Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #201

In most situations, Bruce Wayne is a pretty reasonable guy. Sure, he may be a little on the hard-headed side. If you give him a real reason to, he may even have his Batty alter-ego kick your butt and leave you on the curb for police pick-up. But the one thing you really shouldn't do is mess with his parents. Bruce may just take that personally.

Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #201 is the beginning of a new three-part story, "True Crime." Decades ago, when Bruce Wayne was just a little Bat-Toddler, Gotham was terrorised by a notorious serial-killer: The Robinson Park Ripper. The Ripper, much like the more infamous Jack, had a relatively small number of victims. His crimes attracted attention because of the sheer brutality exhibited by the killer. The victims, all women, had organs gruesomely extracted while they were still alive.

Public interest in such horrific crimes never really goes away. Despite the passage of so many years, true-crime writer Mark Prather takes on the Ripper case. He finds some interesting evidence. The only thing the victims had in common was a tie to the University Medical Center where Bruce's father, Dr. Thomas Wayne, sometimes saw patients. The organs were removed with surgical precision only a Doctor could manage. A Doctor such as, ohhh, Thomas Wayne? When Prather announces the impending publication of his findings, Bruce finds himself thrown into a case that he THOUGHT was long cold.

This story, by Christos N. Gage, is my favorite kind of Batman story. It is a realistic story, that could easily have been pulled from today's news. Batman's detective skills are at the forefront, rather than his Bat-buttkicking. (For fans of the fisticuffs, he does take time out to thrash Clayface and rough up some of the Penguin's hired goons.) Ron Wagner's pencils are perfect for this kind of gritty, down-to-earth storytelling. The cast of characters seems very real, which emphasizes Batman's dark, intimidating stature.

This is a great, self-contained, story, perfect for readers who don't want to be dragged kicking and screaming into any of the massive crossover stories currently coming out from both Marvel and DC. If you prefer to watch the World's Greatest Detective at work, rather than watching Bats hang out with his super-buddies, there is no mystery here: You should be reading "True Crime."

Pick it up this week at Four Color Fantasies, it's guaranteed! Just don't say anything nasty about Bruce's momma, that's when he gets really unpleasant!