Every now and then, even the most immersive story can occasionally remind its readers that they are reading a work of fiction. This usually happens when something unlikely to happen in the real world occurs in said story…like a rich trust fund kid actually spending any amount of time in jail. Welcome back folks, to Batman: Dark Age, where we get to see what wacky shenanigans our teenage delinquent Bruce Wayne has to go through next!!!
The Horror! The Horror!
As a way to shave time off of his sentence, Bruce ends up serving time in Vietnam. He – and other trust fund kids like him – are placed under the leadership of Ra’s al Ghul as part of a secret organization of commandoes (Ra’s and a secret organization? Sounds mildly familiar?) embedded deep in enemy territory. It may seem like a longer and more winded path than usual, but making the Vietnam War part of Bruce’s training to become Batman was a decent premise that has been executed well.
If it seems a bit convenient, it is probably worth reminding yourself that this is a different Batman, and normally, we don’t get a linear narrative where we start with Bruce as a child, see him go through his journey, and watch his adventures as Batman unfold. In most other stories, the training and other related aspects are usually relegated to flashbacks that are only mentioned when relevant to the plot.
Near the end of this issue, we see this version of Batman take his first steps into the world of crime fighting. However, I couldn’t help but feel that all crime in Gotham could be traced back to a single source, making this version of Batman less likely to wage war on all crime, just on those who want him dead. The differences wouldn’t matter because the two are not mutually exclusive. But we’ll have to wait to see how that plays out.
Cameos Galore
Similar to how Superman: Space Age told the tale of that particular iteration of the DC Universe as a whole, in addition to being a Superman story, we get a few noteworthy cameos outside of the Bat-stable of characters. Pariah shows up in a single scene to be mysterious, Sam Lane is the one to recruit Bruce, and Oliver Queen and Maxwell Lord are part of Ra’s…league. But the most noteworthy of these cameos is the one that is not seen but heard about.
Spoiler
Superman makes his debut in America while Bruce is in Vietnam, leading to him thinking that Superman will probably be over any minute to end the war on behalf of America…which does not happen. There’s even a take on the classic, ‘Look up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane!’ which I found to be quite charming.
I am a little worried that Dark Age will follow in its predecessor’s footsteps a little too closely. Considering that this book was said to be set in an alternate universe to Space Age specifically, that’s not necessarily a good thing.
Ok, so the Art…
While the backgrounds of Dark Age continue to be vibrant and distinct for the most part, I do have an issue with the character designs. It can be difficult to tell some people apart at times, especially in the Vietnam jungle scenes, where the characters wear the same clothes and often have the same skin tone, hair colors, and styles.
The worst offender of this is…
Moving out of the jungles makes it a bit better. However, I still must stare intensely at certain pages to ensure I know who’s who.
Recommended if…
- You were hooked in by the first issue
- You like the idea of “Bruce Wayne: Vietnam Vet”
- You want to see how this all ends
Overall
While the art and story for #2 remain pretty solid for the most part, I can’t help but wonder how this will all end and whether or not the ending will be able to deliver a satisfactory conclusion. It is probably unfair to draw comparisons with Superman: Space Age, but the book does force them with the shared similarities between the two series. However, we do seem to be past the setup stage and I do want to keep reading to know what happens next.
Score: 8/10
DISCLAIMER: DC Comics provided Batman News with a copy of this comic for the purpose of this review.
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