Though I've been on vacation and out of touch with the news for the past few days, I believe the trial of the Beltway Sniper continues, and it seems clear to me that the writers took their cues from that crisis when crafting this story. They manage to capture the same sort of demented, Bat-villain clue-dropping riffs in this story, but the primary focus is a realistic representation of what goes on behind the news conferences and the CNN streeters. Rucka and Brubaker portray the men and women entrusted with our safety -- those we deified briefly after Sept. 11 and then resented anew far too quickly -- as both brilliant individuals and flawed ones who are just doing the best they can.
Personal, tactical, professional and political fallout rains down on one of the members of Gotham's major crimes unit for lighting the Bat-signal withouit proper authorization, and during his brief appearance, the Dark Knight confirms that the Joker is behind the sniper shootings. Driver reaches a breaking point when he dwells on the fact that his partner's widow has become a victim of violent crime herself, and Montoya and Allen get some help from an unexpected source.
The snow that was missing from the first chapter of this story arc turns up here, and I have to admit, it adds some depth to the setting and the mood of the piece. It's a subtle one, but it's there. The peaceful quality one associates with a light snowfall makes for a sharp contrast to the sudden and invasive nature of the violence that's driving the story forward. The colors bring even more tension to the gritty linework. There's a grey pall that hovers over the whole story, and as the cover demonstrates, the demented but bright quality of the Joker will shatter it, making for an even greater jarring effect. I suspect we won't see much of the villain in this story, but if and when we do, the color contrasts will be a powerful one.
My favorite part of this story is the fact that the protagonists -- and there are plenty of them -- have no idea what to do. They're running on instinct and adrenaline, best guesses and good intentions. They lose sight of the big picture and get caught up in petty rivalries and hurt feelings. In other words, it feels human and it feels real.
Though he made a big splash at the end of the previous issue and is featured prominent in the opening sequence in this episode, I'm pleased that the Batman is relegated to the periphery of this story and this series. The book works better when he's not around, the when the caped figure influences the story without participating in it.
