Batman: City of Madness #2: Into the Unknown

Batman: City of Madness #2 picks up within writer, artist, and colorist, Christian Ward’s beautifully unique Gotham. The first issue took comic book fans into a familiar world that saw the appearance of a Batman from the Gotham Below, a Lovecraft inspired world. This also saw Two-Face appearing to act even crazier than usual, with the eventual reveal that he had somehow contacted an alternative version of himself who had arrived to warn him about the threats of this new world. Now, in Batman: City of Madness #2, the threats start to reveal themselves, as more Batman villains start to unearth themselves with the reveal that they are not up to their usual business.

Christian Ward continues to knock it out of the park with this series, giving readers a version of Gotham like it’s never been seen before. And that is just the regular version of Gotham. Batman: City of Madness #2 continues to tease aspects of the Gotham Below, discussing its origins and how it works, while also building momentum in a way that is going to explode once the final issue arrives. This version of Gotham is of course most greatly explored by the amazing artwork; however, Ward’s writing brings an element of intrigue that is truly astounding. The way that he takes characters like Two-Face and The Ventriloquist and gives them new aspects of fear and nuance is astounding. The Ventriloquist in particular gets a lot of spotlight in this issue, with Ward fleshing out his backstory in a way that provides more pathos than the character has ever received before. This level of care for such a low level Batman villain is exemplary of Ward’s influence on this world and universe.

Ward’s art is the part that is going to leave everyone talking, and is likely to make this book a contender for an award. The way that Ward mixes the known aspects of Gotham with the influence from his own creative style makes for an awe inspiring visual on every page. Ward puts so much detail and nuance into even the smallest aspects, creating new, fantastic visuals. The most inspiring pieces are the wide shots of Ward’s Gotham and Gotham Below, which makes these cities look as grim and gritty as they should while maintaining a level of style. Ward’s colors are what really bring this series into its own, especially when it comes to the villains. Ward’s use of abstract imagery, mixed with blue and red opposing colors make these scenes come to life in a terrifying way, allowing exposition to flow in a continuous and logical manner without making it boring to read. Every page is exciting and full of intrigue because of this, making it really hard to wait for the finale in issue three.

While Ward is the chief architect behind almost every aspect of Batman: City of Madness #2, there has to be a lot of credit given to letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, whose work mirrors the bizarre and unique imagery from Ward, creating a very cohesive vision. Otsmane-Elhaou’s work almost feels like something out of an Image or Boom series, with the creative and nuanced prowess giving the lettering as much flair as anything else you’d see in this kind of series. Together, Ward and Otsmane-Elhaou are a match made in heaven.