By George Pratt (DC Comics)
ISBN: 1-56389-775-X
Sometimes even the best of intentions don’t quite produce a great result. Master illustrator George Pratt returned tangentially to the Vietnam War for the back story of this supernatural thriller starring the Dark Knight but the overall results are vastly below his superb par as established with the landmark Enemy Ace: War Idyll (ISBN: 978-0-9302- 8978-2).
Bruce Wayne is tortured by bloody nightmares of devils and sacrifices as a killer tries to re-enact a murder-ritual based on the points of a cross. Such ritual has been attempted many times throughout history, but on this particular occasion the stakes seem much higher – and much more personal. Only a girl named Luci Boudreaux, escapee and survivor of the Hell of Viet Nam seems to have any answers to the dilemma…
Although painted with astounding passion and skill, the story seems to have been sadly neglected and is a bit of a mess, with war veterans, voodoo priests, faith-healers, demons and an uncomfortable misunderstanding of the relationship between Batman and Commissioner Gordon muddying a rather tired old plot. If you love dark and moody style above content give it a shot but otherwise this pretty much a completist-only book.
© 2000 DC Comics. All Rights Reserved.