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by Dave Scrimgeour and Kevin McCluskey   Writer- Frank Miller Illustrator- David Mazzucchelli Colourist- Richmond Lewis Lettering- Todd Klein SynopsisAfter a heroic performance at a hostage situation, Jim Gordon's stock continues to rise with the citizens of Gotham, much to the chagrin of the city's political class. Meanwhile, despite the fact that Bruce Wayne continues to struggle to put all the pieces together as his alter-ego, the legend continues to grow, something that he takes full advantage of to announce his arrival to Gotham's corrupt officials. However, a chance encounter finally leads to our two heroes crossing paths, with explosive consequences. Dave So, part 2 now, the cover has a real simplicity, and I like how the yellow moon at the back and the bat emblem kind-of elevate this. I'm not too keen on the Batman pose though. Kev Really? I quite like that Mazzucchelli deliberately went for a Bill Finger style Batman for the cover. Obviously harkenning back to the early days of the character, and the comic. I also like the line, “He thinks he’s ready.” “Thinks” is doing a lot of the heavy lifting in that sentence. Dave That page of him standing there holding his cape is good, the shadows, the mood, the despair and the harsh reality of what he's doing is hitting him...its drawn and coloured brilliantly. Plus, the next page has gone for a full-on David Fincher 'Se7en' look before Fincher made 'Se7en.' That first panel of Gordon stuck in traffic in the rain is excellent.  Jim should consider changing his wake up call service. Kev Yeh, 'Se7en' could easily have been set in Gotham, couldn't it? "It can't rain all the time." Oh no, wait, that's the wrong comic book movie. Dave Haha. 'The Crow' was 1994. Also, Gordon is holding a mug to show that he's now in the world of parenthood. I love that first page as it sets a bleak image of a congested Gotham, rife with social ills. Kev Yeh, I like Jim and Barbara’s coffee mug and t-shirt respectively, showing their excitement for their imminent parenthood. Gotham isn't exactly the kind of environment you'd want to be raising a child in though. Which is something that Gordon is all too aware of. “I take the ugly weight off my hip.” That’s a great line, that is. I like how “soft-hearted” Jim is aware that a lot of the staff on his force are perhaps not best suited to certain tasks. Dave I love that panel on the next page, of the cops at the scene, it's very detailed and atmospheric, with the rain. It really looks gritty, and it could be set in any city, really. And the jump is only one day this time from April the 4th to the 5th.  Perhaps not the best way to start the conversation about leaving the EU. Kev Yeh, we're seeing the aftermath the very next day here. Jim’s knees still wobble though. He’s smart enough to still let the fear in a bit. Dave I like the human touch that Gordon, regardless of experience, still gets the fight or flight response in a tense hostage scenario. "I hope Barbara isn't watching. I know she is." It's a lovely panel of her sitting in the dark, and it reflects the mood she would be in. I think that panel alone expresses how she is feeling, internally.  Jimmy Gordon is the antithesis of Elvis. Kev Definitely. Lonely, helpless, powerless, scared. Yeh, you've got to feel for Barbara. That's something that Miller and Mazzucchelli have done a sterling job of here, is creating atmosphere. It drips off of every page. Like the raindrops themselves, I suppose. Dave Oh yeah, they have set up a great little set piece, and it's brilliantly illustrated over the 3 pages, with Gordon climbing the stairs, and the building tension. Kev Jim Gordon is very much Elliot Ness, isn’t he? “I hate the gun. I hate my job. I keep practicing.” Jim knows that he can’t really do the latter without the former. Dave Yeah, this issue is very much about Gordon, the reluctant hero, and Batman, the struggling hero, who is seen as an anti-hero. Kev It certainly feels more like a Jim Gordon issue, than a Bruce Wayne one, yes. Not that I'm complaining about that in the slightest. Dave Also, the use of Gordon being lit up in yellow on those frames of him shooting works well. It's almost like the yellow bat emblem is encompassing him, not Bruce, at this stage. Kev That's a good point, man. Their journeys are certainly running parallel to each other at this point in the story. Dave Pacing-wise, this is as fast as the previous part, as we are only getting small glimpses of the days. Kev Yeh, things are moving along, now that Bruce has his gimmick in place. Dave That's a good panel of Batman with his wings spread out on the rooftops, just after we see the panel of Gordon sitting on the side of the bed as Barbara sleeps. Troubled times in a deeply corrupt and troubled city. I notice the little Superman pun as Barbara is giving Jim a massage. I have to say in these first few pages the artwork and colouring has been exceptional.  "Well, it is good cape weather: cool, breezy." Kev “.....a city without hope,” then BOOM! Yep, it's a fantastic panel of the “hope” itself. And you're right about the colour art by Richmond Lewis on this, it is outstanding. It has a proper painterly quality to it. Particularly in the collected editions of this, as opposed to the single issues which were produced on newsprint. Funny that it would have a "painterly quality" to it, considering she was a painter, eh? I am nothing if not a master at stating the obvious. That's the level of insight people come here for. Yeh, I like Barbara’s little reference to a “Man Of Steel” too. It’s a fairly small thing, but it lets us know that, despite this tale being a million miles away from your standard superhero fare, it still takes place within that greater DC universe. We’re six pages in, and we've only just gotten to Bruce really. Dave Yep, and interestingly, in those six pages I feel more connected to Gordon than Bruce. Kev Me too. Gordon is more relatable than Bruce, I suppose. A little more human. Dave It's also because we are seeing the despair and corruption directly through his eyes. Kev True. He's the reader's way into the story. Dave And on page 7, we are getting to see Bruce's second rookie error. In Part 1 he went undercover, and we know how that turned out, with Bruce doing his best Frank Castle undercover job, but making a balls of it. There's a bit less carnage here, but not much. Kev Ha, ha! We certainly do. I like how Bruce has teething problems here, and that he’s relying on luck more than skill to get himself through these early outings. Dave Also, not the best place to engage in unarmed combat with more than one assailant. It almost verges into the comical here, as one guy is kicking him, while he's trying to save another. What was he thinking???? Kev Ha, ha! Yeh, not exactly the best tactics, are they? He might want to pick an arena that's not quite such a confined space next time. I couldn't help but laugh when he gets clocked over the back of the head with the big, old fashioned, tube TV. Dave Yep, it kind-of has that Frank Miller, dark humour here. Kev It certainly does. Dave Also, I like that, at the end of the battle, he just sits on top of these guys. Kev Yeh, he knows that dumb luck is the only reason he got through that situation in one piece. The police artist sketches are good. A) looks like Man-Bat, B) looks like Bob Kane’s original design for Batman, and C) looks like B) after Bill Finger got his hands on it.  "Very funny. You should have a little more gore under the fangs though, right?" Dave Yep, that's another cracking panel of Gordon, with Flass sitting there next to him. The power dynamic has really shifted between these two now. This is the upside to Bruce's ventures; they are starting to strike the fear he wanted them to, as seen by Flass's reaction and storytelling. Kev That's true. Bruce's got the look down, if nothing else. I like how Gordon and the rest of the room are ripping the piss out of Flass for his tall tale of, let’s call it ‘The Bat,’ seeing how he claims it wasn’t human anyway. Oooh! You can feel the heat between Gordon and Essen. And it’s not just from that match. Dave Even the subtle body language on the first panel of them on page 9, as she is standing listening to him, her lead foot is pointing in his direction and her body is angled towards him, not facing the cops in the room, like Flass is. Barbara won't be too pleased with this working relationship. Kev No, not at all. You're right, that panel is so well done. She's even gazing right at him, rather than addressing the room. Dave Also, I like how he makes Flass tell his story in front of them all and quips, "Try not to exaggerate." Gordon is really rubbing it in now. Kev Absolutely. Like you said, the power dynamic between those two has completely shifted in Gordon's favour now. And, as evidenced by Flass's story, Bruce is getting a little better at this each and every time he has an outing. Dave It also gives the sense that Flass is a known bullshitter. Kev Ha, ha! Definitely. Dave He's been shown up now, and is the joke of the group. Kev Yeh, he's lost the respect of his peers now as well. Which is exactly what Jim Gordon wanted to, and expected would, happen. It’s interesting to be situated in a time when Bruce/Batman and Jim only know of each other through reputation, and they haven’t established any real kind of relationship yet. Working or otherwise. Dave Yeah, it's slowly building to their, but purposely keeping them separated, for now. Kev Which will only make it all the more satisfying once their paths finally properly cross. “That kid, Dent, is pushing internal affairs to go after Flass.” Another one of those world building, universe expanding lines/references that I like. “Falcone” too. Dave It's great that this story conveys such a complex web of the many layers of corruption in Gotham. Kev The corruption certainly runs deep, that's for sure. “It’s showtime.” I’m liking Bruce’s awareness that there is a huge element of theatricality to what he is trying to do. And then, of course we get that classic page, beautifully executed by Mazzuccelli. That's got to be one of THE most famous pages of a Batman comic in the characters 80+ year history, right? Dave Oh, for sure. Also, the last panel on page 13, "Poom" is a little 60's-TV-show, but that is an epic half-page panel on 14, and it's a real theatrical entrance. Bruce is starting to find a flair for this now. The whole page is brilliant. The dates of the story timeline are quite close together, so it has been quite a turbulent set of affairs in Gotham in such a short timescale.  Bruce responds to that one-star review that the Gotham Council left for his new restaurant venture on Trustpilot. Kev Yeh, that city never sleeps. And I love how all of Gotham's legitimised criminals were quite happy to put up with The Batman until he started to affect them directly, then it’s all “--No excuses, Gordon. That vigilante goes under–instantly–or it’s your job!” Dave But Gordon is really getting it in the neck from the Commissioner. I guess it's a good way to get rid of him, you screw up your job, you're out. Seeing as he is the golden boy of the GCPD. Kev Yeh, Jim's being positioned as the fall guy here, if needs be. They've set it up so that they get rid of at least one of their problems, one way or another. Dave Batman isn't falling for these traps set by Jim either. He can spot an undercover cop a mile off. I like how he just waits in the shadows unnoticed by all. Kev Definitely. What does Jim think? That Bruce was born yesterday? “She knows how to walk in heels. So few women do these days it’s practically a lost art.” Who knew Bruce would have a thing for a woman in heels. Dave Haha. Definitely a Miller bit of writing there. Kev You might be right there. You mentioned last issue that you felt as though Miller's kinks seem to make their way into his writing and his characters. Dave Yeah, Miller loves putting his own kinks in, as I said last issue, just look at 'Sin City.' Bruce is becoming astutely observant as well, picking up on things though. Before, he was all knowledge and practice, but now his experience is starting to grow along with him growing into the Batman part as well. He is definitely gaining experience and learning from his mistakes here. Kev I like the Robin Hood reference as well, because it puts Batman in that lineage of folk heroes. Although, he doesn’t give to the poor. He just punches them in the face, apparently. Dave I love the artwork on that page, with the blue just encapsulating each panel. Also, Gordon doing a bit of weight lifting in Dent's office as he talks to him is a nice touch. And I like it how Batman is hiding behind his desk. Improbable, but comical. What happens if he coughs or sneezes?  "Trains and sewing machines." Kev Ha, ha! Yeh, I like Jim Gordon as this Columbo-esque character, when he interviews Harvey Dent with the suspicion that he might be a frustrated “assistant” district attorney turned vigilante. All the while, the actual Batman is hiding under/behind Dent’s desk. Who does Bruce think he is? A Tory politician? Dave Yeah, Gotham has suddenly went into lockdown rules and Bruce and Harvey are about to PARTY AND WINE Boris style. Plus, I think Harvey should have waited a few seconds after Jim left his office before he spoke to Bruce. You can still see his shadow in the shadow coming through the window! Did he not think he might hear him? Kev Ha, ha! I really like that Miller has Gordon and Essen smart enough to suspect Bruce. Follow the money, and all that. And that their relationship has developed to the point that the cigarette thing is a "bit" that they have in their "working" relationship now. A level of intimacy that could be dismissed as nothing, or just a work colleague thing whenever questioned, but hardly innocent. “I’m already tasting her lipstick on the cigarette… “…her fingernails bite into my knee–” is perhaps not quite so easy to explain away though. Dave Maybe the "tasting her lipstick on the cigarette" is a metaphor for something else. Oh jeez! Am I going too Frank Miller now? Kev Ha, ha! Yeh, there's a fair bit of phallic imagery at play here. Dave And also, this is proof that the roads of Gotham are far from safe to drive on. Two incidents in two issues. Kev Ha, ha! True. What exactly are the citizens of Gotham paying their road tax for? Dave Again though, there are some great panels on those pages, and it allows Batman a chance encounter with Jim. Very kinetic as well. Kev Yeh, Mazzucchelli’s panels of a silhouetted Batman are fantastic, and the sense of motion in them is outstanding too. And those panels of Gordon, bathed in the red of the police light, are just stunning. The game of cat and (flying) mouse between Jim and Bruce is fascinating. They’re two smart guys pitted against each other here. Feels a bit like 'Heat' to me, with Vincent Hanna and Neil McCauley. Which is exactly what 'The Dark Knight' felt like to me when I first saw that in the cinema too. Maybe I just see 'Heat' in everything because I want to see 'Heat' in everything though.
Dave Yeah, I love the cherry red colours on that page. This is going for a cinematic look, and it's diluted as well, not like cinema was in the 80's. Oddly enough, it's more akin to modern day cinema/TV look. Nonetheless excellent work. It's all very fast paced here; the cat and mouse chase scene, another display of Batman's skills etc. etc. A meeting of the two forces, Bruce Wayne and Jim Gordon. And The GCPD are getting the big guns out with tactical helicopters as well. They are meaning business now. Kev Yeh, the Commissioner and Branden, and the rest of the corrupt officials of Gotham are not messing around anymore. They want The Bat gone. It's also two issues on the trot where we’ve seen Bruce kind-of come up short. This really is his Year One. He's improving with each outing, but we’re still a long way away from Bat-God here. And this story, and Batman as a character in general, is all the more interesting for that. I prefer a Batman with flaws, and one who is capable of making mistakes. I find the “.....with enough time to plan…..” trope gets very boring, very quickly, a 'get out of jail free card' for lazy writers, and also, it starts to feel like wish-fulfilment, fantasy stuff. Which occurs to me as such a stupid thing to say, even as I type it, as, arguably, that is exactly what all "superhero" comics are at their core. Childhood, childish, wish-fulfilment fantasies. Dave Bruce is really having to improvise on the spot isn't he. Kev Absolutely. And now with a bullet in his leg to boot. No pun intended. Dave He's surviving purely by the skin of his teeth, and no more. That's a great panel of the explosion and, interestingly on that page, we see Gordon realising how far these guys are willing to go. Gordon has a changed viewpoint on Batman by this stage, but it could almost be too late by this point. That panel of Batman climbing the stairs injured reminds me of the Cathedral scene in the final act of 'Batman 89.' Kev I thought that too, about the stairs. And yeh, "Branden and his swat team" are not giving a damn about collateral damage. Whether that's human lives, or not. I suppose, it was only a couple of homeless folk. It's not like their lives have any value. Dave And the issue ends with an epic explosion. Kev Indeed. Quite literally an explosive conclusion. Dave I got to say, this issue has really notched up the quality of this story. Granted, the first part had to set the scene and the characters and their relationships, but this issue has really gone for pure grit and excellent storytelling. It's elevated this, and the artwork and colouring are top notch as well. Kev Yeh, this is another good issue. Perhaps not quite as arresting, and visceral as the first chapter, but the main plot motored along, it had more kinetic energy and bigger action set-pieces in it, and we got some nice character development stuff with Gordon, particularly his flaws, with regards to his extra-marital affair. Jim Gordon’s the star of this chapter. It kind-of puts me in mind of the recent ‘Joker’ series by James Tynion IV. That was the same, in that it was really a Gordon book in many ways, and again, was all the better for it. Dave Yeah, it allowed us to spend more time with Gordon, while Batman is purely trying to hone his craft, so in terms of characterisation this was Gordon's issue. (D) & (K)  With Bill Finger.
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