Batman: Reptilian

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Self-Deprecation: There are a number of snarky remarks about Batman being nothing but a rich guy with too much time on his hands, most of them courtesy of Alfred. It doesn’t take long for the actual narrative to take shape, and it’s incredibly intriguing despite the title of the series essentially spoiling who the main villain will be. Bruce hears the news of Scarecrow and Mad Hatter being mutilated to near death and sets off to investigate. As Batman slums it in some less than desirable dive bars in Gotham, Sharp gets to show off his prowess for creating environments, with a Gotham City that is equal parts impressionistic and wholly lived in. The way light bounces off the wet Gotham streets to the layer of smog that fills the sky and obscures the upper levels of the city’s skyscrapers is stunning to behold. Even Sharp’s interior settings come off well, armed with the appropriate grime and dark lighting you’d expect in a Gotham bar with cheap beer. The interrogation scenes are extremely well written too, with Ennis’ Batman holding no patience for those who don’t play along. He calls people “cheap”, feigns surprise when he deems someone to have an “I.Q. In double figures”, and reassures the goons he interrogates that his goal is to “preserve human life” as he dangles them over a rooftop. This characterization and glib attitude may turn some readers away, but I found it incredibly compelling and amusing. Additionally, Rob Steen’s lettering does a great job of leading the reader’s eye, especially in the smaller vertical panels where the character’s mouths are not fully visible. I was never confused as to who was saying what, even in the more obtuse compositions. Credit: Liam Sharp, Rob Steen Garth Ennis usually only tangentially writes about superheroes in his comics, and often subversively, like in The Boys, The Punisher, Kev, etc. - they’re never the main feature. And, aside from a short run on Ghost Rider, I don’t think he’s ever written a mainstream superhero comic and has only written Batman as a side-character in books like Hitman and Section Eight.

And if Batman had always been written “in character” he’d still be carrying a gun and killing people. Superman wouldn’t be able to fly. Wonder Woman would be a dominatrix. And a Justice League with those three “in character” characters would have been unimaginable, which reminds me why this drives me up a wall—because it comes, more than anything else, from a failure of imagination. Other comic projects Ennis wrote during this time period include Goddess, Bloody Mary, Unknown Soldier, and Pride & Joy, all for DC/Vertigo, as well as origin stories for The Darkness for Image Comics and Shadowman for Valiant Comics. There is a fascination we feel towards Batman, both in what he represents (the pinnacle of humanity, a stoic symbol of progress, both biological and technological) and in where his adventures are set (Gotham as the worst city you’d want to live in, possessing the charm of decadence, a dystopia that functions as a caveat in regard to what chaotic – and corrupt – urbanization can lead to). The End... Or Is It?: The monster is killed, and Killer Croc is arrested, but Batman remarks that Croc is still mutating, and could become something even worse in the future.

Reptiles Are Abhorrent: Right there in the title, natch. Subverted by Killer Croc, who actually gets a more sympathetic portrayal than normal. Gotham City is filled with murderous creatures who stalk the shadows--foul villains with murderous impulses who strike fear into the hearts of every man, woman, and child in the city. But what strikes fear into the hearts of those who terrorize the city? It used to be Batman, but something far more frightening than a mere man has begun stalking the shadows—and it’s after Gotham’s villains. How savage must a monster be to haunt the dreams of monsters? Ennis: For me, the book isn’t a tribute to Steve, it’s just something that in practical terms exists because of him. I don’t think anyone would be too surprised to learn that were I to celebrate Steve’s life it wouldn’t be with a Batman comic or any kind of comic -- it would be with a large donation to his favourite charitable cause, the Arthur Guinness Foundation. But I do like to think of him having a good old laugh at Mr. I-hate-superheroes ending up writing Batman. This is hilarious, but its sad at the same time! In a nutshell: If you want a grounded deep story that takes the character of waylon jones serious then ignore this book. Batman’s nemeses, that gallery of rogues that go from the blatantly kitsch to the grotesquely deranged, fascinates us as well, as the psychological madness that pervades them is such that it can easily be used to delve deeper towards what we call “mature material”. Batman, then, cleverly represents the whole spectrum of the superhero genre, moving from its original format (for kids, that is) to a more adult take.

At this point, I don’t have anything new to say about this story. This final issue is the same unfocused, mushy slog that the previous few issues have been. The useless Russian thug gets shot into the sky, and Sharp makes him look like Al Sharpton. Batman does his best Christian Bale impersonation. Yada yada, Croc might be a hermaphrodite. Batman Reptilian is a book you will either absolutely love or absolutely hate. I, for one, fall into the former category, as Ennis weaves a surprisingly hilarious Batman story, with artwork by Liam Sharp that is utterly jaw-dropping on every level. This is one of those stories that starts with a pretty okay first issue but just gets better and more absurd by the end. The gist is some weird, new creature is rampaging through Batman’s rogues gallery, and now Batman has to figure out what it is and what exactly it wants.

The artstyle does not fit that at all... don't get me wrong I love the art, hence the 3 stars but the dark brooding mood it evokes combined with this humor ... Batman, as a character, has become part of global popular culture, popular being here a way of highlighting a certain anthropological and social attitude towards what might be called modern folklore. Created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, Batman has been the subject of many changes, many interpretations (and, also, reinterpretation), a necessity given its long – seemingly unending – life. The artwork style is certainly less common in comics. Instead of exaggerating muscles and femininity, it's sometimes caricaturistic, especially with the villains. Batman is still cool and even more intimidating than usual. Here you can see why he strikes fear into the hearts of his enemies. The dark tones of the story match the artwork, but the latter is a bit too shadowy and difficult to comprehend. Still, leave it to Garth Ennis to throw in some quality humor. Batman has some moments, though is a bit too talkative, Alfred's British humor is always welcome, even the Batmobile is funny with its 'thank you's after every line. Don't even start me on Killer Croc. He got the worst of it. Arseface-level. Animalistic Abomination: The monster. No one who sees it can really describe what it is, beyond the fact that it's huge, vicious, and reptilian. According to Mr. Freeze, "it makes Croc look like someone's pet turtle." Ironically, it turns out it's actually Killer Croc's offspring.