Year Two - Fear the Reaper

A lot has happened since Bruce Wayne returned to Gotham at the start of Year One. He has faced clowns, clay monsters and former friends. He has battled fear, doubt and addiction to become the Batman. But at the start of his second year, he faces what could be his most difficult test yet.

The Reaper is one of many examples of a villain who shows what Batman could have been. Wielding two crescent scythes - which double up as guns - he attacks criminals head on and slaughters them for their crimes. This vigilante creates fear in the villains he faces in an entirely different way to the Batman, which is obviously something Bruce doesn't want for his city.

In their first fight it becomes clear that the Reaper has the edge over Batman - perhaps this is because he is something Batman fears, in that it could be a reflection of the man he might have become. In another case of jumping into a fight before he has scoped out his opponent, Batman finds himself on the wrong end of the scythes, which cut an X straight through the bat symbol on his chest. The Reaper is making a statement - Gotham is his city now.

After he is stitched up by Alfred, Bruce walks over to a portrait of his parents, and in desperation retrieves a gun from a hidden panel. The gun that killed his parents.

Now, I understand the need to remove The Reaper from the streets of Gotham, particularly as his brand of crime fighting leaves innocents injured or dead as well as the criminals. But I still find it odd that, after one fight with this new vigilante, he would resort to using a gun to even the odds. Even less so the gun that ended the lives of his parents.

Leslie Thompkins makes her return, in a much larger role than the last time. She shows concern over the effects that Bruce's life as a vigilante is having, possibly concern spurred on by The Reaper and his more violent brand of vigilantism. She asks Alfred about the cave early on, to which Alfred replies that it is the only place 'he truly feels himself'. This is a recurring theme of the Batman myth, that the mask and cape are an escape for Bruce or that they are restorative in some way. Leslie seems unconvinced though, especially when he begins to practice shooting with the gun that killed his parents.

Another odd twist was the introduction of Joe Chill, and again I found it strange that Batman would agree to work with the man that killed his parents in order to take down The Reaper. I assume that in his relative inexperience in the role of Batman, he still makes some decisions that lack thought in order to get the job done.

The Reaper proves to be a serious threat, even more so than the enemies that Batman has faced before, as he is shown to be more than a match for the years of training that Bruce went through. We see flashbacks which show the origin of The Reaper is eerily close to that of Batman, again enforcing the idea that Batman could have become this violent, murdering vigilante. The two even meet without the masks or costumes, and a comment is made about how they are kindred spirits in the pain that they have suffered.

After a trap set by the mob goes wrong, Batman takes Chill back to alley where it all began. Chill struggles to even remember the night at first, until Batman removes his cowl and reveals that he is the son of the couple that Chill had gunned down for some pearls. He threatens Chill with the gun, only for The Reaper to shoot Chill before Batman can.

In their final fight, Bruce disarms The Reaper with the gun, before forcing him off the edge of some scaffolding. In the process Batman discovers his true identity, which had been revealed to us several issues earlier. The Reaper grabs onto the edge, and Batman is about to save him, but he lets himself fall, saying that Batman will make a fine replacement for him. Afterwards Batman discards the gun, hopefully never to resort to using one again. Especially since an exploding batarang would have done the same job...

Another jarring element of the story was the whirlwind romance between Bruce and Rachel, which included her giving up becoming a nun to be with him! However, if you assume this story takes place over a few months, the romance isn't so odd. Just a little sudden. It all ends in tears though, and Rachel resolves to take her vows and become a nun after all, to atone for the sins of her father.

Next up - Dark Victory