All of this youthful rebellion is a result of the manipulative manager of Crowe, who uses lookalikes and fancy dress hire to convince Crowe that the 'God' and several other dead rock stars are leading him on some mythical quest. Luckily for Batman's investigation, the evil manager isn't clever enough to try and hide the various purchases he has made to prepare for his plan. He can train a small army of people to do his dirty deeds, but he can't figure out that if he pays for things using cash then it can't be traced as easily...
The debate surrounding the influence of rock music, or indeed any form of media, on the behaviour of the general public is one that has gone on for several decades. Batman himself has even been the subject of the debate, most recently when a theatre screening a midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises was the victim of a violent shooting. But this volume was oftentimes very heavy handed in trying to deliver its message. There was several stock 'older generation' characters who were complaining about the youth of today, Batman being one of them.
If it sounds like I'm being negative, than it's because I am. I just found this story to be full of strange ideas and slightly wonky characterisation. Especially Batman, who stubbornly refuses to allow Robin to listen to rock music. And at some point he thinks taking Robin to Arkham will cure him, despite none of the villains in Arkham being influenced by music to commit their crimes...it was hilarious to learn that Harvey Dent enjoys ABBA on a good day though.
On a positive note the artwork by Gene Ha was great - although it was odd to see Batman without the white lenses in his cowl. But the action sequences were well drawn and the scene where Batman was speed reading in order to learn about rock music to further his investigation was a particular standout. Not one to seek out, unless you're a completist like me and want to read every Batman story ever written...
Next up - Tales of the Demon.
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