Batman: The Dark Knight #21
Batman intimidating? Well of course he is, but not like this. He is a man on a mission and driven by a lot of rage right now. This surely was not the Batman we all know to take it easy on his enemies. This was intense and Gregg Hurwitz made a Batman who was ruthless very convincing. Of course this wasn’t the first time we’ve seen Batman like this, but anytime you push him over the edge like this you are sure to shock the reads like I surprisingly was.
Being that he is confronting Mad Hatter you expected something crazy to happen. That did not disappoint, though the whole thing felt a bit rushed just to get Batman to Mad Hatter. That did not stop Batman from doing something as shocking as almost knocking off that guy’s jaw. I think that was what stood out most because it’s one thing to beat someone half to death and try to leave them to die, but it’s another to do what he did to that guy’s face and not question if he was already taking things a step too far. If anything Alfred’s part in this issue sold the grim attitude Batman was carrying because Alfred would never let him cross this line and at this point he’s the only one who can control him even the slightest bit.
It was a great issue for the action, though that was really about it when you step back and reflect on what you read. It would have been great to really know what was going through his mind at the time, but it seemed like they focus was more on putting a knife in his side and twisting it to see how far Batman would go for justice. Not bad but it leaves you wanting more from it than you got. The artwork on the other hand was solid and gave you a good image of how brutal Batman can be when crossed.
