• Written by Tom King
• Pencils by Mikel Janin
• Inks by Mikel Janin
• Colored by June Chung
• Cover by Mikel Janin

This is the first time in memory that I’m enjoying a monthly Batman comic.

Gang war between The Riddler and the Joker continues with the narrative gaming device of Batman telling this story of his early days in the cowl to Catwoman in bed. Every person killed in the war is named with personal details Batman knew of them. Even dead gangsters have details like, “Played Santa every year at his church festival.”

It is the second issue in this arc and the war is ramping up with Gotham’s police and vigilante still reacting and cleaning up the mess left in it’s wake. Batman is in this odd role, using his skills as the World’s Greatest Detective to record the dead and remembering their names and who they were. Most of the narrative oomph of the issue is given to those who are killed.

It is pretty clear that this arc is about a mistake Batman made during the course of the conflict, maybe not a big mistake but something he should have done differently. I’m curious to hear what he wants to to learn and how it will effect the next arc of the series.