Using the angle of Batman as a political figure sometimes backtracks on itself but also playing idealism and former foes against certain ideas of purity sometimes backfire as well. In “Batman – Detective Comics Vol. 7: Anarky” [Brian Buccellato/DC Comics/176pgs], the main protagonist actually personifies a certain element of freedom that Batman aspires to but does it with vicious abandon and wanton savagery. In opening up the city with “V” type masks, this vision of Anarky simply invites death and not a sense of life. Bruce Wayne, by comparison, has to accept a texture of sacrifice in terms of realizing that no matter how much good he has accomplished he will always be seen by some as the bad guy. The dark snow tinged elements of light mixed with the greens and burnt yellows show a continued essence of twilight reflecting a certain transient state of mind. The reflection of old foes and how their own psychosis functions backwards on them informs this story in the visage of Mad Hatter who seemingly only wants to find his Alice despite the fact that his actions leave him shivering in his own misery in a cell. The same can be said of The Riddler in “Future’s End” which uses the art to even more skewed perception. The Riddler has become both a pawn and an abuser of Gotham’s goodwill but in adhering to his own sense of blurred conscience in not wanting to be outdone, The Riddler is brought to his death. The idea through all the stories in this volume is a fear or admonishment of mortality. Even the beginning story “Terminal” uses this as a trigger with a plane being crashed through Gotham Terminal with a disease infecting all on board. Both a police captain and Batman are exposed but it is the darker black market element that permeates with connections to the Middle East and Russia that give this story a real sense of dread. The art is bathed in shadow with a grand sense of foreboding where the features aren’t exceptionally distinct but dreamlike enough to make one realize the viciousness hoarding below. This, in a way, makes this one of the more visceral graphic novels of late.

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By Tim Wassberg