Batman Legends of the Dark Kinght Annual #3 (1993) Bloodlines Deathstorm Part 4

[pyrotwilight]

Another of my favorite issues from the Bloodlines event.

In a bit of a confusing event this issue was less about the heroes fighting off a Parasite (or really at all) and more about what happens when you make two New Bloods at the same time one good and one bad, but with another twist.

18 pages of a 56 page story.

Some odd art in the story and fairly uneven but I can't say I disliked it.



 

Our story opens up with a violent situation waiting to happen.

An angry conman named Hames has taken a bunch of kids and a Priest named Dennison hostage. The group is waiting while the local ranger goes to get transportation in exchange for the survival/release of the children and Hames is threatening to kill the kids one by one if the Ranger doesn't get there soon. 

Only problem? The Ranger was just killed by Gemir. 



Father Dennison tells the kids to run while he tries to speak to the creature he thinks the creature is only attacking because it was startled. 



It's interesting to note this is the only time the Parasite/Gemir shows up in the issue, just to act as a catalyst. Also it's a bit amusing that had you not read the other annuals with how silent Gemir is you'd think he weren't intelligent or capable of speech.

Hames awakes next to Dennison and sees he survived but Dennison has stopped breathing so he grabs him to see how he is showing a surprising worry over Dennison's condition.

 

A Sheriff and his Deputy are on patrol looking for Hames when they come upon the two. Dennisson says he's taken Hames as his prisoner but when the Sheriff turns hiss head after he begins to cuff Hames Dennison hits him with his guns side knocking him over and then shoots the Deputy. 



He gives the Sheriff a touch and...



So we see the two are opposites.

Hames the former criminal, killer and overall conman has had a change of heart while Father Dennison has had his world turned upside down and decided to become evil believing good is a lie.



So the two head to Gotham. The Deputy helps take Samaritan to Gotham's bus station so that he can try stopping Dennison from killing Bishop Manwell.

Dennison has meanwhile hitched a ride from a woman from Gotham who runs a costume shop there who in her car has props and costumes from a modern version of the play Murder in the Cathedral.

 

And so Dennison becomes Cardinal Sin.



I do love how the same event on two people can affect them so differently, tis one of the reasons I loved this issue.

Now we see our usual Batman (Jean Paul) as he was during his crazy-er days during the Knight saga.

 

Despite dressing in a new outfit (given to him by the Deputy fro earlier) Hames is quickly spotted and arrested. Unlucky for him however the cops decide they could use some recognition and prod him to make a run for it so that they can shoot him down and get gold badges in recognition of their death defying heroism.



And so Batman "saves" Samaritan and takes him (blindfolded) to the Batcave to interrogate him but in the escape gets hit by some stray shots (huh, you'd think that armor would be utterly bulletproof...)

 



 

Yep, Samaritan and Cardinal Sin are half brothers, a cool little fact as well given how similar but opposite their powers are. 

We then see Bishop Manwell arrive at one of the homes for the Clergy in Gotham and we see his compassion in the fact he asks for a large group of the homeless to come in with him even though they're not allowed. Bishop Manwell then decides to leave since he promised to stay with them for the night, the security officer eventually relents and allows them all in. Cardinal Sin then enters as well with the cgroup with the officer replying "I let half the skels in Gotham in. What's a cardinal more or less?"

Now closed off Batman enters via skylight after he sees that Cardinal Sin is moving in to grab and kill Bishop Manwell.

 



CS: Oh yes, I do. 

He grabs him apparently killing the Bishop. Samaritan and Batman move in and Samaritan grabs and restores life to the Bishop.



 

 


Overall a rather interesting issue that raises many questions. 

Could a killer who wants to reform/essentially has reformed act without getting arrested? It'd be intersting if he awoke and kept his powers only for a group like the Suicide Squad to take him on their team in return for a pardon for his former criminal acts.

Samaritan was for me the main sell for the story, kinda like Max Damage in Incorruptible I'm always interested in seeing how someone who was once so bad does with his life now. 

Samaritan keeping his powers wouldn't be too much of a shock either. He was originally going to die before Samaritan revived him, one could argue he only survived and received powers because of Samaritan and that their touch simply shorted out Cardinal Sin but hurt Samaritan in the process. I'd certainly love to see him return somewhere, Cardinal Sin not so much but I guess it could be fun too. Alas the two as far as I know where never seen outside of this story.                                                                                                     

Comments

[q99]

Yea, that is a pretty good one.

And wow, Bloodlines has been going on for a few weeks in-universe, hasn't it? Paul's armor progression is almost complete.

[pyrotwilight]

Yep, in story it took place over a few months I believe, it was kinda fun seeing time progress in the Bat books with him like that getting more and more armored.

[acton]

Interesting story. Nice exploration of same event, different paths taken.

I can't help but think of the real Cardinal Sin: an actual cardinal in the Philippines. Our family is friends with his cousins.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaime_Sin

Surprisingly, he never turned to supervillainy.

[icon_uk]

Hmmm, I liked the underlying concept, but the cliches come so thick and fast that I was groaning by about halfway through.

Of COURSE the priest turns to evil because... oh the irony just writes itself. I admit it's an obvious schtick, but it's TOO obvious, to easy. (The fact he instantly became a cackling, murdering, bwah-ha-ha villain with an outfit that makes Brother Blood look demure didn't help).

One assumes that the security guard was joking around since, though Catholic clergy may like the fancy robes, there is no way on God's green earth that anyone would accept that as a cardinal's outfit.

But I think it was the "But actually DUN-DUN-DUN... we're brothers" which was the straw that broke the camels back for me.

Plus the "You deny the existence of evil" doesn't sit right with me. I've never met a priest who doesn't acknowledge the existence of evil in the world. They may believe in the underlying power of good, but they're not blind and in most cases, THAT naive.

Could a killer who wants to reform/essentially has reformed act without getting arrested?

In the real world? No, the warrant for their arrest would be active at all times. In comics? Who knows.

Agreed though, I'd like to see Samaritan again, just avoid the lazy writing tic of his do-gooder-turned-evil-brother as his foil.

[pyrotwilight]

"But I think it was the "But actually DUN-DUN-DUN... we're brothers" which was the straw that broke the camels back for me."

I actually did like that part, if only to explain why their powers seemed so similar but opposite. And the revelation also cast an interesting point on how opposite they lived their lives as well, despite being so related.

[halloweenjack]

O'Neil deservedly gets props for the groundbreaking stories that he did in the sixties and seventies, but by this point he'd devolved to full-time anviliciousness. I especially like how Sin describes his every-90s-costume-cliche-in-the-book-but-a-thigh-pouch outfit is a cardinal's robe, when it looks absolutely nothing like any cardinal's vestments. And, of course, Harvey is never seen without a donut in his mouth.

[icon_uk]

In fairness, the robes are for an avant-garde stage production of a piece based around priests and an archishop (Though I don't think there's actually a Cardinal in the TS Eliot original), it's possible the driver was making small talk with the priest and mentioned the outfit specifically as an amusing anecdote.

It's anyone who WASN'T aware of the nature of the production thinking that outfit was remotely liturgical which is plain weird.

[silverzeo]

Cardinal Sin's out fit... WOW! The spike-vest was bad enough in my mind, but then you have that weird boot thing on his right leg, but not his left, and that spiked-arm band, it MUST have been too big for him as it just never shows up again at all.

[icon_uk]

Catholicism EXTREEEEEEEME!

[halloweenjack]

It's as if he's wearing the entire Inquisition at once, amirite?