The Psychotic Perspective: The Dark Knight 12
Mirror, Mirror
This is my first issue of The Dark Knight to ever read. I was interested in seeing if this book would differentiate itself between the plethora of other Bat books, or if it would just be one more in the crowd. Sadly, it is just another Bat book, but it still tells a solid story.
The main arc of this issue focuses on Scarecrow torturing Batman by exploring elements of his past, yet at the same time, the issue explores the Scarecrow's background giving us new origin information for the character. Thematically, the issue explores the role that fear plays in the lives of both Batman and Scarecrow, and how fear has shaped the men they have become.
The Role of Fear
There are a lot of good things going on in the issue. As always, Scarecrow's fixation on fear leads to some truly menacing kinds of psychological terror. The art throughout the issue is solid, and I especially liked the Scarecrow's mask which had a type of crisscrossing string in front of the mouth giving Crane's teeth a jagged appearance. It was also refreshing to see Scarecrow actually experiment on civilians in order to further his research. Too often, Scarecrow's predatory and scientific nature has been overlooked in order to make him a mere thorn in the side of Batman.
Haven't We Been Here Before?
The problem with this issue is that all of this has been done many, many times before. It is laughable how often Scarecrow has managed to capture Batman and torture him with a new fear toxin cocktail. It is a still a good story, but though as a whole, this story stands, it stands on feeble legs which will collapse if this gimmick is tried again.
Spoilers and Speculation
One of the things that makes this a good story despite the fact that is plays off a well-used formula is that new information revealed about the pasts of both Crane and Batman. For Crane, it appears
that he has now grown up with an abusive father who experimented upon him. Crane's pre-Flashpoint origin said that he was raised by his grandmother, a harsh and manipulative woman, and it is unclear whether this new origin story is meant to mesh with the old or if it is a whole new story entirely.
In regards to Batman, we are left with even more interesting revelations. Through the flashbacks Crane induces, Batman recollects that it was his fear of the violence in The Mark of Zorro which caused his parents to leave early that fateful night. On the way out of the theater, Bruce's father told Bruce that he can't always be afraid of everything. Some time after the Waynes are murdered and buried, young Bruce enters the Bat Cave, startles the Bats, and says, "What if I were no longer human?"
The implication that Bruce's fear indirectly led to the death of his parents adds a new layer of depth to Batman's origin though I don't think it is necessarily a good layer. I like the idea that Bruce's childhood was clean and free of guilt until his parents died. Perhaps that is idealistic, but I think that is how Bruce views his childhood. With this new information, Bruce would have to look back at his youth with considerable guilt. Furthermore, the idea that a young child would want to stop being human to overcome fear is a sad sort of revelation which leads me to a sort of metaphysical horror. It is all very interesting, but I think it makes Bruce's origin darker than is needed.
Furthermore, Crane said that he added something special to this fear toxin cocktail which makes me suspect that he is perhaps implanting memories as well as recovering them. Time and future writing will tell.
Conclusion
It is not an awe inspiring story, but it is a good read which will perhaps grant a better understanding of Bruce Wayne and Jonathan Crane.
