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Dave Scrimgeour and Kevin McCluskey   Writer- Marv Wolfman Penciler- Pat Broderick Inker- John Beatty Letterer- John Costanza Colourist- Adrienne Roy Associate Editor- Dan Raspler Editor- Denny O'Neil Creator(s)- Bob Kane (with Bill Finger) Published- September 1989 by DC Comics Inc. SYNOPSISAlfred realises that he cannot bring himself to execute The Flying Graysons' killer on behalf of the Bat-Family, while Dick reminisces on the early days of his relationship with Bruce, as he uses the detective skills that Batman taught him to investigate the case of the murdered crime families. Bruce, on the other hand, filled with guilt and rage over the death of Dick's successor, Jason Todd, uses more direct, and violent, methods. Ultimately however, all roads lead back to the same destination, Anthony Zucco and his ledger. Dave Starting with the cover; it seems less striking than the first two, even though there is a lot going on. I do like the Batman and Robin pic, but the rest of it doesn't really jump out as much this time. It does, again, give us an indication as to what this issue revolves around though, which is Zucco and the book, of course. Kev I think this is yet another fantastic George Perez and Anthony Tollin cover, but yeh, slightly different in its composition this time out. Like you say, a bit busier than the previous covers. The yellow of the blinding light with Anthony Zucco’s face in it is certainly eye-catching, and Batman and Robin look suitably Dynamic Duo-ish. Dave The first splash page is really good. It's another great composition, and the attention to detail is so good with Alfred with the gun. Kev Yeh, it's a lovely splash page. I do like a Batman story where Alfred has a bit more to do than serve tea and stitch up wounds. The weight of Zucco’s release is clearly weighing heavily on him here, and it’s always nice to see that fatherly love towards, and responsibility for, both Bruce and Dick. Not to mention the guilt in being unable to carry out what part of him feels should be done. Dave Alfred has a gun that resembles Robocop's gun. Kev Ha, ha! Yeh, that's one big gun, alright. In fact, the storytelling on page 2, and onto page 3 is excellent. The last panel on 2, of Alfred sitting, head in his hands on the bed, with the gun dropped on the floor in the foreground is fantastic. I think Broderick and Beatty’s work on this is getting better and better with each issue.  Guns do kill people, butlers don't. Dave The first two pages of this issue are great. The composition is great and they quickly show Alfred's confliction. The transitions from Alfred to Dick are excellent. There is so much inner narrative going on in this issue. It really is an internal story for Alfred and Dick. And again, there is such clever use of flashbacks from present to past carry this story through. Kev Yeh, Alfred is concerned about Dick’s reaction, but he's actually fearful of Bruce’s. “But more, I fear the carnage that may be unleashed by Master Bruce.” Alfred knows Bruce is not in a good enough place, post the death of Jason, to deal with Zucco’s release as well. He knows Bruce is a danger. To others, but also to himself. Dave I was quite surprised by how much this issue leans away from the action and focuses more on the detective aspect of Batman and Nightwing/Robin. It's a good change of course in the storytelling though. The colours on the first four pages are top notch as well, it really is a great mixture and captures the eye well. Good visuals keep the reader enticed, being a visual medium and all that. Kev Man, I love a Batman story that actually uses the fact that he is supposed to be "The World's Greatest Detective." Yep, excellent flashback montage by Broderick, Beatty and Roy on page 4 here. And of course Adrienne Roy’s colours are superb. What else would we expect of her at this point? Her work was always outstanding. Dave That last panel on page 4, of Batman carrying away Jason’s body in the shadows, is really great.  They really got that Battinson silhouette spot-on, didn't they? Kev I agree. It's an excellent little nod to 'A Death In The Family.' “He was like a father to me, and I loved him…..and though he could never bring himself to say it, I know he loved me too. I feel like the child of an alcoholic - - you know the problem isn’t yours, but it is. You want to help, but you don’t know how, so you lie awake at night in fear and confusion, and nothing gets resolved.” This is stellar dysfunctional (Bat) family stuff by Wolfman. It raises further questions about the abuse (psychological and emotional) that Bruce may have inflicted on Dick as a child though. “I’ve heard it all before. My god, even Kory thinks Bruce has been crazy for years. I know he’s obsessed with his parents death……I know he may be cold and sometimes uncaring, but I also know he’s always in control. Or he was……until Jason died.” Is Bruce Wayne actually a hero, or is he a deeply troubled and damaged individual, who just so happens to do some good things? Or is it the fact that he still manages to do those good things, despite being so troubled and damaged that makes him a hero? And should we all be so lucky to manage to do even a fraction of that good, despite our own troubles? Is that what we should aim for, and strive towards? That was a lot of very big questions to throw out all at once. Sorry. Dave It does delve into the psyche of the "crimefighter," and opens up a number of questionable areas which taking on this lifestyle brings. Indeed, how much more damage has Bruce done to Dick by allowing him to indulge in his fantasy of avenging his parents? That's one of the good things that these stories indulge in, they are bringing this up for the readers to decide. Would you want to go through what they have been through to become a figure who is classed as "heroic?" Kev That's definitely a question that's worth considering as the reader, yeh. I certainly don't think so, no. Who in their right mind would want to go through any of that. In fact, I think it's nothing short of a miracle that Dick Grayson is anywhere near as well-adjusted as he is, all things considered. Dave I think that one of the interesting things that this issue touches on later is exploring the dynamic, and differences in personalities, between Bruce and Dick. Bruce was maybe a bit more of a darker-natured person, or at least more broody than Dick was, despite the both of them having the same tragedy to deal with. Kev Yeh, it's certainly something that the Bat writers have mined over the years. Dave Nice to see Gordon making a very brief appearance on page 5. Kev I like Gordon's appearance here too. It sets up a nice plot point with the meeting of the crime families and Batman. Dave And Nightwing assuming the Batman "detective" role, helping with the investigation. Kev Yep, and using the techniques and skills that Bruce taught him as well. The ones that Bruce seems to have abandoned himself, of late. Dave Batman's teachings are so ingrained in Dick's mind, and he is using them as his bible of detective work, so to speak. I like how page 6 has Dick beginning his investigation, and reflecting on the memories he has of himself in his early days of Robin.  Bruce proving he's down with the Gen Z and Alpha kids by promoting the benefits of leaving the Caps Lock on. Kev Yeh, I'm a big fan of that too. It's exceptionally well done. Is Dick the evolution of Bruce? The new and improved 2.0 version, as seen by just how good he was at the crime scene? Maybe Detective Frye was onto something. Maybe Dick would have been better off becoming a cop instead of being a vigilante with questionable fashion sense. Dave Perhaps Dick is the evolution of Bruce, yeah. It could just be Dick is still attached to Bruce as a father figure, and wants to bring back the good memories of his past with Bruce. He may want to relieve this through whatever means he can, such as paying tribute by using Bruce's teachings in his investigation. Kev Yeh, we definitely get more of an insight into how Dick sees Bruce a bit later on in this issue. Dave Anthony Zucco is such an arrogant prick. You can’t wait for him to get his comeuppance. “Mr. Pennyworth, for eleven years you’ve petitioned the parole board to keep me imprisoned. For ten of those years, for reasons of my own, I have allowed you to succeed…..Go ahead now, Mr. Pennyworth……amuse me.” Zucco is a man with a plan, isn't he? Also, it's interesting how the last issue ended with Bruce and the gangsters, yet it is not until page 8 of this issue that this section of the story picks up. Kev Yeh, it is a fair bit into the issue before we get back to The Bat, isn't it? Dave I do like that splash page on page 8. The colours and the artwork are good, and Batman looks big and formidable. Kev It's a good splash page, alright. I like the Dutch angle of it. It really draws your eye to it. This is a cracking scene between Alfred and Zucco on page 11. The storytelling composition is incredibly impressive. Dave Oh yeah, it does a lot of the direct close-ups which were so effectively used in 'The Silence of the Lambs' when characters were speaking to each other. Kev That's the kind of thing it reminded me of, yes! Good shout! Dave Alfred realised how much of a bad idea this was on the bottom of page 11, with Zucco's maniacal laugh.
 Come on, Anthony. It wasn't THAT funny a joke. It was 'Laughter Lift' standard at best. Kev I thought there might have been something else at play here with Zucco, but it seems like it's nothing more than he essentially has Gotham in the palm of his hand, due to his little black book. Dave Yeah, Zucco has no interest in leaving Gotham, that's for sure. Kev Not at all. This is a cracking scene between Alfred and Zucco. And Broderick and Beatty do an excellent job of capturing that disapproving look on Alfred’s face, on page 12, panel 4. Dave This is a very verbal issue with the thought captions, but due to the detective nature of the storytelling, the pieces of the puzzle are slowly but surely coming together, and even Bruce, with his reckless tactics, is also piecing things together in his own way. He's behaving more like Frank Castle, just without the homicidal intentions, going into a room full of gangsters, knowing this would become explosive. You can see how much Dick misses his surrogate father figure. Even though he's still here, at this present time he's not the man he once remembered. Kev Yeh, I think that's always the danger with Batman. If you push him too far in the direction of that adolescent need for him to be gritty and edgy, he really does run the risk of essentially becoming The Punisher. And we already have Frank Castle for that kind of thing. It's a good scene on page 13, with Batman disarming the gangster and contemplating using the gun, with the Nightwing voice over caption box of, “I’m afraid he’s almost capable of doing anything.” That ties in nicely to 'Year Two.'  "...you've got to ask yourself one question, 'Do I feel lucky?' Well do ya, punk?" Dave And the whole dynamic of Dick and Alfred, in the Batcave, doing the groundwork, gathering the intel through computers, and Bruce gathering his intel through beating the shit out of the gangsters, shows the stark contrast between past and present Batman. Dick is still doing stuff the way they used to, but Batman has resorted to going solo and is on the edge. At least when he started out he still questioned his conscience, but now he has the experience and a more dangerous edge to him. Everyone seems to have a 'Robocop' gun in this issue, the gun Batman pulls on page 13 is not too far off it either. Kev Ha, ha! The late '80s were the time for it, I suppose. Dave "Come quietly or there will be trouble!" Kev RoboBat! Dave Batcop? Kev Pretty much, yeh. The Batman and Robin flashbacks are so well done. Even in a few lines, Wolfman manages to give them a sense of carefree abandon, which contrasts with the sombre tone of the present day. Dave The more playful side of Batman and Robin when they first started working together, the journey together shared by crime fighting. I get the sense that on page 13, as Batman drops the gun, he is showing us, the reader, that he is not as far gone as Dick and Alfred fear he has, and his knowledge of how these guys would behave by being suddenly confronted by him, is part of his experience in fighting crime. Perhaps this is the point that we realise that he still has some clever tricks up his sleeve. Kev Yep, that's a good point. And it's interesting that both Bruce and Alfred have tried to persuade Zucco to leave Gotham. Again, employing different methods, of course. Dave He quickly disposes of the hoods on page 13. Everything is pointing to Zucco now, and his overconfident smugness and arrogance highlights this. Kev Definitely. He's been pulling the strings from behind bars all this time. The way Wolfman has these two plotlines converge is very skillfully done. Dave Yeah. This is so good to see. And, as you quite rightly said earlier, only serves to highlight the contrast in tone between now and then, in the Batman comics, in Batman as a character in those comics, and in the relationship between Batman and Robin/Nightwing. I like that Wolfman has the mob bosses being smart here. They’re not just dumb criminals. “This is an uneasy truce we have, Batman. You are gathering information about us that I find…disquieting. You wish our assistance, we need assurances.” It does make sense, as they know that Batman is the unlikeliest of allies here, but they need him as well. Kev Oh, yeh. Definitely. “If you were one of us you would own this city.” "I couldn’t wash off the dirt.” That’s a great exchange, and a cool line for Batman.  Yeah, you'd never get the muck out of those folds in that cape, Bruce. Certainly not on a 20 degree wash. Dave The bottom of page 16, when Batman realises Zucco is getting out tomorrow, is a moment when it finally comes together. The final piece of the jigsaw is put in place.  Zucco was going to use The Bible to take over the world?!?! Who knew? Kev Totally. That was a real, penny dropping, "Oh no!" moment for me as well. ‘Year Two’ saw Bruce having to compromise his morals and use guns, as well as work with Joe Chill and the criminal element. And here, in ‘Year Three,’ he’s having to work with the mob to acquire the information he needs to solve a case. Bruce isn't half being tested in these first few years. Dave Definitely. He has had to put himself through some tests these past few years in order to fight the good fight. Kev It would certainly seem so, yeh. Page 18 is just a masterfully done scene, by all involved, with Alfred’s insight into the Bruce Wayne/Dick Grayson dynamic (no pun intended), “In their own way they are so similar that I thank heaven for the differences," and young Dick Grayson’s insight into Bruce Wayne, “I used to think that he was more real as Batman than as Bruce Wayne……but because he just can’t be some cold super-hero around me, I think Bruce is becoming more real, too.” I wonder if this is perhaps Wolfman speaking through Grayson, getting all meta, and questioning the take on the character that Bruce Wayne is the alter ego and Batman is the true identity. I wonder if he is also mourning the loss of some of the fun, the Caped Crusader elements of the character, that seemed to go by the wayside after Frank Miller reinvented Batman with his one-two bookend punch of ‘Year One’ and ‘The Dark Knight Returns’? As they have largely defined the character for the second half of his existence. It also raises more questions about the (ab)use of a young boy, or young boys, plural, to temper the more extreme aspects of Bruce Wayne’s personality/personalities. Dave Could be. Maybe, yeah. On that last panel on page 17, after he talks to Drexel (not Gary Oldman's character from 'True Romance'), he gives Grenada a stern warning. This is more the Batman we know, and yet Dick is not around to see this side of him, but from our perspective, the reader, we can see in this issue that he is becoming more himself again. Albeit slowly. Kev Yeh, "Don't even think about it." He's not gone completely over the edge yet.  C'mon, Bats! Don't be so selfish. Sharing is caring, after all. Dave I liked that point about how Dick taught Bruce to enjoy himself more. Batman has had so many different incarnations and interpretations over the years, and certainly the first 'Year,' with Frank Miller's take creating a more dark character. It also asks the question; who is the person without the costume? Which is something we covered recently when Peter Parker had to face a similar dilemma in ‘The Lost Hunt' too. There are so many layers to this writing. While Bruce was teaching Dick, unconsciously, Bruce was also learning from Dick as well. Kev This is altogether too much Dick for one discussion. The double entendres are killing us here. Pulling our minds back out of the gutter, yeh, I think this has been an excellent exploration of these characters and their motivations. For example, “...but my parents are still dead. And that’s not going to change. And my getting mad or crazy about it won’t change it either.” Is this type of emotional intelligence why Dick is a better, or at least a more balanced, well-rounded, individual than Bruce? Dave Dick certainly has a good amount of emotional intelligence to him, yeah. "By praying I wouldn't have to wash off too much dirt.” Interesting that Batman knew he would have to delve deep into the underworld again to get the answers, and was aware of just how much of himself would he lose in that venture. This ledger has so much power over of all the prominent figures in Gotham, whether above board or underworld. It causes so much fear, as the dirt runs deep. Kev This reminds me of that line in 'The Dark Knight Rises' when Commissioner Gordon talks about Batman having to "...plunge his hands into the filth." Ah, Gotham! Such a nice place. Perfect for raising your children. Dave And this was back in the 80's. Think of how the ledger would be now. Hidden deep in a world of heavily secured technology. Kev Indeed. It would need end-to-end encryption. Like Whatsapp. With a gang of DOGE bros presiding over it. Dave And on page 20, Zucco gets to do his Leonardo DiCaprio 'Titanic' quote briefly, "I'm the king of the world!” I meant, "I'm going to be a king," before getting swiftly gunned down. Nice twist there.  Cue Celine Dion. "Near, far, wherever you are, I believe that the heart does go on." Kev Ha, ha! Yeh. Did Bruce get dirt on his hands from setting Zucco up to be executed as soon as he exits the prison? Dave Well, possibly. Is that a sacrifice he was willing to make to keep Dick and Alfred clean? It's a good way to end the issue. I expected to see more of Zucco throughout this. Kev Me too. It's been so long since I last read this, I was expecting this to go down in the last issue, so it took me completely by surprise again. Looks like next month is going to be all about the fallout from this then. It's an excellent ending to this chapter. It really makes you want to dive right into the next one, the finale. Dave Plus, the last panel shows, once again, the brewing tension between Dick and Bruce. Is Bruce so calculated that there is someone else behind this that Dick isn't seeing? And Dick is getting prone to emotional outbursts. He’s not really getting a grasp on his feelings at this moment. But anyway, it'll be interesting to see how it pans out. Kev Definitely. I'm really looking forward to reading it again, because it's been so long, it'll be like reading it for the first time all over.  Dick debating if that glam rock Nightwing skin on Fortnite is worth ponying up for as an in-game purchase or not. Dave How did you find this issue? I liked the whole detective aspect of this, and how it focused more on that, reminding us that Batman is still a detective as well as a fighter. Kev Me too. I really enjoyed it. This has been so much better than I remembered it being. Perhaps 12/13 year old Kev was a little too young to appreciate the family relationship dynamics of this story, and just wanted Batman fighting some crime. Particularly considering I would also have wanted something more in keeping with the '89 movie, as I was obsessed with that at the time. Dave That's one of the benefits of reading these stories through adult eyes; you see the layers in the storytelling, the relationship dynamics, the tone and mood of the story, and all the rest. I would have been exactly the same. The Batman ‘89 movie was the reason for "Batmania" back then, so yeah, I would have been looking for something similar to that, with plenty of action as well. It really was a mega hype in ‘89, then the following year, we forgot about it and went to the 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' hype. Kev Ha, ha! Yeh, it was funny how quickly Batman was kind-of out, and the Turtles were in. Dave This is probably a good place to end it, before we start another journey in the Ben Day Dots Delorian to the summers of '89 and '90. Kev Ha, ha! Good point. Yeh, let's not go down that rabbit hole again right now. Dave Plus, we also had 'The Punisher' out in the UK that year. I still remember it getting reviewed on 'Film '90' with Barry Norman. 'The Flash' TV series was exclusive to Sky, and 'Captain America' was apparently in selected cinemas near the end of ‘90, but certainly not in Dundee. Anyway, enough said on that. Oh yeah, and 'Dick Tracy' was another ‘90 summer film we went to see. Kev Jeez, right enough. It certainly was a bit of a golden era. Ah, to be young again. Dave When cinema had a good mixture of stuff to view, and wasn't saturated by comic book movies, sci-fi and horror. Kev Yeh. Man, I miss 'Film.' Particularly with Barry Norman. Although, he didn't have much good to say about comic book movies. Dave True. I still liked Norman’s dryness. It worked with his reviews. He knew his films. Much like Mark Kermode does. Kev Ha, ha! Yeh, he was so droll. I like Kermode too. I still listen to him and Simon Mayo every week. In fact, I'm a card-carrying Vangardista. I even have one of their travel mugs for my tea. (D) & (K) Next: 'Tony Zucco And The Ledger Of Criminal Activity.'  Who wore the smoking gunshot wound fit better, Anthony Zucco, or Drake?
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