CREDITS: Written by Chuck Dixon; art by Joe Staton and Terry Beatty.
REVIEW: Batman is poisoned, but he leaves some clues for Robin to follow to the antidote, a set-up that makes it justifiable for the reader to possibly be ahead of the hero in the detective department, at least on some elements. Guest writer Chuck Dixon uses a lot more established villains than Peterson normally does, but all of them are well done (Harley is particularly funny) and none of them are the big bad. Rather, he creates a character at the halfway point between costumed criminal and civilian crook in McKraken, a guy who definitely falls on the "civilian" side, but also has a distinct look, a special weakness, and a shtick that fits his name. Guest artist Joe Station draws rather gooey characters compared to our usual fare, but his storytelling is impeccable.
Between the two of them, the issue is chock-full of fun ideas. Robin accompanied by a backlit Batman standee to intimidate the Penguin, for example, is hilarious. The way McKraken's nearsightedness is represented. The vacuum-packed Ivy. And hey, I learned which tea was appropriate for which time of day from Alfred! Jolly good show, gentlemen!
Comments
Though, funnily enough, this would have been when I was new enough to Batman that I had no idea who Tim was.