Batman: Legends Of The Dark Knight #101 - DC Comics

BATMAN: LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT No. 101, December 1997

Set “a hundred years in the future” in both a very different and very dark Gotham City, it is perhaps somewhat understandable to believe that some within this comic’s audience mistakenly took John Wagner’s incarnation of Batman’s home as simply a less than subtle reimaging of the American-born British writer’s equally as famous post-apocalyptic metropolis’ Mega-City One. Indeed, considering that this twenty-four page periodical is packed full of “thought police, telepathic crime lords and antigravity technology”, as well as being superbly pencilled by legendary Judge Dredd co-creator Carlos Ezquerra, many a bibliophile was probably half-expecting this plot’s latest incarnation of the Dark Knight to reveal himself to actually be Old Stony Face himself.

Enjoyably however, none of these similarities debatably matter as the three time Eagle Award Winner pens a riveting tale involving Carmine Valera desperately trying to push the ‘Thought Crimes’ amendment bill through the senate so as to stop the truly deadly telepathic mutant Argos Leonard Jax from becoming an unassailable Crime Boss. The hoodlum’s incredible powers are quickly put on display, as he causes a councillor to commit suicide and then attacks the district attorney in her own home as a multi-faced, serpentine ghoul with a penchant for setting the dwelling on fire.

All of this scene setting is extremely well-paced and also helps set up Sergeant Mack’s evident obsession with the nineteenth edition of a book entitled “The Incredible Adventures Of Batman”. In fact, just a third of the way through this publication, the somewhat straightforward storyline is all set out, with a mysterious vigilante wearing an all-too familiar cape and cowl, setting himself the formidable task of overcoming Jax’s “impregnable to physical attack” gigantic “floating island” before the night is out; “The bat-line was rusted and unusable, but I repaired it. Other tools I fashioned myself. My technical know-how must be at least the equal of his.”

The following pulse-pounding, action-packed sequences are genuinely captivating, with this book’s Spanish artist imbuing the chisel-chinned super-hero with all the visceral menace this title’s readership would expect from Gotham’s protector. Seemingly able to wade through his numerous opponents with some ease using a mixture of blows, gadgetry, grenades and gas, the illustrator’s Batman is truly a force to be reckoned with, and it is not until Wagner’s narrative reaches its surprising conclusion that the true nature of this latest Caped Crusader is imaginatively revealed.

Writer: John Wagner, Artist: Carlos Ezquerra, and Letterer: Willie Schubert