expect from Barr, did something pretty interesting... at least to me. I never expected that a highlight of this story would be... Joe Chill. He's written with this strange charisma... I'd almost compare it him to Guy Gardner... but I think that would tick off the Guy fans... It's just that aloofness, and means to an end approach to things... and the fact that he is an unrepentant a-hole... he's just interesting to read.
Speaking of a means to an end... that's kinda how I would define the story that unfolded here. I mean, let's face it... there really isn't much of a "best case scenario" here. People were always going to die, or at the very least, be hurt. Despite Batman's best efforts... this might be his highest indirect-casualty count to this point in his crime fighting career. Just like Chill said... Omelettes and Eggs.
I appreciated Batman actually having to save Joe from certain death. I'd like to think that it's just his style to save anybody without prejudice... but, we get a better indication as to why he saved him as we closed out. He wants to take care of Chill himself... it's (obviously) personal... and he wants him to know why.
Where it kind of falls apart for me is Bruce being so attached to Rachel Caspian. Bruce has always kept folks at arm's reach... this kind of feels like him inviting Vicki Vale into the Batcave in the 1989 film. Just... too soon. Like, I'm cool with them being in a relationship... but this nonsense about never caring about anyone like he cares for Rachel just rings super hollow. Keeping with Rachel... she sure threw her convent hopes aside quickly, right? That's like dropping out of college with two classes to go... sorta something that should be explored a bit more than a throwaway comment during a dinner party.
Small nitpicks aside... a strong chapter as we approach the end of Year Two. Still worth checking out if you can find a copy.
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Detective Comics #576 (July, 1987)
"Batman, Year Two - Chapter Two: Deal With the Devil"
Writer - Mike W. Barr
Penciller - Todd McFarlane
Inker - Alfredo Alcala
Letterer - Agustin Mas
Colorist - Adrienne Roy
Editor - Denny O'Neil
Cover Price: $0.75
When I first started this blog, one of the ways in which I wanted to categorize my posts was by year of publication. It's allowed me an at-a-glace look at which eras I may be neglecting... or just which ones I prefer talking about. Well... of almost 350 discussions, this is the 34th that covers a book released in not just an era... but a single year, 1987 (second place is a tie between 1984 and 1986 with 18 posts each). I guess that's why it's getting tough to find unique ads in some of these!
Only years I haven't discussed since 1965 are 1967, 1970, 1979, and 2015. That might be something I need to rectify before we hit our big anniversary at the end of the month.
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As we open the Gotham City Police Department is preparing for a (peaceful) prison delivery for new inmate "Big" Willie Golonka. He is surrounded by officers in full riot gear to ensure his safe passage. Suddenly, they are alerted to a sniper atop a nearby building who opens fire... and so. the officers fire back. They perforate the "sniper" but good... and yet he continues to blast away. Turns out our gunman was a machine! In the distraction... the Reaper strikes! He blows several holes in Golonka... then turns his attention to the police force, seeing them as part of the problem for trying to protect the scumbag in the first place!
The Reaper steals the armored rig Gotham's Finest were planning on making their delivery with and escapes. Commissioner Gordon checks in with Lieutenant Bukowski and gets a run down on the casualties... when we shift scenes to the Batcave. Bruce is doing a bit of target practice with the gun that killed his parents some 25 (25?) years earlier. He is a sharpshooter despite not having fired a gun in quite some time... but, ya know... he's Batman. Being good at stuff is kind of his thing.
Bruce heads upstairs for a donut breakfast, and runs into Dr. Thompkins. She wants to keep an eye on him since he's become fond of guns so suddenly. She also mentions that she is going to have to cancel her lunchdate with Ms. Caspian, and asks Alfred to make the call. Bruce stops him, as he intends to make the date himself. I gotta mention, Bruce makes the most demented face here... I'm a big Todd fan... but this is perhaps the most scared I've ever been of Batman.
Speaking of Ms. Caspian... we meet up with her as she is admiring her nun outfit. She is joined by her father... who we know is the bad-ass Reaper. It's here that we get a bit of backstory on the Caspian family. It happened some years back... Rachel and her parents were heading home from a Zorro film the circus. They come across a man robbing their house... who opens fire... hitting both of Rachel's parents. Pearls fall everywhere Rachel lets go of her balloon.
Next thing we know, we're at the funeral for Rachel's mother. Her father, who we now know bears the name "Judson", is in a wheelchair. The Priest giving the service refers to him having been "cut down in the prime of life", so I think we are to assume that he was supposed to be confined to the wheelchair... perhaps for life. We return to the present, and Judson tells his daughter that everything he's ever done has been her her... and her mother.
We stick with Rachel for a bit as she waits for Leslie to arrive for their lunchdate. Much to her surprise, she gets Bruce instead. It's a small thing, but worth mentioning... his pants change color several times here. Anyhoo... they chat about "crusaders", primarily discussing Leslie's devotion to her patients. This prods Rachel to ask Bruce about his "crusades". Continuing to be the playboy, Bruce says everything he does is just his way of assuaging boredom. She keeps pressing... claiming to feel a loneliness inside him... and then... they kiss (or at least embrace). Umm, final vows anyone?
Later on, we have a scene with Batman and Commissioner Gordon. Batman feels like there might be a leak in the Police Department that may have tipped the Reaper off to the Big Willie thing. He departs, but before he leaves he tells Jim that regardless of what's about to happen... he considers him a friend. He dives out the window, and we get a look at some proto-spaghetti-webbing in the form of his bat-line.
That night, Gordon is leading a group of officers to the tarmac where a Metropolis-based criminal, Johnny Heymer is about to land. They are hoping to get to him before the Reaper can... and that goes about as well as you might imagine. The Reaper is johnny on the spot... but so too, is Batman!
Gordon is pleased as pie to see his caped compadre... but he's not prepared for Batman to shoot the gun out of his hand! Uh-oh... what's all this then?
Now it appears to be a race for Heymer between Batman and Reaper. Reaper is going all scythe-y on Johnny's henchman... but Batman drop kicks him into the private plane. He offers Heymer the opportunity to live... and the pair depart with the quickness. This leaves Gordon and company to deal with the Reaper... but he escapes after blowing up one of the jets fuel tanks. The commish is ticked.
Shortly, we arrive at the location Heymer was headed to. Looks like a penny-ante mobster crew... just terribly disorganized, and distrusting of one another. As they bicker, Batman plops ol' Johnny on the table.
He lets them know he's not there to arrest anybody... no, he's there to cut a deal. He wants them all on the same page so they can take down the Reaper... together. Wait... what?
After sealing the deal... Batman turns and sees one of the hoods he's going to be working alongside... and suddenly the memories flood back. That man... is Joe Chill.
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There's a lot of stuff going on here...
We've got Batman posing as though he's against the Gotham City Police Department... and, I will admit that I haven't read this in well over a decade... I'm not sure if Gordon is "in on it" or not. I mean, we've got Batman visiting Gordon to assure him that he is his friend right before the apparent betrayal... but, who knows.
Not only is he going against the boys in blue... he's hangin' with the hoods. Figuring he'd have a better chance against the Reaper if he's got some unsavory backup... Batman attempts to cut a deal. How very... un-Batman of him, right? Maybe I've just been reading too much contemporary "smartest guy in the room" Batman for this to feel natural. What's that thing that's going around now... "Always be yourself, unless you can be Batman" or something like that. Yeah, that Batman doesn't really jibe with this one. Though, I suppose this is a far less experienced caped-crusader.
The big reveal here is one of the reasons why this way nyoinked from continuity by the time I was actively following the Bat-books on and off during the 1990's. Joe Chill as the killer of the Waynes was swept away post-Zero Hour... and it was just a nameless baddie. At least that's how I'm remembering it anyway. Popping back into the gestalt of it all... I would imagine that this would've been a huge reveal had I been reading at the time. Helluva way to leave us hanging!
Speaking of the Waynes... we get to see some parallels between their passing and the murder of the Reaper's wife. I guess this could be to illustrate how he and Batman aren't necessarily all that different... at least insofar as that moment of profundity that got them started on their paths. I look forward to seeing if this gets further explored... can't imagine it won't be... but again, it's been a long time since I read this.
One thing about the story... kind of a jerk move for Bruce to try and put the moves on someone about to become a nun, right? I mean, she's been pretty upfront about it... and yet, Bruce still approaches this like a romance could come of it. That's not cool... it's also not-Bruce like... least, I don't think it is.
Now... I am a big fan of Todd McFarlane... I'm still buying (and enjoying) Spawn... just always thought his (art) work was top-notch. Sure, we got some blobby noses here and again... and perhaps a few too many knuckles per finger... but I still love his stuff. Here however, he wasn't really there yet. There are some panels here were Bruce looks absolutely demented! I think the move from Davis to Todd was a bit of a downgrade for this story. Still, it's always neat to see some early-McFarlane.
Overall... this issue, while perhaps a half-step behind where I'd put the first chapter, achieved its goals of maintaining my interest and making me really want to check out the next issue. Definitely worth checking out.
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Letters Page:
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Detective Comics #575 (June, 1987)
"Batman, Year Two - Chapter One: Fear the Reaper"
Writer - Mike W. Barr
Penciller - Alan Davis
Inker - Paul Neary
Colorist - Adrienne Roy
Letterer - Richard Starkings
Editor - Denny O'Neil
Cover Price: $0.75
It's funny, I've been using this orange themed blog for almost a year now... and I'm still surprised how many comics have orange-y covers! Here's another...
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We open with the newly-minted Commissioner of the Gotham City Police Department, James Gordon being interviewed on the Gotham Open Forum television program. The host is grilling him over the Department's potential affiliation with a certain caped crusader. She even compares him to a "costumed law breaker" who prowled the streets of Gotham some two decades earlier... the Reaper. Gordon assures her that the Batman works on his own, but admits he has offered Gordon his services. We shift to a darkened apartment where a television is playing this broadcast... some nogoodniks barge in with their loot for the night. Unlucky for them, there's been someone waiting for their arrival.
It doesn't take Batman long to wipe the floor with the geeks... and he is outta there before the police arrive. We shift scenes to the home of a young woman by the name of Rachel Caspian. She is an associate of Bat-friend, Dr. Leslie Thompkins. Tonight, she welcomes her father home. He is a man of imposing stature, and has an overall ominous look to him. Wonder who he might be... hmm...
Rachel and Leslie have a dinner date this evening, and Mr. Caspian insists they keep it. He will catch up with his daughter in the morning. The ladies head out, and find themselves at a Wayne Enterprises construction site. Directing traffic at the site is one Bruce Wayne. He shows Leslie the penthouse apartment they are building into the large structure, and inform her that she is its intended tenant.
Leslie balks, as her clientele wouldn't be comfortable in such a nice neighborhood. She changes the subject by introducing Bruce to Rachel... who has a proposition for him. She is heavily invested in charity work, and is soliciting Wayne for a bit of financial assistance. The trio head out to dinner, and she makes her pitch. She is able to win Bruce over, and he makes a generous contribution... he however, proves unable to win Rachel over... well, that's not entirely fair. He asks to see her again, and she breaks the news that she is just about to take her final vows toward becoming a nun.
Rachel enters her home and asks if her father is in... but he's not! Where could he be? Well, maybe he's stalking the streets of Gotham... we catch up with him as he walks down a seedy street. He enters a building and futzes with a candelabra to trigger a secret door... behind which is his Phantasm Reaper costume!
Later, in the same neighborhood, a young woman is grabbed into an alley. Her assailants are surprised to see the imposing form of... the Reaper. Now, if we gotta know just one thing about the Reaper... it's that he does not screw around. He straight up kills the baddies with his scythe-hands... and shoots the attempted escapees in the back as they flee. Dude is hard-core. He tells the poor woman she has nothing to fear from him... but asks that she spread the word, the Reaper... is back.
We shift to Wayne Manor where Bruce is chatting with Dr. Thompkins. She warns him to stay away from Rachel... as she is "untouched" by the things that happen in his world. Bruce ain't entirely buying it... but cannot press the issue, because he is interrupted by the Bat-Signal. As he heads into the Grandfather Clock, Leslie pleads with him not to go out tonight... because one of these nights is going to be his last. Bruce agrees, but promises that tonight is not that night.
Batman meets up with Jim Gordon, and gives him some passive-aggressive guff for his comments that Batman "offered him his services". Gordon waves it off as just being something he had to say for TV. He then informs Batman of the apparent return of the Reaper. His reappearance was on Bank Street, which seems to tip Batman off. We next join him as he watches a prostitute approach a strange man... why, that's not just any man... that's our Reaper!
Batman hops into action... and, is quite unsuccessful. He lays an elbow into the Reaper's gut only to find it protected by leather armor.
What occurs over the next several pages can best be described as an absolute mugging. It is so very rare we see Batman get his be-hind handed to him like he does here. The Reaper is positively brutal... outclassing Batman in every way possible.
Knowing he's got no chance, Batman goes on the defensive... hiding behind a manhole cover and eventually escaping through the sewer. We next see the Batman the following morning when Alfred comes across his beaten and battered body. It's not long before Leslie arrives to patch him up.
We wrap up this chapter with Bruce standing up before a portrait of his parents. He knows he cannot beat his current foe if he "plays fair"... and so, he does the unthinkable... he reaches into a hollow part of the wall and retrieves the very pistol that took the lives of Thomas and Martha Wayne.
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What is the saying? That escalated quickly...
It's been awhile since I read this, and despite Batman holding a piece on the cover, I could've sworn it didn't come into play this quickly. I also thought it would be more profound when he finally pulled it out. I mean, from how this plays out to this point... we'd have to figure that Batman never had his butt handed to him before. He gets beaten up once... then automatically goes for the gun? That just doesn't feel right, does it? I know this takes place during his second year... but doesn't he get beaten up a bit during Year One?
Speaking of Year One, I remember this story going up in value due to its name... well, Todd McFarlane on art for the next three issues didn't hurt either. Anyhoo... if you picked this up expecting a story in the tone of Frank Miller... you're probably going to be disappointed. Now, that's not to say this is a bad story... I actually rather like it. It feels more grounded in the canon... if that makes any sense, and it's definitely different than it's sorta-kinda predecessor.
Now... the story here is, well... the Reaper... and, I gotta say, he's portrayed as quite the bad ass here. He's a weaponed and armored force of nature... that most definitely has the Batman's number. I mean, this was a Bane-level thrashing... okay, maybe not that bad... but pretty bad, right? What's more, the whole time the Reaper is calmly talking to Batman. He's not depicted as a raving lunatic... he's just speaking while he slices and pounds the dark knight. And, damn... howsabout that brutality in the alley? He just starts severing limbs... and perforating fools... and he did so as a... heroic (?) vigilante!
I think this is a great Batman story for all folks to check out... even though it's doubtful it'll ever be referenced again (that is actually one of my "grading" metrics, for better or worse). Hell, this story was out of continuity just... seven years later following Zero Hour. After that event, Batman was considered an urban legend... that is to say, people weren't sure whether he actually existed, or was just a boogeyman. There's no way Gordon would be mentioning him by name on television after that.
Still though... check it out. Alan Davis puts in some great immediately recognizable work here... and in the latter three chapters, we're gonna get pencils by... Todd McFarlane! Worth tracking down... it's been collected (it's outta print), but I cannot find it digitally. It might be out there, but it might be a toughie to track down.
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