REVIEW: Batman/ Shadow #2

I would just like to point out how nice it is that Bill Finger is getting the credit he deserves, now on with the review.

The opening of this issue Batman is assuming he has found the killer of Lamont Cranston and he thinks it’s The Shadow. A fierce battle begins between the two heroes, in which at the end of the fight The Shadow disappears right before Batman’s eyes. This baffles Batman and you can tell by the look on his face that he does not like being on the receiving end of that little trick. The Shadow knows Batman is actually Bruce Wayne, and Batman knows the Shadow has Lamont Cranston’s face but does not realize he really is Lamont Cranston.

Will Batman believe The Shadow and put aside their petty differences to find the real killer?

I thought this was a great comic book, literally the only problem I really had with the issue is the fact that they decided to include The Shadow into Batman’s original training story. That part seemed totally unnecessary, the story did not need Batman being trained by Lamont Cranston, now it makes it feel as if the crossover is not even taking place in the Batman universe at all. I hate when crossovers begin and end like the never even happened.

Besides the whole Batman training part of the story that I don’t agree with. Steve Orlando and Scott Snyder have written an amazing story. The fight between Batman and The Shadow worked well together. Scott and Steve made each characters strengths and weaknesses apparent throughout the issue. Scott Snyder always pens wonderful stories, it is no surprise to me with him involved that this crossover will work and very well too. This is the first time I have read anything by Steve Orlando, and if he writes this good without Scott Snyder then anything he works on is definitely worth checking out.

Riley Rossmo did a great job with the artwork, Batman looked fantastic and the outfit he wore for this crossover was spot on. The way Riley adapted Batman to the pulp comic look of The Shadow turned out really good, it had a very strong noir feel to it. I think the series could’ve been done in Black and White and it would have been that much better if that is even possible. 5 out of 5 stars

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Besides messing with Batman’s original training origin, this issue and the series so far is utterly fantastic. I suggest starting from issue #1 and buying every single one. This is one of the better crossovers I have ever read. I hope this is successful for DC and thus will urge them to explore other crossover opportunities.

Written by Steve Orlando and Scott Snyder
Art by Riley Rossmo and Ivan Plascencia
Lettering by Clem Robins
Published by DC Comics/Dynamite Entertainment

Multiple variant covers- Tim Sale & Brennan Wagner, Nathan Fairbairn