Following up on a case can always lead to complications, which is exactly what happens to Batman when he’s attacked. Minor spoilers for The Batman’s Grave #2 follow.
The Batman’s Grave was definitely a series that no one was really asking for. There are so many different Batman series being published right now that it just felt like there didn’t need to be another one. The first issue proved that mindset wrong, at least for the time, as it felt so different than everything else on the comic shelves. With its second issue though, it doesn’t continue as strong, but is still an interesting take on Batman that seems to be out of the main continuity.
Whereas the first issue of the series was heavily focused on the detective side of Batman, this issue is much more action heavy. Pretty much the entire first half of the issue is an action scene between Batman and a cannibal with very little dialogue exchanged. Bryan Hitch’s art in this portion of the issue is highly cinematic and exciting to read. Everything is incredibly fluid and has a remarkable sense of continuity panel to panel. Hitch also makes Batman feel very powered down compared to normal, making him feel like just a man, which makes the action more exciting.
Even when not focusing on the action, Hitch’s artwork feels very widescreen, which is exactly what his style is. Sometimes that style works, other times, it very much does not. Here though, it works incredibly well as it contrasts with the actual scope of the issue. The story being told is relatively small in nature, but the art makes it feel larger and more important than it would otherwise. It’s rare that contrasting art can make an issue better, and this is definitely one of those cases.
The problem in this issue lies in the fact that is much less ambitious in its story than the first issue. Where the first issue was incredibly plot focused, this issue is very action focused and that’s a detriment. Even though the action is great, it doesn’t really feel like anything truly happened in the issue. It does build the world in way that’s necessary for this possibly out of continuity story, which is a good thing, but it’s disappointing that nothing much else is done. The issue doesn’t move the story of the series forward in any meaningful way.
