Monday, November 25, 2013

There's more than a few cheats in this one:


1. "One Fine Halloween," the Mad Hatter returns to the disused Arkham Detention Facility for Youth, at the behest of the Penguin. But the Penguin has a note from the Hatter suggesting the meet. Realizing they've been played, they plan on turning on the Scarecrow when he arrives, but his note has both names on it! I'm not sure why, because that only works if they meet in the order we see here.

2. The trio intends to leave, but a dramatically-timed lightning strike casts one of those perfect Batman-shaped shadows, scaring them back inside. I kind of wonder if maybe Batman doesn't set those silhouettes up all over Gotham, just on the off chance it'll scare the hell out of someone. Inside, a chandelier nearly falls on them, giving credit to the idea that Batman may have left traps for them.

3. After a moment of bonding complaining about Batman, and being terrified by another shadow, Scarecrow suggests making a break for it, through the hedge maze. What kind of detention facility has a hedge maze? After being scared by a Batman-shaped remnant of a scarecrow--"I believe they call that irony," Penguin tells Scarecrow--the three are back inside.

4. Imagining schoolchildren making fun of him, Penguin takes a swipe at Scarecrow, which sets off Scarecrow's fear gas. All three have suitably traumatic flashbacks to their childhoods, but wouldn't Scarecrow, who's around that gas all day, take some precautions, like maybe a mask? Or antidotes?

5. At dawn, all three wake up, chagrined. Resolving to never speak of this again, they leave. You kind of think they'd be maybe a smidgen pissed at Batman, who of course sent the notes and took the rest of the night off. Bruce Wayne only appears the last couple of pages, and Batman only on the cover.

6. This issue was $4.99 cover, but I got it for $1.99! For the price, can't complain, I guess.

Batman: the Dark Knight Annual #1, "Once Upon a Midnight Dreary" Written by Gregg Hurwitz, art by Szymon Kudranski.

1 comment:

Mr. Morbid's House Of Fun said...

Ha ha, yeah I saw this. I love how Batman just fucks with em bad in this one. I guess he figured he'd take a night off, but not before screwing with these guys probably just to be a dick, and also maybe as a proactive measure, just in case they were planning on giving him trouble for the night.

That Batman, god love em'. He'll beat you physically and mentally.