Publisher: DC
Writer: James Tynion IV
Artist: Roge Antonio
Colourist: Dave McCaig
Release date: OUT NOW!
Price: $4.99
DC
Bruce Wayne has come home, but being who he is Bruce’s return is anything but straightforward. Wayne has no memory of his stately manor or Batman for that matter; that mantle is held by an iron-suited Commissioner James Gordon. The stately Wayne Manor mansion had been turned into the new Arkham Asylum. However, the current owner, Geri Powers, is giving Arkham Asylum back to the Wayne family. “I’m not interested in the crazy business,” Powers states. Which means she’s in the wrong comic book.
All the inmates of Arkham Asylum are transferred elsewhere and Bruce Wayne just has to decide whether to accept his home back or not. However, Bruce Wayne also discovers three stowaways lurking in his ex-abode: Basil Karolo or Clayface; Victor Fries (Mr. Freeze) and Edward Nigma, aka the Riddler.
For Batman Annual #4, Bruce’s homecoming should be a notable story deeply investigating Bruce Wayne’s psychological underpinnings. The conceit is to use the Riddler as Virgil to Bruce Wayne’s Dante, giving the former Batman a tour of his personal Hell.
But for Batman Annual #4 the metaphor gives the actual comic book too much credit. The idea is good, but the execution borders, disappointedly, on the mundane; readers will find themselves skipping over the Riddler’s numerous monologues, which seem to be lacking not only interesting allegories but a sense of the poetry of the insane criminal mind. Batman Annual #4 feels more like a lost opportunity to add some depth to the grit and grime of the Batman. Roge Antonio’s sketchy art doesn’t provide the gravitas the narrative that Batman Annual #4 needs.
One wonders what someone like Eric Powell could have done with the plot. Instead, Batman Annual #4 does little more than serve the purpose of turning the screw of getting Bruce Wayne back home. Hopefully the next time DC explore the metaphysics of Bruce Wayne’s psyche they’ll take the time to understand it better.
Reviewer: Joe Lovece
Reviews Editor: Steve Hooker