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by Dave Scrimgeour and Kevin McCluskey   Writer- Frank Miller Illustrator- David Mazzucchelli Colourist- Richmond Lewis Lettering- Todd Klein SynopsisBruce finds himself trapped, and has to fight for his life to escape, not only a burning building, but also the murderous intentions of the G.C.P.D.'s trigger-happy S.W.A.T. team. Meanwhile, Jim Gordon's pursuit of Bruce as the main suspect for the true identity for the Caped Crusader goes ice cold, as the billionaire playboy has a seemingly air tight skiing trip alibi, but the future Commissioner's burgeoning affair with his colleague, Susan Essen, continues to heat up.  Dave Part 3 of 4 now, what do you make of the cover to this part? I really like it, myself. There's a real sense of imposing danger, and this has now become a matter of life and death for Batman. It has a real kind of military look to it as well. Again, that cherry red is dominating the mood, and with Batman hiding away, unseen, it creates a good opening to this segment of the story. Kev I love the cover. With that GCPD SWAT team, facing forward, armed to the teeth, and the silhouette of The Bat behind them, you just know that this is not going to end well for them. The composition of it, with the way the wooden frame breaks up the image is excellent too. It adds another element to the cover that makes it really visually interesting. I love the blurb as well. “They’ve got him cornered. They’ve got him outnumbered. They’ve got him trapped. They’re in TROUBLE…” Dave It's the old hunters becoming the hunted. We're entering 'Rambo' territory here. Kev Definitely. The fact that Bruce repeats, “Can’t help him…” when he leaves the homeless man to die in the inferno, shows that he at least feels somewhat guilty about doing so, but does this show, again, what we’ve spoken about previously, that Miller’s Batman is already on a journey that ends with being “the goddamn Batman” in 'All-Star,' and mowing thugs down with the artillery on the Bat-Tank in 'The Dark Knight Returns?' Does he fundamentally have a misinterpretation of a character that he’s written so often, or is this simply a case of this being an embryonic version of Batman here in 'Year One,' and a twilight years, desperate Batman in 'Dark Knight Returns?' Would a prime years Batman at least attempt to save that man? Or is this just a Frank Miller-verse, Elseworlds version of the character anyway? Or is the fact that he’s a vagrant support that theory that Bruce is just a rich, white man, who likes punching poor, mentally ill people in the face, or in this case, leaving them to die in burning buildings? Or do we even want to get into all that here, ‘cause it’s been done to death on Twitter already? That's a lot of questions ans a lot of "ors." Dave Haha. Yeah, I noticed that about him not attempting to save the vagrant as well. I'm pretty sure Batman would have at least attempted to, but somehow I think this was done intentionally, to add to his growing list of regrets and constant errors that he chastises himself for. Maybe this is meant to be a turning point for him, that he put himself first when he was backed into a corner, but still hadn't learned about selfless behaviour, even in those times. As you say it's been "twittered" to death. As dead as the vagrant. Kev Ha, ha! Dave I love the contrast in colours between Batman in the burning building and the sudden change to Selina sleeping in her bed. The red hot cherry of the inferno, to the cold blue of night. Is it just me, or does Selina look like Zoe Kravitz in 'The Batman?'  "You fought hard and you saved and earned, but all of it's going to burn." Kev Absolutely. Kravitz was definitely modelled on this version of Selina, I reckon. I do love how Selina and Holly’s room has the speedbag, the cigarettes and alcohol, the copy of Vogue, and the dumb bells all just strewn about. They’re Miller’s kind of gals. Although, you're going to stub a toe on those dumb bells. Probably in the middle of the night when you get up for a piss. We also spoke before of how Bruce has often survived in these early outings as Batman, due to nothing more than sheer luck, and here he is claiming that it’s only luck that he keeps the lockpick in his glove that saves him here. I’m not sure about that though. I think it’s more being smart and prepared that saves his hide in this case. He’s learning through experience. Actually, I'm away to stick 'The Batman' on in the background while we do this, now that you've mentioned it.  "You've got a lot of cats." Dave And also, Gordon is realising that Batman isn't the masked menace he took him for. "Brandon and the collection of sociopaths he calls a swat team." I like that. So eloquently put. Kev Yeh. I wonder what the correct term for "a collection of sociopaths is?" Maybe a "murder." Like crows. Dave Gotham Swat Team from the sounds of it. Kev Ha,ha! Good shout. Dave And again, the news is quite prevalent throughout this story. The media, as usual, casting bullshit aspersions. Kev Yeh, Miller loves using the media elements, not only as a way to flesh out the story, but also to help build the world of Gotham City. Dave That's a great half-page panel, from an aerial point of view, of the "sociopaths" team hunting for Batman.  "Keep it tight- - Keep it tight- - Over here- - Give me some light- -" sounds like the lyrics to a Rihanna tune. Kev Yeh, that panel is excellent. Mazzucchelli, man. What's left to be said about how good he is? Gordon corrects himself with his pronouns here, referring to the GCPD as “they” rather than “we.” This is indicative of how he sees himself as being removed from the corrupt police force, of course, and also how that perspective allows him to form a relationship with Batman as time goes on. “The enemy of my enemy is my friend” and all that. Dave And those guys are trigger happy. Oh yeah, this is where the tide is turning for both of them. Gordon is a guy who goes by his gut, and his gut is telling him something is not right about how the picture of Batman is being painted. At this stage Gordon desperately needs an ally. Kev He really does, doesn't he? Both Bruce and Jim are islands, and it sure can get lonely being an island, I suppose. “Unit two reporting- - Found a body under the water heater- - Just an old wino- -” “Just an old wino.” That says it all really, about the corruption in this police force. There's no protecting or serving with these guys. Dave Sociopaths, indeed. Kev Check Bruce out, using the ol’ Vulcan nerve pinch. Dave Yeah, he is obviously a practitioner in the martial art of Spock. Also, the little touches of the posters on the wall, "Honk if you.....Jesus." It's purposely cut off the full wording there. It also does the same on another one about God. "God is....." Kev Yeh! Who’s the hell has been living under that trap door? That's a lot of Christian paraphernalia down there. Dave Again, it seems on purpose. Looking for a saviour in a shitty city like this makes sense. Gotham has become this destitute city, a hellhole, and the Christian paraphernalia highlights the need for a saviour of some kind, hence the build up of Batman. Kev There's definitely a need for a saviour in Gotham. For some reason, I have it in my head that this as some priest who had perhaps lost faith, and his church, and maybe ended-up down here. Or maybe he was just a paedo in hiding. Dave Or maybe both. Kev Could be. Dave Whoever it was, he was sure able to get toilet roll easily. Kev Ha, ha! That's certainly true. Dave I like that sarcastic quip by Jim at the bottom of the page as he casually lights a cigarette, "We can't help Merkel. Orders. Breaks my heart." Talk about a big "Fuck you" to Merkel.  GCPD Blue. Starring David Caruso as Jim Gordon. Kev I absolutely love that panel. I love how Jim is casually leaning on a cop car, as he lights up another cigarette. Dave And that panel of the helicopter flying over the wreckage is great as well. Those aerial drawings really lend a great perspective to the storytelling.  Are you a Blue Thunder, or an Airwolf kinda person? Kev Yep. They certainly add a sense of scale to the proceedings. Plus, we get the added tension of the countdown to when the sun comes up for the sniper to be able to take Bruce out. Dave Also, this is where you start to see how important the Bat gadgets become in his crusade. Kev Yeh, we're definitely seeing the evolution of some of the gadgets in this story too. Dave Everything is slowly being introduced, but it's all done pretty well, and it doesn't feel forced in any way. Kev No, it doesn't. Miller's done a good job of making it all feel quite natural. I like the echo of Selina’s Siamese cat between herself and Bruce, and how it is “the only other survivor.” The common threads that pull them towards each other. Dave It's very much about the individuals coming together against a corrupt collective. Kev Definitely. So Bruce is willing to take a bullet for a stray cat, but not a homeless person. Again, this is maybe saying more about Miller than he’d care to admit. In saying that, I often prefer animals over people, so that probably says more about me than I’d care to admit too. Dave Maybe this is him starting to learn the selfless behaviour that he is going to need now. Or maybe he likes cats because it rhymes with bats. Kev Ha, ha! You never know. Maybe he's just an animal lover. Poor Merkel catches a round of friendly fire in the shoulder here. I love that panel of the grounds at old stately Wayne Manor at dawn as well.  If a tree falls in a Wayne Manor and there isn't a Batman around to hear it, does it make a sound? Dave Yeah, and the introduction to the Batcave. That's a nice page of Bat action as he deftly avoids the gunfire, and so does the cat. Kev Yep, Bruce really has a bee in his bonnet about that cop trying to shoot that cat, doesn’t he? And there’s that side thrust kick again. See? Turns out that all that practice paid off when it came to kicking a load-bearing beam in a derelict building. Dave Selina seems oblivious on the bottom panel, as the cat flies through the air though. Yeah, those practice sessions in Part One have paid dividends. Who needs a chainsaw when you can just call Bruce Wayne for a morning. Kev Exactly. Maybe starting up a fitness/landscaping business instead of fighting crime dressed like a bat was a better way to go for Bruce to process his trauma. Dave Could be a new addition to his cross-fit routine. Kev Gotham-Fit. Dave Haha! Yep "Gotham Fit. You too can break your leg for free." Saves you money on a gym membership, for sure. There's quite a few aerial panels throughout this issue and they are really standing out to me. The composition is jumping up a notch. Kev Yeh, some of those panels are stunning alright. This idea, of calling the bats with the transmitter in the heel of the Batsuit’s boot, is one that Nolan made great use of in ‘Batman Begins.’ Which is not surprising at all, of course, considering the subject matter of this, and that movie. This former was bound to be an influence on the latter. Dave It's like Hitchcock's, 'The Birds' on the next panel, but with Bats. And that's a great snap kick on the bottom panel, right to the face of one "sociopathic" SWAT member. I bet he felt that one. This is also adding to the idea of the bats as an image to put fear into people. We see a monstrous bat charging right towards us on the top of the next page. Excellent visuals. Kev Yes! 'The Birds' comparison hadn't occurred to me. Yeh, the gift of the image bestowed upon him by Thomas Wayne is certainly effective. Dave Commissioner Loeb looks like Jon Polito on the bottom of the page. Who, ironically, voiced the character in the animated version of this story. Kev Really. You reckon that was part of the reason he was cast maybe? Dave Not sure. But Polito is another one of those great character actors. Like Hootkins in Batman '89 film. Kev Yeh, Hootkins was great as Eckhardt. Dave Another good panel on that page is when Gordon is helping a colleague into the car and Batman jumps across the roof of the vehicle through all the Bats. That's a really nice touch.  You've got a lot of bats. Kev Yeh, I love how Bruce uses the cloud of bats to facilitate his escape. Dave This is, up to this point anyway, the first issue in this series with the least amount of time jumps, actually. The use of the dates is certainly less prevalent. Kev Yeh, we're more fixed in a certain point in time with this issue. Dave And then, on the next page, there's a little bit of the Miller dark humour, with all the SWAT team in hospital about to get a needle jab in the arse. Kev It certainly amused Jim Gordon, that's for sure. Dave Also, I wonder what the choice was to have that page in black and white. Kev I think it was done this way to help denote that this part of the story was told from Gordon's perspective, as he was thinking back to these events after they had unfolded. Dave True. It works anyway. That office panel on the next page is another excellent one. It's got great colours, attention to detail, and we are seeing the underlying sexual chemistry here between Gordon and Essen.  This scene is a porn parody, just waiting to be made. Kev Yeh. The affair is in the post here. Essen is smart as well, she sees right through Bruce’s alibi. Dave "Think of her as a cop. Think of her as a cop." Yeah, Essen has got it sussed out. Kev Yep, for all his grandstanding on his moral high ground in Gotham, Gordon is not above inappropriate thoughts about his colleague. Or infidelity, it would seem. Dave However Bruce is a bit of a crafty one with the bullshit excuses, and has the support to make it seem legit. He would need to, or otherwise he'd be busted. Kev Yeh, I like it when Bruce uses his wealth to cover his tracks. It's the smart play. Dave I did mention earlier about the lack of time jumps, but it's making up for it now that the building scene is done with. Selina isn't taking any shit anymore either, just punch out your pimp. And we're back to this endless rainfall in Gotham, but that's a lovely little panel from outside the diner with the rain pelting down. I'm seeing so much influence on Matt Reeves film with some shots, like when The Riddler was sitting in the diner and the SWAT team approaches. Kev Definitely. I absolutely love that 4th panel on page 67. Mazzuccelli after Hopper’s (whom the establishment is named after here incidentally) 'Nighthawks,' which I have a really good print of somewhere. Come to thinkof it, I’ve had for over 20 years and I’ve only had the opportunity to get framed and put up somewhere in the last year or so. I have absolutely no idea where it is though. I’ll need to see if I find it.  "...and of the midnight picnic, once upon a time, before the rain began..." Dave Nice one. Kev “I don’t deserve to be alive.” “I have to learn to make it work- - Step by step- - Method by method.” I like this, seeing Bruce piece it all together in his head. He has a vision of where he needs to be, and he knows he has to take the appropriate steps to get there. Dave The whole of page 68 is beautifully silhouetted, still continuing to maintain such a high quality standard of art.  Buns Of Anarchy. Kev Yeh, Mazzucchelli, man. He's top tier. Dave Everyone's getting their own little narrative bit now, Jim, Selina as we see the emergence of Catwoman, and Bruce on the skiing expedition. Things aren't looking well for Jim and Barbara though. Kev No, things are not going well in the Gordon household. He and Barbara are fighting, they’re expecting their first child, Jim is attracted to Sarah at work, it’s all getting pretty messy. I think this is an excellent sub-plot. It might even be my favourite story element. It really keeps this story of a billionaire learning how to run around a city and fight crime dressed like a bat grounded. It’s the real human interest portion of the story that makes it relatable. Everybody has had difficulties in at least one of their relationships at some point in their lives. A generation back from 1986, when this as published, places Essen's family right in Nazi Germany. It really is only a couple of heartbeats ago in the larger scale of things. We’d do well to remember that in our current climate, lest we be doomed to repeat that particular part of history. I also like how Mazzuccelli and Richmond have Essen looking almost pastel-like in her colour scheme. It’s brighter, and softer than anything else in what has, thus far, been a dark and harsh story, visually. Brighter and softer probably being how Jim sees Essen anyway. He is all too aware that there is a bit of an age difference between them though. Dave Jim has fought so well against the bullying within the force, however he has messed up personally now with Essen, and is racked with guilt. It lends that quality that people are still fallible. Kev Yeh, even our heroes. There's no pure white in this hell of Gotham. It's just a spectrum of grey. Gordon saying that he “hates himself” chimes with Bruce’s, “I don’t deserve to be alive” from earlier. Is this toxic masculinity at its finest? Turned inward and on our heroes themselves? Or have we got two self-loathing bothers-in-arms who are made for each other here? Is it a bit of both? “The hunk of metal in my hands is heavier than ever…” Dave I'd say it's probably showing that they are gonna need each others help and become allies. Kev I think you're absolutely spot-on there, man. Dave That last, full panel, page is great. It's very much a man surrounded by darkness. Conflicted, guilt ridden, and things aren't looking too great for him right now, at a time when he needs to come together and embrace his family unit more than ever. Out of the darkness comes the light stuff.  "If my Uzi wasn't heavy, I would probably fire it." Kev Indeed. Even the bed sheets are beautifully drawn. Dave So, how did you find this issue in relation to the previous one. Kev It was certainly more set-piece focused than last issue, but it also furthered the collision course that Bruce and Jim are on and, as you pointed out, how much they need each other. It also progressed as the Gordon/Essen sub-plot too, which, as I said earlier, is my favourite part of this story. What about yourself? Dave Yeah, for a good chunk of this issue, it seemed to focus on the building set piece, but after that, it jumped nicely along and presented Gordon with another dilemma, his unfaithfulness to Barbara as well as his need to ally up with the Bat, or at least Bruce's need to ally with Gordon. And plus, we got some Catwoman birth stuff as well. What stood out was those aerial panels, some of them were absolutely excellent. Kev Good point. I kind-of skipped over Selina's evolution to Catwoman. Yeh, I can't say enough good things about Mazzucchelli. Or Richmond Lewis for that matter. (D) & (K) 
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