X-MEN: PRISONER X - May 1998 (Part Two)

Chapters 5-9

Written by Ann Nocenti

Summary:  Gambit returns to the mansion with the suspicious video game.  He arrives in time to see Rogue’s response to the “Prisoner X” television commercial.  Rogue immediately recognizes Longshot, igniting Gambit’s jealousy.  After the X-Men devise a plan to enter UltraMax Rock, Rogue and Gambit have a lovers’ quarrel.  Storm and Phoenix stop the fight, and Beast announces that he’s created a false identity for Rogue, who will infiltrate UltraMax as a counselor.  Meanwhile, the Rasta introduces himself to Wolverine as DJ Bone.  Bone claims that UltraMax is imprisoning mutants and teenagers, including his son Miles.  Wolverine visits Miles’ bedroom with Bone.  At UltraMax, Longshot is planning a prison revolt.  Spiral watches him plot with his fellow inmate, Ricochet Rita.  Later, Mojo tasks Spiral with finding a rat within the prison.

Continuity Notes:  

• According to Storm, both Cyclops and Professor X are working on “a project” at Muir Island with Excalibur.
• Ricochet Rita is a character from the initial Longshot miniseries.  She’s destined to become Spiral in the future, as confirmed in the (best forgotten) 1992 X-annual crossover “Shattershot.”
• Major Domo, Mojo's servant robot, is posing as UltraMax’s warden.  Mojo is in a hidden section, experimenting on teenagers, including Miles.  The teenagers that can beat the Spiral Ink games are teleported to UltraMax, while the others are left suicidal.
• Gambit acts as if he hasn’t met Longshot, although Gambit was with the team that rescued Longshot from Mojo in X-Men #10-11.

I Love the ‘90s:  DJ Bone claims the United States has “enemy deprivation” following the end of the Cold War, so defense contractors are now promoting the war on drugs and mutants to justify new prisons.  This novel was published a few months before Al-Qaeda bombed US embassies in August 1998.  Simultaneously, the attacks on the USS Cole, Pentagon, and World Trade Center were already in the planning stages.

Review:  And now we get the lectures.  Almost all of Chapter Six is devoted to DJ Bone (“DJ” because he tried to run a pirate radio program inside prison) giving a sermon about the horrors of the modern American penal system.  Wolverine is allowed to play devil’s advocate, but even the narration acknowledges that Wolverine essentially agrees with Bone and is only presenting the opposing view to rile him up.  Nocenti can present an argument, but she’s yet to define what exactly she means by “rehabilitation” and doesn’t seem to offer any specific ways to make the current system better.  She's obviously inspired by real life cases of people serving outrageous sentences for selling marijuana, but it strains crediblity a bit to believe that Bone has spent fifteen years in prison for selling pot, apparently as his first offense, and that he was one of the numerous low-level drug dealers that now occupy the federal UltraMax Space Prison.  I’m willing to listen to the argument that the government spends far too much money imprisoning such a large percentage of the population, but don’t tell me that weed dealers are going to be shipped into outer space, even in the fictional Marvel Universe.  The best utilization of political themes comes later in this section, as we learn the ACLU once complained that the UltraMax prisoners’ freedom of speech was being repressed.  Mojo responded by giving them their own television station, which is now a huge hit.

The plot goes into a few more illogical detours during this section of the novel, apparently for the sake of inserting some action scenes.  Gambit and Rogue get into an argument due to Gambit’s jealousy of Longshot, which is fair enough, but it’s hard to justify Gambit abruptly making the fight physical.  DJ Bone also has a sudden flash of violence when he attacks Wolverine for not investigating his son’s disappearance fast enough for his liking.  The story establishes that Bone has been using his son’s VR game, which is a fair enough rationalization for his fragile mental state, but why is Gambit suddenly violent?  He’s only held one of the discs; he hasn’t actually played any of the games.  (Gambit, as we all know, prefers Solitaire…unless he got somebody to play wit’.)  It’s certainly possible that Gambit’s change in demeanor is an intentional plot point, but why do the X-Men seem so nonchalant about Gambit suddenly striking his girlfriend?  In fairness, she’s literally built like a tank and can’t be hurt, but the scene still feels strange.

What’s frustrating is that if you ignore that fight scene, Nocenti presents some of the strongest characterization Gambit’s received at this point.  Nocenti paints Gambit as a loner that’s desperate to belong, who’s still hurt by the X-Men’s willingness to believe Bishop’s accusation that he’s a traitor.  The team knows by now that Gambit’s innocent, but he isn’t willing to forget the years of suspicion.  This is a characterization point that was oddly ignored following the conclusion of the X-traitor subplot (most of the storylines during and after “Onslaught” were a mess, of course), so it’s nice to see it here.  And, even if the continuity doesn’t quite work out, Nocenti also deserves some credit for acknowledging that Gambit probably isn’t going to like Longshot very much.  (As far as I know, Gambit’s never been given an opinion on Longshot before.)  Longshot is supposed to be a genetically bred matinee idol that any woman would fall in love with, so it’s probably not comforting to know that your girlfriend was once in a love triangle with the guy.  Before Rogue leaves on her mission, Gambit gives Rogue a passionate speech about just how much he trusts her, a soliloquy the narrator assures us is a lie.

Finally, there’s a great conversation between Storm and Gambit that does a lot to establish his role as an X-Man.  Storm tells Gambit the story of Galahad and Lancelot, telling Gambit that she respects his heroism for the same reason she admired Lancelot more than the born-pure Galahad -- Lancelot fought his instincts and worked hard to become a hero.  Just imagine, a scene that develops Gambit’s character that doesn’t devolve into more self-pity, and even recognizes his long-forgotten friendship with Storm.  How often did that happen in the ‘90s?

X-MEN: PRISONER X - May 1998 (Part One)

 

Chapters 1-4

Written by Ann Nocenti

Summary:  Wolverine enters a club, planning on a peaceful night, but finds himself drawn into a fight over a pool game.  When he’s stabbed in the melee, Wolverine releases his claws and goes into a berserker fury.  Meanwhile, Phoenix, Rogue, and Storm have dinner.  On their walk home, they stop an attempted rape.  One of the culprits quickly organizes an anti-mutant mob.  Phoenix clouds their minds and the heroes escape.  At the mansion, Beast examines a new video game from Spiral Ink.  Elsewhere, Gambit talks a teenager out of suicide.  Suspicious of a video game the teen has been playing, Gambit buys the disc from him.  After Gambit leaves, the teen’s demeanor changes and he jumps off a building.

Continuity Notes:  

• Longshot, identified only as “Prisoner X” at this point, is a prisoner at an orbital prison called UltraMax Rock.  MAXROX TV is filming him for what appears to be a reality show, Live from Death Row, which will culminate with his live on-air execution.
• A rebel DJ is broadcasting information from Mojoverse that Longshot is picking up with a direct connection to his brain.  The DJ is quickly killed by Mojo’s men.
• Phoenix says that Cyclops has been on Muir Island, “for so long,” with no further explanation given.

I Love the ‘90s:  The Spiral Ink video games are the latest in virtual reality technology, which we were all lead to believe would be the future of entertainment in 1998.

Review:  Ann Nocenti returns to Longshot and the Mojoverse with this novel, after many years without the promised follow-up to her initial Longshot miniseries.  It’s unlikely this is the story she had in mind for that Longshot series that Arthur Adams never started, if only because the pet themes she’s playing with here didn’t really show up in her late ‘80s work.  She did touch on American defense spending briefly in Daredevil, but I don’t recall a fascination with the psychology of incarceration, or her criticizing violent and nihilistic pop culture back in those days.  (By the late ‘90s, Nocenti was the editor of Prison Life Magazine, which is amazingly something that exists.)  

The opening of the novel is mainly focused on introducing the X-Men through a series of vignettes, each one devoted to summarizing a character’s internal conflicts or speaking to the franchise’s larger issues of prejudice and fear.  Nocenti has a strong handle on the cast, so even if these are clearly intro scenes, there’s enough depth and sympathy for the characters to entertain even the most jaded X-fan.  Wolverine fights to keep his inner animal in check while defending a Rasta from racist pool sharks, Rogue curses herself for not bothering to pick up her gloves before going out with her teammates, and Gambit spends a night alone, thinking back to his justifications for being a thief.  The X-Ladies also muse on the inherent dishonesty in having duel identities, an idea that occasionally appears in Nocenti’s superhero work.  

An early pattern emerges of the heroes expressing empathy for criminals; Wolverine compares his own demeanor to that of the recently paroled Rasta, Gambit thinks back on his previous rationales for stealing from rich people (not surprising in a Nocenti story, Gambit viewed himself as a class warrior), and Rogue is in for a shock when her skin makes contact with an attempted rapist.  She’s utterly repulsed by his view of women, yet finds herself reliving his life of dehumanizing abuse and incarceration.  Rogue considers him utterly repellant, but can’t deny his humanity.  Just how “human” a society can be allowed to view convicted criminals is a question Nocenti has to address when covering this topic.  Is a civilization judged by the mercy or the punishment it doles out?  Is “humane” treatment of prisoners, however that could be defined, an insult to their victims?  I suspect Steve Ditko is on one side and Nocenti is on the other.

The politics of this novel are divided between the prison issue and Nocenti’s critique of pop culture, with an odd attempt early on to tie the issues together.  She presents a somewhat strained theory that networks romanticize violence in order to keep the public afraid…which leaves us home alone in front of the television, consuming mindless advertising, and so paranoid we refuse to question any of the government’s massive defense spending.  How about “If it bleeds, it leads” -- the traditional justification for the media taking local crime stories and making them national gossip fodder.  I doubt there’s a conspiracy between the Department of Defense and whoever produces those idiotic Lifetime movies.  (Mother, May I Sleep with Danger…In Order to Distract You from the Inordinate Amount of GDP Spent on Redundant Defense Programs?) Pointing out that America spends an excessive amount of money on building and expanding prisons is probably a legitimate starting point for a story, but she’s approaching the issue from a strange angle.  

Fortunately, Nocenti isn’t being overly preachy at this point, the early chapters are actually well-balanced between X-Men character work and the societal commentary, and her view of where American culture was heading in the late ‘90s isn’t far off from reality.  Beast is shocked that these virtual reality games reward you for killing people in blue uniforms; people that almost resemble police officers.  This is years before every adolescent in America has a Grand Theft Auto game hidden in his bedroom.  Her send-up of reality shows, written when the concept barely existed, also doesn’t seem too outrageous today.  Allowing Nocenti to explore pet political issues and engage in media parody could be a dodgy proposition, but thankfully these elements aren’t overshadowing the novel as an X-Men story yet.

SHADOW OF THE BAT #33 - December 1994

Prodigal: Six

Credits:  Alan Grant (writer), Bret Blevins (artist), Todd Klein (letterer), Adrienne Roy (colorist)

Summary:  Tensions rise between Commissioner Gordon and his wife after she suggests he turn to the new Batman for help against Two-Face.  Meanwhile, a representative of a Russian consortium named Troika attempts to extort Lucius Fox.  After Fox throws him out, he has several Waynecorp security guards killed.  At Blackgate, prison overcrowding causes a riot.  Because Robin feels inexperienced using the thermal Batgliders, Batman is forced to handle the riot alone.  He restores order after defeating the instigator, Tatum.  Inside the basement of the Hall of Records, Two-Face keeps Harvey Kent hostage.

Irrelevant Continuity:  If you’re wondering who that middle-aged man on the cover is, I couldn’t tell you.  I can only guess he’s supposed to be Harvey Kent, even though he looks quite different inside the issue.

Miscellaneous Note:  I’m not sure if I’m the only one who didn’t know this, but a “troika” is defined as “a carriage of Russian origin drawn by three horses harnessed abreast of each other.”

Review:  It’s another “Prodigal” chapter that’s slowly building up to Dick Grayson-as-Batman’s confrontation with Two-Face, while giving the reader precious little to digest in the meantime.  There are little bits that I like, such as Robin opting out of using the flying Batglider because he doesn’t feel properly trained, and Batman actually being supportive and telling him it’s okay.  That kind of scene is necessary to distinguish Dick as a more compassionate Batman, in addition to reminding the reader that Dick has more of a brotherly relationship with Tim than a paternal one.  We haven’t had enough of these moments yet, really.  The start of the Troika subplot is also a welcome change of pace from the pattern of C-lister/Two-Face subplot/C-lister we’ve been getting lately.  The main story just feels like filler, however, and surprisingly not even much of a challenge for Batman.  (He singlehandedly takes on a prison riot in about six pages!)  That subplot with the Gordons also feels awkward, as Sarah is now suddenly okay with Batman and angry with Gordon for not accepting him, which flies in the face in all of the stories reprinted so far.  Of course, it's entirely possible there's a story featuring Sarah Gordon's change of heart and the trades skipped it.  I don't really think that's true, but the trades have had more stunning omissions.

BATMAN #513 - December 1994

 

Double Deuce

Credits:  Doug Moench (writer), Mike Gustovich (penciler), Romeo Tanghal w/Rich Burchett (inkers), Ken Bruzenak (letterer), Adrienne Roy (colorist)

Summary:  Two-Face takes a hostage, forcing Batman and Robin to allow him to escape.  He returns to his hideout with the access disc he stole from the courthouse.  Using the disc, Two-Face is able to cause chaos in court and police schedules.  Soon, a police bus overpopulated with prisoners crashes into a movie theater.  The criminals take the theater hostage, but Batman and Robin are able to subdue the convicts and rescue the civilians.  Meanwhile, Two-Face turns his attention to Batman.

Irrelevant Continuity:  

• Unfortunately, Two-Face is back in his repugnant orange and plaid suit this issue.
• The courthouse basement was filled with computer servers last chapter.  This issue, it’s packed full with giant stacks of paper.  I can only assume some miscommunication occurred between writer and artist.

Total N00B:  You guessed it; Robin #0 is obliquely referenced again.

Review:  Nothing really to see here, unless you were only reading Batman in 1994 and didn’t know any of the plot points from the previous month’s worth of crossover issues.  All of those are competently recounted, without actually advancing the story an inch.  In fairness, Two-Face’s plan makes more sense this issue (or is at least explained better), and Mike Gustovich isn’t bad at drawing Batman in action, but in the context of a reprint collection, it feels like a wasted chapter. The screw-up in-between chapters regarding computer servers versus giant stacks of paper also stands out egregiously when read in a collected edition.  And at the risk of sounding like a panelist on E!’s Fashion Police, it’s hard to believe anyone thought it was a good idea to keep using that horrid ‘70s (?) look on Two-Face.  The animated series had already produced a much better suit, and Phil Jimenez tried to work it into the comics last chapter, only to have it revert back to sheer hideousness just a week later.  Oh, well.  Eventually, they learned, right?

ROBIN #11 - November 1994

Two in Every Crowd

Credits:  Chuck Dixon (writer), Phil Jimenez (penciler), Ray Kryssing (inker), Albert DeGuzman (letterer), Adrienne Roy (colorist)

Summary:  As Robin tries to find time for his personal life, Two-Face begins his crime spree.  He kills dozens of lawyers at a banquet, attracting the attention of Batman and Robin.  When Robin looks into the city’s database to discern clues for Two-Face’s next move, he notices a distress call being sent from the basement of the city courthouse.  Two-Face is inside with his henchmen, destroying the computer servers, claiming that Gotham’s criminals will now have to be freed.  Batman and Robin arrive to stop him.

Irrelevant Continuity:

• Two-Face again claims that he was released due to a computer glitch, which doesn’t match the actual events of Shadow of the Bat #32.  His scheme of disrupting the city’s computer system is even based on this “computer glitch” that never actually happened.
• I believe this is the first issue to have Two-Face wear a white and black ensemble, inspired by the one made popular on the ‘90s animated series.  Note that the cover still has him in the tacky multi-colored suit.

Approved By The Comics Code Authority:  The shot of Two-Face standing over the bodies of dozens of dead lawyers is unusually graphic.

Total N00B:  Two-Face and Robin/Batman continue to reference the events of Robin #0, which I’ll point out again isn’t reprinted in this collection.

Review:  Even Robin remarks that it feels as if he’s been marking time lately, referencing the previous month’s trio of rather ineffective villains.  That means it’s time for Two-Face to finally move into the foreground and kick off this vague “ones and ohs” plot he’s been hatching for a few issues now.  There is a germ of a good idea here -- Two-Face is now obsessed with computers because they operate on binary code, and even back in 1994, society was computerized enough for this to be a viable scheme for a supervillain.  Unfortunately, some shaky continuity between the titles hampers the setup; not to mention Two-Face has a very fuzzy idea of how this is going to work.  Destroying the city’s servers would inconvenience some government employees, but it wouldn’t lead them to just open up the prisons.  Perhaps a better avenue to explore would be Two-Face drafting the aid of a computer hacker and using his skills to disrupt Gotham City operations.  (Although that might be too similar to Clock King’s debut in the animated series.)  

Outside of the main crossover plot, Dixon continues to play off the return of Tim Drake’s father for some superheroic teen angst.  Tim wants to spend time with his father, but he’s now demanding all of Tim’s time, making his life as Robin much more difficult.  It’s also placed a strain on his relationship with his girlfriend Ariana, although Dixon does write a nice scene this issue that humanizes Ariana a bit and allows her to be more than a stereotypical nagging comic book girlfriend.  Phil Jimenez might seem like an obvious choice to draw scenes like this, but his best moments this issue are his pin-up shots of Batman, or the close-ups of Two-Face’s scarred half.   His human characters are covered in detail lines, which is of course his style, but they look oddly artificial.  Jimenez still does competent work, and this series will soon have much worse fill-in artists, but it’s not on the level that Tom Grummett was doing on a regular basis.

DETECTIVE COMICS #679 - November 1994

The Vermin Factor

Credits:  Chuck Dixon (writer), Lee Weeks (penciler), Joe Rubinstein (inker), John Costanza (letterer), Adrienne Roy (colorist)

Summary:  Using a specialized flute, Ratcatcher summons an army of rats and escapes his parole hearing.  Later, Batman discusses Two-Face’s release with Commissioner Gordon, who is wary of dealing with another Batman.  While Robin is spending time with his recuperating father, Batman tracks Ratcatcher’s rat army in the sewers.  He discovers Ratcatcher’s plan to use a giant mass of rats to block the city’s main aqueduct.  Using a high-pitched sonic device, Batman disperses the rats and takes Ratcatcher into custody.

Irrelevant Continuity:  Looking online, it seems Ratcatcher first appeared in Detective Comics #585 during the Alan Grant/John Wagner run.

Dramatic Exits:  Commissioner Gordon basically taunts Batman into doing the quick escape bit, but he doesn’t take the bait.

I Love the ‘90s:  Tim Drake “modem”s info on Two-Face’s release to the Batcave.

Total N00B:  More references to Dick and Tim missing Alfred, who’s away in an unknown location, with no clear indication of why he left.

Review:  So I guess the goal of every Bat-title in November 1994 was to do an old-school Batman/Robin team-up story featuring a fairly non-threatening villain.  (Robin’s not there at the end for the climax, since Dixon writes him off in order to tie in to an ongoing subplot in the Robin solo series, but he still has a role in the story.)  Like I’ve said before, I get it.  The books need smaller, more traditional stories following the previous two years of events.  And these issues are a nice way to explore the dynamic between Dick and Tim, who do play off each other well.  Having a brotherly bond between Batman and Robin instead of a father-son relationship is a clever way to present an alternate take on the traditional roles for the characters.  However, as someone who’s reading all of these stories collected together in one volume, seeing variations of the same basic story does get a bit tiresome at a certain point.  You start to get antsy for something real to start to happen again.  Regardless, it’s a fun action story with superb artwork from Lee Weeks.  I think it’s worth noting again that you seldom see stereotypically bad ‘90s art in these comics, and the editors deserve a lot of credit for that.

SHADOW OF THE BAT #32 - November 1994

Prodigal: Two

Credits:  Alan Grant (writer), Bret Blevins (art), Todd Klein (letterer), Adrienne Roy (colorist)

Summary:  The reunited Scarface and Ventriloquist target the mobster who took Scarface’s place while Ventriloquist was in Arkham, Marty Vetch.  After Scarface poisons Vetch’s heroin supply, Vetch agrees to a meeting at Scarface’s nightclub.  The two factions double-cross each other, leading Batman and Robin to stop the firefight.  Later, Scarface attacks Vetch at his penthouse.  Batman and Robin arrive and capture Ventriloquist, but Scarface is smuggled away by a goon.  Meanwhile, Two-Face is accidentally released from prison, as the guards try to deal with the overcrowding caused by Arkham Asylum’s closing.

Irrelevant Continuity:  

• Batman and Robin are now driving a 1940s style Batmobile.  I can only guess the switch happened in a story not reprinted in these trades.
• The scene that has Two-Face released from prison is supposed to be the crux for his motivation in the next storyline, but the continuity never fits.  In this issue, he’s released because a guard reads the name “Harvey Kent” off a sheet of paper.  Two-Face responds, turning his scarred side away from the guard, and is told that his “check kiting” charges have been dropped.  Later stories repeatedly claim that Two-Face was released due to a computer error, but this is clearly human error.  Earlier in the story, another officer complains that Gotham’s records should be computerized, making the later claims that this is a computer error even more annoying.  
• Harvey Kent, by the way, was Two-Face’s real name in his first appearance, but DC later changed it because they didn’t want him sharing Superman’s last name.

I Love the ‘90s:  Scarface proclaims that this is the nineties…“Sentiment is out.  We gotta go straight for the jugular!”

Total N00B:  Dick and Tim continue to talk about Alfred leaving and wonder where he is now.  Shouldn’t they be looking for him?  Or did he just go on a vacation and choose not to tell them where he’s going?

Review:  Alan Grant is dragged into another crossover, although his only editorial obligation this issue seems to be setting up Two-Face’s role in the next storyline.  The majority of the issue is dedicated to Grant’s creation Scarface, and assuming you embrace the absurdity of the concept, it’s pretty entertaining.  My only problem with the story is the way Grant actually seems to be leaning towards Scarface being a supernatural menace, as opposed to the outlet for the Ventriloquist’s dark urges.  While threatening Vetch, Scarface recounts his origin as the wooden gallows used to hang criminals in the 1800s, indicating that decades of hate and evil are contained within him.  I realize that this is the origin Alan Grant always used for the character, but I was first introduced to Scarface in the ‘90s cartoon.  Since the show always left this info out, that’s probably why it feels so unnecessary to me.  Later, when one of the goons rescues Scarface after Ventriloquist is captured, he discovers that Scarface’s emergency plan is for him to study a book on throwing his voice.  

This is a cute joke, but there also seems to be an implication that Scarface really could resurface if just any ventriloquist picked him up.  It could be argued that the Ventriloquist, in his Scarface persona, genuinely believes this so that’s why he drew up the plan, but even the teasing of the idea just seems ridiculous to me.  Anyway, much like the previous chapter, it’s Batman and Robin in a fairly traditional, straightforward action story.  Ordinarily, this could come across as time-killer, but I can understand why the creators felt it necessary following the previous two years.

BATMAN #512 - November 1994

Prodigal: Part 1 - Robin and Batman

Credits:  Doug Moench (writer), Mike Gustovich & Romeo Tanghal (artists), Ken Bruzenak (letterer), Adrienne Roy (colorist)

Summary:  Bruce Wayne relinquishes the role of Batman to Dick Grayson.  Meanwhile, Killer Croc emerges from the river.  He targets a mobster he has a grudge against, Paretti, and goes on a killing spree.  Batman and Robin track down Killer Croc and stop him from killing Paretti.  Later, Commissioner Gordon expresses doubts to his wife over working with Batman.

Irrelevant Continuity:  Gordon isn’t fooled this time when meeting yet another new Batman.  Gordon also informs Mayor Krol that the violent Batman he supported was never the “real” one.

I Love the ‘90s:  Dick Grayson’s famous ‘90s mullet is in full display this issue.

Total N00B:  Okay…Dick and Tim reference Alfred leaving, but there’s no indication of where he’s gone.  There’s also a vague reference to Dick’s traumatic first meeting with Two-Face.  Killer Croc apparently had a run-in with Paretti in a previous issue.  He also references a gangster called “The Squid,” which I’ve never heard of.  Finally, Dick mentions a time Robin teamed up with him during his Nightwing days in New York.  No footnotes on what story that’s supposed to be a reference to.

Review:  You might’ve noticed that the editors have skipped more issues.  “Knightsend” wasn’t long enough to fill one of these phonebook trades, so the “Prodigal” event has also been included in the book.  That’s fine, but it looks as if any story that doesn’t say “Knightsend” or “Prodigal” on the cover has been skipped (except that Azrael solo story from Showcase.)  There are issues in-between these events, however, and it’s safe to assume that they set up what exactly we’re seeing this issue.  Aside from a few references to Bruce needing to make a change, there’s really nothing setting up his decision to leave on some mysterious journey; nor are we given any particularly good reasons for Dick “His Own Man Now” Grayson to give up his Nightwing identity in order to become Batman.  Also missing is Robin #0, the story of the first meeting between Dick and Two-Face mentioned earlier, which gets referenced repeatedly in the upcoming issues.

All that said, the basic hook behind “Prodigal” is strong.  (Oh, but here’s another nitpick.  If the title is a reference to the Biblical story of the prodigal son, Dick Grayson doesn’t fit the profile.  He never squandered the Wayne family fortune on wine and prostitutes, unless there’s an era of DC continuity I’m very unfamiliar with.)  I think most kids wondered if Robin might replace Batman one day, so the opportunity to actually see it happen -- not as a gimmicky one-off story, but as the titles’ new status quo -- should be a big deal.  This storyline never got the hype of the previous “Knight” events, but I imagine it’s because a certain amount of “event fatigue” had already settled in.  Having Dick Grayson become Batman just doesn’t seem that daring following everything that’s already happened to Batman since Vengeance of Bane was published.  Regardless, Dick as the insecure Batman, unsure if he can fulfill the role, has a lot of promise.  He also has a nice rapport with Tim, which gives the stories a welcome break from the grimness of the past two years.  Killer Croc isn’t that great of a villain to start off the new era, but he fulfills his role as punching bag, and Dick is given an opportunity to contrast himself with Azrael and show some compassion towards the villain in the end.  It’s also kind of amusing to see Dick bluff his way through his fight with Croc, an established villain who deeply hates Batman but Dick has never heard of.  

SHOWCASE ’94 #10 - September 1994

 

Aftermath

Credits:  Alan Grant (writer), Mike Vosburg (penciler), Ron McCain (inker), Ken Bruzenak (letterer), David Hornung (colorist)

Summary:  Azrael spends the night with Gotham’s homeless.  Only one person, a double-amputee named Legs, dares speak to him.  Legs explains his past and offers Azrael liquor, Azrael responds by destroying the bottle.  He leaves as Legs curses him, but soon returns when a group of men enters and accuses Legs of stealing their liquor.  Azrael intimidates them into leaving Legs alone, then reflects on Legs’ words.

Irrelevant Continuity:  Legs had a previous run-in with Batman and Anarky, based on the dialogue in this issue.  Azrael also receives his longest origin flashback to date.

Review:  Given Alan Grant’s seeming antipathy towards Azrael, I wasn’t expecting much from this issue, but it turns out to be one of the few Azrael stories at this point to even attempt to humanize the character.  Surrounding the (anti)hero with a homeless supporting cast can quickly descend into cliché, see Spawn for a good example, but Grant manages to make the characters seem one notch above stereotypes in just a few pages.  Legs, for instance, is the first to admit that he would be looking away from the homeless too if his life had turned out differently.  And even if this isn’t the first time we’ve heard a story about the wounded Vietnam vet that loses everything after returning home, Grant still makes Legs feel like a unique character.  Placing Azrael, who’s lost everything at this point, with the city’s homeless isn’t a bad place to pick up his story, and having the humbled former Batman realize the value of all humanity is a necessary step if DC’s serious about doing more with the character.  Of the three main Batman writers, Grant is the last one I would expect to be telling this story, which makes it that much more of a pleasant surprise.