Batman: City of Madness Book One
Writer/Artist – Christian Ward
A sinkhole has opened up in Gotham City, causing the loss of human life and extensive property damage. It has also revealed a secret that’s been hidden for centuries. A vault that contains a creature that is property of the Court of Owls. A traitor within the Court has unleashed the creature on the unsuspecting citizens of Gotham. An alliance between the Court and Batman will need to be forged to capture or kill the creature.
I have been trying to save money at the comic book store so when I saw this title on the shelf I had to do some creative financing (I picked this up, Creepshow #2, and Green Lantern #4 and still came under my $20 dollar limit). My new goal is to read higher priced titles first so this went to the top of the read pile Saturday morning.
Christian Ward has been on my radar ever since Blood-Stained Teeth so this was a must buy. I really love his art style and use of color and this oversized comic is a thing of beauty. When my friend was flipping through this comic after I purchased it, he picked out the page of the creature feasting on a criminal and said, “Look! Its Cthulhu Batman.” You have some idea of what the creature looks like now.
There are a few storylines that Ward juggles throughout this issue that will ultimately converge over the mini-series. A young boy from Smallville travels to Gotham to find the cop responsible for his father’s murder. Two-Face begins hearing a third voice in his head. Alfred’s torment that stems from Batman’s mission and the toll it is taking on his mind, body, and soul.
As much as I love the Court of Owls as I’m sure everyone else does, the problem is that they need to be used sparingly. They had such an impact during Snyder and Capullo’s run on Batman that when they are overused, they tend to lose their luster and distinctiveness. Since the main antagonist is tied into their group and possible origins, it makes sense to use them.
The two things I really enjoyed in this issue were Batman alluding to the events of Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth (which I still need to read) and the cameos of his Rogues Gallery. It’s nice to see the Mad Hatter and the Terrible Trio used in this story and they are deep cuts who haven’t been used in recent memory. It’ll be interesting to see who else pops up next issue.
It’s spooky season and this title came out at just the right time. If this one doesn’t get you amped for the Halloween season, you may need to check your pulse!
Can Batman and the Court of Owls put their differences aside to save Gotham? Can either side trust each other? How do you kill an ancient evil entity that threatens the masses? All will be revealed in due time! I’m keeping my fingers crossed the next issue doesn’t get delayed.
Next Issue – “The Court of Owls summons Batman, demanding he venture deep beneath the city to fight what has been unleashed from its depths: a wave of madness infecting Gotham’s villains, driven by the monstrous creature they’re calling the Batman Below. But the Court has not-entirely-noble reasons for wanting this chaos stopped… Is Batman their weapon, or their bait?” In Shops: Dec 12, 2023