The second issue in this latest run of the award-winning Batman anthology series Black and White is thankfully better than the first - though it’s still not that great.
The best story is The Unjust Judge by frequent collaborators Tom King and Mitch Gerads where Batman is faced with being unable to save someone - and has to watch them die. It’s a quietly moving story as Bruce takes off the cowl and holds the hand of a dying preacher as the church trapping the man burns around them. It’s rare to see this kind of story that humanises the Dark Knight by showing his limitations so I appreciated that King took us there, albeit briefly. Gerads’ art too is excellent.
Dustin Weaver’s Dual sees a White Knight version of Batman appearing around Gotham - but who is he really? I liked the nightmare-like atmosphere of the story and Weaver’s art, though I don’t think Weaver’s a good enough writer to fully realise the intriguing concept, so the story comes off a bit muddled, probably in part due to the compressed nature of the format.
Husband and wife team Gabriel Hardman and Corinna Bechko’s The Spill (about Batman being trapped under the Batmobile with Joker lording it over him as water threatens to drown him) and David Aja’s The Devil is in the Detail (Batman on the trail of Satanists) were both unremarkable stories with fantastic art. I especially liked Aja drawing his story sideways, mimicking the style and tone of 1940s newspaper strips. Sophie Campbell’s All Cats Are Grey is your average Bat chasing Cat story but her art too is really lovely, as is the Jock cover and the Stjepan Sejic pinup.
None of the stories are that particularly memorable, but neither are they that bad, and the artwork throughout is consistently impressive and gorgeous to look at - Batman: Black and White #2 is more for the art fans though the story quality has definitely improved on the previous issue. Here’s hoping that trend continues!
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