By Cat Wyatt

This continues the story of our latest (I believe) Bat-themed vigilante and to date our only one that works solely in the light of day. Duke is different from the rest of the bat-themed heroes we all know and love; he believes in fighting in the light, and he’s also a metahuman. The struggles he’s facing and will continue to face are very different from the rest of the Robins and Bat people (that sounded a little comical, if I may say so), more so because of his limited backup (which makes me wonder – do the rest of the team keep their communicators on during the day? I’m sure obsessive Bruce does, but what about the rest?).

When we last saw our daylight caped crusader he was fighting a bunch of other metahuman teenagers, and needless to say, it wasn’t going well. Despite the peril he was left in, this issue doesn’t start off continuing the fight. Instead, we’re regaled with some more Gotham history. Specifically the history of the buildings themselves. The connection to what is happening now is both literal and metaphorical (Duke’s father was a construction worker, and believe you could see the truth of Gotham in the light…need I say more?).

Now, back to the fight (or should I call it Signal getting his butt kicked?); he’s fighting several metas, and losing, while Izzy and Riko freak out trying to find him solutions from a distance (I don’t envy their job, having to see the things that happen to him and having no way of physically backing him up? That would be rough).

I have to admit, the kids he’s fighting have awesome names, as well as really interesting powers. Palette throws tiny black holes at people (the more I think about that the freakier it gets); Null we’ve already met, but I still love the name; and Killjoy has the least creative name, but her design is fantastic (cyborg dreadlocks and implants around her eye and most of her joints). I think Duke could probably take any one of them on their own, but combined they’re just barely too much for him (am I being too kind by saying barely? I’m not sure).

The whole scene where Null has Duke trapped and starts to mess with his head was seriously freaky. I’m not sure I would want to see what would have happened, had that not been interrupted (thank goodness it was – I don’t think Duke would have survived otherwise).

Thankfully the police, led by Detective Aisi (love her) arrive just in time to save Duke’s butt. Granted, I’m not sure their goal was to save them (pretty sure they were just responding to suspicious events occurring there), but man they could not have timed that any better. The bigger concern now is who is mind controlling the kids, and why.

Meanwhile the ex-Robins providing intel to Duke are having some trouble in paradise. Riko doesn’t appear to approve of any of the methods they’re using to get the job done. I can certainly understand her concern – she’s afraid she’s going to end up watching Duke die and not be able to do anything about it. I’m not sure I could handle it either, so I get it.

I have to admit, I kind of really want to see Aisi and Duke end up teaming up to start cleaning up the streets. I think that’s more likely to happen than having her become his police antagonist, but you never know. Regardless, they’re both sharp and were able to follow different trails to the same location, so clearly they’re capable of rational thinking. Not to mention that they both feel like they have something to prove. I think they would potentially make a great team.

While they might not be an official team yet, I love seeing them work together. They haven’t found any answers yet, but they have started asking the right questions, and that’s just as important (if not more) than the answers themselves. At least in theory.

I don’t know how everything is going to tie together yet. Obviously Batman is involved somehow (Duke figured that much out already) and if I had to hazard a guess I think Duke’s dad may be part of it as well (or at least they’re heavily implying it to throw us off the scent).

This was an interesting continuation to the series. I’m still not sure if I love the plot being given to Duke, though I do really like his character. I’m hoping things pick up from here, as I’d like to see his series succeed.

I love the artwork for this series, especially the character designs. I’ve already gushed about Palette, Null, and Killjoy, but there are so many others as well; such as Duke (obviously) both in and out of his suit, Detective Aisi, and the backup Robins. I haven’t had a lot of time to get used to any of them yet, but I can still tell them all apart at a glance, which is a big deal for me. I also love the color palettes chosen - especially for the tech and abilities – the way they’re portrayed is fantastic.

Score: 3/5

Batman & the Signal #2
DC Comics