Detective 804 – the problem with Mr. Freeze, and The Barker ends
Lapham, Bachs and Massengill continue with City of Crime in Detective 804 (May 2005).
I guess I should admit that this is a storyline I have never read until now. I am a few issues ahead of these posts, but generally I know the whole story before writing it up.
The best scene in the issue, in my eyes, once again deals with the dead girl, Haddie McNeil. Bruce attends her funeral, and tries to give some consolation to her father, who assumes that Bruce was sleeping with his underage daughter, but also doesn’t care at all.
Mr. Freeze has fallen in love with the girl he kidnapped, and so he kidnaps a minister, so the two of them can get married.
The Penguin sends a message to the Ventriloquist. Mr. Freeze has gone out of control, and the Penguin needs someone reliable. Apparently, that means someone who talks through a dummy. Ah, Gotham.
Batman goes to talk to Dr. Jeremiah Arkham, a wonderful character, getting his first real scene in Detective Comics, despite having been around for over a decade. Arkham explains that Freeze was undergoing a complete re-building of his psyche when he escaped. Being midway through the process means he is even more deranged than usual.
Batman tracks down Freeze, and is about to bring him in when a sniper shoots through his helmet, which will cause Freeze to die. At the same time, Batman finds himself surrounded by masked attackers.
The story continues in the next issue.
Mike Carey and John Lucas bring The Barker to an ending in this issue.
The circus folks realize that the killer is the man who owns the circus, that he has been using them all along, while pretending to be on their side.
The Barker kills him, and winds up in prison for his efforts to seek justice. Downer.
Not a bad story, but like The Tailor before it, it made me want to see more of the person in their titled position.