Batman: Gotham Knights - Gilded City #3 - DC Comics

BATMAN: GOTHAM KNIGHTS - GILDED CITY No. 3, February 2023

It's difficult to imagine that many of this book’s bibliophiles were particularly won over by Evan Narcisse’s dubious decision to focus much of this comic’s narrative upon Nightwing and Robin’s successful endeavour to halt a roller coaster before its open cars plummet through “a broken section of track”. Indeed, the notion of the ‘dynamic duo’ spending a considerable amount of time simply stopping a horde of brainwashed people from visiting a condemned fairground, wolfing down large amounts of popcorn, sugary snacks and candy floss, arguably seems a strange setting for a storyline supposedly penned to help advertise an exciting new video game where the players must battle all manner of “notorious villains in epic confrontations”.

To make matters worse though, the American author doesn’t debatably do much better when it comes to writing what Batman is up to whilst his two proteges tackle the aforementioned “crazed victims of the Golden Iris Virus.” True, the Dark Knight is well known for seeking out those experts with more scientific or technical knowledge than himself if it’ll help his investigations. But turning to imprisoned criminal psychologist Harley Quinn seems a bit of a stretch, especially when he bizarrely has to fiurst fight his way through some of Blackgate Prison’s other inmates in order to speak to her; “Heya, Batsy! I see you’ve met my clients.”

Far more successful is the journalist’s flashback sequences to the Court of Owls on the outskirts of Gotham City in 1847. Nicely laced with some serious Frankenstein’s Monster vibes, the plight of a disorientated Runaway is rather riveting as he realises just how formidably well-organised and large the criminal organisation creating zombies actually is. In fact, the masked vigilante’s fate appears to be well and truly sealed by the ‘immortal’ Talons until the swashbuckling super-villain Vandar Adg of the Blood Tribe suddenly makes a surprise entrance.

Clearly this comic’s greatest asset therefore lies in the layouts of artist Abel, who manages to inject even the sweet scoffing miscreants at the old amusement park with plenty of dynamic life. Furthermore, the illustrator’s ability to pencil the acrobatic antics of both Dick Grayson and Damian Wayne’s costumed alter-egos as they utilise the Batwing's skyhook to slow down a runaway ride is one of the meagre memorable moments stemming from this twenty-two-page periodical.

The regular cover art of "BATMAN: GOTHAM KNIGHTS - GILDED CITY #3 by Greg Capullo