BATMAN #500 - October 1993 (Part One)

Dark Angel I:  The Fall
Credits:  Doug Moench (writer), Jim Aparo (pencils), Terry Austin (inks), Ken Bruzenak (letterer), Adrienne Roy (colorist)

Summary:  Batman drops off the scaffold and maneuvers his way to the ground.  He lands in a fountain, but there isn’t enough water to protect him from injuries.  Bane escapes.  Later, Robin confronts Batman about his methods, but Jean-Paul refuses to listen.  That night, Nightwing arrives and discovers Bruce Wayne is no longer Batman.  He advises Robin to trust Bruce’s judgment and allow Jean-Paul to continue as Batman.  Meanwhile, Bane replenishes his Venom supply, as Jean-Paul designs a new Batman costume.

Irrelevant Continuity:  We learn that Harold has been living in a hidden room (apparently attached to the Batcave), spying on Jean-Paul.

Total N00B:  I’m assuming the dog that briefly appears in the Batcave this issue is the ‘90s Ace.  He walks away from Jean-Paul and is then fed by Harold.  I read this issue as a kid and had no idea what to make of that scene, but I understood that I was walking into a huge event and my knowledge of certain areas of Bat-continuity was spotty.

Gimmicks:  A foil-enhanced alternate cover by Joe Quesada was also released for this issue.

Review:  I can still remember Denny O’Neil appearing on The Today Show, promoting this issue in the summer of 1993.  He didn’t drop the façade for one second; anyone watching that interview would assume DC had created a new Batman for the gritty ‘90s and that Bruce Wayne was now retired.  Issue #500 is the obvious issue to use as the lynchpin of a major marketing campaign, which likely explains why this is the issue that finally shows Dick Grayson’s response to the events of “Knightfall,” and provides at least a brief flashback to the past of the new Batman, Jean-Paul Valley.  (Only existing readers would understand that scene with Harold and Ace, but it’s a mere two pages out of a double-sized comic, so I doubt anyone was truly bothered by it.)  

I had been reading comics enough years to be cynical about major changes to the status quo by this point, but I have to admit that the prospect of a darker, more violent Batman appealed to me in my early teens.  I didn’t necessarily want to see Bruce Wayne replaced by a new character, but I didn’t object to the prospect of Batman himself becoming colder and more willing to kill.  (This is fairly consistent with Tim Burton’s portrayal of the character from the movies, which were inanely popular at the time.)  The speech Jean-Paul gives Robin about meeting your opponent on his own terms and “chivalry is just a handicap” seems tailor-made to appeal to a teenage boy’s bloodlust; I remember reading it and thinking that it made perfect sense.  And if you’re still wondering why Christopher Nolan ventured into ‘90s continuity when making his final Batman film, another line from the speech might provide a clue.  What’s Jean-Paul’s response when Robin tells him that he’s becoming like Bane?  “Maybe so.  And maybe Gotham will fear and hate me when I’m done.”  Is this the origin of Nolan’s bizarre theory that Gotham must hate Batman in order for him to fulfill his role?  That Gotham is not only willing, but eager to turn on Batman?  

As I’ve said before, knowing in retrospect that this was all done to prove a larger point about heroism and reaffirm the true Batman’s value system makes the whole affair seem genuinely remarkable.  The adolescent readers (and adult readers with adolescent attitudes) got their nasty, faux-Miller Batman for a year or so, and then Bruce Wayne returns to set things right and show why this thinking is all wrong.  Of course, DC couldn’t leave well enough alone and couldn’t resist making Bruce Wayne increasingly unstable and antisocial years after this event had made its point, but that’s a rant for another time.

BATMAN #499 - September 1993

The Venom Connection
Credits:  Doug Moench (writer), Jim Aparo (pencils), Scott Hanna (inks), Ken Bruzenak (letterer), Adrienne Roy (colorist)

Summary:  Bruce Wayne examines a blood sample left on one of the kidnappers’ masks and discovers he’s vaccinated against a specific strain of malaria.  With Oracle’s help, he learns that the nearest country with that strain is Santa Prisca.  He departs on his private jet with Alfred, and while in midair, learns that Selina Kyle has snuck along.  Meanwhile, Robin helps Batman rescue mobster Tough Tony’s children.  With the aid of his new gloves, subconsciously designed by the System, Batman defeats Bane’s main henchmen.  Later, Robin returns home to discover his father’s been kidnapped.

Irrelevant Continuity:

• Selina Kyle introduces herself to Bruce Wayne as someone he once met at a charity function.  It’s amazing to think that the two characters have such a meager connection so deep into post-Crisis continuity.
• This issue marks the debut of the Azrael-Batman’s new gloves.  Not only are they ridiculously large, but they have sharp talons and shoot out tiny bat-shuriken.  If Kenner never made toys out of these things, I would be amazed.

Total N00B:  Batman calls out to Harold in the Batcave and discovers he’s gone.  In the 600+ pages of this book, Harold only makes a one-page cameo in the last story, and there’s no explanation of who he is.  Later, Robin asks if Ace is gone, too.  I’m guessing this is a reference to a post-Crisis Ace the Bathound, which I had no idea even existed.

Review:  Is Moench making an intentional point by having Bruce Wayne leave the country without telling Tim Drake his father’s been kidnapped, or is this indicative of his plotting style?  If Moench is making the case that Bruce is so divorced from normal human interaction that he can’t be bothered to comfort his teenage ward, then it’s a defensible move (and having Alfred, not Bruce, sign the note left on Tim’s bed explaining the situation is a nice touch).  If not, this just comes across as shoddy plotting.  Structuring the issue to give Bruce and Tim some time together, or at least more than a few panels for Tim to react to his father’s kidnapping, wouldn’t have hurt the story one bit.  Instead, Robin spends the entire issue angsting over Jean-Paul/Azrael/Batman (who’s acting so much like All-Star Batman it’s past comedy at this point), which is of course what he’s already been doing the past few issues.  One subplot is advanced, as Bane reacts to the news that Batman has returned, but unfortunately Moench doesn’t get a lot of material out of the scene.  He writes Bane as an irrationally angry steroid-freak, lashing out as his flunkies for no real reason, which doesn’t seem to match his characterization from the Chuck Dixon chapters. 

BATMAN #498 - August 1993

Knights in Darkness

Credits:  Doug Moench (writer), Jim Aparo (penciler), Rick Burchett (inker), Richard Starkings (letterer), Adrienne Roy (colorist)

Summary:  As Bane takes over the Gotham underworld, Dr. Shondra Kinsolving is called to treat Bruce Wayne in his mansion.  She reluctantly agrees, intrigued by the secrets he’s keeping.  As they  grow closer, Bruce ponders revealing the truth to her.  In response to the city’s violence, Bruce has Robin ask Jean-Paul to replace him as Batman, on the condition he stays away from Bane.  Jean-Paul dons the costume and heads out on patrol with Robin.  Meanwhile, Bane and Catwoman form a partnership.

Irrelevant Continuity:  Bruce instantly dismisses Robin’s suggestion that Dick Grayson, now Nightwing, take his place because Grayson is his “own man” now.

Total N00B:  Alfred orders Jean Paul to beef up the mansion’s security with Sal Fiorini.  No clue who that is.  Later, while coming out of his coma, Bruce babbles about a “box of blood,” Commissioner Gordon’s wife turning him against Batman, and Vicki Vale leaving.  All storylines that I’ve never read, but apparently played a part in Batman’s fractured mental state during this era.

Review:  And we’ve finally reached Azrael’s debut as Batman, in landmark issue number…498.  I don’t want to imply that issue #500 isn’t a commendable anniversary issue (it’s significant for its own reasons, and I certainly enjoyed it as a kid), but I still don’t understand why the debut of Batman’s replacement happened in such a low-key manner.  Relatively speaking, of course, since this entire storyline was a media sensation almost from the beginning.  Just from a marketing standpoint, it would seem as if the debut of the new Batman should come in the giant anniversary issue with the easy-to-remember number; and of course comic fans have been trained to view anniversary issues as the “important” ones, anyway.  You don’t expect a replacement Batman to debut in issue #498, you just don’t.  

Regardless, here we are.  This is a little more emotional than Chuck Dixon’s follow-up to the “Break you!” issue, and it’s one of the stronger Doug Moench chapters I’ve read so far.  Bruce is humanized in a way that doesn’t resort to just making him dangerously obsessive or unstable, and there a few nice scenes with the supporting cast members.  Jean-Paul’s characterization is simply odd, although I’m assuming that’s intentional.  It’s amusing to see him go from sheer awe at the prospect of replacing Batman to arrogantly declaring that he’ll be a better Batman in the course of one page.  

I have to say, it is somewhat annoying that we’re over fifteen chapters into this crossover and Jean-Paul has a) barely appeared in this storyline so far, and b) has yet to be properly introduced to anyone who hasn’t read Sword of Azrael.  Many new readers would also probably like to know why Batman isn’t calling upon his “old chum” Dick Grayson to replace him.  There’s just a one-line explanation here, which might make perfect sense for anyone familiar with Teen Titans continuity, but wouldn’t fly for the vast majority of the public that’s familiar with the classic Batman/Robin relationship that goes back to 1940.  Surely Jim Shooter would not approve.  

BATMAN #497 - Late July 1993

The Broken Bat
Credits:  Doug Moench (writer), Jim Aparo (penciler), Dick Giordano (inker), Richard Starkings (letterer), Adrienne Roy (colorist)

Summary:  Alfred runs to Robin’s house for help as Bane brutalizes a battered Batman.  As Batman reflects on everything he’s endured over the past few months, Bane takes their fight down to the Batcave.  Batman refuses to scream Bane’s name, but Bane does succeed in breaking his back.

Irrelevant Continuity: 

• Batman flashes back to a few stories not reprinted in the book, such as a confrontation with a Venom-amplified Riddler, and fights with Black Mask, Azrael, and someone with bandoleers and a mohawk.

• Tim Drake lives in a house with his father, unlike the previous Robins that lived in Wayne Manor with Batman.  Presumably, the Drakes’ home is near Wayne Manor, since characters are often seen walking back and forth.

Total N00B:  Why do all of the flashbacks with Azrael have him in that spiky bondage outfit, as opposed to the costume he wore on the covers of his original miniseries?  What even happened in Sword of Azrael, anyway?

Gimmicks:   This issue has an alternate cover with an "additional black and white stiff paper partial cover overlay."

Review:  Now we’ve reached the big moment, the scene the creators have been building up to for around twenty issues now.  And it happens in Batman #497, of all places.  Not Batman #500, or even Detective Comics #666, but in a non-enhanced, regular-sized issue with a non-significant issue number.  I can almost see the reasoning that led to the event occurring in Batman’s titular series, the one drawn by legend Jim Aparo, instead of Detective (even though Detective was being written by Bane’s creator and is the original Batman comic), but why choose this point to give Bane his crucial victory?  I would be curious to know if Marvel or Image was launching something big this month and DC felt compelled to compete, or if some end-of-fiscal-year budget concerns lead DC to choose this specific issue. 

At any rate, this is the horrible event the crossover has been leading up to, and to his credit, Doug Moench steps up to the challenge and delivers a mature, somber script that suits the material.  Batman’s narration throughout the story conveys his anguish without coming across as mawkish, and even if this is an issue-long, one-sided fight scene, it doesn’t feel like a cheat.  Bane’s arrogant and evil enough to hold his own in the story, and his sadistic one-liners are a great contrast to Batman’s broken, humbled narration. 

Assigning this chapter to Jim Aparo also helps it feel more significant in a way, given that Aparo was the definitive Batman artist of this generation.  When the guy who’s drawn almost every Batman comic you own draws a giant splash page of your hero’s back being broken, that has an impact.  And if there is one iconic page of mainstream DC comics in the ‘90s, the “BREAK YOU!” page could be it.  Its main contender would probably be Lois mourning Superman’s bloody body, but I think Bane's page had even more resonance.  I didn’t even own this issue at the time, but I saw this page dozens of times during 1993 and 1994.  (Does anyone else remember watching the Home Shopping Channel and seeing the “BREAK YOU!” page flashed on-screen repeatedly the night they were selling signed copies of this book?)  As for the cover, I guess it’s significant too, in a “Wow, look at what you could get away with in the ‘90s” kind of way.

BATMAN #496 - Early July 1993

Die Laughing
Credits:  Doug Moench (writer), Jim Aparo (penciler), Josef Rubinstein (inker), Richard Starkings (letterer), Adrienne Roy (colorist)

Summary:  Joker and Scarecrow cause havoc at the Gotham River Tunnel, with Mayor Krol as their hostage.  Batman arrives and is soon sprayed by Scarecrow’s fear gas.  He fights his way through the effects and attacks the Joker, but their fight is ended when Scarecrow uses a rocket launcher to start a flood.  The villains leave while Batman is left to rescue Mayor Krol.

Irrelevant Continuity:  Jason Todd is still dead at this point, as he should be.  The implication from this story is that this is Batman’s first meeting with Joker since the “Death in the Family” storyline.

Review:  This is Moench’s best chapter of the storyline so far, as he finds the right balance between traditional superheroics and the heightened sense of mayhem that’s needed to sell “Knightfall” effectively.  Joker and Scarecrow are given several pages to simply destroy everything in their path, a bender that’s noticeably violent, but not graphic or terribly dark.  When Batman does confront the villains, Moench is able to convey Batman’s frayed state of mind and guilt over Jason Todd’s murder at the Joker’s hands without going overboard.  Forcing him to see visions of Jason through the Scarecrow’s fear gas is another smart use of the characters, even if the scene is surprisingly short.  And it’s also great to see Jim Aparo, the definitive Batman artist of this era and the penciler of “Death in the Family,” actually draw Batman’s rematch with the Joker.  A rematch that consists of Batman just relentlessly beating him over and over again.  This kind of stunt has been done to death by now, but I think at the time this was one of the few genuinely violent Batman/Joker confrontations in print.

BATMAN #495 - Late June 1993

Strange Deadfellows
Credits:  Doug Moench (writer), Jim Aparo (penciler), Bob Wiacek (inker), Richard Starkings (letterer), Adrienne Roy (colorist)

Summary:  Batman attaches himself to Firefly as he uses his wings to fly away, but is unable to capture him.  Later, as Bruce Wayne, he attends a charitable function that’s interrupted by Poison Ivy.  Batman avoids breathing the spores that turn the attendants into Poison Ivy’s zombies, and soon changes into costume and defeats her.  Outside, Bane watches the events.  He discerns by looking at Bruce Wayne that he’s truly Batman.  Meanwhile, Azrael practices fighting crime solo, and Joker and Scarecrow trick a SWAT team into an explosive trap.

Irrelevant Continuity:  Batman has begun using his rope gun, a device made popular by the ‘90s animated series.

Review:  So, Poison Ivy makes her big move, and her plan consists of brainwashing a group of bodybuilders into becoming her “Deadfellows” and kidnapping Gotham’s elite from a fundraiser.  This would’ve been lame even in an eight-pager back in the Silver Age.  I would be curious to know if Ivy had been fleshed out as a character prior to the animated series, or if this is typical of any Poison Ivy story pre-Paul Dini.  Because if this was all you could expect from her, she certainly deserved her status as a C-lister.  And not only is Poison Ivy’s plan dull, but Moench doesn’t bother to come up with much of an ending to her fight with Batman.  After knocking off her goons, Batman calls her a witch and kicks her in the face.  The end.  On to the next throwaway from Arkham…

In terms of the “Knightfall” crossover, the major advancement this issue is Bane’s discovery of Batman’s secret identity.  And it’s just as lame as my summary of the issue might lead you to believe.  Bane merely looks at Bruce Wayne, and after only meeting Batman once in a dark warehouse, instantly recognizes his secret identity.  The original Vengeance of Bane one-shot went out of its way to justify Bane’s physical prowess and mental capabilities in order to sell him as a legitimate character and not a plot device.  Here, he’s all plot device.  I don’t want to use those two words that fans love to throw around when complaining about characters that are insanely competent and able to perform unimaginable feats, but…how else could you describe him?  To his credit, Chuck Dixon seems to have a firm grasp on Bane, but Moench’s stories are just coming across as if he's bored and going through the motions.

BATMAN #494 - Early June 1993

Night Terrors
Credits:  Doug Moench (writer), Jim Aparo (penciler), Tom Mandrake (inker), Richard Starkings (letterer), Adrienne Roy (colorist)

Summary:  Robin escapes the sewers and recuperates at the Batcave.  He tries to convince Batman to allow him and Azrael to help, but Batman refuses.  Meanwhile, the Joker teams with Cornelius Stirk to kidnap Commissioner Gordon.   Stirk soon disobeys Joker’s orders and tries to kill Gordon, who’s narrowly rescued by Batman.  Scarecrow locates Joker and chastises him for working with an amateur.  He suggests a bigger target, Mayor Krol.

Irrelevant Continuity:

• The Joker brags to Scarecrow that he’s invulnerable to fear gas for the first time.  He’ll continue to do this in all of his appearances with Scarecrow until he finally decides to use it against the Joker.
• Before Joker and Scarecrow invade his bedroom, the mayor threatens to call in the National Guard to stop the Arkham escapees.  Gordon’s convinced this will destroy his career.
• Cornelius Stirk is a serial killer with some form of hypnotic powers.  He first appeared in Detective Comics #592.
• At this point in continuity, the poor area of Gotham is called “The Hub.”  Not to be confused with a cable channel devoted to 1980s nostalgia and selling Hasbro toys, of course.

Total N00B:  A woman named Dr. Shondra Kinsolving calls Bruce Wayne, upset that he’s ignoring “my treatment.”  What exactly her treatment is, or what’s supposed to be wrong with Bruce, is never explained in the story.  Commissioner Gordon’s wife, Sara, also makes vague references to something called “the headhunter incident,” which is apparently the story that established why Sara hates Batman.  Footnotes would be nice.

Review:  I’m guessing that Cornelius Stirk is a poor man’s Scarecrow…who’s also a serial killer.  Not surprisingly, he was created in the late ‘80s.  (Why didn’t they just throw “child molester” in there, too?)  Doug Moench doesn’t seem to think too much of the character, since the whole point of this story is to point out that he’s a weak replacement for Scarecrow.  If Joker and Cornelius Stirk actually did something interesting before the Scarecrow made his presence known, I wouldn’t mind this so much, but instead Stirk just chews scenery for a few pages until he’s knocked out by Batman.  In Moench’s defense, Cornelius Stirk is an established Arkham inmate, and the premise of this storyline is seeing what the inmates do once they’re free, so using Stirk isn’t a total waste of time.  He should’ve been addressed in some manner, I just wish he didn’t come across as such a dull stereotype of a “dark” villain from the grim ‘n gritty ‘80s.

The subplots this issue include more scenes of Robin and Alfred worrying about Batman, more scenes of Bane psychoanalyzing Batman from a distance, more scenes of the mayor screaming at Gordon (see a pattern?), and what’s apparently the continuation of a romantic subplot with Shondra Kinsolving.  The scene with Shondra could’ve helped with the monotony, but unfortunately Moench doesn’t bother to actually explain who she even is, and her sudden realization that she might have feelings for Bruce is ridiculously awkward.  The only saving grace for this issue is the return of Jim Aparo, whose work is made a little darker with Tom Mandrake’s inks.

BATMAN #491 - April 1993

The Freedom of Madness
Credits:  Doug Moench (writer), Jim Aparo (artist), Richard Starkings (letterer), Adrienne Roy (colorist)

Summary:  Bane and his men rob an armory and target Arkham Asylum.  Using remote-controlled explosives and rockets, they break prisoners out of their cells.  Joker remains inside to torment Jeremiah Arkham, as Batman arrives too late to stop the other inmates from escaping.  Joker makes his escape as Batman stays behind to free Jeremiah from a death-trap.  

Irrelevant Continuity: 

• Jean-Paul Valley gets a haircut from Robin, debuting a new look following his first appearance in the Sword of Azrael miniseries.
• Robin is wearing a black armband with the Superman emblem on it.  This ties in with the concurrent “Death of Superman” event.
• Gotham’s new mayor, Mayor Krol, is furious with Commissioner Gordon following the armory attack.  I’m assuming Krol’s election as mayor is part of an ongoing storyline, since Gordon remarks that Krol’s only in office because of his “machine,” and Moench’s dialogue seems to go out its way to paint Krol as a right-wing, anti-crime extremist.

I Love the ‘90s:  A police officer remarks that the Arkham inmates, who have received parachuted weapons from Bane, are more heavily armed than Saddam Hussein.

Total N00B:  No effort is made to explain who exactly Jean-Paul Valley is.  He also makes vague references to a recent confrontation with Killer Croc, which happened in a story not reprinted in the Knightfall trade paperback.

Review:  Wow, Vengeance of Bane has a few reminders that it’s from a different era, but this one is practically Adam West compared to the contemporary Batman titles.  The story opens with Trogg, the caveman/electronics genius, breaking into a military armory with a giant toy robot, then has an Arkham Asylum breakout initiated by a bird carrying a balloon filled with explosives.  And Arkham Asylum is a clean, well-lit facility located in a serene rural setting, as opposed to the decrepit haunted house that’s falling into Hell that we see today.  (Was the animated series the first appearance of the truly “gothic” Arkham Asylum?)  The story still tries to sell its importance, sixteen police officers die in the breakout and the story ends with Batman crying out in an outrageous wail of agony, but it’s not capital-letters SERIOUS at this point.  And it’s still enjoyable, without anyone’s face getting ripped off or any bloody on-panel deaths.  I suppose it could be argued that this is too traditional, though.  The prospect of a massive Arkham breakout would be horrifying for the citizens of Gotham, which is something the tone of the issue fails to convey.  Still, it’s Batman, it’s fun to read, and there’s lovely Jim Aparo art to enjoy.