Batman – Gargoyle of Gotham #2: Dive Further Into Darkness

Batman: Gargoyle of Gotham #2 is an incredibly strong follow up in this gritty tale from Rafael Grampa. It continues to carve out its own lore without deviating from what makes Batman Gotham’s ultimate protector.

Writer and artist, Rafael Grampa, continues to challenge Batman’s origins and psyche in this DC Black Label series and issue #2 surpasses the issue prior—which was rated highly on Comic Watch.

The pacing, art, and overall story is somber and brutal while not overdoing these themes and isolating readers. What starts as a dark and slow build, quickly ramps up as the pieces begin to fall into place leaving readers short of breath as the action takes off in the third act of this issue.

The concept of this story revolves around Bruce Wayne shedding the “Bruce” identity and leaning completely into Batman. Where last issue introduced the serial killer and established Batman’s ultimate commitment to the mission, this issue expands on Gotham as a city and shows the toll of Batman’s commitment to the cape and cowl.

Like many origin stories, Gordon is young in his career and Batman has a lot to learn, however, what works so well is how there are themes relevant to today and commentary that shows the ugly reflection of a masked vigilante dishing out violence. It also takes a moment to expand on the lore of a young Bruce Wayne in a twist that makes so much sense—but is a refreshing take on the character.

Because this story isn’t in continuity Grampa is given a lot of flexibility but the writing doesn’t completely step away from the rules that exist for Batman. Instead this twisted and torn version is menacing and while readers will root for him, there’s a sense of cautious distance as teeth grit from Batman throughout the issue.

The art from Grampa and colors by Matheus Lopes is such a great combination. The best way to describe their combined style is: balanced. The art is animated, brutal, but also feels alive. It’s not just the beautiful images of a caped crusader in the rain, but also the little details from the background characters who are unfortunate enough to live in Gotham city limits.

There is little to critique about this issue and while I enjoyed the first issue, this follow up was even more enjoyable and felt like the pacing was hitting its strides.