It's another night in Gotham. People die, people live. Yet, there is one person that patrols the city with a keen eye: Batman. Seems like another night-gang fights, senseless beatings, spousal abuse. Yet, though all of this, there is one girl that he will meet that will lead him on a quest...... Also, a normal night a carnival takes a turn for the worse.

 

First off, Lapham sets the mood of perfectly. He creates a mood for Gotham that is dark and sinister in the first few pages. When Batman is introduced, he manages to portray him as a symbol of justice attacking the loathsome criminals of the night. What is even better is the way he continues past those pages.

 

During the rest of the story, he carries that same sense through the rest of the book. The villains feel rotten, but realistic in the roles. Though what is worth praise, is the fact that there are multiple characters in this book, yet Lapham gets all of them down.

 

As mentioned before, there is another story that is handled by Mike Carey. The plot is nicely done for the short space that he had to work with and gets the reader prepared for the next part. His characters are handled decently, though they serve to help the plot move along.

 

On the art side, Ramon Bachs and John Lucas work as the pencillers for both stories. Bachs handles his task with great success, capturing the feel of the story with his gritty style. Lucas does well, yet a part of me feels that there could have been a better artist for the job. However, he manages to capture the bizarre look of the characters.

 

Overall, this comic is worth your time. Both stories are done well and I'm waiting for the next chapter in these tales. A quick note though: the first story is the better tale, but that is not saying the second one is not good as well. Lapham and Carey are inviting you to join the fun and I invite you as well. This comic gets 4.5* out of 5*