Creeping back into the limelight is the past due third issue of Batman: Gargoyle Of Gotham. As a reminder, the series follows the caped crusader as he battles sadistic killers and economic inequality. Incidentally, this version of Bruce Wayne has tired of his double life and wishes to kill his wealthy persona. Which, honestly seems to be the excuse Batman needs to go on a rage filled last crusade. So far, Rafael Grampá has done a marvelous job of writing and illustrating his topsy turvy crime thriller, but let's see if his efforts will pay off a year later!

Forgot My Place

The greatest element of the story is the setting and noir atmosphere. Grampá's unique punk style and detailed vision feels precise with surprising nuance. Actually, it reminds me of Tradd Moore's The Legend of Luther Strode. Luckily, this new issue doesn't skip a single beat. When issue #3 picks up, Batman discovers a cult, Gordon catches the second killer, and Crytoon escapes custody. Inadvertently, each of the leads find themselves running away from one thing and finding themselves smack dab in another. Not to mention, this new issue drops a lot of exposition and introduces several new antagonists. In particular, this issue reveals the overall mastermind of all the psychotic events happening across the city.

As the story goes, someone murdered German scientist and ex-c0n, Franz Ebner while he was studying energy fields. During his time in prison, prisoners like his cellmate Ken McCabe begin to refer to Ebner as "Dr. Geist," perhaps after his obsessive writing subjects. Throughout the series, Batman and Gordon track down Ebner's repeat visitor named Dr. Quinton as a person of interest. Weirdly enough, because all of the second killer's victims were former patients of Dr. Quinton. Consequently, when Batman finally finds Quinton, he's leading a cult called the Stadtgeist wearing a mask of Franz Ebner's face, and going by Dr. Geist.

The Gargoyle Of Gotham

Not too long after his parent's death, Quinton treated Bruce as a patient to quell his violent tantrums. Previously, Bruce and Alfred reasonably fear Quinton may have planted the idea of Batman in his young mind. Sadly, Dr. Geist reveals that this theory is partly true. Each one of Quinton's patients are somehow a continuation of Ebner's energy experiments, resulting in the manifestation of dark personas called "Geistmen." This includes Crytoon, Moth-Er, the second killer with the needles, and Batman himself among others. Supposedly, by means of electric acupuncture and therapy, Geist has implanted a backdoor trigger capable of unlocking Batman's mind. It is a brand new way to interpret and group the next level psychos in Gotham City.

In any case, Grampá depicts Dr. Geist as a prideful instructor eager to goad Bruce into his more violent self. To accomplish this, he equips a large electric rapier resembling an acupuncture needle to attack him. In addition, Dr. Geist commands another violent Geistman named "Wounder" carrying dual scythes. Wearing a featureless onyx mask and other ritualistic garments, Wounder stands as an imposing devout believer in Dr. Geist's agenda. In many ways, Wounder reminds me of Master Blaster (Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome), Sloth (The Goonies), or Heretic (Batman Inc). Despite his size, Wounder is an obstacle Batman can defeat, but only through violent means. Even if he originally wanted that outcome; if Batman embraces his darker impulses, then he may lose Bruce Wayne in the process.

Aw, Rats

Meanwhile, a guerilla organization called The Ratz infiltrate the Stadtgeist with intentions of their own. As far as I know, there is no correlation with Batman: Arkham Shadow's version of the group of the same name. On the other hand, The Ratz pay heavy homage to Robin, utilizing the same color scheme and "R" symbol. It isn't a bad choice, and immediately makes readers feel safe with them. Nonetheless, they all have kooky mouse themed names straight out of a 90's cartoon like "Big Mus, Lady Rat, Rody, and Wilbur." Operating out of the sewer like the TMNT, the Ratz end up saving Batman at the expense of their own plan. Fortunately, their shadowy leader "Sage" takes a deep interest in Batman and his EEG and EKG energy readings. In fact, it is suspiciously close to Franz Ebner's field of research.

Furthermore, while under the care of Sage, Bruce wrestles with the discrepancy in his psyche between his mother's words of encouragement and Dr. Quinton's manipulation. In a nutshell, Bruce was under the impression that the Gargoyle in the anecdote fails to save his parents. In contrast, Quinton's slight change instigates the idea of becoming the devil in the metaphor instead. Elsewhere, Alfred helplessly awaits word of Bruce's safety in a fairly ergonomic looking Batcave. Presumably, Alfred also fears the idea of Bruce finally dying or the vicious Batman persona taking over. Yet, the fact that Batman keeps the note addressed to Bruce in the Blind Machine encourages Alfred to hold out hope. Of course, Batman's emergency protocol can't pierce the underground lair, leaving Bruce to fend for himself in Sage's dungeon, and the butler in the dark.

Seeing Things

Up to this point, Gargoyle has set up Gordon as a staunchly religious character. Coincidentally, after saving his life from Moth-Er, the nameless second killer telepathically curses Gordon with religious visions. A portion of which, manifests as a spirit in his mind resembling a frightening Virgin Mary/Madonna figure that delivers exposition. At first Gordon considers it a side-effect of his alcoholism, inciting several accidents, but eventually chooses to believe. Allegedly, the second killer has been killing the Stadtgeist as a form of rebellion. The sudden introduction of indisputably supernatural elements is a twist, but somehow meshes into Grampá's grunge noir.

Speaking of grunge, Grampá kicks up the weird with the introduction of "Little Joker." Gracing the cover in all his unsettling glory, the brat runs rampant across interior panels like a Rugrat from hell. At first, the kid appears in a chance encounter with Crytoon hiding outside the city limits. Which is weirdly occupied by trailer parks and cacti, making me truly wonder if Grampá's Gotham is located on the West Coast. Anyway, the kid isn't really following Crytoon's influence, but killing seems to impress him. Except Crytoon and his unwitting guardian find him disturbing as well, though the doll-face in the homicide sequence was a nice touch of dark humor. For now, Crytoon and his new sidekick are on their way to kill more people wherever they decide to land.

Recommended If...

• You've been waiting for the next chapter of Gargoyle Of Gotham.
• A fan of Rafael Grampá's distinct style.
• You've been curious about all of the marketing around this property.

Overall

I'm not going to speculate on the state of Black Label, but I hope the next issue doesn't take a year. Gargoyle of Gotham is a unique, manga-like crime thriller that people are sure to get a kick out of. All of the music, animation, trailers, and other efforts signal to me that Grampá deeply cares about his project. Overall, Batman and the rest of the weirdos that inhabit this story are fuse nicely with the brutal setting and harsh themes. Personally, I've been taking note of the way the lettering and poster-like illustration blends. On a negative note, Nia Garcia's subplot is stalling out, but I did like Bruce's temporary reality check of humility in the subway. Also, the Child's Play style Joker feels tacked on. Whether it brings it home or not will depend on how strongly Grampá ties everything together, supernatural or otherwise.

Score: 9/10

DC Comics have provided advance copies of books for review.