Detective Comics #1104
Author : Tom Taylor
Artist : Mikel Janin
Colourist : Wayne Faucher
Game of Bat & Mouse : Issue #1104 Summary
Batman is only four hours away from being fully infected by the "No Fear" virus, and while his courage is enhancing, it is not making him greater; instead, it is making him more complacent. Taylor helps us get closer to the identity of this story arc’s villain, the Lion.
Although Batman has the fear-diminishing contagion running through his veins, Taylor sets up a great ending to this issue with the clever consequences of a Bruce Wayne without fear. The game of cat and mouse (or Bat and Lion) starts to accelerate, making us feel that we are getting closer to the culmination of this contagious storyline.
Filling Fever : Issue #1104 Review
WARNING SPOILERS!
Less Fear, More Filler
Taylor has been writing this storyline fantastically well, and in my last review I went so far as to say this has the potential to be an instant classic; I stick by that bold claim. However, this issue, despite its highlights, felt like filler and a prelude to the finale. The focus on how the lack of fear is affecting Batman is cleverly embellished by Taylor. Even the most routine and trademark of Batman’s moves must now be questioned. Simply swinging across the rooftops of Gotham City with Batman’s grapple hook now becomes a process of obstacle elimination; the "No Fear" virus has Batman questioning every step that he takes.
This grapple hook swing flies us into the next crucial scene, following up on the events from issue #1103, which led to the kidnapping of the Scarecrow. So far, so good; I am absolutely engrossed in where Taylor is taking me with this gripping tale. This strong start made me feel like we were getting to the crux of this story arc: who is the Lion, what is his backstory, and why is he doing all of this?
However, after this strong start I was left wanting more, with pages that felt like filler rather than a continuation of this fascinating chronicle. Taylor, uncharacteristically for this story arc, deviated from a clean, direct, and fascinating plot line to include scenes that did not move the story forward. This included a brief and confusing phone call between Bruce and Selina; Taylor deciding to add this scene did not contribute anything to the overall plot of this issue. It did not further the story and felt like a scene used just to fill a page. I can only assume that Taylor added this scene to reinforce the idea of Bruce losing his fear, as he actually picked up the phone to call Catwoman.
The next instance of narrative bloating is another scene that feels out of place: Batman receives a surprise gift from an anonymous sender. This does have continuity with issue #1102, where Bruce has a drink with the Lion; however, as a reader, I did not really take much from this. Perhaps Taylor is telling us that the Lion knows who Bruce is and that this is a cat and mouse game being played out. A lion is a cat, after all, and a bat is a rodent.
Scared Back on Track
After reading a few pages that added little to this otherwise great story, Taylor helps us get back on track with the narrative. Batman is now in quarantine; Taylor does a nice job of explaining how Bruce can operate without infecting people by building a badass Bat-suit. He is now on his way to find the Scarecrow, the Lion, and a cure.
The pacing of this issue felt inconsistent and awkward, which was out of the norm for Taylor and this "Courage That Kills" story arc. We went from filler scenes straight into the action; this was welcomed by me as a reader, but it felt forced. The next series of events Taylor takes us through are totally in line with the virus that eliminates fear.
I like that Taylor stayed true to the main story arc throughout this showdown between Batman and the Lion; Bruce knew this was a setup, but he still opted to go cowl-first into it. Taylor writes the loss of fear into Batman’s first real one-on-one fight with the Lion as well. His complacency leads him to stop blocking, which results in Batman receiving brutal blows from the Lion. This was Taylor back to his best, writing with such detail that it made me, as the reader, appreciate the finest aspects of this narrative. Taylor also leaves a tantalizing thought for the reader: Bruce recognizes the Lion’s fighting combinations. They have a common mentor, and that made me as a reader refocus and enjoy the end of this issue.
Family Over Fear
The ending of this issue was my favorite part because Taylor went back to what has made this storyline fantastic: deep meaning, complex Batman characterization, and gripping plot writing. Taylor created a brilliant swerve regarding how Batman, in typical Batman fashion, utilized his loss of fear. "I was not afraid to ask for help," is what we see Batman tell the Lion in the midst of an all-out brawl in a cornfield. This was excellent writing from Tom Taylor because it took me completely by surprise, but after reading it, it made complete sense and left a wry smile on my face.
With the support of the Bat-family, the Lion and his fearless cronies are defeated in this battle, but not yet in the inevitable war. Nightwing helps patch up Batman’s quarantine suit, reinforcing that Batman's choice to call upon his family was the right one. This also shows how dangerous a villain the Lion is to Batman; his planning and plotting have forced Batman to look for outside help.
At the end of this issue, Taylor explains what we wanted to know from the beginning: who the Lion is. His real name is Leo Kingsford, and he was a brilliant apprentice of Jonathan Crane, which gives us context regarding that connection. We are then left with a tease for the next issue: the Lion is doing all of this to Gotham because of Batman himself.
Change of Colour
My praise of Mikel Janín has been of the highest level because of both his art and coloring; his combination of low color temperature, close-ups to capture emotion, and sharp panel grids has complemented Taylor’s vision for a story where Batman is in peril due to his psychological instability.
The colorist in this issue surprisingly changed to Wayne Faucher. The opening pages captured the intensity Taylor was writing with Faucher’s shadowy coloring, which added a down-to-earth look and feel. Batman, after all, was at his street-level best, going from criminal to criminal to get to the Lion.
Overall, the panels and grids have added to the intense storytelling from Taylor. Forcing the reader to scan from panel to panel heightens the anxiety and furthers the intense emotion Taylor wants the reader to feel.
My favorite scene from this issue came at the beginning, where Batman tracks down the perpetrator. The pencils from Janín are terrific; he draws Batman to show off his fluidity when tackling the perp. This is followed by an intense close-up that captures the raw frustration of Batman, who is losing his fear, which in turn hampers his judgment. The tight lines drawn on Batman’s cowl and mouth highlight his intensity and the pressure created throughout this whole story arc. In contrast, the expression on the criminal is blank and relaxed, which can be seen through the thin and soft lines, displaying what the "No Fear" virus is capable of.
Conclusion & Rating
With how strong this whole story has been, I was left wanting more but in a disappointing manner; it was not the kind of ending where I felt I had read something that led me naturally into the next issue. This felt as though it were filling space until the major conclusions of the next issue. The unnecessary inclusion of Catwoman and Superman, as well as the surprise gift from the Lion, did not add any layers to this already gripping story.
With that being said, the red-hot start and smoldering ending saved this issue. Taylor stayed committed to bringing out the dangers of a Batman without fear. He also turned that concept on its head with Batman calling for the support of his Bat-family because his fearful nature had been eradicated.
That does, however, propel the Lion to a high status as a Batman villain, because he forced Batman to ask for help rather than solve this by his lone, brooding self. The head and footnotes of this issue kept me interested and looking forward to issue #1105, and I am hoping for more loose ends to be tied. This story has been too strong to finish with a whimper; it needs to end with a lion’s roar.