‘The Batman’s Grave #9’ (review)

Written by Warren Ellis
Art by Bryan Hitch
Published by DC Comics

The group that’s targeting Gotham’s criminal justice system has a name. Scorn, or Scorn Army depending on how you look at their M.O. so far.

In the last issue, Batman made himself the warden of Arkham Asylum, with no objection from James Gordon. An attack on Arkham from a Scorn assassin reveals to the group that Batman working as the warden now makes him a part of the criminal justice system.

They’re disappointed because they believed Batman would be on their side. The deranged leader of Scorn started their crusade due to the murder of his parents. If you think about it in a non-superhero context, who’s to say their approach is any more reasonable than Batman’s.

Of course, with a title like The Batman’s Grave, the Caped Crusader almost meets his maker. He could barely move his legs and needed the Batmobile, with help from Alfred, to get home.

He passed out during the trek to Wayne Manor; it was a grim reminder that Batman is lucky to have an automated vehicle to transport him.

What if someone knew Batman was easy pickings and attacked the Batmobile? He could die at any moment, which is the point of the book, and Alfred is not shy about reminding him.

Bryan Hitch’s artwork carries equal weight here, with stunning visuals at every turn. It’s a gorgeous book to look at, with great depth of field when it comes to specific angles and high positions. Batman jumping to hitch a ride from his drone to avoid an explosion felt like he was levitating off the page. Alex Sinclair’s work also deserves praise as his color pallet brings energy to Hitch’s excellent depictions.

This series has been a tale of two cities in terms of who has more to say. Sometimes it’s balanced while most times, Hitch is telling most of the story. This time around, Ellis has more to say, which was a good change of pace.

There are three issues remaining, and it’s time to increase the stakes even more now that Batman is in Scorn’s crosshairs.

Rating: B