After three harrowing issues, Batman: City Of Madness comes to a sudden end! Before the Batman Below can corrupt Jevonney, Batman must battle new versions of his rogues in a dark mirror world. Only, the denizens of the twisted parallel world may not be what he expected at all.
Swallowed By The Mouth Of Madness
Christian Ward finally tells the sinister origin story of "Gotham Below." First of all, the bat-like creature at it's center is actually some kind of primordial being. The monster itself looks like a pink Eldritch bat-abomination with tentacles it uses to swallow up it's victims. A lot of the imagery reminds me of Batman: The Return Of Bruce Wayne. Deep in it's history, the creature feeds on childhood trauma. In particular, broken families suffering from loss, not unlike Bruce Wayne, have sustained the creature for who knows how long. In this, Christian Ward plants a strong theme of not sacrificing your life to satisfy your anger.
By the convenience of Alfred's storytelling, readers learn about the creature's connection to fathers and sons. Most importantly, the Gotham Below heavily links to the life of Amadeus Arkham and his son Arthur. At some point during the creation of Arkham in the 1920s, the first patient of the asylum traumatizes the hopeful Amadeus by killing his family. In spite of his initial pure intentions, this event drives him and his son mad. Specifically, it influences Arkham to torture his patient and summon dark magic to undo his son's depression. Unbeknownst to Amadeus, Arthur unknowingly becomes the target of the Eldritch creature which eventually creates the mirror Gotham Below.
All Roads Lead To Arkham
In the present, Batman begins to encounter disturbing versions of his foes in the parallel city. This includes psychotic versions of Firefly, a kaiju sized version of Killer Croc, and zombified citizens of Gotham disturbingly close to the concept of Jordan Peele's US (2019). Naturally, Talon and the Court of Owls insist that Batman should kill whatever he finds below. Despite his unease, Batman resolutely continues to uphold his "no-kill rule" citing that "if it breathes, it lives." Ironically, the entirety of Gotham Below appear to be some kind of living creature. In addition, Batman eventually learns from the clairvoyant "Half-Face" Harvey Dent that Batman Below kills his victims. Not to mention, the Batman Below isn't Bruce Wayne behind the cowl either.
Lastly, the third act hinges on Jevonney's corruption by way of murdering his father's killer. Throughout the story, we've seen characters like Scarface, Two-Face, Arkham, and even Batman swallowed by anger and grief. In contrast, Nightwing's story in issue #2 was important to show the reader that an alternative fate is possible. However, seeing Jevonney in a slick Robin suit, makes it clear to Batman that is not what he needs. Instead, Batman fights both Talon and Batman Below to plead with the teenager into choosing a better path. Of course, this act of literally refusing to feed the beast of trauma is also a metaphor that readers can possibly relate with.
You Said, "Who?"
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Although Christian Ward does his best to explain his world, there are far too many confusing loose ends. In the story, we discover the Batman Below is really Arthur Arkham from the surface world. Somehow, the entire world is his childhood fantasy the creatures designs to milk the trauma from him. Yet, it still doesn't explain why there are versions of everyone on the surface nor justify why Arthur is "Batman" at all. Furthermore, Ward doesn't elaborate on the owls plans and origins, Harvey's powers, or the mutations and tremors happening on the surface. All in all, it seems as if the revelations in City of Madness may only be the first of what could be more stories in this universe.
Impressively, I really like Ward's vision for this Elseworld Gotham City. There are plenty of unique designs and characters like Jevonney's dynamic Robin suit, the demonic creature, the stylized brain matter around Martin and more. Also, there are a few weird inclusions in the story that may go unnoticed. For instance, there's copy in the mock newspaper for Arkham's inception randomly talking about "hotdogs and mustard." While Jevonney is an interesting character, much of his character development goes largely underdeveloped. The same goes for Arthur Arkham and the near cringeworthy implications of his "copy."
Recommended If...
- You like a little more bravery and style with your comics these days.
- Following City of Madness closely thus far.
- You love metaphorical Batman stories.
Overall
As a lover of Batman: The Night Cries, this story really appeals to me. While not as realistic, there is something relatable about being a responsible mentor and figuring out how to steer others out of darkness. Unfortunately, despite usually liking limited series, this conclusion feels rushed and unfinished. Regardless of the beautiful look and tone of the experimental and punk world, Ward doesn't explain everything to satisfaction. Overall, City of Madness is an easy recommendation, but a very challenging and unsatisfactory read. Even so, its touching epilogue with Bruce, Alfred, and Jevonney finding a better way to deal with trauma is worth checking out.
Score: 7.5/10
DISCLAIMER: DC Comics provided Batman News with a copy of this comic for the purpose of this review.
