After a story featuring Batman’s most haunting and fear-based villain known as the Scarecrow, who next for Loeb and Sale to choose for another Halloween Special? The first special – while great – focused heavily on Batman and the choice he faced in his early days – whether to continue fighting crime in Gotham City for the rest of his life or deciding to step down and enjoy the luxuries of his rich life. With Sale’s brilliantly gothic artwork, Loeb treated us to a psychological tale that felt fresh and different. The second tale in the series is no different. Gone is the focus on Batman and his life. Instead, the shift is towards Captain James Gordon, and the life of his young, adopted daughter known as Barbara Gordon – later to become Batgirl.
Legends of the Dark Knight Halloween Special 2 was published in 1994. Obviously, it was released as a square-bound prestige format book, written by Jeph Loeb and drawn by Tim Sale.
While Batman was the narrator and protagonist of Choices (the first Halloween Special), Madness focuses on two characters and their differing perspectives. Naturally, Batman is one of those, but since the other is Barbara Gordon, we’re treated to another unique story. It begins in Gotham on Halloween once again. Written from the perspective of Barbara Gordon’s diary (which is full of crossed out words and exaggerated punctuation like the journal of any other teenager), her and her father James Gordon are witness to Batman suddenly appearing from the skies while battling the foe of this story – the Mad Hatter. The perspective shifts to Batman, who appears to get the upper hand until the Mad Hatter shoots him and flees. A simply fantastic introduction. At first, it seems like the plotting and structure of Madness will follow in the same steps taken by Choices. After all, that story began with a lengthy chase scene in the night on top of tall structures. But here, the Mad Hatter actually escapes. I’ve always thought of the Mad Hatter as being a bit of a joke character. Sure, he might not be anywhere near the same level as Killer Moth, but he certainly feels gimmicky. Although his true antics are revealed later, Loeb hints at a dark plan created by the Mad Hatter. Meanwhile, the story focuses on the drama and hellhole known as the Gordon household. Jim Gordon has to balance his life as a police Captain with that of a family man. Here, Gordon is not only looking after Barbara, but also his new-born son with his wife. Tensions arise as Barbara wants to go out into the night while her father naturally tells her to stay home. After all, Gotham isn’t exactly safe on any night of the year – let alone Halloween. Although Barbara is sent to her room as a punishment, she sneaks out of the house. But very predictably, Barbara is captured by – guess who – the Mad Hatter. At the same time, Batman is going through a hallucinogenic episode as he – for the umpteenth time – re-experiences the death of his parents. With that cliché out of the way, Batman slips back into unconsciousness. With both the heroes in danger and at their lowest ebb, this is where the first section ends. Although bringing up the most famous of Batman’s memories once again, it does serve a purpose. Throughout, Loeb creates many similarities between Batman and Barbara. For instance, they both have an adventurous attitude towards the outside world – despite logic showing that only danger will find them on the streets of Gotham. Both characters are incredibly street smart, but both also have or had families that tried to protect them. Of course, Barbara would much later become Batgirl to help Batman in his war on crime, but seeing the roots of that is great, especially since it creates an interesting relationship between her and her father for this tale. This aspect of the story is then mirrored with the Dark Knight.
Upon the beginning of the second part, Batman wakes up to find his life rescued once again by Doctor Leslie Thompkins. For those who haven’t read stories like Batman: Year Two, Thompkins was a friend of the Wayne family with a history of looking after the sick and homeless. She cared for Bruce after his parents died, and here Loeb re-develops the relationship between the two characters. Throughout, she acts like the sane voice in a hard-headed and inexperienced head belonging to Batman. Unlike Alfred, she is far more explicit in her criticism of Batman, but we’re treated to some decent flashbacks which uncovers more of their relationship. Dr Thompkins tries to get Bruce to come out of his shell after the death of his parents by giving him a book to read – specifically Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Aside from the book’s obvious link to the Mad Hatter, the relevance of this book on Bruce is rather tenuous and feels a bit pointless, but it does come back later. Beforehand however, Batman thanks Thompkins for her long friendship before meeting with Gordon, another ally in a list of few others. He and his squad plan to break into an old abandoned house where the Mad Hatter holds Barbara hostage for his own amusement, but Batman goes in alone. Compared to the Scarecrow in Choices, the Mad Hatter here feels like a plain villain. Although much darker and more twisted than he has been previously, his goal is still to find his Alice. In this case, Alice is obviously Barbara, but when Batman and Gordon rescue Barbara, the Mad Hatter is no match for them. In the end, Barbara is reunited with her father and the two forgive one another for their argument earlier, while Batman heads home and decides to enjoy the Alice in Wonderland book as a memory from his lost childhood. As I said, slightly tenuous, but I guess it makes some sense. By the end, it’s clear that Loeb – just like in his first story – has included a moral message. In this case, it’s about the importance of family. Barbara’s relationship with her father recovers, while Batman’s close relationship with Leslie Thompkins endures. Loeb excellently fills in a gap for Barbara Gordon’s timeline by detailing some of her antics before she takes up the mantle of Batgirl. Like Batgirl: Year One, her portrayal feels realistic of someone her age. I thought that Loeb might include more about how this story influences the young Barbara to take up crimefighting, but it’s there if you read between the lines. As for Batman, it’s not a bad thing that he takes a back seat during this story. After all, he was the main focus in Choices, and while Loeb continues to explore his character psychologically, it’s good that there is another focus. As for the Mad Hatter, he really does lack the same interesting and exciting story and plotline that made the Scarecrow fascinating in Choices. There, while we weren’t drowned in detail about Jonathan Crane’s backstory and rise to crime, it felt like he had an important part to play in the story. The Mad Hatter simply feels like a prop to tell a much larger story. By the end, my opinion on him hasn’t really changed. But that said, at least Loeb updates him slightly to make him feel much more at home in DC’s Dark Age. But all in all, Madness is another story about character and relationships. For both Batman and Barbara, this story takes place in their formative years and their worlds are still developing around them. Once again, this change in perspective from the kind of stories the mainstream titles produce makes Madness feel unique and different.
Tim Sale’s style of art has developed since his great storytelling and gothic finishes in Choices. While much of that magic and drama remains, the finishes are smoother and it feels like this is Sale at both his more realistic and gothic. The storytelling is just as fluid and dynamic, while the finishes are natural and not too stylised. Sale takes advantage of his superb inking skills as he uses lighting to transform an already tense story into a gothic masterpiece. The colouring here has also been refined, with Gregory Wright providing a wide array of colours to bring Madness to life. Overall, this is Sale at his peak and before his art becomes too stylised and ugly.
VERDICT
Overall, Batman: Madness does lack the exact qualities that made Choices a near-flawless special, but Loeb’s focus on character and relationships makes the story excellent. Exploring two characters as deeply and interestingly as Loeb does here makes for some wonderful moments and dialogue. The main problem here is the villain, who feels too underdeveloped and standard – this is especially true compared to how well the creative team handled the Scarecrow in Choices. Regardless, Tim Sale produces his best art here and as a Halloween Special, Madness deserves to be remembered as a classic.
Story: 9/10
Art: 9.5/10
Next Week: Batman: Ghosts (Legends of the Dark Knight Halloween Special 3). Written by Jeph Loeb with art by Tim Sale.
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