Full Circle

Cycles are a constant feature of Batman and his mythology. Villains die and return from beyond the grave, as do allies. Everything that Batman is and does will always circle back to that night in Crime Alley. But sometimes there is hope of the cycle being broken.

The Reaper was the main villain of the Year Two storyline Fear the Reaper. A storyline which had its fair share of polarising elements, being as it portrayed Batman working alongside Joe Chill and also using a gun to help him defeat The Reaper. Pushing all of that to one side, it was an interesting look at what a vigilante could become when their life is torn apart by grief.

The Reaper in this tale is revealed early on to be a different character than the first, but their motive is still rooted in personal tragedy. However this time there are much stronger links to the myth of Batman. Despite this, the villain did not seem as interesting this time round, and what is a fairly short story struggled to grab my attention as much as it did the first time around.

Being as the motive this time was to get revenge on the original Reaper, and Batman, it would have been more interesting to see this new Reaper turn the originals's mission on its head and target the police perhaps? Especially since the new Reaper has roots in the criminal world of Gotham.

Not much more to say really, as it is quite a short story. I enjoyed the dynamic that Robin brought to the story, and it was interesting to see a natural progression from Robin Year One with Grayson still being quite inexperienced in some situations. After a rocky few storylines, the timeline seems to have more a natural progression emerging again, which is exciting to see. So overall, despite the weak villain, I enjoyed this storyline just because it fits into the overarching timeline quite nicely.

Next up - Gotham After Midnight