CREDITS: Written by Ty Templeton; art by Bo Hampton and Terry Beatty.
REVIEW: Croc in love? Didn't we just review just such a story? Well no, in Love Is a Croc, which would have been broadcast months after this comic came out, and which takes place years later in DCAU continuity, Croc is faking it with Baby-Doll. But we do see here that he has a heart, and that it can be broken. His crush on TV personality Summer Gleason stems from a news broadcast in which she characterizes Batman as an aggressor unfairly treating Croc like a criminal and an animal. That on-air compassion makes his heart melt, and the unhealthy soul that he is, he turns it into a stalker's obsession, breaking her boyfriend's arm and trying to steal a Van Gogh as proofs of love. In the end, take it like you want, she'll see his true colors or will show her own, but her revulsion makes Croc sit down and let himself be captured. However they manifested, his feelings were real.
And you've got some pretty good action along the way. The fight in the art museum is particularly fun, with Robin jumping around catching priceless works of art before Croc smashes them. Bo Hampton does that thing where he draws the echo of a character in movement, most times to good effect, although sometimes a bit gratuitously. There's one bit, for example, where Summer turns around and her echo just looks like a failed double take, but usually it's good. Colorist Lee Loughridge, though nowhere near as experimental as Linda Medley who started the ball rolling on this series, puts color filters on certain panels to make them more percussive or moody, enhancing the art overall.
But I don't know if it's because I'm aware Batman & Robin Adventures were a lame duck by this point, but it feels like the stories are winding down in relevance and quality.
REREADABILITY: Medium - An okay story, but I won't remember it by next week.
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