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Batman (1940-2011) #626-630
Batman: As the Crow Flies
Gotham City's underworld is thrown into turmoil as its crimelords slip into a rabid — and murderous — frenzy. Is it a coincidence, or part of an elaborate and sinister power play? One thing's for sure: The machinations of the Scarecrow and the Penguin will have Batman hard-pressed to restore order. Worse, Batman may have met his match in the vicious Scarebeast!
Written by award-winner Judd Winick (OUTSIDERS, GREEN ARROW) and illustrated by the acclaimed team of Dustin Nguyen and Richard Friend (WILDCATS 3.0) with a painted cover by Matt Wagner (BATMAN/SUPERMAN/WONDER WOMAN: TRINITY).
Collecting BATMAN #626-630
Written by award-winner Judd Winick (OUTSIDERS, GREEN ARROW) and illustrated by the acclaimed team of Dustin Nguyen and Richard Friend (WILDCATS 3.0) with a painted cover by Matt Wagner (BATMAN/SUPERMAN/WONDER WOMAN: TRINITY).
Collecting BATMAN #626-630
128 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2004
2 people are currently reading
284 people want to read
About the author
Judd Winick
787 books393 followersJudd Winick is an American cartoonist, comic book writer, screenwriter, and former reality television personality known for his diverse contributions to storytelling across multiple media. He first entered the public eye in 1994 as a cast member on The Real World: San Francisco, where he formed a close friendship with AIDS educator Pedro Zamora, an experience that deeply influenced his later work. Winick memorialized their bond in Pedro and Me, a critically acclaimed autobiographical graphic novel that earned several literary awards and became a staple in school curricula.
Winick's career in comics took off with The Adventures of Barry Ween, Boy Genius and continued with major runs at DC Comics, including Green Lantern, Green Arrow, and Batman. His stories often explored socially relevant themes, such as HIV, homophobia, and identity. He was recognized for introducing gay characters and tackling difficult subjects with empathy and clarity. His work on Batman notably included resurrecting the character Jason Todd as the Red Hood, a storyline later adapted into the animated film Batman: Under the Red Hood, for which Winick wrote the screenplay.
Beyond comics, he created The Life and Times of Juniper Lee for Cartoon Network and served as head writer for Hulu's The Awesomes. In 2015, he launched the Hilo series, an all-ages sci-fi adventure inspired by his own children. The bestselling series has been widely praised and is expected to reach its eleventh volume in 2025.
Winick lives in San Francisco with his wife, Pam Ling, also a Real World alum, and their two children. He continues to create heartfelt and imaginative stories for audiences of all ages.
Winick's career in comics took off with The Adventures of Barry Ween, Boy Genius and continued with major runs at DC Comics, including Green Lantern, Green Arrow, and Batman. His stories often explored socially relevant themes, such as HIV, homophobia, and identity. He was recognized for introducing gay characters and tackling difficult subjects with empathy and clarity. His work on Batman notably included resurrecting the character Jason Todd as the Red Hood, a storyline later adapted into the animated film Batman: Under the Red Hood, for which Winick wrote the screenplay.
Beyond comics, he created The Life and Times of Juniper Lee for Cartoon Network and served as head writer for Hulu's The Awesomes. In 2015, he launched the Hilo series, an all-ages sci-fi adventure inspired by his own children. The bestselling series has been widely praised and is expected to reach its eleventh volume in 2025.
Winick lives in San Francisco with his wife, Pam Ling, also a Real World alum, and their two children. He continues to create heartfelt and imaginative stories for audiences of all ages.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
November 4, 2023
(B+) 77% | Good
Notes: Though suitably Batman in tone and character, its convoluted, monster-centric, far-fetched plot feels very Scooby-Doo.
Notes: Though suitably Batman in tone and character, its convoluted, monster-centric, far-fetched plot feels very Scooby-Doo.
November 5, 2016
Penguin’s recruited Scarecrow to help corral his mob captains – and then suddenly a 10-foot tall Scarecrow monster begins murdering them! Sounds like a mystery for Scooby-Bat and the gang to solve!
Batman: As the Crow Flies isn’t a great Batman book. It reads like a Scooby-Doo cartoon where the monster terrorises everyone for the duration with the story hinging on the reveal of who it really is. And they would’ve gotten away with it if it weren’t for the meddlin’ Bat-family!
While Penguin’s Machiavellian plan was kinda clever and Dustin Nguyen’s art was decent, the story is spread thinly over five issues, is largely forgettable and ultimately inconsequential – are any readers keeping tabs on the Gotham underworld power structure? Exactly.
Just a few issues after this, Judd Winick would go on to write one of the most significant and brilliant Batman books of the last ten years with Under the Red Hood where Jason Todd was resurrected and reintroduced to the DC Universe (there are a couple of scenes foreshadowing this event here too). As the Crow Flies though? Pointless and uninteresting!
Batman: As the Crow Flies isn’t a great Batman book. It reads like a Scooby-Doo cartoon where the monster terrorises everyone for the duration with the story hinging on the reveal of who it really is. And they would’ve gotten away with it if it weren’t for the meddlin’ Bat-family!
While Penguin’s Machiavellian plan was kinda clever and Dustin Nguyen’s art was decent, the story is spread thinly over five issues, is largely forgettable and ultimately inconsequential – are any readers keeping tabs on the Gotham underworld power structure? Exactly.
Just a few issues after this, Judd Winick would go on to write one of the most significant and brilliant Batman books of the last ten years with Under the Red Hood where Jason Todd was resurrected and reintroduced to the DC Universe (there are a couple of scenes foreshadowing this event here too). As the Crow Flies though? Pointless and uninteresting!
July 7, 2018
Batman goes up against Scarecrow and Penguin and gets to push through his fears.
Interesting artwork with a focus on darker shades.
OVERALL GRADE: B.
Interesting artwork with a focus on darker shades.
OVERALL GRADE: B.
July 9, 2022
This was pretty fun actually!
We see what Penguin has been doing with Scarecrow like keeping him in his employ to use his fear gas for some mob purposes and Batman is on the hunt for this like whats getting random mob bosses killed like making them fear and all of that? But when he himself gets infected and starts having visions of Jason he sees the real threat of what Scarecrow has become aka a beast of some kind and when it comes into his home.. Bruce, Tim and Alfred have to unite and knock this beast down and more secrets and reveals happen as to whose really behind it aka Fright?!
Its such a wild story and reads super quick and may not be the greatest Batman story but makes for quick read. Also I loved the relationship between Batman and Tim here and like how he needs a Robin in his crusade against crime. Plus early fore-shadowing of "Under the red hood" which just follows the next storyline of "War Games" so yeah overall a great read and I loved the art here of Nguyen!
We see what Penguin has been doing with Scarecrow like keeping him in his employ to use his fear gas for some mob purposes and Batman is on the hunt for this like whats getting random mob bosses killed like making them fear and all of that? But when he himself gets infected and starts having visions of Jason he sees the real threat of what Scarecrow has become aka a beast of some kind and when it comes into his home.. Bruce, Tim and Alfred have to unite and knock this beast down and more secrets and reveals happen as to whose really behind it aka Fright?!
Its such a wild story and reads super quick and may not be the greatest Batman story but makes for quick read. Also I loved the relationship between Batman and Tim here and like how he needs a Robin in his crusade against crime. Plus early fore-shadowing of "Under the red hood" which just follows the next storyline of "War Games" so yeah overall a great read and I loved the art here of Nguyen!
December 18, 2017
Nice stand-alone horror/mystery/crime hybrid (I would agree with the other reviewers that at times it was too much in the vein of a vintage Scooby-Doo episode) that requires only a superficial knowledge of the characters and their back-stories. Penguin is formidable and savvy in this one.
December 31, 2022
feels rather unfinished, only interesting part was when Bruce was under the fear gas (as it usually is)
I didn't like the writer too much, it felt like a lot of Bruce's inner dialogue wasn't very in character
I enjoyed however the girl, Fright? Scarecrow's illegitimate assistant. She was fun.
I didn't like the writer too much, it felt like a lot of Bruce's inner dialogue wasn't very in character
I enjoyed however the girl, Fright? Scarecrow's illegitimate assistant. She was fun.
June 17, 2025
As I'm filling in the gaps between the larger Batman omnibuses, this story was a welcome surprise!
It's essentially a Scarecrow and Penguin team-up, featuring mobsters getting absolutely torn apart while Batman desperately tries to piece together the chaos. Oh, and did I mention the juiced-up Scarecrow monster wreaking havoc?
This comic is intense and fast-paced, offering some great, and even some sad, moments for Batman. I particularly enjoyed Judd's portrayal of Bruce—intense, caring, yet unyielding. It reminded me a bit of Remender's Captain America.
While it doesn't reinvent the wheel and has a predictable ending, that's perfectly fine; it's still a good read! Overall, a really fun comic. I'd give it a 3.5 out of 5, but I'm bumping it up to a 4.
It's essentially a Scarecrow and Penguin team-up, featuring mobsters getting absolutely torn apart while Batman desperately tries to piece together the chaos. Oh, and did I mention the juiced-up Scarecrow monster wreaking havoc?
This comic is intense and fast-paced, offering some great, and even some sad, moments for Batman. I particularly enjoyed Judd's portrayal of Bruce—intense, caring, yet unyielding. It reminded me a bit of Remender's Captain America.
While it doesn't reinvent the wheel and has a predictable ending, that's perfectly fine; it's still a good read! Overall, a really fun comic. I'd give it a 3.5 out of 5, but I'm bumping it up to a 4.
November 17, 2016
Batman: As The Crow Flies is written by Judd Winick, with artwork by Dustin Nguyen and Richard Friend. This book is notable as being the debut of Dustin Nguyen's artwork in the DC Universe. The Trade Paperback collects the comic book issues Batman #626 - #630, beginning in April of 2004.
One of the most underrated villains in the Batman comics and the one with perhaps the most potential has always been Dr. Jonathan Crane, the Scarecrow. Often portrayed as a modern day Ichabod Crane of Sleepy Hollow, the original story by Hawthorne and not the glamorized version on television; Jonathan is a timid academic whose development of the fear toxin has enabled him to fight back against the bullies that have terrorized him his whole life. As the Scarecrow, Crane is empowered with ability to turn fear into a weapon.
In As The Crow Flies, criminals are turned into raging and murderous berserkers, until finally collapsing in death. Batman quickly realizes that they have somehow been drugged and that this is in fact a takeover of the Gotham underworld. There is only one player with the pull to try such an act, Oswald Cobblepot, the Penguin. Masquerading himself as a legitimate businessman, the Penguin has been quietly taking over the crime families of Gotham's Underworld. But killing off the heads of the families was never his intention. Now, a ten foot tall murdering beast has been loosed and is tearing apart the gangsters with it's bare hands. A ten foot beast in the form of a Scarecrow.
As the Crow Flies has several moments where we can see glimpses of where the Batman storyline is heading. The aberration that is the evolution of the Scarecrow creates a character far more vicious in its methods. Crane literally becomes a monster. Cobblepot becomes the head of the Gotham Underworld and while he was always dangerous, his character prior to this has always been something of a caricature of a serious villain.
There is also a hint when Batman is under the influence of the toxin, of the return of Jason Todd. This is in 2004, a full year before Jason is revived.
As The Crow Flies introduces for the first time, the character of Linda Friitawa aka Fright.
Overall this is a very well written tale that has serious implications for the Batman Universe to come. Unfortunatly, the many DC reboots since then have rendered them null and void. Hopefully some to these seeds will be revisited and allowed to grow.
One of the most underrated villains in the Batman comics and the one with perhaps the most potential has always been Dr. Jonathan Crane, the Scarecrow. Often portrayed as a modern day Ichabod Crane of Sleepy Hollow, the original story by Hawthorne and not the glamorized version on television; Jonathan is a timid academic whose development of the fear toxin has enabled him to fight back against the bullies that have terrorized him his whole life. As the Scarecrow, Crane is empowered with ability to turn fear into a weapon.
In As The Crow Flies, criminals are turned into raging and murderous berserkers, until finally collapsing in death. Batman quickly realizes that they have somehow been drugged and that this is in fact a takeover of the Gotham underworld. There is only one player with the pull to try such an act, Oswald Cobblepot, the Penguin. Masquerading himself as a legitimate businessman, the Penguin has been quietly taking over the crime families of Gotham's Underworld. But killing off the heads of the families was never his intention. Now, a ten foot tall murdering beast has been loosed and is tearing apart the gangsters with it's bare hands. A ten foot beast in the form of a Scarecrow.
As the Crow Flies has several moments where we can see glimpses of where the Batman storyline is heading. The aberration that is the evolution of the Scarecrow creates a character far more vicious in its methods. Crane literally becomes a monster. Cobblepot becomes the head of the Gotham Underworld and while he was always dangerous, his character prior to this has always been something of a caricature of a serious villain.
There is also a hint when Batman is under the influence of the toxin, of the return of Jason Todd. This is in 2004, a full year before Jason is revived.
As The Crow Flies introduces for the first time, the character of Linda Friitawa aka Fright.
Overall this is a very well written tale that has serious implications for the Batman Universe to come. Unfortunatly, the many DC reboots since then have rendered them null and void. Hopefully some to these seeds will be revisited and allowed to grow.
July 29, 2012
Not my usual cup of Batman tea, but it was still a really great story.
October 1, 2018
A pretty decent turn of events for Penguin (who is much more effective as a mastermind who is more involved in gambling and such rackets than trying any other bigger schemes) and an evolution of the Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow character. With the addition of some decent, again-non-realistic art that is expressive without being corny or sleazy. Batman is not some grotesque muscle bound chiseled out character, but just a guy in a cape which is far less distracting than the beefcake presentation we're often given.
Jesus, why are comic books so weirdly pervy about bodies anyway? Have many artists never seen a human naked before?
Jesus, why are comic books so weirdly pervy about bodies anyway? Have many artists never seen a human naked before?
February 21, 2008
This book collects Judd Winick's first storyline during his run on Batman. This is a good build up to the return of Jason Todd stuff to come later, and manages to make the Scarecrow a formidable baddy, while showing why one should never turn his back on the Penguin. Solid work.
March 22, 2010
A perfectly executed Scarecrow/Penguin Team-up with bonus Cross-Dressing-For-Justice!Tim.
June 9, 2012
Wow... between art and story, this one really struck me for some reason. I kind of saw who the villain was, behind the monster, but not quite. Rather scary...
April 19, 2016
Great work: both storyline and artwork!
Really enjoyed the part in the Batmobile ;) Oeh, and of course then at the end with the mask....
Well, we all know now don't we?!! :))
Really enjoyed the part in the Batmobile ;) Oeh, and of course then at the end with the mask....
Well, we all know now don't we?!! :))
January 19, 2025
I picked this book up because it was rated as one of the better scarecrow-centric batman stories. Scarecrow is my favorite villain in batman, so I wanted to finally find a story that does him full justice. This comic kind of did, but not really.
First off, I loved the art style in the book. It was dark and unsaturated, with a very gritty design on the characters and locations. The scarebeast (main antagonist) felt a little out of place with its over the top design, but it was still cool to see.
The story starts off promising, with the penguin being a delightfully smarmy foil, and setting up Jonathan crane (scarecrow) for the rest of the story. I especially like the set up for Jonathan crane as being tired of just being seen as the fear gas guy, which is pretty meta considering that's most of what he's been portrayed as despite his potential.
From there, the book gets surprisingly violent and intense, almost like a mob movie. It's a nice change of pace to have batman be a detective in the organized crime area of Gotham rather than the supervillain side. Penguin stays fun to watch, and we get glimpses of crane being more than what he seems.
Unfortunately, the story dips at the end. Not only is the climax rushed and doesn't satisfyingly conclude the mystery angle, not only is the obvious twist obvious (scarecrow being the scarebeast), but it turns out that scarecrow didn't even make the choice to be the scarebeast. His assistant who had no character was the secret mastermind, and Penguin oversaw it. The ending felt like a waste of potential that it was building up, and in the end, only serves as a teaser for 'under the red hood.'
Tldr: The first 2/3 are really fun and intense, but the last third is rushed with a disappointing payoff.
First off, I loved the art style in the book. It was dark and unsaturated, with a very gritty design on the characters and locations. The scarebeast (main antagonist) felt a little out of place with its over the top design, but it was still cool to see.
The story starts off promising, with the penguin being a delightfully smarmy foil, and setting up Jonathan crane (scarecrow) for the rest of the story. I especially like the set up for Jonathan crane as being tired of just being seen as the fear gas guy, which is pretty meta considering that's most of what he's been portrayed as despite his potential.
From there, the book gets surprisingly violent and intense, almost like a mob movie. It's a nice change of pace to have batman be a detective in the organized crime area of Gotham rather than the supervillain side. Penguin stays fun to watch, and we get glimpses of crane being more than what he seems.
Unfortunately, the story dips at the end. Not only is the climax rushed and doesn't satisfyingly conclude the mystery angle, not only is the obvious twist obvious (scarecrow being the scarebeast), but it turns out that scarecrow didn't even make the choice to be the scarebeast. His assistant who had no character was the secret mastermind, and Penguin oversaw it. The ending felt like a waste of potential that it was building up, and in the end, only serves as a teaser for 'under the red hood.'
Tldr: The first 2/3 are really fun and intense, but the last third is rushed with a disappointing payoff.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 19, 2021
As the Crow Flies is a five-issue storyline that is mainly written by Judd Winick and penciled by Dustin Nguyen. Batman: As the Crow Flies collects all five issues (Batman #626–630) of the 1940 run.
"As the Crow Flies" is a five-issue storyline (Batman #626–630), which has Gotham City's underworld being thrown into turmoil as crimelords of many factions slip into a rabid and murderous frenzy. Bruce Wayne as Batman investigates the instances and deducts that the machinations of Jonathan Crane as the Scarecrow and Oswald Cobblepot as the Penguin are behind it.
Judd Winick penned the entire trade paperback. For the most part, it is written moderately well. Winick's writing is tight and focused on the story, giving more time to events outside of Batman and Robin's experiences for the reader's benefit, which has a slight downside as readers begin to suspect some things are not quite as they seem a little too early, which makes the denouement a little less of a surprise.
Dustin Nguyen penciled the entire trade paperback. Since he was the only penciler, the artistic flow of the trade paperback flowed exceptionally well. For the most part, Nguyen's penciling is wonderful as his depiction of the Scarebeast is hauntingly depicted.
All in all, Batman: As the Crow Flies is mediocre storyline that has Bruce Wayne as Batman taking on the likes of Jonathan Crane as the Scarecrow and Oswald Cobblepot as the Penguin.
"As the Crow Flies" is a five-issue storyline (Batman #626–630), which has Gotham City's underworld being thrown into turmoil as crimelords of many factions slip into a rabid and murderous frenzy. Bruce Wayne as Batman investigates the instances and deducts that the machinations of Jonathan Crane as the Scarecrow and Oswald Cobblepot as the Penguin are behind it.
Judd Winick penned the entire trade paperback. For the most part, it is written moderately well. Winick's writing is tight and focused on the story, giving more time to events outside of Batman and Robin's experiences for the reader's benefit, which has a slight downside as readers begin to suspect some things are not quite as they seem a little too early, which makes the denouement a little less of a surprise.
Dustin Nguyen penciled the entire trade paperback. Since he was the only penciler, the artistic flow of the trade paperback flowed exceptionally well. For the most part, Nguyen's penciling is wonderful as his depiction of the Scarebeast is hauntingly depicted.
All in all, Batman: As the Crow Flies is mediocre storyline that has Bruce Wayne as Batman taking on the likes of Jonathan Crane as the Scarecrow and Oswald Cobblepot as the Penguin.
March 12, 2019
One of L'il Gotham's Dustin Nguyen's first takes at the Batman Family.
The Scarecrow makes a play for the Penguin's piece of the pie that is Gotham City. A number of bodies are turning up and it appears to be at the hands of a powerful new drug created by Jonathan Crane. Now Oswald Cobblepot and the Dark Knight are on the hunt for Scarecrow. One will bring the madman to justice. The other will take the fiend to hell! It all depends on who gets to Crane first!
This was a very good story by Judd Winick (Pedro and Me). There's a great twist character in the end. Plus, all of the characters were executed beautifully. But I need to talk about that cover...
It's awful. Check that- it's MOSTLY awful. Matt Wagner's Batman is done in a classic 1930s way that I love. But that has got to be the worst renderings of the Scarecrow I have ever seen this side of a Kelley Jones Batman: Gotham After Midnight.
A good book with not so great covers. I'm counting the individual issues in this volume as well. Nguyen's sketchbook is awesome and worth a good portion of the cover price of $12.95. Though with this book being 15 years old, you can probably find it used for a very nice price.
The Scarecrow makes a play for the Penguin's piece of the pie that is Gotham City. A number of bodies are turning up and it appears to be at the hands of a powerful new drug created by Jonathan Crane. Now Oswald Cobblepot and the Dark Knight are on the hunt for Scarecrow. One will bring the madman to justice. The other will take the fiend to hell! It all depends on who gets to Crane first!
This was a very good story by Judd Winick (Pedro and Me). There's a great twist character in the end. Plus, all of the characters were executed beautifully. But I need to talk about that cover...
It's awful. Check that- it's MOSTLY awful. Matt Wagner's Batman is done in a classic 1930s way that I love. But that has got to be the worst renderings of the Scarecrow I have ever seen this side of a Kelley Jones Batman: Gotham After Midnight.
A good book with not so great covers. I'm counting the individual issues in this volume as well. Nguyen's sketchbook is awesome and worth a good portion of the cover price of $12.95. Though with this book being 15 years old, you can probably find it used for a very nice price.
July 30, 2025
[read digitally in single issues, reviewing trade for convenience]
the definition of a readably mid Batman comic. some very solid art by Dustin Nguyen—pleasantly stylised in something of a Phil Hester vein and with taut storytelling too often lacking in artists today—a decent characterisation of the Penguin as someone who sees himself as a serious businessman with no patience for supervillain theatrics, broadly competent scripting in a network TV hack sort of way, some cool Matt Wagner covers. I liked it a bit better on balance than Hush or Broken City, the two storylines it immediately followed in the main Batman title, though both of those were in their own ways more ambitious. admittedly though my most lasting memory of it will probably end up being the peculiar one-scene gag where Robin has to disguise himself as a woman for thinly justified reasons and Alfred explains the earnest rationale for the precise size of his false breasts. could've done without that, to be honest.
the definition of a readably mid Batman comic. some very solid art by Dustin Nguyen—pleasantly stylised in something of a Phil Hester vein and with taut storytelling too often lacking in artists today—a decent characterisation of the Penguin as someone who sees himself as a serious businessman with no patience for supervillain theatrics, broadly competent scripting in a network TV hack sort of way, some cool Matt Wagner covers. I liked it a bit better on balance than Hush or Broken City, the two storylines it immediately followed in the main Batman title, though both of those were in their own ways more ambitious. admittedly though my most lasting memory of it will probably end up being the peculiar one-scene gag where Robin has to disguise himself as a woman for thinly justified reasons and Alfred explains the earnest rationale for the precise size of his false breasts. could've done without that, to be honest.
June 9, 2025
The Penguin has unified mob families of Gotham in a cooperative truce under his leadership. As ambitious wise guys begin to undermine this delicate arrangement, the Penguin enlists the help of a recently released Dr. Jonathan Crane to develop a drug cocktail the bird's thugs can use to instill fear in mob family leaders. The scheme goes awry as a new monstrous villain interferes by murdering the mob captains instead, catching the attention of Batman and putting Penguin's delicate operation at risk.
Winnick suceeds yet again, delivering a satisfying bat-plot with quality characterization and punchy writing. While the end result is certainly nothing remarkable and won't subvert any expectations, it manages to do what most Batman comics don't and delivers a fun romp with distinct characters in a tight package. While I've never been the biggest fan of Nyugen's style, I quite liked his art in this run with his signature choppy line work complimented by blocky shadowing that builds a visual aesthetic reminiscent of Mignola. The Matt Wagner covers were damn nice too.
Winnick suceeds yet again, delivering a satisfying bat-plot with quality characterization and punchy writing. While the end result is certainly nothing remarkable and won't subvert any expectations, it manages to do what most Batman comics don't and delivers a fun romp with distinct characters in a tight package. While I've never been the biggest fan of Nyugen's style, I quite liked his art in this run with his signature choppy line work complimented by blocky shadowing that builds a visual aesthetic reminiscent of Mignola. The Matt Wagner covers were damn nice too.
Read
February 20, 2020Judd Winick’s first Batman story shortly before “Under the Hood” is so-so. Penguin hires Scarecrow to use his fear toxins on various mobsters to wrest control. Meanwhile, Batman and Robin are on the case when something more sinister comes into play. It’s standard stuff, nothing special. I will say that Winick writes a good Scarecrow, and issue 629 contains intriguing hints for “Under the Hood” (including Matt Wagner’s cover which resembles his Batman 635 cover). But I find Winick’s Penguin too unhinged and Batman here is barely a character.
January 21, 2018
Judd Winick and Dustin Nguyen always do good work in Gotham, and this book is no exception. As Penguin consolidates his hold on Gotham City, the Scarebeast is killing his underlings - but Jonathan Crane insists it isn’t him, and his lab aide can vouch for him. Great art, good concept, and a clever twist. Winick writes a very human Batman, and Nguyen’s art is fascinating as always - the Scarebeast is genuinely freaky!
March 16, 2019
I enjoyed Winick's plot and script here. I like when villains are working off each other. I thought the ending was way too obvious and I wished there was more background into how the Scarecrow got to where he is here. Dustin Nguyen's art was really good. Overall, a fun read that doesn't get talked about much.
April 22, 2019
Quite good. The art was early Dustin Nguyen (apparently his earliest for DC) and really good, if not as fantastic as his later work. I especially liked the twist in the story. Scarecrow and Penguin were both very interesting, great character work. And the time when Batman was freaking out from fear gas was really intense. Great book.
January 27, 2022
Written by Judd Winick, As the Crow Flies is rather an average Batman story. I didn't really appreciate Dustin Nguyen's art. A bit too messy for my tastes. I liked some of the ideas in this story . However, overall, the story didn't work for me. A bit of forgettable filler between Hush and the War Games event.
February 12, 2018
I don't usually write graphic novel reviews unless they are really bad, such as anything from the new 52 Harley Quinn series which is just an insult to the character and the reader; but this book is fantastic! Beautiful art, great story telling....highly recommend!!!
November 15, 2025
4.5 stars.
“No matter what I do, no matter how many I murder — and there’ll be a lot of them — you’ll never be able to stop me. You love me too much. That’s so much worse than the rest of them, now isn’t it?”
The Jason hallucination being a foreshadowing of the Red Hood THEY WANT ME TO DIE
“No matter what I do, no matter how many I murder — and there’ll be a lot of them — you’ll never be able to stop me. You love me too much. That’s so much worse than the rest of them, now isn’t it?”
The Jason hallucination being a foreshadowing of the Red Hood THEY WANT ME TO DIE
January 18, 2019
Really liked Winick’s use of gadgets, that had been missing around this time.
October 22, 2020
Extremely enjoyable reading for a big old fan of the bat, I highly recommend it.
December 6, 2020
Judd Winick did an awesome job with this book and Dustin Nguyen’s artwork was the perfect fit. A Scarecrow story that fits the character perfectly with help from the Penguin.
December 16, 2021
A short prelude to Judd Winick's "Under the Red Hood". Not a must read but definitely interesting and worth it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews