With The Batman’s Grave, Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch have delivered a classic take on the dark knight, reminding readers that his mind is his greatest weapon. But as he is invited into Arkham Asylum in our exclusive preview, he must ask… is it his greatest weakness, as well?
While other runs of Batman deal with iconic enemies, or plots dealing with global threats, The Batman’s Grave maxi-series has put Bruce Wayne the detective front and center. Core to the story, and what’s has set it apart from other Bat books, is Bruce’s approach to crime solving. Placing himself into the mind of the victim to recreate their deaths, Bruce blurs the line between his own nature as a victim, and those whose killers he is seeking to bring to justice. It’s worked well for him thus far, but with such a traumatic and vulnerable methodology… it’s no surprise to learn that the warden of Arkham Asylum is keeping a bed warm for Batman, on the day he realizes it’s where he truly belongs.
For those unsure about Bruce’s sanity, the previous issues have actually been one success after another, relatively speaking. Seemingly unrelated crimes have slowly resolved into strange machinations of a new power player, operating from the shadows, using soldiers identifying themselves as members of “The Scorn Gang.” Batman delivered a brutal beating to a few Scorn thugs, tossing what was left of them to the GCPD. But interestingly enough, our preview of The Batman’s Grave #5 begins with Jim Gordon in the spotlight. For once in his life, having gotten to the case’s next lead before Batman.
We can’t say for sure just what that lead actually is, but a chance for Gordon to get to Arkham before Batman is also a chance for the warden to put Gotham’s guardian angel on the metaphorical couch. Starting with his need to dress up as a bat, obviously. Take a look at the official preview pages below:
We’ll leave each reader to decide for themselves if Warden Arkham is being antagonistic, or just realistic in his view of Batman. After all, it’s hard to argue Bruce Wayne DOESN’T need help dealing with the death of his parents, or the emotional and mental toll of his nightly activities. Concerns that Alfred Pennyworth has raised in the series already, arguing that Bruce’s dedication, resources, and technology could all be put to more effective use by passing it on to the police (instead of restricting it to his personal use in the Batcave).
Now that Jim Gordon’s officers have apparently provided him with information even Batman had yet to discover, Alfred’s argument just got a lot more interesting. But the question of what Batman is there to see, and how the GCPD found it before him will have to wait, until The Batman’s Grave #5 arrives in your local comic book shop on February 12th, 2020.
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