Batman: The Dark Knight, Volume 2: Cycle of Violence

Batman: The Dark Knight

by Gregg Hurwitz (Writer), David Finch (Illustrator), Mico Suayan (Illustrator)

The Scarecrow has returned to Gotham City, but he's no longer the meek punching bag Batman is used to. The villainous genius has always preyed on the worst fears of his victims, but has refined his legendary fear toxin to even greater effectiveness and deadlier consequences. As the Scarecrow's origin is unfurled, Batman must find out not only how to conquer this dangerous psychopath, but how to beat his own worst fear.

Written by New York Times best-selling crime thriller novelist Gregg Hurwitz and art from comics superstar David Finch, BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT VOLUME 2: CYCLE OF VIOLENCE is a terrifying look into the dark psyche of one of Gotham's most twisted villains.

Collects: Batman: The Dark Knight #10-15 and #0.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Batman, Dc Comics, Comic Book, Superheroes, Graphic Novels Comics

160 pages, Hardcover

First published July 23, 2013

About the author

Gregg Hurwitz is the critically acclaimed, New York Times and internationally bestselling author of 20 novels, including OUT OF THE DARK (2019). His novels have been shortlisted for numerous literary awards, graced top ten lists, and have been published in 30 languages.

He is also a New York Times Bestselling comic book writer, having penned stories for Marvel (Wolverine, Punisher) and DC (Batman, Penguin). Additionally, he’s written screenplays for or sold spec scripts to many of the major studios, and written, developed, and produced television for various networks. Gregg resides in Los Angeles.

Reviews

[Jayson · Rating 4 out of 5]

(A-) 82% | Very Good
Notes: Fecund and forceful, it's fearsome fiction finely-formed: featuring flashbacks as foils to ferocity and feats of fortitude.

*Progress updates: Preamble ◦ Issues #10-11 ◦ Issue #12 ◦ Issues #13-15

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't impressed with Knight Terrors , so I didn't expect to like this one very much.
These Dark Knight comics seem to be focusing on one Batman villain at a time. Trying to reinvent each one just a little, make some tweaks, bring them up to date, and possibly give some of the 'lamer' villains a little more credibility.
Not sure if it's going to work overall, but I certainly thought Hurwitz & Finch did a fine job making Scarecrow Piss-Your-Pants freaky.
Crane's backstory?

Just a teeny bit more psychotic than usual...


I don't want to spoil anything, but it's worth a read.
The big confrontation between Batman and Scarcrow is (of course) contingent between Batman beating the hallucinogenic that Crane doses him with, but I thought it packed a pretty good emotional punch. And I also thought it was a nice touch to point out that Batman chose the darkness, when he could have just as easily chosen the light.

At the end of this volume there's an issue that deals with The Origin of Batman.
Which, I know everyone has been DYING to find out about, right?!
Holy shit!
We're finally gong to find out what made Bruce Wayne decide to become Batman!
*rolls eyes*
As if.
Alright, considering this is only the ten millionth retelling of the Parents Shot In Scummy Alley-Pearls Scattered Across Cobblestones-Little Boy Cries Alone In The Rain Story?
It's not bad.
In fact, they should have put this in the first volume of Secret Origins, instead of the regurgitated crap that they decided to go with.
It's not mind blowing, but it was a better than I was expecting.

[Sam Quixote · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first volume of The Dark Knight didn’t do much to separate itself from the other Bat-titles but, judging by that first entry, you’d think this was a dumping ground for all of David Finch’s bad ideas - that lingerie-wearing bunny character sticks out as one of the most horrendous additions to the Batman universe in quite some time!

But with Gregg Hurwitz jumping on board to write, the title seems to have some focus as a series that looks at Batman’s rogues gallery, specifically the lesser characters. I’d already read The Dark Knight Volume 3 before this one (it doesn’t matter, each volume is self-contained and can be read in order or not) and that one was a Mad Hatter story that, believe it or not, was really good.

Hurwitz seems to be DC’s go-to guy for writing Batman villain books. Besides the Mad Hatter, he wrote an excellent miniseries called Penguin: Pain and Prejudice, both of which I recommend. So, The Dark Knight Volume 2: Cycle of Violence is Jonathan Crane aka Scarecrow’s turn - and unfortunately it’s not as good as the other villains’ books.

The story is that Scarecrow is abducting young kids and messing with their heads; Batman has to stop him. I should emphasise the “dark” part of the title because this is an excessively bleak and grisly book even by Batman standards. Scarecrow’s sewn his lips together just enough so he can talk for no other reason than it’s disgusting and it makes him look more like a scarecrow. And then there’s the kid element where you have to watch as Crane plays sick head games with the poor little buggers. It’s a very unpleasant read.

Hurwitz attempts a half-assed revision of Batman’s psyche, that Bruce chose to be a dark hero than a light one because he’s as dark and nutty as any of his rogues except Hurwitz doesn’t really go much deeper than this so it’s not a very convincing argument. And the final issue that looks at Bruce’s first encounter with Joe Chill, his parent’s murderer, was underwhelming when it should’ve been a more emotionally charged meeting.

The supporting cast play their usual roles (Gordon needs Batman, Alfred is the competent servant, etc.) while there’s another bland love interest for Bruce in the form of Generic Eastern European Concert Pianist Who Loves Bruce and He Loves Her Because Plot. Never met this one before but it doesn’t really matter.

It’s surprising Hurwitz is able to squeeze almost an entire book from the Scarecrow given how linear and one-note the story is. There are a few flashbacks to Crane’s childhood explaining how Crane got so weird but it’s not a great origin. And just when I thought the book couldn’t get any more grim, the finale happens and I was unexpectedly HOWLING with laughter!

Scarecrow douses Gotham with his fear gas because it’s the final act, and Batman can’t synthesize an antidote in time. But he’s been exposed to the gas so he reasons his blood is an antidote in itself. So he jumps in the Batplane and flies across Gotham SPRAYING PEOPLE WITH HIS BLOOD!!! Yes, he opens his veins and his Batplane squirts his blood across the city! It’s MENTAL! I mean, Batman’s emo, but this is the next level!

Anyway, Cycle of Violence was too simplistic a story and much too dark to be enjoyable. The horror came off as dumb, especially the ending, and I was glad to put the book down at the end. I don’t like David Finch’s art either which uses too much black and makes the figures look grotesque, but I suppose it fit the script.

If you’ve ever wondered why Scarecrow doesn’t usually take centre stage, here are all the reasons in this one book. While this second volume is a bust, like the first, do check out the third volume of this series which is also dark but kinda brilliant too.

[James DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

You know what? This was a nice surprise. I really dug this far more than I thought I would. It's between a 3.5-4 but I went with a 4 rating for the surprise alone. I skipped volume 1 after hearing how horrid it was. So I went into Volume 2 which focuses on Scarecrow doing his scarecrow thing, which is to scare the living shit out of you. This time he's kidnapped a kid and is testing his fear toxins, trying to make her into what he was the same way his father did to him. Batman is on him like a dog on a piece of a meat! Except...not. Because the Scarecrows get Batman stuck in his trap! DUM DUM DUM!

What I liked: The art was pretty solid throughout. I really loved the Scarecrow designed. He seemed scary despite his scrawny and disgusting appearance. I thought that fit well. I also liked the flashbacks in this as they helped build the contrast between Bruce and Scarecrow. The moments with Damien are small but are actually really well done. This one also kept me on the edge of my seat. I mean I knew Batman would win but a few times he gets wrecked and that was exciting.

What I didn't like: The Gorden side story didn't really do much for me. I get it lead into deeper story but I didn't like it much. Also Batman's internal thoughts just seemed to cut short. I actually liked that at the start.

Overall I really had a lot of fun reading this. I read it pretty quickly because I was engrossed the entire time. I liked the art, thought pacing was perfect (after issue 11) and Batman relationship with various people was a nice touch. Oh and this is the best Scarecrow I've seen. A 4 out of 5.

[Jeannette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Also available on the WondrousBooks blog.

Now this is a great Batman comic book! I loved this volume a lot more than I did The Long Halloween(click for review). Both the writing and the art were amazing and the story was much more clear and while not exactly straightforward, it explained many things in the spread of one single volume.

Character-wise this was a very interesting read because it both showed a more complicated view of Bruce Wayne in terms of him not only being damaged by his past but trying to find ways to overcome it and at the same time having an actual struggle with his present personal life, something I've found lacking or completely non-existent in other Batman stories, both comic and movie.

But I also loved the villain of Cycle of Violence - Scarecrow. I saw him for the first time in The Dark Knight movie but I don't remember them ever following up on that cameo that he had as a character. In this novel, however, he was great. His personality was explained with flashbacks to his past and there was more to him in terms of motivation and methods.

What I was not as fascinated with was that the volume ended without much of a closure for the children we were previously shown and who were the catalyst of the entire plot.

Aside from that, The Dark Knight: Cycle of Violence was a pretty good Batman story which gave me hope that I can still develop a liking or at least an interest in him as a hero.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Batman is pretty chummy with the GCPD by now, so when a series of disturbing "catch and release" child abductions strikes Gotham Bats is basically a one-man SWAT team, forensics CSI and Child Psychologist wrapped in one (though someone should tell him that if he's trying to get traumatized kids to talk about the nightmarish circumstances of their captivity, creeping in their windows late at night dressed as a giant bat probably isn't the most effective technique, no matter how soothing your tone. Just sayin'.)



So who is it behind these dastardly deeds? Well, none other than good ole Doc Crane!



Um, sorry, the other one.

That's right, Scarecrow is back and with a gruesome new look that I won't spoil here, and his obsession with fear is taking on grotesque new dimensions that mean trouble for the whole Bat Family. Perhaps the most surprising thing about the story line is how Hurwitz works hard to make good ole Strawhead not entirely unsympathetic, in spite of his atrocious crimes that run the gamut from child snatching to inciting mass psychosis. We get a look at Jonathan Crane's childhood and, well, it's not exactly Norman Rockwell material. Frankly, his innate brilliance aside, one wonders how a young person could overcome that past in order to get through college, let alone med school. But for storytelling purposes I guess we can let that slide.

On the whole I probably preferred the previous volume over this one (or maybe I'm just bitter that Bruce Wayne's Indian squeeze has been replaced, at some point, by a Ukrainian pianist whose role is that of long-suffering comic book girlfriend type B, i.e. "I grew up in tough circumstances so I don't expect you to be perfect, just don't take me for granted or come home too often smelling of Fear Gas".

[Chelsea 🏳️‍🌈 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I... would not recommend reading this if you like Damian Wayne.

This was incredibly frustrating for me. I love Damian. I've spent the past week and a half reading anything and everything I could find on this character. One thing becomes abundantly clear in everything I've read: Bruce Wayne has, at best, been a distant father. That's putting it kindly. He's not physically abusive and he has enough contingency plans put in place to make sure Damian is never left alone but he doesn't spend time with his son. Even when reading Batman and Robin, the moments where he embraces Damian or offers a kind word are extremely rare.

There's a moment early in this book where Damian (who's dialogue sounds as if Hurwitz thought he was writing for young Jason Todd, not Damian) tells Bruce that he's "try'n" to be mellower and less angry. He comes to Bruce and says this and that's a huge deal for someone like Damian. He wanted to make it clear that he was "listening" to his father and trying to be better. And Bruce's response is "huh?". You know, because he wasn't listening to Damian.

Then, Batman is dosed with fear toxin and is missing for several days. Damian finds him, brings him home and says he's glad Damian's there... then he proceeds to try a crazy plan that is certain to kill him and force Damian to remotely pilot the plane. He expressly orders his son not to fly him to safety until the job is done. Damian then watches Alfred desperately try to save his father's life. All of this a few months after Damian thought his father was dead.

The worst part of this is that the book ends with Bruce fulfilling a promise to his then girlfriend and spending New Years with her. Not his son.

This whole book is Damian, once again, reaching out to his father and getting nothing substantial in return. It makes me question, like that Rebirth Teen Titans book, why writers don't want Bruce to be a great father to Damian. He's absent, downright ignorant of how to communicate with his son. Which would be fine if we saw that he was really trying. This book makes it seem like he doesn't really care. And worst of all, there was no series at the time to really show the aftermath of these scenes where Damian tried to talk this out or deal with it in silence. It's just a POV we never get.

So, it's frustrating. As much as I think Finch did a brilliantly creepy job drawing Scarecrow and the fight scenes and all the blood, as much as the Crane stuff was well done, this was a frustrating book to read because I just felt like strangling Batman.

[Ｆｒａｎｋｈ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finished the first volume of The Dark Knight series just earlier this month, which was misleadingly entitled Knight Terrors penned by David Jenkins. I felt good about the fact that I decided to review it as a volume and not as individual issues because the first nine collected in Knight Terrors weren't exactly top-shelf quality. The most memorable moments of that book were also its most horrendously absurd particularly the creation of the White Rabbit lady who I disliked with fervor, something that even rivals my unending hate towards the Joker's Daughter. Pleasantly enough, this sophomore collection has a different writer (Gregg Hurwitz) though it's still illustrated by the same artist from the previous volume, the fabulous David Finch whose artwork is simply extraordinary. I think he remains as my favorite part of The Dark Knight title.

Colorist Sonia Oback also helped in making every illustration shine for this volume which then in turn helped me enjoy what Hurwitz offered in the story department which was, in many ways, an improvement of Jenkins' run. Weirdly enough, there is no kind of connection between their works for this title so you can pick this up even without reading Knight Terrors.

I think that Gregg Hurwitz' Cycle of Violence was a polarizing collection, most notably because I sincerely believe that even though it has many potentials to become a fully-realized character-driven emotional story, the delivery and ultimate conclusion were a tad disappointing. In summary, this is a five-issued story arc concerning Jonathan Crane a.k.a the Scarecrow and his twisted plans involving the abduction and torment of young children in order to concoct and perfect his new brand of fear toxin. Meanwhile, Bruce Wayne is dating a Ukrainian pianist named Natalya who has expressed her disapproval over the fact that he is such an emotionally unavailable dud. But in spite of the obvious signs that this is a man who will never let her in, Natalya still wants their relationship to mean more than just keeping up appearances and the occasional shag.

I didn't mind this angle of Bruce's story for this volume because I'm honestly still hangover from the unfulfilled and unresolved character arc about Silver St. Cloud from Len Wein's Strange Apparitions comics. I can't help but think about her while I was reading Natalya though this Ukrainian girlfriend is not as interesting of a character as Silver was. But Bruce's love life is not a subplot you will ever concern yourself with. The only reason I cared a bit was because I merely tried to draw parallels between this and that of Silver St. Cloud, but I was grasping at the straws about this one.

Still, this relationship drama does serve a real purpose to the plot, even if it's only to make some hollow connections regarding Bruce's inability to form healthy relationships with women he's romantically involved, and the extent of the childhood trauma he suffered. The zero issue included in this volume explored the ways he tried to cope from his parents' random deaths at the hands of the mugger Joe Chill whom he confronts at the end of that issue. It's a classic tale we all know as Bat-fans, but the zero issue's take lacked any kind of new insight to this aspect of Bruce's tormented psyche. There will be many times when reading this volume that you'd wonder why you even bother but, unlike Knight Terrors, you get the sense that Hurwitz is trying to make you at least care about his characters from the way he writes them, often lavishly examining the childhood traumas incurred by Bruce and Jonathan which turned them into creatures drawn to the darkness as Batman and the Scarecrow respectively. There is a bit of indulgence and excess in how grim and tragic the story was told that it takes me aback half the time while reading.

I think Hurwitz is trying to put more emotional weight in his issues for The Dark Knight which is something I can applaud him for because previous writer Jenkins didn't even bother. However, the transition from Jenkins' loud yet empty showmanship of action-packed and needlessly out-of-character interactions to this serious and gritty yet ultimately unsatisfying psychoanalysis concerning two deeply conflicted men can be the most jarring experience you will ever had as a Bat-fan or casual comic book reader. Overall, I liked and disliked both volumes for varied reasons. The only thing they have in common is the concept (and flimsy deconstruction) of FEAR. Jenkins' angle was something more entertaining than Hurwitz' whose self-aware and verbose contemplations of how fear damages people can get tediously sentimental. I like my Batman stories emotionally resonant and character-driven but what Hurwitz offered is a bit much for me, I'm afraid. Let me give you some panels that I did like:





The finale issue #15 has the big confrontation which was resolved in the most depressingly hilarious manner that I almost wanted to laugh and cry all at once. That was the only reason why this volume is receiving the same rating as Jenkins'. That wrap-up did not work for me in any level. It was just so absurd and weird! Still, Scarecrow's send-off was handled pretty much as what you could expect. Villains will never get happy endings and it really is just a cycle of violence for them. I never really bought Hurwitz' interpretation of the Scarecrow a hundred percent because I felt like he was, er, "wussified'. Hurwitz presented a Scarecrow who is just a scared young boy underneath his sewed-up lips (ugh, what is up with Bat-villains mutilating themselves lately? Everyone's an aspiring Victor Zsasz). I did like the fact that one of the children he kidnaps has developed Stockholm Syndrome for him and tries to justify his actions even after she was recovered by the police; it was pitiful. Small father-son moments between Bruce and Damian were also great. David Finch's art is the real main attraction for The Dark Knight series, nevertheless.

I can still recommend this volume but you better prepare yourself for its very dark content that has a tendency to become emo-ish in some aspects.

RECOMMENDED: 7/10

DO READ MY BATMAN COMICS REVIEWS AT:

[Viridian5 · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you're expecting this to follow up on any of the many plot threads dangling from volume 1, the way I was, give up because it doesn't happen. In fact, the Scarecrow presented here doesn't even seem to have anything to do with the Scarecrow presented in volume 1, even though they're the same guy, which is jarring. About the only connection is that the plotline also concerns fear and has Batman in it.

A lot of things in here seem random, like the new-to-us-but-talks-like-she's-been-with-him-for-a-while girlfriend, and everything is excessively grimdark. I know the New 52 is something of a reboot, but it rehashes a lot of things readers have seen many times before.

It is amazing how something with so much horror in it manages to be boring.

[Gavin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gregg Hurwitz took over from Finch for this one, and so there's already a different feel to this than Vol. 1. However, there's some good and there's some bad. Bad: Gordon is still written as a damsel in distress who is only useful as a device for moving plot forward. I don't like that at all; Gordon needs to be stronger and not so easily taken by badguys, or he loses any point for existing in the book. This Bruce Wayne spends more time on his feelings than most else, including his emotional connection with Damian, which I'm on the fence about. Alfred retains none of the sense of humour from Vol. 1, and is back to being a one dimensional character.
For the DARK knight, he's not very dark here at all.
Scarecrow's new-ish origin makes him the victim of his upbringing, which I think tries to make it so he's not as evil as other versions, but that falls hollow when you see the scale of his attack on Gotham.
Penguin is here in his underworld facilitator capacity, which seems to be the best way to use him in the modern world.
Art is up and down, sometimes he looks badass, sometimes he looks silly.
There are some good parts with Batman sitting with a little girl after she's rescued from Scarecrow, and those are more emotionally powerful panels for me than the over-wrought stuff with Damian later on.
They need to have a pow-wow with all the Batman writers and decide who's going to be doing what, as it's kind of stupid to have Batman nearly die all the time now...
I read this a week ago, and I'm having a hard time remembering a ton of it other than what I didn't like, so I guess that's telling.
The final stand alone story is about Bruce going after Joe Chill when he first gets started, and that it a very good story. There's also some great foreshadowing art, with the Owls, as well as a poster for the circus that ends up looking like our favourite Green-haired baddie.

So this was a change of author, which means not really much continuity from Vol. 1, I will wait and see what Vol. 3 has to offer, and if that doesn't grab me, I won't be rushing to get anymore of this series.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is so much better than volume 1. Scarecrow is super creepy, the plot and origin story are really dark, and it's all tied together well by the art, as it should be.

The way they solve the mass fear gas attack that must be in every single Scarecrow arc is laugh out loud stupid though. Seriously, if you can manage it, just skip those few pages and pretend everyone being cured was a Christmas miracle. "Santa did it" is better than that idiocy. I really enjoyed the rest though and the "mass fear" solution is always stupid, so I'm not knocking off much for it.

[Sud666 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cycle of Violence is one of the better Batman tales out there. Hurwitz writes a captivating tale about how past traumas have helped to shape two different people with two different outlooks into a very similar archetype haunted by their pasts. I speak of Batman and Scarecrow.

This is truly a great Scarecrow story. The dark and disturbing tale shows his maturation at the twisted and diabolical hands of his father. The trauma suffered by Scarecrow as a child manifests later on in life and turns him into one of the most feared villains of the Batman world.

But he is not alone. This story is also about Batman. What motivates him, what drives him and how the initial trauma, regardless of the outcome, gave him the impetus and mania that turned him into the Dark Knight. Strange how similar both characters are. Both deal with fear in their own way. But can it be said that either is truly free from fear? I think not.

The artwork is uniformly well done. The additional two stories about Bruce Wayne are also excellent. It also has a rare redemptive scene for Scarecrow when he finally is able to empathize with one of his young victims. It could even be argued that he saves her in the end. That's interesting since it makes Scarecrow as much more sympathetic figure than he is usually shown to be. There are some very interesting facets of his personality we learn all about.

My complements to Gregg Hurwitz on the penning of a fine Batman tale. I truly enjoyed this graphic novel. The story and action never detract from the often weighty nature of the underlying issue of psychic trauma as it applies to both Batman and Scarecrow. Well done! Any batman fan will enjoy this one. If your tastes run towards Scarecrow then this is a must buy.

[Robert Wright · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great, classic Batman stories are so memorable—Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Batman: Year One, etc—and such a high-water mark for the character and the industry that it is sometimes easy to forget that the character hasn't always been a top seller for DC and hasn't always been featured in amazing stories.

Telling a good Batman story is hard enough without those heightened expectations. And telling a good Batman story is good enough. Hurwitz and Fitch do just that. Tell a good, solid, enjoyable Batman story.

It's a solid Scarecrow tale, giving a plausible and chilling origin. It's also nice to see an oft-neglected villain take the spotlight. There's only so many interesting Joker stories to tell, after all.

So, Batfans, enjoy this good time for what it is, not drag it down for what it isn't. The classics live on in their respective collections and this story is there to give you another dose of the Bat. Not the best, certainly not the worst, just a pleasant way to pass the time.

[Ryan Stewart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well this left me with seriously mixed emotions and is the very definition of a "three-star review." Big highs combined with big lows equals middle-of-the-road Batbook.

We are treated to yet another retelling of Scarecrow's origin and the creepy factor is way up there this time around. It's definitely the high point of this novel and singlehandedly makes it worth reading. It's really strong and actually might make you feel for poor Jonathan.

However, we get another retelling of... Batman's origin. Yep, he's tortured by the memory of his parents being shot and the experience falling into the cave and getting frightened by bats and blaw... blaw... blaw... It was wildly unnecessary but, honestly, not a bad rendition of the Tale Every Human Knows.

Then it falls into the same old song and dance that every Batman vs. Scarecrow comic ever written falls into. Trust me, you know what I mean.

Anyway, Gregg Hurwitz has my attention in spite of the flaws.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume features the Scarecrow as the main vilain, and it's probably even darker than the first volume. It gives a little more insight in the origin of the Scarecrow as well, which is something that actually ties into the recent GOTHAM TV series. Gregg Hurwitz does a great job on the writing, and Finch's art is great as always. Another issue here was the 0 issue, which gives the backstory on the murder of Bruce Wayne's parents. I won't spoil it here, but it's exactly the way it should be.

I've been impressed with the New 52 Dark Knight series, and recommend it to any fans of Batman comics.

[Lost Planet Airman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another tome I had forgotten to log while I was sick!
Modern Batman vs. Scarerow. A most twisted, horrifying Scarecrow.

[Angel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought the story was pretty good and was way more engaged than the previous volume though the ending (batman spaying his blood over the city of gotham) was a little silly and kinda threw me out and yeah i thought scarecrow and batman face off was fun to read though i didn't really care about the new girlfriend she was just kind of there you know

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 2 out of 5]

The artwork and action sequences here were outstanding.

Unfortunately, excessive profanity, a hideous villain, and right much blood ruined this for me.

[MC · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Batman: The Dark Knight, Vol. 2: Cycle of Violence, Batman learns an important lesson, one that could signal a return to the temperament the writers had brought him to before the "New 52" reboot. After adopting the first and third Robins as his sons, and becoming better friends with Superman, Bruce seemed to be a still-dark, but thoroughly humanized protagonist. The reboot threw this into doubt, and the writers are making their way back there, it seems.

As the New 52 began, Bats became friends with the Justice League and loved his family, but just how much of the pre-52 Batman remained was a mystery. The answer is, not as much as we would like to see. Can he become close to anyone other than his immediate family and the Justice League?

Yes, he can, if he allows himself to do so. To do this, he must shed his emotional armor, at least enough to let others into his life. He realizes this in the most shocking way of all, which is fitting for a Batman story. The wake-up call comes from being dosed with Scarecrow's newest fear toxin.

As a result of the fear toxin, the sub-conscious of Bruce Wayne forces him to face uncomfortable truths. As such, he realizes what his fear is, and that it is, in fact, losing people. If he lets anyone get close, he might lose them. Even though this epiphany comes about as a result of Scarecrow screwing with his head, he still realizes it is true. It is his thoughts, not the bad guy's.

When he gets free, Bruce does something about his realization. That is perhaps the best part of the story. To see that the writers still can have a gritty Batman that is heroic (as he should be) is wonderful as a fan.

The only con was that this was bloody and violent for even a Batman comic, so be warned on that one. On the pro side, they show the reason for Scarecrow's insanity, and one would be forgiven for thinking "there but for the grace of God" about the guy. Batman's villains continue to be undeniably evil, yet also truly sympathetic. You can't stand them, yet wish they could truly reform. It's a balance that is hard for writers to pull off, but these guys do so here.

A great volume, and one I Highly Recommend.

[Kyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good Scarecrow story, solid art, good writing.... but it didn't seem to connect well with volume one. I mean, there were a lot of unanswered questions in the first volume, and I kinda expected those threads to weave into the next volume, but they didn't.

Still, Scarecrow gets a bit of a New 52 origins update. We explore his motive as a criminal, and it seems to be part of some warped, continuous cycle that began with his own father. Some of the most interesting moments in this collection are when we see Scarecrow drop his fearful facade and begin to sympathize with his victims.

This collection also contains an origin story for Batman. It covers Bruce Wayne development as he tries to hunt down the murderer of his parents, Joe Chill. It's a pretty well written story, actually. It adds an emotional twist to Bruce's need for retribution since the mythology of his parent's murder doesn't live up to what he thought it should have been.

3.5/5

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

When did Batman's comics get so violent? Like horror-movie blood and surgery violent. Another interesting story, delving into the origins of the Scarecrow. But did he really need to sew his own lips together? Grossssss.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some background on the Scarecrow. Was okay,but could have been better.

[Alya AlShaibani · Rating 5 out of 5]

i love a good scarecrow story

[Paweł · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cały psychologiczny motyw pojedynku dwóch umysłów, inaczej pojmujących strach, został sprowadzony do mordobicia. Słabo.

[Saifullah Ahmed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Damn David Finch is a great artist.The art, the story everything is beautifully done.Scarecrow's backstory and Bruce's dealing with fear was fascinating to read. It was worth every time!

[Blindzider · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is much more in line with what I was hoping for. It has the darker edge to it and Finch's art actually looked a little better. It seems like the inks weren't as defined, resulting in a less over the top impression.

I don't think I've ever read the origin of Scarecrow in the "regular" DC universe, but this one delves in very deep and adds some credence to Crane's obsession with fear. This is the first time reading Hurwitz's work, to my recollection, and it's pretty good. There doesn't seem to be any real carryover from Vol. 1

A solid 3 stars.

[Katherine Sigarán · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

It's always entertaining to read or reread a Batman villain origin story and here Scarecrow's story is very good fleshed out and tied into the main plot and as always the art is stunning.

Siempre es entretenido leer o volver a leer una historia de origen de los villanos de Batman y aquí la historia de Scarecrow esta muy desarrollada y unida con la trama principal y como siempre el arte es impresionante.

[Torono · Rating 3 out of 5]

Batman, be better

[Batgirl_ALT_21 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another Batman Adventure for the Books 😏👍🦇!

I rather enjoyed this graphic novel because it's filled with the more imperfect parts of Batman/Bruce Wayne's personality, which displayed a great mix of contrast and similarities when paired with a rather downright disturbed Scarecrow.

Our plot begins with Scarecrow terrifying a little girl while sowing his lips together while Bruce spends some time with his latest girlfriend, who is a world-class pianist before being called to the scene by Gordon via Alfred/Penny one.

What follows is a daring chase of the driver who dropped off the terrified little girl on the street before being taken down by Batman and Gordon. The girl is then taken into police custody before her parents can be located. Batman catches wind of this by Gordon on the rooftop before going to question the little girl to learn more about her abductor. His questions lay in the open air, but the girl refuses to answer, and Batman instead spends some time with her, offering his hand for comfort as they sit in silence.

Batman then returns to the cave, searching for answers on who could be the man behind the multiple child abductions, but while he sits deep in thought, it's revealed that Damien was then trying to have a conversation with his father about rectifying his past aggressive behavior, which falls on deaf ears.

In the next scene, we see Gordon returning to his home and dropping a few bucks in the cup of spare change for his local homeless man. When Gordon enters his home to shower, he is met with a mysterious gas and is then filled with dread as he sees past visions of his children Barbara freshly paralyzed and James Junior trapped in Arkham as he becomes crippled in fear and is kidnaped. Meanwhile, outside, the Homeless man is found dead with a cryptic message written above his head.

Bullock is called to investigate the case at Gordon's home but is empty-handed, on leads to the murder of the Homeless man or Gordon's kidnapper, bearing the presence of Fear toxins as indicated by Batman's investigation. In the following scene, we see Scarecrow kidnaps yet another child this time, another little girl who he locks up in the basement downstairs. As Scarecrow begins to spray the little girl with his fear toxins, we cut to him as a young child being forced into a dark, cold basement to face his greatest fears with his father, who is a researcher studying the fear responses of his child. As the smoke clears, we see Scarecrow take a tear sample for the little girl, who then shows concern for his bleeding lips before being brushed off and locked into the closet.

We then cut to a brief, past-repressed memory of Bruce falling into the cave and the fear he witnessed as a child while the Bats rose above the caverns. We then see Bruce run to his mother's arms, who reassures him that being afraid is perfectly natural and a part of being human while his father sternly disagrees. This memory awakens Bruce from a deep sleep, and he rushes over to the young girl still in police custody to ask if she recalls anything, to which she responds with "Helwman," which is the license plate on the van that abducted her. Batman then traces down the license plate and arrives at an old decrepit house. Batman attempts to investigate in broad daylight but is met with Scarecrow with a two-barrel riffle filled with fear gas. The gun is shot in Batman's face, who then falls into an underground mine and is driven away on a cart by Scarecrow beneath the house. Scarecrow then injects Batman with his new fear toxins, and the scene comes to a close.

In the next issue, we see Scarecrow as a child share a tender moment with his rather abusive father, who tries to take some accountability for not being there for his son emotionally and encouraging him to live up to his father's name legacy as Crane. Cut to Scarecrow maniacally gazing upon his prize of a taped Batman in his dungeon. What follows is the effects of the fear toxins taking place as Bruce begins to relive his memories as a child including his father's dismay at the Bat incident brushing his son off with a "We'll discuss it later" before heading to the opera with Martha, all the nights/days spent alone as a rich neglect child, and finally the night of the incident where Bruce asked his parents to leave early because he was scared which then lead to the murder in the alley. Once Batman/Bruce thoroughly revives this memory, he then asks Scarecrow if he's confronted his fears and past, to which he replies with a whole montage of how he became Scarecrow in response to mastering fear.

Scarecrow then goes on to show current fears by spraying Batman with yet another toxin, which displays his loved ones Alfred and Damien, his Girlfriend, and Gordon all carrying out business as usual. Scarecrow tries to manipulate the situation to imply that this is all that Batman's ever wanted... that disappearing allows him to detach and free himself from the possibility of pain.

We then skip to Scarecrow gathering more tear samples from the little girl who continues to try and be sympathetic towards Scarecrow by drawing him an endearing picture and begs for the chance to go home. We then see Scarecrow sink to the ground as he is pulled back to a time when he was trapped in the basement filled with horrific images and intermittent fear below.

Our attention is then focused back on Batman, who attempts to escape but is hit with a cipher from Scarecrow, causing him to bleed profusely as he crawls towards the light but fails to be awakened, where it's revealed that no such action occurred. Scarecrow then blasts Batman with another round of fear gas subjective him to the visions of another man named Braxton Winthrop who is revealed to be a similar age to Bruce and to have lived a full life giving back to the community and an attentive father to children and husband after having endured a horrified trauma of surviving a plane crash while his parents parishes. All of this is just for Scarecrow to prove the concept that Batman chooses to live the way he does while another takes from a similar experience and grows to become a better man.

In the next scene, we see Johnathan Crane's father discuss ways in which fear toxins could be used as a weapon before passing out from a heart attack. What follows is days later when Dr. Crane is discovered dead and his son Johnathan is saved from the Hell basement.

We return to Scarecrow, ready to pick up arms to end Batman, but Batman refuses to go down without a fight as the two face their past childhood fears and fight it out. The battle ends with Batman enduring a scythe injury and a scarecrow with a grapple gun running up his chin into the wall. Batman manages to escape, and when Scarecrow comes, he returns to his lair to gather his super fear toxins and the little girl before fleeing the building before it blows up, pushing the little girl to safety in the process.

Batman returns to Gotham and comes across a pack of thugs ready to take him down until Robin appears and helps to bring his father to safety. The news then breaks about the gas leak and how Batman was spotted on the scene with the little girl freed and in the custody of the police. At the station, the little girl is reunited with her mother and begins sharing information with Gordon and Bullock about buildings she saw on a map before she turns to see Batman in the corner, revealing that Scarecrow is mad now and won't go down without a fight. We then skip to Scarecrow, who goes to Cobblepot to provide payment for his arrangement to purchase a blimp for his nefarious purposes by providing diamonds stolen by a jeweler with a phobia of Scarecrows.

In the following scene, we see havoc rained down on the Christmas parade as fear gas is sprayed onto the people who begin attacking one another. Bruce who is in recovery until he catches word of the news, springs into action prepared with a gas mask to save as many citizens as possible before requesting help from Lucius Fox to create a cure by sending Alfred. Lucius reveals that he needs antibodies to counterattack the virus. Batman travels to Wayne Tower to provide his antibodies to the fear gas, but Lucius reveals that it will take days for the antibodies to grow in a culture, so Batman requests for the system to be hooked to his blood so he can directly distribute the cure to the people.

Batman does so and then asks Damien, who is steering the plane via auto-pilot, to not stop until it is fully distributed. This leads to massive blood loss and near death, but Alfred manages to bring Bruce back from a major code, and all returns to normal with Gotham citizens saved. Our arc ends with Bruce showing up to support his girlfriend, who is performing for New Year's Eve, but messes up one part of the music and freezes, ruining the show. Bruce then reveals himself and offers to take her to get takeout and sit down to watch a show, to which she agrees (because these 2 fought earlier, and she blamed Bruce for continuously not being there for the mundane parts of life).

Finally, we end with a mini-plot discussing how Bruce tries to understand/search for the party responsible for setting up his parent's murder under the guide that his father was a powerful man but as an adult, he confronts Joe Chill who reveals that there was no reason other than his family rich and he needed money but that he never knew who they were until after.

Overall, this was a rather great episodic adventure that discusses some of the deep-seated questions related to Batman/Scarecrow psychology on fear as well as past childhood trauma. I quite enjoyed it even if the premise was rather dark/disturbing.

8.7/10 🌟. I can't wait to read Volume 3 😏👍.

[Nico · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one surprised me. It was much more interesting writing with a plot that definitely held my attention. But I think I was most impressed with the last issue in this volume. I knew Bruce's origin story. I've heard it told dozens of times by comic book characters and friends and reviewers alike. Maybe it was the fact that I read this at night, or maybe it's because my family and I had a really good, long talk this evening, but it just got me. I felt so cheated. Like Bruce, I just kept saying 'This can't be the reason. It can't be this simple. Tell me why.' And I think the hardest thing about it is that there was no reason. No reason than that a selfish and desperate man wanting another night of binge drink and a woman and man in the wrong place at the wrong time. It was senseless. There was no ulterior motive. It was just absolute coincidence and unluckiness. The thing that makes it so hard is that you can't justify it, you can't think that in some perverse way that it benefited anybody; y'know, someone got their revenge, or had to do it under duress. It was just a stupid guy with a gun and a craving. And it's really fricken unfair. That part about the watch? Jeez... I don't know, it just hit me reading those panels, seeing him doubled over out of pure loss and emptiness. Shake it off, Emily, shake it off. You have 9 AM class tomorrow.

Otherwise though, on the not depressing and actual critiquing side of things, I will say that for awhile I was worried we were going to get caught in a rut of:
*Scarecrow flashes back to childhood*
*flash back to Gotham where something related happens*
*Scarecrow flashes back to childhood*
*back in Gotham and another kid is taken*
*Scarecrow flashes back to childhood*

You get it.

But thankfully we got out of that and it's not like it got my heart pumping, but it certainly held my attention enough for me to finish it in 24 hours.

However, I do still call excessive blood. C'mon guys. I love a little gore as much as the next Dark Knight junkie, but after a while seeing blood doesn't mean much because yeah, yeah, he's bleeding again, that already happened before and he was fine. Next!

The art style wasn't my favourite, but that's completely subjective, so I can hardly yell at them for it. It got its point across, but expressions seemed to be in the shadows a bit too much. For me especially if there's little dialogue, reading expressions are even more important than usual. It also still didn't feel like Batman's voice, it was just the equivalent of an omniscient narrator for me.

Nice seeing Damian for the 3 seconds he was there. However, I'm going to be reading Batman and Robin, Vol. 2: Pearl soon, and that will have quite a bit of that relationship, so I'm looking forward to that.

Oh, one more thing before I go, I genuinely felt bad for Scarecrow at the end there. For Scarecrow. Yes, that Scarecrow. Weird, right? Hurwitz & Finch got brownie points for that.