My Rating
“Blood Sport”
Batman enters a seedy hotel room located at the corner of Sunset and Vine, Hollywood – California. The window was conveniently left open, not by a criminal, but the caped crusader himself. This is the temporary lodgings of Bruce Wayne the jet set traveler.
Three weeks prior Batman received a tip on an underworld boss named the Headmaster and his Academy of Crime. This mystery organization is actively recruiting new “talent” throughout the west coast region, offering lucrative payouts to those who passed the rigid testing requirements. After a long night of searching for evidence in the backstreets of Hollywood Bruce has begun to second guess his sources. He picks up the room phone and dials the number to Wayne Manor. Bruce might as well check in on Dick and Alfred.
A deserted mansion – northwest of Gotham city, the heavy rainfall and thunder brings Robin out of a dark haze. Someone struck him in the back of the head, then tied him to an old wooden chair. The room is dark but the random lightning flashes illuminate some of the surrounding details. Dick Grayson takes a second to clear his head then he remembers seeing his girlfriend Dala Vadim.
Dala seemed so different lately. It was as if she was a totally different person at night. Dick had suspected some type of abuse or drug addiction, so he followed her to the old Victorian mansion. Soon he would regret what he had seen. It was something straight out of a Vincent Price horror movie.
Elsewhere, Boston Massachusetts, Alfred Pennyworth has just sat down for dinner with a man named Christopher Chance. Bruce Wayne was being hounded by the photo editor Vicki Vale over at the Picture News Magazine. Ms. Vale had claimed she had photographic evidence exposing Bruce Wayne as the Batman. Alfred just offered a lucrative deal with Christopher in the hopes of tricking Vicki and saving Bruce from exposure.
Why has Dala Vadim kidnapped Robin and extracted blood from his neck? Will Jason Bard convince retired police commissioner James Gordon to join his private investigator firm? Who is the insane looking cannibal dressed in tattered monk robes?
“The Man, The Bullet, The Cat” – Part 02
Town Hall, Chicago – Illinois, it was the most important night in Daniel Brown’s political career. His victory was projected in the race for president of the CLA union, but this last speech was critical in getting the swing votes. Selina Kyle, aka Catwoman, had accepted the role as personal bodyguard to Daniel, but a run in with a biker gang made her late for the event.
As Catwoman arrives at the event she learns that a sniper had shot Daniel Brown. How did the gunman know about the plan to conceal Daniel in a reflection booth below the stage? Selina Kyle begins to suspect a traitor within the Brown camp. But why? It’s time for Catwoman to start an investigation!
Will Daniel Brown survive the gunshot wounds sustained in the sniper attack? Was the run in with the biker gang at Hamburger Haven more than a coincidence? Where did they find a glass dome capable of withstanding a 80mm howitzer attack? Collect the series to find out!
Reviewer Notes
We have vampires! Yes, Dick Grayson has his first run-in with the creatures of the night. So much for his dating life. Who wants a girlfriend with baggage like that anyways? Not me! Run Robin, RUN!
This issue makes me happy as I’m a huge fan of horror comics. I wasn’t sure how far back in DC publication history Batman and Robin knew about vampires. I know Batman interacted with them in the 1990’s Scare Tactics series, but that was the limit to my knowledge on this.
It’s confirmed Dala and the Monk are badass blood-suckered. Robin stumbles across some gruesome evidence in this issue as well. I definitely recommend this story arc for all Batman aficionados out there, and fans of DC horror books in general. I’m giving this one 5 out of 5 stars.
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