Night Cries

Night Cries is intense and unsettling, to say the least. It begins with a caption describing how bats find their way using echolocation, then we have a monologue as Bruce Wayne wakes up to the sound of screaming - presumably his parents. Putting on his familiar cape and cowl, he goes out to hunt, which is the only way he can drown out these cries. So, much like a bat, he is guided by the sounds of violence. The same is revealed to be true of the serial killer later on.

Jim Gordon is also plagued by the violence around him, showing frustration at the limitations of his new role as commissioner, wanting to remain at 'street level'. In the midst of discussing a press conference with the mayor the next day, he overhears something on the police radio and orders his driver to head to the scene. There he finds a horrific scene where an entire family has been brutally murdered.

When a second family is murdered, leaving only a traumatised daughter, Batman gets involved in the case as he believes there is a link with the new drug 'Boost' he has been investigating. Eventually we see another example of the early career of Batman and his inexperience, as there is a different motive behind the murders.

The mystery running through the book was definitely an interesting one, and I didn't see the twist coming about who the killer was. Each character was well written, their own personal traumas were linked into the overarching theme of the book. For a topic as gut wrenching as child abuse, it was handled well, and brought a lump to my throat a few times as the trauma of the younger children in the book were explored.

Gordon's character was especially well written, as we saw him plagued by his own childhood and desperate not to become like his father. In fact Gordon was more the star of this book than Batman in my eyes, making the important connections in the central mystery of the brutal killings. It was interesting to see the start of a new chapter for his family life as well, although I can see it being something which might cause anomalies later on, as I'm sure his wife and son are present in later storylines which I have yet to read.

The artwork was excellent as well, reminiscent of Dave McKean in its haunting painted style. It suited the story well, the dark colours matching the subject matter and the haunting children's drawings being the only splashes of colour in the whole book.

A great read, and it managed to follow The Long Halloween very well indeed. And it's always interesting to read a detective story where Batman has to deal with someone who is not one of his famous 'rogues'.

Next up - Monsters.