Batman #420

[iamrman]

How about that no killing rule, huh?

Okay, the KGBeast did end up returning, but that doesn’t take away the fact that Batman left somebody to die.

Comments

[huntleyhaverstock]

This storyline got me into Batman comics. You kinda need some context: The Beast has killed SO MANY PEOPLE at this point, just absolutely mowed down tons and tons and tons of innocent people. Batman has nearly killed himself multiple times trying to apprehend the Beast, including once nearly falling to his death when he snares the Beast by one hand, only to have the Beast sever his own hand with a fire axe to escape. The Beast is incredibly dangerous, absolutely unstoppable, and unlike the Joker, who at least plays by his own twisted rules, is just a straight line of murder directly to his next target. So yeah, I think Batman’s doing the smart thing here. He’s exhausted and beat to hell. He’s not killing the Beast. He’s just letting the consequences of the Beast’s actions catch up with him.

I never liked how, after his portrayal as an intelligent, formidable threat here, the Beast has been reduced to a dimwitted Boris Badenov stooge in his subsequent appearances.

If you’ve never read this story arc, I think it’s a minor masterpiece — one gripping set piece after another in a relentless ticking-clock story structure.