Batman: Bad Seeds – Gotham Central #2: Big Action on the Subway

Storylines get tangled together in Batman Bad Seeds Gotham Central #2. Confined on the subway, Gordon, his partner Espinoza, Victor Zsasz, Doctor Zeller, Harvey Bullock, Anarky, and the police officer chasing Anarky open up the issue with a mess of action. Cantwell further complicates things by making the prehistoric plant life at the center of Bad Seeds a bigger threat in this issue–a giant passionflower in the subway tunnel threatens to digest the entire subway train late in the issue.

Batman Bad Seeds Gotham Central #2 doesn’t feel as much in keeping with the Gotham Central spirit as the first issue did. There is a lot going on, and there isn’t quite as much focus on Gordon, his partner Espinoza, and fellow officer Baker. Batgirl joins the fray in this issue, stealing some of the thunder from the other good guys, and Vandal Savage orders TUCOs to blow the subway in his continued obsession with killing Bat related vigilantes. It’s chaotic, but it’s also a page turner.

Phillips’ use of thicker lines and bigger fields of black shading don’t help develop much nuance to his art, especially with characters’ expressions. The tendency for broader emotional displays works in this issue’s favor as its storylines collide in a much more action oriented affair.

That said, there is more to Batman Bad Seeds Gotham Central #2 than just action. Zsaz’s attempt to escape Arkham Towers and Doctor Zeller specifically lead to an unexpected moment. Zsaz is determined not to be subjected to Zeller’s treatment device, the crown. For better or worse, Zsasz fears what effect the crown will have on his personality. Zsasz is the kind of villain that screams for personality adjustment, but he makes a fair argument (even if it’s deranged and violent in its execution). This thread involving Zsasz accounts for very little of the issue, but it does elevate the issue in importance within the larger Batman landscape.

Zsasz’s appearance is a very nice exception to heavier tendencies in Phillips’ art. Zsasz gets a slightly lighter touch in most of his panels. Thinner lines and less shading contribute to a more interesting emotional display. Given the brief but compelling narrative with Zsasz in this issue, these art choices for the character are very welcome.

Cantwell tries to give Anarky depth in this issue as well. Anarky briefly argues that the courts and the police do not work and everyone is merely a piece on the board of a larger broken system. This dialogue from Anarky comes at strange moments, especially when it is mixed in with his encounter with the giant passionflower. It’s unclear whether Cantwell intends for these instances to be sincere or eye-rollingly perfunctory, but it doesn’t work–certainly not as well as Zsasz’s moment.

The art for the passionflower and other plant life feels somewhat out of place relative to everything else in the issue. Phillips’ bread and butter is character work and establishing a general mood visually. The action on the subway, the escape through the tunnels, and the character interaction all look like pieces of a coherent whole. That is not quite the case with the plant life.

Phillips’ coloring contributes as much to establishing a mood as his artwork. In some ways it’s merely a product of the setting. Between the subway tunnels and the loss of power in the subway train, much of the issue is depicted in darker hues of blue. But even before that, the sickly yellow color Phillips chooses for the interior of the subway cars has a kind of oppressive feel.

Sound effect lettering pairs nicely with the overall feel of Phillips’ artwork. Carey makes lines of sound effects uneven, sometimes almost piling them atop each other and once not even connecting all the parts of the letters.