This comic wasn’t released — it broke out of confinement. Writer and artist Christian Ward’s Batman: City of Madness #1 is unrelenting in its terror and its beauty.
About the Story:
Buried deep beneath Gotham City there exists another Gotham. This Gotham Below is a living nightmare, populated by twisted mirrors of our Gotham’s denizens, fueled by the fear and hatred flowing down from above. For decades, the doorway between the cities has been sealed and heavily guarded by the Court of Owls. But now the door swings wide, and the twisted version of the Dark Knight has escaped…
Writing
There’s a strange logic to the horrors you’ll find in these pages. Ward utilizes the characters and rules of Gotham City in such a way that the terrifying elements almost seem to pop up organically. Every twist and turn is based off of an idea that we already know about Gotham. The whispered prophecies through the doors of Arkham Asylum, the corrupt police officers with animalistic goons on their payroll, or the shared madness of Batman and his rogues — it’s all already lying beneath the surface of the stories we know and love. Ward simply teases it all out in a way that will have you going, “Wow, how come no one has done this before?”
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But to simply call Ward’s script terrifying would be to do it a great disservice. There’s plenty more to this story than its scares. Ward also discusses the reliability of the media, the wickedness of the world’s elite, and the warped example of justice that Batman’s violent crusade creates. And there’s a quiet terror to these moments too, because they’re real. Unlike the fictional Lovecraftian monsters that slither out of their hidey holes, these evils can actually get you.
Art
Ward’s art is incredibly versatile. At times, he’s photorealistic. Elsewhere, he’s nearly cartoonish. Most often, though, he’s both. Ward is almost like the comics equivalent of Jean-Michel Basquiat. He paints beautiful pictures, rendered carefully, and then he scribbles over them with a vibrant graffiti style. He’s defacing his own panels, and the result is mesmerizing and deeply effective. It helps you to enter into this world that’s almost splitting at the seams. What’s real? What isn’t? Ward’s vacillation between different styles will have that question at the top of your mind from the first page to the last.
Ward’s colors also create such a palpable sense of tone, sometimes you have to pinch yourself to remember you’re not actually there, looking at the purple neon signs glinting off of the faces of people passing you, feeling the cold blue Gotham night, or smelling the damp air of its greenish underground lairs. Ward is truly a master of world-building. He’ll grab you by the eyes and pull you headfirst into this spooky dream he’s created — and you’ll probably thank him for it.
Lettering
Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou is quite possibly the best letterer in the industry. You always know when you’ve picked up a book lettered by him, because it’s got a particular flare to it. Provide any opportunity for personality to shine through in the letters, and Otsmane-Elhaou will take it. City of Madness feels like Ward wanted Otsmane-Elhaou to go nuts. Two-Face’s different halves have totally distinct fonts and styles to their word balloons, which almost seem to be at war with one another. The bloody “SHINK” sound of a knife going through someone’s chest is completed by the blade also serving as the “I” in the sound effect. The raspy laughter of a bunch of gangsters looks like it’s been scratched into the page.
But for every use of lettering that stands out — adding flavor and fun where it can — there are just as many moments with subtle differences that help us understand each scene better. The angry but terrified words of a young boy look jagged and uneven. You can feel how unsure he must sound. One of Batman’s caption boxes tilts slightly as he enters Arkham Asylum, showing just how off-kilter he’s feeling. There’s meaning everywhere in Otsmane-Elhaou’s letters.
Verdict
Batman: City of Madness is nothing short of a masterpiece. It does exactly what you want it to do — it delivers terrifying images and a deeply foreboding script — but it also rises above expectations. It’s intriguing, experimental, visually stunning, and provocative. In short, this is a surefire classic that you don’t want to miss. Batman: City of Madness #1is out from DC Comics at a comic shop near you!
