My Rating
“Assisters of Mercy”
2:30 a.m.—high above the darkened streets of Gotham City, its most famous landmark suddenly illuminates the night sky. The Bat-Signal is shining over police headquarters, but there’s one small problem: Commissioner Gordon didn’t turn it on.
Within twenty minutes, Gordon comes crashing through the front doors of Gotham City Police Headquarters, demanding answers. Who activated the signal? The aging detective races up multiple flights of stairs until he finally reaches the rooftop. There, beneath the blazing silhouette of the bat, Gordon discovers a disturbing message scrawled in blood:
“Stop me before I kill again.”
Somebody is asking for Batman’s attention, and in Gotham City, that usually means the body count is about to rise. Time to send in the Bat!
Meanwhile, Scare Tactics finds itself caught in another supernatural nightmare. Will the band lose one of its own tonight, or will these monsters live long enough to rock another show? Can Arnold Burnsteel return in time to help sort out the madness? More importantly, who is this Spider-Boy fella Jake keeps referring to? And while we’re asking questions, who the hell is that Iron Lantern Arnie is talking about? Somebody check the multiverse because I think these guys wandered into the wrong comic-book company!
Batman is on the case, Scare Tactics is in trouble, and something wicked is stalking the streets of Gotham City. Collect the series to find out what happens next!
Reviewer Notes
Batman is on the case! Unfortunately, things aren’t looking nearly as good for Scare Tactics itself. With only one issue remaining after “Assisters of Mercy,” the writing is pretty much on the wall. That’s a shame because I’ve grown to enjoy this strange little corner of 1990s DC Comics. What started as a goofy concept about a rock band made up of monsters has developed into a surprisingly entertaining mixture of horror, superhero action, and comedy.
Bringing Batman into the story certainly raises the stakes. The opening with Commissioner Gordon discovering that someone else activated the Bat-Signal is a great Gotham City setup. Then comes that message written in blood: “Stop me before I kill again.” You immediately know Batman isn’t going to ignore something like that. Having the Dark Knight cross paths with the supernatural misfits of Scare Tactics also feels like the kind of crossover this series was eventually destined to have.
I also got a kick out of the references to Spider-Boy and Iron Lantern. Anyone familiar with the strange world of 1990s comics should recognize what the writers are playing around with there. Those little jokes fit perfectly with the offbeat personality that has carried Scare Tactics through the series.
The letters page may be the most interesting—and depressing—part of the issue from a historical standpoint. DC addresses the book’s low sales and sheds some light on why Scare Tactics appeared in those four Plus one-shots with other characters. Knowing the series is about to end gives this issue a different feeling. It seems like DC was trying to put these characters in front of as many readers as possible, but apparently it wasn’t enough to save the title.
Only one issue remains. After following Jake, Nina, Philbert, Scream Queen, and the rest of this collection of supernatural weirdos, I’m genuinely curious to see whether DC gives them a proper send-off or simply turns off the amplifiers. We shall see how Scare Tactics ends.