Batman: Gotham Adventures #21

Batman: Gotham Adventures

by Bob Smith (Cover (Pencils)), Terry Beatty (Inks/Cover), Lee Loughridge (Colors/Cover)

A young girl has been kidnapped and the only "eye witness" is a blind jazz musician. Can even Batman use the information the old man provides to find the girl before the kidnapper takes his revenge?

Genres: Comic Book, Batman

36 pages, Comic Book

First published February 1, 2000

Reviews

[cauldronofevil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice, fun cover.

”Issue #21” starts with Commissioner Gordon and Batman on a rooftop next to the bat signal in the snow. Gordon is showing a picture of a child that was kidnapped this morning.

Really impressive art in just this one page. Showing a ‘talking heads’ moment in a really cool way.

Her locket was found down in Templeville. A piece of glass was found near the locket.

Templeville is a distinct town from Gotham City in the DC universe, but it is shown to be a nearby location.

Analyzing the glass at the bat cave, Batman discovers its from a bottle that was only manufactured in the south about thirty years ago.

Only Dick Grayson recognizes it as a slide for playing blues guitar. Batman and Nightwing head down to Templeville.

They get to the side where the slide and the locket were found. Nearby an blind old man (Pledge) is being hassled by two men. Nightwing intervenes.

”You’ve got three seconds to leave and turn yourselves into the police. One…”

The old man asks if they found his slide? It’s about the little girl that was taken, right? He saw the girl being carried by a man and when she dropped her locket, he put his slide down near it. Batman asks why he didn’t go to the police? He says he knows that would have made him suspect number one! He provides a good description of the kidnapper.

At the little girl’s home her parents are giving a statement to a policewoman. They can’t think of any enemies. The father works at a TV station, the mother at a bank. Batgirl reports to Batman. There’s been no ransom demand.

Next we have a montage of Batman making the rounds and beating up at lot of people at bars, restaurants and pool halls. You know, investigation.

Finally someone says that Al Vicinelli wasn’t happy about some expose running on TV. Batman shows up at Al’s office high rise.

”We need to talk, Al.”

Al presses a button on her desk that summons about eight henchmen who rush in and attack.

Batman asks Al where the girl is. She says she didn’t know he was going to do anything. Chas Carswell, a hit man that no one has ever seen. Al says that they may have gotten some hidden camera shots of him. Something her film editor father could take out. Al gives Batman a number that she calls to get hold of him.

Batman goes back to Pledge for his help.

That was a really neat story. Lots of nice little touches that give it some depth. Pledge is a great character. A little bit of bait and switch with the cover. There was no dynamite in the story whatsoever. That would subtract -1, but the art was especially evocative in this story, so it’s back to 5 stars.

No title on this story, which is a shame.

[Jimmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The was a fun issue from Batman: Gotham Adventures series! I like it when Batman comics are told as a mystery where Batman is operating as the detective that he’s supposed to be.
In this story there’s a kidnapping of a little girl. Batman finds one witness: a blind man. But this blind man is a talented jazz musician who has a keen sense of observation from his listening. Will this man help Batman find the girl and also the suspect?
Great story, fun and clean; I recommend it!

[Steven Shinder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heartwarming when you consider Batman is trying to prevent what happened to him from happening to someone else.