Snyder and Tynion put aside all the ongoing storylines that we've already seen introduced in this series -- the various untruths related to Gordon's actions in the subway station, the mysterious villain's grand plan for Gotham that only Stephanie Brown seems to know, and the coming rise of the girl Robins -- to go all mystical on us.
I have to say that I still feel burned when it comes to the supernatural and Batman after David Finch's disastrous run on "Batman: The Dark Knight." Although I certainly acknowledge the role that such stories play in the Batman mythos, I still approach them with unease, given how nonsensical they can become. However, Snyder and Tynion do a pretty solid job of telling a straightforward story here, revealing that the Joker's Daughter (whoever she is) is engaging in some sort of mystical activity underneath Arkham Asylum, drawing the attention of the Spectre's assistant, Jim Corrigan. Concluding that Batwing relies on his technology too much after he fails to notice the Gentleman Ghost protecting Falcone's armaments in an abandoned truckyard, Batman sends Batwing to work with Corrigan to get to the bottom of the mystical activity at Arkham. In this way, the authors not only work in an important (and so far ignored) aspect of Batman's adventures, but also gets Batwing involved in the act. It helps further this series' unspoken goal, telling a story that really conveys the depth and breadth of Bruce's world.
The problem is that I'm not sure we really needed yet another mystery at this point in time, particularly a supernatural one. Snyder and Tynion tie the Gentleman Ghost to Falcone and the summoning to Joker's Daughter, at least giving these events some grounding in non-mystical entities. But, are they really necessary? I get that it's going to teach Batwing an important lesson in trusting his senses, but is that something that we really needed to address here, with so many other balls in the air? It leaves me with the sense that they're rushing things, but I guess that we'll see.
*** (three of five stars)
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