Batman: The Adventures Continue Season Two #5 - DC Comics

BATMAN: THE ADVENTURES CONTINUE SEASON TWO No. 5, December 2021

Arguably tapping into the “noir-inspired narrative” of Frank Miller’s “Batman: Year One”, Alan Burnett and Paul Dini’s storyline for this twenty-page periodical surely must have enthralled the vast majority of the comic’s 26,200 readers in October 2021. Indeed, the Dark Knight’s riveting retread of his early adventure against Mayor Emerson Mayfield and the corrupt politician’s murderous M-Force captures the attention almost straight away due to its portrayal of the costumed crime-fighter as an inexperienced, rather headstrong champion for justice, as opposed to the seemingly unstoppable Caped Crusader debatably depicted in modern day comics; “I wasn’t as cautious as I’d become, and it taught me a valuable lesson.”

Likewise, “Mayor Mayhem” doesn’t simply portray Gotham City’s highest-ranking official as a stereotypical shady statesman either, but as a Machievellian-level manipulator of the general public, who is also able to crookedly infiltrate the metropolis’ police department with his own ‘specially-selected’ mercenaries taken from both Stonegate Prison and Arkham Asylum. Such grand scheming really does make Mayfield an intriguing, well-fleshed out antagonist, especially when coupled with the fiendish felon’s decades long loathing of Bruce Wayne’s alter-ego, and the fact that his success was savagely cut short by Batman’s interference once his dubious deals to pocket stolen money had been uncovered.

In fact, this publication’s cliff-hanger of a conclusion is possibly one of its greatest assets, as it shows the much-younger cowled vigilante ultimately failing in his mission to permanently rid his home conurbation of the dishonest councilman, and facing an “old face” with a big grudge against him who rather enigmatically isn’t “afraid of Batman anymore”.

Regrettably however, what excitement this comic generates with its penmanship, it debatably partially loses with its somewhat inauspicious layouts, which appear rather roughly-hewn in several places, particularly when the titular character is at the heart of the action. There certainly should be no doubt that Rick Burchett does a reasonable job of capturing the look of the Nineties “Batman: The Animated Series” with his pencilling, and the marked difference in costumes between the two incarnations of the Dark Knight is wonderfully visualised. Yet the persistent inconsistencies of the minimalist line art increasingly suggests that numerous panels were perhaps just thrown together so as to meet an ever-impending deadline..?

The regular cover of "BATMAN: THE ADVENTURES CONTINUE SEASON TWO" #5 by Jamal Campbell