It’s interesting that Batman and Green Hornet have their feet stuck in glue on the cover as it’s like a commentary on the slow-moving story to this crossover (really great art from Alex Ross though!).
When last we left our heroes, they were stuck to the roof of a moving train as it was headed into a tunnel. To Kevin Smith and Ralph Garman’s credit, they didn’t do the whole “(Batman reaches into his utility belt) It just show happens, old chum, I have my special anti-glue spray…” bit.
Unfortunately that scene is the only part of the issue that could generously be called entertaining as the action slows to a snail’s pace afterwards. Green Hornet and Batman separate and hunt down General Glue - who’s teamed up with Cesar Romero’s Joker for some reason - and get into a brief tussle before the issue ends. And that’s it for another month!
This storyline is so underdeveloped and weak! General Glue’s an awful character and his motivation for stealing some fossils is plain dull. Joker’s thrown in for seemingly no other reason than because Smith/Garman love Romero’s Joker, and he mixes himself up in criminal ploys rather than because he’s integral to the story. And the crossover heroes? They bicker, they scrap a little, but what’s the big deal about Batman meeting Green Hornet? Their scenes are completely unexciting.
The issue ends on a really dumb cliffhanger too - Kato and Robin’s mouths and noses are glued shut by Joker and Glue warns Batman and Kato not to take another step or they’ll die. That usually means the villain’s pointing a gun at their hostage but there aren’t any guns in the panel - Glue and his goons are literally just holding Kato and Robin. So what’s stopping Batman and Green Hornet from taking another step? Nothing, especially as doing so would only yield a positive outcome for them. Plus, why wouldn’t Kato or Robin be able to free themselves from some goons, glued up mouths and noses or otherwise? It’s a really poorly thought out, arbitrary ending.
Like the first issue, Smith/Garman have the voices down nicely and Ty Templeton’s art is as pretty as ever, drawing the actors from the TV show as they appeared way back when, but it’s all in service of this crappy, boring plot. The whole issue feels overlong as if Smith/Garman came up with a paper-thin story and have had to streeeeeeeeetch it over six issues. But if you read The Widening Gyre, you probably already expected something like this.
Four more issues of tedium to go, folks. Maybe it’s already time to abandon this protracted train wreck of a comic?
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