Batman - Volume 01 Issue 348

My Rating

“Shadow Play”

Deep below Wayne Manor two familiar faces are busy moving gear and equipment back into the Batcave. It’s been too long since Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson occupied this space. As the dynamic-duo begin to roll out a giant sized Lincoln’s head penny, a familiar face makes his way out of the elevator which leads to the library above. Alfred’s face turns to shock, then morphs into a conservative smile as he watches Bruce and Dick chasing a giant Penny rolling towards the crime computer. Someone’s grip was lost for just a brief second.

It takes twenty minutes before the Wayne family’s butler can pass on his message. An old acquaintance of Bruce has arrived in the night looking for resolution. It’s none other than Francine Langstrom and her young daughter Rebecca. The three return to the surface world to greet the distressed wife of Kirk Langstrom.

Bruce and Dick meet Francine in the family room around 11:20 pm and to their shock the rain drenched woman is very combative. All Francine wants from Bruce is the antidote to her husband’s self-induced disease. Bruce had promised that the scientists at Wayne Laboratories were days away from a cure. That was months ago. Before Bruce can calm the woman she faints from exhaustion.

Can Bruce find an antidote for Kirk Langstrom before the Man-Bat mutation becomes permanent? How can Batman convince the beast his daughter Rebecca is still alive? Will the infa-red lense technology be strong enough to see in the underground caverns connected to the Batcave?

“The Man, The Bullet, The Cat” – Part 01

Downtown shopping district – Gotham City, Selina Kyle just witnessed a man pull a young girl off the street seconds before a car would have struck the child. The car screeched to a halt but grazed the hero’s leg. The man is none other than Daniel Brown, one of the presidential candidates for the CLA union. The girl’s mother and several bystanders rush to help the man to his feet.

Selina and Daniel Brown both recognize each other from various news sources. They strike up a conversation which leads to drinks at a local cocktail bar. Daniel, his wife Janice, and his running mate Peter Simmons join the impromptu meeting. Daniel, knowing full well Selina’s work as Catwoman, asks for her help during his upcoming campaign speech. Would the Catwoman act as a personal bodyguard during the event?

With some convincing, Selina agrees to the role, but with conditions. Daniel has some reservations about the planning. However he accepts Selina’s terms and they depart. The next day Selina is given access to the Gotham town hall building to plan out the security details for the speech that night.

Will Daniel Brown agree to use the old magic trick known as Pepper’s Ghost? Which biker gang has chosen to lock claws with the Catwoman? Are the burgers really that good at Hamburger Haven? Collect the series to find out!

Reviewer Notes

After reading Batman #350 recently I became fascinated by the concept of vampires roaming the streets of 1980’s Gotham City. To fill my never-ending comic book addiction I jumped online and found the other books tied to the “Nightmare In Crimson” event. Batman #348 is apparently the start. I hope the interwebs is correct.

There are no vampires in this issue, but it starts with a cool story featuring the Man-Bat. I never knew the backstory on how Kirk Langstrom became half-man and half-bat. In short Kirk used a bat-gland extract to transform himself into a bat-powered crime fighter. The beast side of his personality seems to have taken over his mind completely by this issue. There is an awesome transformation scene which reminds me of the 1981 movie “the Howling”. It seems the responsibility for finding an antidote rests on Bruce Wayne’s shoulders. I hope he knows his chemistry.

The second story involves Catwoman and a future union boss named Daniel Brown. This is another fun storyline which puts Selina Kyle into the role of bodyguard. We also get to meet one of Gotham City’s many biker gangs in this issue. I love the old biker gang movies from the 1960’s and 70’s. I’m not sure if these maniacs are a named gang yet or just complete randos. I know Gotham has more than a few gangs to choose from though. Batman #348 gets a four out of five star rating from me. Definitely check these books out if you get a chance.