Batman: Gargoyle of Gotham (2023-) #3

Batman: Gargoyle of Gotham

by Rafael Grampá

“May the hour of the devil begin…”The harrowing journey through the dark heart of Gotham reaches a fever pitch in this penultimate installment of Rafael Grampá’s visionary series! Batman’s investigation leads him into the deadly lair of Doctorgeist—where his presence is not only expected…but welcomed. Their savage fight for the soul of Gotham—and the soul of Bruce Wayne himself—will send shock waves through the city from which it might never recover. And elsewhere, the fugitive Crytoon makes a twisted acquaintance that finally gives him something to smile about…

Genres: Comics, Dc Comics, Batman, Comix

Kindle Edition

Published December 26, 2024

About the author

Rafael Grampá began working as an illustrator at the age of 14. He began by illustrating self-help books – what he calls the “how to raise your problematic teenagers sort”. During this period, he also did t-shirt designs, caricatures, children’s party decorations, coats of arms and logos for butcher shops and surf shops. He worked as an art director at the Brazilian motion graphics studio LOBO in 2003 where he worked with clients such as Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, Creme Savers, Banco Real, Grendene , Diesel and others. Recent freelance work includes the concept design for ESPN-NBA spots, for Wieden+Kennedy NY, directed by Blacklist’s CISMA, and the visual ID for RESFEST/10 Brasil, that includes a opening and a toy.

Reviews

[Eric · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I was looking at the first issue with fresh eyes and loving the artwork so much that I forgave the story, I feel the story and new characters are just too weak and uninteresting, doesn't feel like Batman sometimes.

[Rease Stoneheart · Rating 3 out of 5]

NOTE: The below review had been copy pasted in the previous two issues, as I wanted to review the entire run, but there's no collected edition yet.

Batman has always been a favorite superhero of mine.

There's just something about him I love, ever since I saw the 90s cartoon as a kid. I'm aware that the character is old enough that there are all sorts of different iterations of the guy, from the Campy Adam West depiction, the genial, good-natured Superfriends, to the dark, brooding knight, and everything in between, but it's the gothic detective version that I love the most.

Why? Because Batman, unlike other superheroes, is a regular human. Master of martial arts, genius-level IQ, and incalculable wealth, but a regular human nonetheless, so it never made sense why he'd be able to stand toe to toe with literal demigods and planetary threats.

So for me, the best version of Batman had always been where he's at home in Gotham, figuring out a crime spree, following clues, and fighting enemies who are just as tenacious as he is. The world's greatest detective has to mean something after all.

So when I saw that the 4th issue of this limited run came out, I had to pick up the previous issues to read. I quietly took a break from this classic novel I'm reading, and spent the day with some snacks and hot cocoa, curled up in my reading chair, following through over the last four issues.

How much did I like it? Well... by the 3-star review, you can probably guess I had an okay time, but not an amazing time. I enjoyed it and don't regret picking it up. Let me go more into depth on what I mean by that.

ALSO, keep in mind that I intend to copy/paste this review for Issues #1, #2, #3, and #4, so more than likely you'll see this on those four issues. Let me get into it:


Art

The art is honestly the best part of this limited run. It's bold, dynamic, gorgeous to look at, and never stops being impressive.

I'm not kidding. Look at the background art of Gotham itself, with its towering buildings, gothic architecture, and how Rafael Grampa switches between a comedic, simplistic style to one filled with minute details to pore over.

It's clear where his inspirations lie, too. A lot of the art has that Robert Crumb style of grittiness to it that feels like it belongs in the 70s or 80s. That sort of grungy, unkempt look that oozes onto the page, and where you can almost smell it. While occasionally the characters CAN look uncanny - especially Bruce Wayne when he's supposed to look handsome to an almost grotesque level - they're overall really fun to look at, especially since there's a large cast of varied characters.


Story

Unfortunately, this is where it loses some stars for me.

I'll try not to get too much into spoiler territory, as I do believe this is a Batman limited run worth picking up, but I do want to state some of the inherent problems with it over the entire 4-issue run (and as I said, you will be seeing this review on all 4 issues).

At the start, the story is intriguing and hooks you in. There's a serial killer on the loose, and the homeless keep going missing. Batman is tracking down the homeless to a warehouse, thinking it's connected to the serial killer. It hints at a larger conspiracy to uncover, which is what drew me in. I wanted to know more, how these different threads would eventually tie up, and who some of the new characters in Batman's newer rogues gallery were.

And then... it kind of just keeps expanding with new twists and turns. The roster of characters grows from Batman, Gordon, and the new badguy we got introduced to, to around a dozen new enemies, half a dozen allies, an overarching antagonist we see for all of two scenes, and a convoluted story that makes little to no sense when you stop to think about it.

I get it; this was a limited run, and if this series ever gets picked up again for another limited run in this Batman AU world, they want to entice readers into seeing new, exciting characters. However, all that does is muddy the water. I actually stopped caring about all of the characters added around halfway into Issue #2. There were just SO many shoehorned in.

Speaking of characters, I really did not like this version of Bruce Wayne. I get that a lot of Batman stories now mainly focus on Bruce's relationship with his cowled identity, but what makes Bruce Wayne an interesting person is how he handles both sides of his personality. Batman is stoic, to the point, and no-nonsense because he needs to be to be the monster in the shadows that scares criminals. The best depictions of Bruce Wayne have his real self acting like a good-natured, affable playboy who knows he's a nepo baby and is just trying to do his best. He's charming and sophisticated because Billionaire Playboy Bruce Wayne can go places Batman can't, and it's the juxtaposition of balancing out both sides and having Bruce decide on what he wants to be vs. what he has to be that makes his internal conflict engaging.

In this, Bruce is kind of an ass, and not in a fun way. He's rude when he doesn't need to be, acts like he's the smartest man in the room, and also seemingly is not aware of how his place as a billionaire is a tool. Two minor spoilers that put me off on this depiction of him are where Alfred mentions that he, too, still mourns Thomas and Martha Wayne's deaths, and Bruce tells him to shut up, and then shortly afterwards, a reporter asks him about his thoughts regarding how the homeless are ignored while the city's elite who died are given focus. He then tells her to essentially piss off before driving away.

Like, what the hell? I know this is supposed to be a grittier, gothic noir story and is aimed at adults, but he's still the hero, and we still need to have some reason to root for him. I thought this was a bit for Bruce to play into, so people wouldn't suspect he's Batman, but nope... later on, he runs into the reporter again and is remorseful that he thought that way before and sees the error of his ways.

I'd go into detail about the structure of the story, but honestly... I'll save that for a deep dive one day into some modern gothic horror essays on my Substack. For now, just know that the story is at least okay, but take breaks after each issue because otherwise you'll just space out and start skimming like I did when yet another twist to the conspiracy comes up, and we meet a new character.


Overall

In the end, this was a fun read, I did enjoy the day with but probably won't come back to read again if I see it across my bookshelf.

It presented some new enemies for Batman to fight that I would love to see become mainstay in canon. The crying assassin we met at the start was intriguing enough that I want to see whether he comes back in some form or another, especially since we didn't really resolve his story at all. I also like the idea of a cult that seeks to destroy Gotham, though I guess that's really just another form of Ras Al Ghoul with some other magic schtick.

Plus I really did like Rafael Grampa's art style and hope to see more down the line. Either with DC, IDW, Dark Horse, or Independent, it doesn't matter. I just want to see more in the end.

[টক দইয়ের চা · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Bat does not believe in light because it cannot see."

Not bad, especially with the baby Joker—an innovative touch to this series. The art style is, as usual, GREAT, but the story is a bit incoherent. God knows how long we’ll have to wait for the next issue!

[RubiGiráldez RubiGiráldez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ha sido el primer número de esta miniserie que de verdad he disfrutado. Aclarada ya la propuesta de nueva mitología grotesca en torno a Batman y esta Gotham que conforma nuevos villanos (aún mirando a alguno clásico como el aparente retorcido origen del personaje de portada). El también curioso estilo artístico de Rafael Grampá también tiene más cabida para brillar encarando esta recta final que o bien definirá una versión alternativa del Caballero Oscuro realmente propia para bien en un conocido estatus quo de héroe nocturno. O las heridas psicológicas del conocido trauma infantil de Bruce, deformadas en mayor medida por un maquinador intelecto perverso buscando erigir su propio culto y conformar asesinos míticos con los más vulnerables y desamparados, terminan de sumirle en una personalidad más monstruosa de lo nunca visto en Gotham City.

[Alex Hughes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely weaker than the first two issues, it loses part of its focus, which is somewhat understandable as it naturally needs to build out the story by expanding the plot, but it still felt slightly messy (primarily with the exposition dump) - and i’m not sure how I feel about the new teenage side characters - I don’t think they mesh in smoothly with the bleak and grungy tone that the previous issues established.
That being said it was still a fun read and there are a couple of pages that are absolutely shocking to look at. They have not skipped out any of the violence and gore. Still interested to see where it goes.
Also, baby Joker? I don’t know about it. Bold swings for sure.

[Travis Armstrong · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book starts to bring back to life the trauma that Bruce endured when his parents were murdered. His past comes back, and starts to torment him. This book is more mental for Bruce with plenty of fighting throughout the book. Interesting to see what’s to come in the next book.

[Bertazzo · Rating 2 out of 5]

How come this gorgeous dumpster fire got approved?

[Noah L · Rating 4 out of 5]

Def the weakest of the 3 so far

[Gianpaolo Grieco · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un buon proseguo della storia, pronti al gran finale 👍🏻

[Nicolo · Rating 4 out of 5]

The mesmerizing depiction of ultraviolence is what defines Grampá's art and he has unleashed it in this book. Check the subway station carnage in this book for what I'm trying to say.

[Ziyad Baksh · Rating 3 out of 5]

weird boldness

it starts in the middle of a fight and makes you feel like you missed a few issues.

it definitely introduces a unique take on Batman but it's hard to pierce through upon a first read.