Batman: Dark Age #4: Robin & The Rogues Begin

Batman: Dark Age #4 begins to tie the various plot threads Russell has introduced so far in the series.

Unlike previous issues, this one opens up right where the last one left off, with Dick Grayson in Wayne Manor after being shot in 1972, not with the older Bruce in the nursing home and his recounting events. Bruce’s narration resumes about a quarter of the way through the story, after Dick initially turns down the offer and the False Face thugs try to off him, which Batman prevents.

Russell switches gears and shows the various members of Batman’s eventual rouge gallery such as Mad Hatter, who turns Barbara Gordon’s character into a Patty Hearst-like acolyte, The Riddler and The Penguin, complete with his  weaponized penguin army, and a possible cameo of The Cavalier.

The issue also sees Bruce and Chase Meridian’s romantic relationship begins in conjunction with the introduction of The Joker, who washes dishes at the nightclub in exchange for the opportunity to pursue a struggling stand-up which is morbid dialogues and being taunted by the crowd.

Russell continues to offer interesting takes on these well-known characters along with Allred’s designs that match the style of the time in which the story takes place.

There is also a sense that things are about to explode as Bruce’s narration begins to refer to things in past tense and Ra’s Al Ghul shows up on the book’s final page.