Deron Generally
Deron Generally
Batman ’89 #4
DC Comics
Written by Sam Hamm
Art by Joe Quinones
Colors by Leonardo Ito
Letters by Clayton Cowles
The Rundown: Harvey Dent begins a new journey and Bruce Wayne receives a new guest.
As people gather to protest in the wake of the violence that horribly scarred Harvey Dent, Bullock decides to go against the will of Gordon and create a presence of fear in the streets. As Bullock prepares to go after the protestors, a mysterious package lands among the police. One that sends the protest and the police into chaos as the aggressive police find themselves dealing with protestors using nonviolent means and a barrage of attacks from an unknown source.
After Gordon arrives on the scene and takes control, Bruce gets a rundown from Alfred about everything he missed. At the same time, Barbara tries to help an agitated Harvey Dent deal with what has happened to him. That night, Harvey makes a shocking discovery about the extent of his injuries. Drake is invited to Wayne Manor to meet with Bruce. As the two discuss recent events, the young man does something unexpected and makes a shocking revelation in the aftermath.
The Story: I’ve generally liked the direction this story has been going in, but this issue feels weak regarding story and character. Batman continues to be a passenger in his own story. Almost nothing about his story is compelling and that is concerning given the premise. The Harvey Dent part of the story is compelling and interesting, but that gets eaten up by Hamm’s heavy-handed attempts at social commentary. Everything about the protest moments in this issue feels forced and ultimately unnecessary.
The Art: Quinones delivers some impressive art, but the story makes everything visually disjointed, and you never get a sense of style within the art.
Batman ’89 #4
