To Conquer a Legend
The Good: Continuing the theme of Legends from the previous issue, we have the mobsters, the very mortals over which Batman seeks to rule over, calling upon the wrath of an angry uncontrollable; but strangely predictable; God. They need a way to call the master of Hell to descend from his icy throne to walk amongst the corners of shadow they normally wish he'd pass over. And yet, even in their humility, they can't conceal their hatred for the one who caused their fall and scattering to the shadows. The Upside Down Bat Signal. The Bat God is seething with rage at the insult to his personal and sacred mission. At first I hated the cover because it was pretty standard and close to being a panel in the issue, but upon re-inspection, I have to love the way they cast Batman in full light, despite no visible light source directly upon him. This really emphasizes the God motif going on here. Batman is a being who wields the shadows of obscurity as a too in his crusade. He hides in the very shadows he seeks to reveal. Yet when the shadows come crawling to him in the light, he must retain his control by being wrapped in the light himself. Anything the criminals do to hide, Batman can do better. He must beat them at their own game to retain his dominance.
Batman's dream sequence is much more poetic, and actually has a catalyst that ties into the story, and doesn't reveal to him too much that he didn't already know. The information he gained stirred up long forgotten memories, which is a much more believable function of the subconscious as opposed to precognition.
Bat is able to rule hell, because he knows what hell is like. Morrison has ingrained these powerful ideas into casual dialogue. It is through the ties that bind that this story builds itself into a legend, the same way Batman himself built his own way into a legend without cheap gimmicks.
Mr. Whisper is not an intimidating man alone. He lives and thrives on his reputation. He is almost a sentient reputation. He is frequently shown with an illuminated face, or at angles above characters and/or the reader. He is slowly weaving himself into the story, taking the reigns of this legend and steering it away from batman and towards himself.
The Bad: Really, I had nothing to complain about this issue. All I can really say is that I got parts 4 and 5 cheap, and now I'm missing #3 and it's driving me ABSOLUTELY NUTS. But this is a flaw with my life and not the issue in any way. I just felt like putting that out there.
In Conclusion: 5/5
This issue basically addressed pretty much every problem I had with the first one. It continues with the same depth and complexity with a story that is easy enough to follow. All of the Legend motif is extremely apt in a series called, "Legend of the Dark Knight."