#38. Man-Bat #1-5 (2021)
For years Kirk Langstrom has struggled with his monstrous alter ego, Man-Bat, and the serum that transformed him. But he’s finally hit rock bottom following a devastating setback, and he’s going to take his anger out on every single citizen of Gotham City.
Writer:Dave Wielgosz
Artist: Sumit Kamar
Colorist: Romulo Fajardo Jr.
Letterer: Tom Napolitano
Another take on the classic Jekyll and Hyde tale but, unlike Venom: The Hunger that centers on Eddie Brock’s psyche and struggle, this one focuses on Langstrom’s deteriorating relationship with his wife, a woman who, strangely, has little sympathy for a husband fighting to save his own life. As as result, it’s comparatively less interesting and emotionally resonant.
#39. “The Gauntlet: Power to the People” (Amazing Spider-Man #612-614)
Destitute and desperate, conned out of his life’s meaning and worth, Max Dillon becomes the voice of the common man against the brutal injustice of a system overloaded by greed. With Spider-Man already looking over his shoulder.
Writer: Mark Waid
Penciler/Inker: Paul Azaceta
Colorist: Dave Stewart
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
The classic “villain as people’s hero/hero as people’s villain” reversal has been memorably explored in many other stories, but here we’re missing the connective narrative tissue that evolves Max Dillon from perennial loser to people’s champion. As a result, it’s all a little too perfunctory and contrived, resulting in a tale that feels underdeveloped.
#40. “The Player on the Other Side” (Batman Special #1)
On the same night Thomas and Martha Wayne were murdered, another child was left an orphan, his parents murdered by a police officer as they committed a crime. Since that night, both children dedicated their entire lives to become the ultimate avengers. Bruce Wayne became Batman while the other kid became Wrath, a force for evil against law and order.
Writer: Mike W. Barr
Artists: Michael Golden & Mike DeCarlo
Colorist: Adrienne Roy
Letterer: Todd Klein
The fascinating premise is given short shrift as we never really delve into the psychology of Wrath, the anti-Batman, beyond his quest for vengeance. There are suggestions of more, like a burgeoning romance denied, but it’s hardly touched on and, in the end, we never really get to know this anti-Batman who, appropriately enough, remains unnamed throughout.
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