In Batman ‘89: Echoes #2, Bruce Wayne goes undercover in Arkham Asylum to figure out what Dr. Jonathan Crane is up to.
Title: Batman ‘89: Echoes #2
Writer: Sam Hamm
Artist: Joe Quinones
Colors: Leonardo Ito
Letters: Carlos M. Mangual
Main Cover: Joe Quinones
Variant Covers: Daniel Warren Johnson, Mike Spicer & Rafael Albuquerque
Release Date: March 19, 2024
Please Note: This comic book review may contain spoilers
Batman ‘89: Echoes #2 opens Alfred Pennyworth at the grocery store. He reaches for a box of officially licensed “Zorro Returns” cereal, makes small talk with the clerk, and heads toward his car. All the while, he’s being tailed by two mysterious men. Outside of the story, a man is washing the windshield of Alfred’s car. Alfred protests, but the man hands him a card from the Royal Auto Body, which notes that his car is overdue for routine maintenance. The “R” in Royal is clearly the Robin symbol, and Alfred makes his way over only to be greeted by Drake Winston, the man who became Robin in the first Batman ‘89 miniseries.
Drake tells Alfred that the butler is being tailed by two undercover police officers under the orders of Captain Barbara Gordon. He then reveals that Bruce Wayne, who was arrested last issue under the guise of the Firefly bomber, needs assistance. Alfred is to give Drake a fingerprint kit, and he’s to remember three names if everything goes south — Maynard, Desmond, and Kashif.
It’s a jarring opening, especially since the last issue came out all the way back in November(!?), but the colors are gorgeous, blending together familiar themes from past Keaton Batman movies and familiar iconography of Robin, the Boy Wonder in Drake’s clothes.
Somewhere at Arkham Asylum, an undercover Bruce Wayne is sitting in the ornate office of Dr. Jonathan Crane. A strange fireplace with a mouth and eyes watches them as Bruce protests his incarceration in the asylum. Dr. Crane notes that “Firefly” (Bruce) has a very expensive lawyer and judge who think he’s best-suited under Crane’s care. When Bruce pushes for information about funding for said lawyer coming from Dr. Hugo Strange’s estate, Crane leads him to a back room to do a “fear test,” something he’s apparently done previously under the direction of Strange.
The fear test is comprised of several photos that are shown while Crane monitors Bruce’s heartbeat. The first few photos are tame, but then Crane gets to one of a clown and wartime violence. Bruce’s heart rises a little. It rises more during the next batch, that of dogs, a tied-up woman, and a decaying body. The last two images, Batman and a Scarecrow, sparks the biggest leap. Crane commends “Robert” (Bruce) for the progress he’s made since his last fear test. While Crane finds Firefly fit to stand trial, he notes that “Robert” can stay at Arkham and live comfortably. As far as anyone knows, “Robert” isn’t the mad bomber reported on the news, he’s under an assumed name — Lewis Wilson.
For those in the know, Lewis Wilson is the man who first wore the cape and cowl in the Batman 1943 serial. It’s a heartwarming nod, one that heralds an actor who doesn’t get as much credit as he should.
The rest of this scene is one massive information dump, and it’s a confusing one to boot. The mystery and plot of Batman ‘89: Echoes, so far, is weighed down by a heavily interwoven, convoluted series of plot threads, which really slows down the pace and limits the enjoyment thus far into the second issue. The art by Joe Quinones, with colors by Leonardo Ito, is beautiful, but everything else? Thus far, the issue is tedious.
Bruce is sent off down to “Shady Lane,” but before he leaves, Crane asks him what was the last image he saw. Bruce notes that it was a Scarecrow, and Crane responds with, “Right you are. Go have some fun, whoever you are.” Clearly, this suggests that Crane doesn’t believe that this man is the same one Dr. Strange treated all those years ago.
Batman ’89: Echoes #2 variant cover by Rafael Albuquerque (Images courtesy of DC Comics)
On the local news, an anchor discusses the apprehension of Firefly, also known as Robert Lowery. This is ANOTHER fun nod to classic Batman, as Robert Lowery was the second actor to portray the Dark Knight in the 1949 Batman and Robin serial.
At ACN, Chuck, TV psychiatrist Harleen Quinzel’s boss, tries to sweet-talk her into using her connection with Crane at Arkham to get a photo of Robert. The criminal was notoriously avoidant of cameras, and the only known photos of him are from years and years ago. When Harleen refuses, Chuck offers her Doctor Q show primetime slots. It’s enough of an offer to get her to consider violating her professional ethics.
Down on “Shady Lane,” Robert Lowery finally enters a colorful and strange section of Arkham. He’s first greeted by a man who very much resembles the actor Vincent Schiavelli, who both starred in One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest and played the organ grinder in Penguin’s Red Triangle Gang in Batman Returns. The Schiavelli look-alike tells Robert that he knows who he really is — the Firefly bomber. Schiavelli offers to help Bruce in exchange for a steep fee.
Next, Bruce meets a man named Maynard, which was one of the three names Drake gave to Alfred earlier on in the issue. Maynard, who seems clearly inspired by Martin Short, recognizes Bruce as the Firefly bomber, noting that they are both two of Dr. Strange’s “monster men.”
Maynard starts a fight with another patient, and Shady Lane erupts in an all-out brawl. An orderly grabs Bruce and throws him in a closet, noting that he was tipped off by Drake Winston to protect “Robert” at all costs as a debt owed to Winston. Meanwhile, in Strange’s office, another orderly reports that “Robert” and Maynard connected, but the other two names on Drake’s list, still haven’t reconnected with the “monster men.” Crane’s about to check out his scarecrow costume when Harleen enters his office.
Though Harleen tries to push for Crane to allow her to see Robert Lowery, Crane refuses. As she leaves his office, she notices the surveillance camera. She then concocts a plan to meet with the other inmates, and the scene quickly jumps to her encouraging inmates to use makeup and put on their “true faces.”
When one of the inmates asks Harleen to see her real face, she pauses. If she’s to gain trust from the inmates for her show, she has to accept each other for who they really are, including donning her true face. It’s then that Harleen puts on white face makeup and red lipstick.
The issue ends, and as someone who wants nothing more than to love this follow-up to the last Batman ‘89 miniseries, I can’t make heads or tails of what’s going on. Batman ‘89: Echoes #2 is a series of scenes lacking the punch of tension and intrigue. There’s a lot going on, but thus far, this story feels as if Sam Hamm has overwritten the next blockbuster entry in the Keaton-Bat universe.
It’s a shame, as the art is definitely on point and beautiful. The actors and actresses Quinones uses to “cast” his fourth entry in this universe is uncannily similar to their real counterparts, and the fun references and reverence for both the 90s and those earlier Batman films is on clear display. Outside of the convoluted story, all indicators are telling me to love this story, but the pacing and action just isn’t getting off the ground for me.
One can hope that Batman ‘89: Echoes #3 will pick up the pace, but I also feel as if I’m lacking crucial pieces to fully appreciating the weight and gravity of everything going on. In all due respect, Hamm is a gifted writer, and he’s written one of my personal favorite Batman stories of all time, Blind Justice. But this? I get the sense that there’s a great idea buried within the story thus far, but either I’m too dumb or missing the context to fully grasp it.
Editor’s Note: DC Comics provided TBU with an advanced copy of this comic for review purposes. You can find this comic and help support TBU in the process by purchasing this issue digitally on Amazon or a physical copy of the title through Things From Another World.
