This is a review of Batman: Dark Victory, which is a direct sequel to Batman: The Long Halloween, reviewed here. Batman is younger in this graphic novel, but by the end of it he seems to have aged a hundred years. At the start of the story, Catwoman is flirting with him; by the end, he’s stepping on her neck. This is something I didn’t notice on my first read, years ago. The progression from Young Batman to mega-bleak Asshole Batman is depressing to behold.
Batman is a loner, but there are three people in this storyline he considers confiding to. The first, Harvey Dent, would have been an enormous mistake. From reading Long Halloween, it’s my opinion that Harvey was way off-kilter before getting the acid treatment. The second, Catwoman, is more interesting. Tom King played with this concept in his Batman run. The third is Dick Grayson, whose acrobat parents were murdered by mobsters in this very volume.
Bruce chooses to confide in Dick Grayson. My guess is that it’s partly because he empathizes with Dick’s anger and grief, and partly to keep Dick – who’s determined to solve his parents’ murders on his own – alive. I get that, but bringing a twelve or thirteen-year old into your war against crime (Dick Grayson is the first Robin) isn’t what a rational person does.
I’ve read a lot of Batman comics, and believe me Dick takes a beating. The second Robin, Jason Todd, was bludgeoned to death by a crowbar-wielding Joker, in a shameful 900-Number Scandal (call this number to vote if you want him to die!). They brought Jason back as the Red Hood, but when I read the original comic, he sure looked dead to me.
This doesn’t have much to do with the plot of Dark Victory, which is a lot easier to follow than The Long Halloween. Dark Victory lives up to its name, and includes one shock murder in the final act that I think is effective, because it knocks the magic pixie dust out of Batman’s eyes and shows that Dent is truly irredeemable.
Bottom line, this is one of the top ten Batman storylines I’ve ever read, but finish The Long Halloween first. Highly recommended.
Abandoned Places 