In this issue, the Greatest Detective in the World faces off against a pack of frenzied Joker lookalikes all wired up like marionettes in order to justify the authenticity of the vigilante before the Dollmaker's clients bidding for the body of Batman, including one of Batman's notorious foes, Penguin. Meanwhile, Commissioner Gordon remained under less unsavory circumstances as well in the company of the mysterious Olivia, who, in the last issue, was seen to have murdered a police officer of seemingly ill intentions and, not surprisingly, was responsible for setting Batman up with the Commissioner's help.
From watching episodes of Batman: The Animated Series, it caught me by surprise that Sergeant Bullock would trust Batman enough not to place him as a cop-killer, during the investigation held over Olivia's victim, and with the Commissioner placed out of commission, it is certainly unwise to hold out one's own prejudices while taking charge of things. This is also the first instance where the Dollmaker's cronies, aside from the psychotic nurse, were seen fully capable of speech, both monkey and gorilla, what with their tongueless jester acquaintance, previously manhandled by Batman. Olivia's relationship with the Dollmaker remains unresolved, as is the identity of the villain, whose questionable connection with Wayne Corps might aid Batman in bringing him closer to justice, not to mention for the Dollmaker's corruption of a young innocent soul.
The real Joker, being yet to be found, somehow gathered a cult-like following around an idol that is the man's grotesque face peeled off and presently under deep freeze, which is uncanny in the way it mirrors how the first issue ended. There is also the possibility that the Joker had died from excessive bleeding while limping around without a face, though we all know by now the man is practically unkillable. All in all, this issue left only a few knots resolved and poorly done action scenes which I've given up trying to reason with while probably stirring up something beneath Gotham's underbelly.
Previous issue: Detective Comics #3
From watching episodes of Batman: The Animated Series, it caught me by surprise that Sergeant Bullock would trust Batman enough not to place him as a cop-killer, during the investigation held over Olivia's victim, and with the Commissioner placed out of commission, it is certainly unwise to hold out one's own prejudices while taking charge of things. This is also the first instance where the Dollmaker's cronies, aside from the psychotic nurse, were seen fully capable of speech, both monkey and gorilla, what with their tongueless jester acquaintance, previously manhandled by Batman. Olivia's relationship with the Dollmaker remains unresolved, as is the identity of the villain, whose questionable connection with Wayne Corps might aid Batman in bringing him closer to justice, not to mention for the Dollmaker's corruption of a young innocent soul.
The real Joker, being yet to be found, somehow gathered a cult-like following around an idol that is the man's grotesque face peeled off and presently under deep freeze, which is uncanny in the way it mirrors how the first issue ended. There is also the possibility that the Joker had died from excessive bleeding while limping around without a face, though we all know by now the man is practically unkillable. All in all, this issue left only a few knots resolved and poorly done action scenes which I've given up trying to reason with while probably stirring up something beneath Gotham's underbelly.
Previous issue: Detective Comics #3