Batman: Bad

Batman Post-Crisis #23

by Doug Moench, Barry Kitson (Illustrator), A.J. Lieberman

Jordy is big and simple. He would never use his enormous strength to hurt someone – but inside him lurks something bad. Can Batman remove the demonic Bad without destroying Jordy? Reprinted from BATMAN: LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT #146-148, plus a tale from LOTDK #179 starring Fat Man and Little Boy.

Genres: Dc Comics, Batman, Comics

96 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Doug Moench, is an American comic book writer notable for his Batman work and as the creator of Black Mask, Moon Knight and Deathlok. Moench has worked for DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Dark Horse Comics and many other smaller companies; he has written hundreds of issues of many different comics, and created dozens of characters, such as Moon Knight. In 1973, Moench became the de facto lead writer for the Marvel black-and-white magazine imprint Curtis Magazines. He contributed to the entire runs of Planet of the Apes, Rampaging Hulk (continuing on the title when it changed its name to The Hulk!) and Doc Savage, while also serving as a regular scribe for virtually every other Curtis title during the course of the imprint's existence. Moench is perhaps best known for his work on Batman, whose title he wrote from 1983–1986 and then again from 1992–1998. (He also wrote the companion title Detective Comics from 1983–1986.)

Moench is a frequent and longtime collaborator with comics artist Paul Gulacy. The pair are probably best known for their work on Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu, which they worked on together from 1974–1977. They also co-created Six from Sirius, Slash Maraud, and S.C.I. Spy, and have worked together on comics projects featuring Batman, Conan the Barbarian and James Bond.

Moench has frequently been paired with the artist and inker team of Kelley Jones and John Beatty on several Elseworlds Graphic Novels and a long run of the monthly Batman comic.

Reviews

[Brent · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remain as much a fan of scripter Doug Moench as of Batman, and this set of reprints from Legends of the Dark Night helpfully represents a self-contained storyline that presents a more realistic Batman. Kitson's art serves the realistic conflict with a severely disordered strongman; but the conflict reflects the duality of Batman's darkness to him.
There's a backup, a story I remember by another creative team; it fits, but mostly as a curiosity, a crime story.
Recommended. Thanks to my local comics shop, The Book Nook, and the spinner rack display there.

[Robert · Rating 1 out of 5]

Batman going through a psychological crisis is not as entertaining as the author thinks it is, especially with a mashed up 'villain' who is the worst parts of Gollum, Two Face, and Ed Norton in 'Primal Fear'; and the tacked on filler tale is just ... Bad (heh).

[Justin · Rating 1 out of 5]

About Jordy- man child with mpd. Introduces another story with Chinese kid on the run

[Diego Sieiro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Solid comic special, with two good stories; one action and one crime. truly enjoyable.

[drown_like_its_1999 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Half gentle giant and half psychopath, a criminal with a split personality finds himself in the sights of Batman. The caped crusader struggles with the best way to apprehend the Goliath while debating whether the criminal is himself a victim in the need of psychological therapy or a dangerous manipulator that needs harsh justice.

While this is more contemplative and thoughtful than the average Moench story it still feels a bit clunky and doesn't do much to separate itself from the crowd. The art is enjoyable and does a good job illustrating the contention within the main villain but isn't anything to write home about.

[Batman Collected Editions · Rating 4 out of 5]

DC Comics Presents Batman: Bad is a one-shot issue that collects two Legends of the Dark Knight (“LOTDK”) stories. The first one is a three-issue story written by Doug Moench, illustrated by Barry Kitson, and colored by James Sinclair.

This story is set early in Batman’s career, during a time when Jim Gordon was still a captain. It revolves around Jordy, a person with inhuman strength and the mind of a child. Moreover, Jordy has a dual personality—one that is good and the other, bad. There are no gray areas. Batman must confront the stark contrast between these two personalities as he tries to save Jordy from his violent alter ego.

Batman’s initial thought is to lock Jordy away, but is that the correct solution? What about Jordy’s innocent side? Batman eventually tries to understand what makes Jordy so divided, exploring the root cause of his dual personality. To better understand Jordy’s troubled mind, Batman seeks the help of Dr. Sabra Temple. I really like Batman’s conversation with Dr. Temple. As he tries to comprehend what makes Jordy so divided, Batman is also forced to confront his own childhood trauma.

I find this story really interesting, as the antagonist is not your typical supervillain. Rather, it’s a person with a complex psychological problem. Moench presents a dilemma: should Batman treat Jordy as a threat and lock him away, or should he find a way to help Jordy’s innocent side, despite the dangers posed by his violent alter ego? Overall, I think Moench did a good job writing this story, although I feel he could have condensed it into two issues. Some parts felt like they dragged on. As for the art, Kitson’s illustrations and James Sinclair’s colors are fantastic.

The second story was just okay; Batman was just incidental to the story.

Collect Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight 146-148, plus a tale from LOTDK 179.

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