Memories of One Perfect Day - Review of Batman the Dark Knight volume 3 - Mad (New 52)

 

Review:

A substantial portion of the Batman's Rogues Gallery of villains have an at-best tenuous grasp on reality. Hence the need for Arkham, an asylum for the criminally insane. Joker, Riddler, Scarecrow, Two-Face, Poison Ivy, to name a few, are less about super-powered villains, leaning more to the twisted, sadistic, psychopathic or deranged.

Gregg Hurwitz gives us a deep-dive origin backstory of another member of this group of twisted psychopaths, the Mad Hatter and his Wonderland prism through which he sees the world. A childhood marred by medical issues and experimental treatments with risky side-effects collided with heartbreak over a teenaged crush who dumped him after a seemingly perfect day together.

In this six-chapter story arc, Hatter seeks to recreate that perfect day through mind control, abductions, murderous auditions and staged rehearsals and more. It is a dark, disturbing tale, befitting the collision between a Dark Knight and an insane, diminutive Wonderland escapee. 

Hurwitz does give us occasional moments of humour scattered throughout the narrative, for example playing on the famous turn-around-and-he's-gone Bat-trope ("Nope. Still here.") but they ultimately either fall flat or are dwarfed by the sheer depth of darkness.

Overlaying the insanity and paralleling Hatter's own lost love is a love story between Bruce Wayne and a world-famous pianist. Will he share his deepest secrets with her? This love story attempts to give depth and social connection to Bruce Wayne, to pull him out of his bat-cave and dark obsessions. Unfortunately, it does not work. It blooms and advances so quickly that the reader can't help but feel that it is just a plot device and, sure enough, a tragic twist leads to a predictable Bat-rage.

The art is deliberately repulsive throughout this collection. Ethan van Sciver does most of the heavy lifting and casts the Mad Hatter's flashbacks in appropriately nostalgic sepia tones. Hatter's face is ugly, a horrific mask of hate and insanity. His henchmen, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, flit between cartoonish, roly-poly buffoons and dangerous thugs. 

Yet the chapters drawn by Szymon Kudranski are even less pleasant. The sepia is replaced by a harsh back-lighting; the panels are reminiscent of water-colour paintings but over-inked and indistinct, and it is frustratingly difficult to tell the characters from one another.

Where Kudranski's style works best is in the Annual, a standalone Hallowe'en tale in which Hatter, Penguin and Scarecrow are trapped in a house of horrors. They are convinced that Batman lurks around every corner. Can they work together enough to survive the night and escape the trap? This limited cast of very distinct characters eliminates the character-recognition issue and Kudranski's images can shine in this moody, spooky context.

The book itself, the hard-cover collection, feels like a cynical attempt to take advantage of Batman's enduring popularity. There is nothing special about the volume, no extras features or insights. Just a ho-hum book collecting a dark and twisted but ultimately ho-hum New 52 Bat-tale.

Description:

Everything hangs in the balance in the Dark Knight’s life as Bruce Wayne grapples with revealing Batman to the woman of his dreams. But just as he’s ready to give her his all, the Mad Hatter joins the ranks of one of the greatest threats Gotham has ever known. By poisoning and kidnapping its citizens, he terrorizes Gotham in an attempt to rebuild his lost hopes into a wonderland.

Can the Caped Crusader save the city-and his new love-before the Hatter shatters their world forever?

Collects: Batman: The Dark Knight #16-21, Annual #1

Authors:  Gregg Hurwitz
Artists:  Ethan Van Sciver, Szymon Kudranski
Published By:  DC Comics
Published When:  Jan. 21, 2014
Parental Rating: Teen
ISBN:  978-1401242473
Pages:  176 pages