By Cat Wyatt

Mother Panic Gotham A.D. issue 2 continues the saga started. Violet is on a quest to find her mother, and the latest hint given to her (assuming she’s willing to trust an even more deranged Joker than normal…) has her heading towards Arkham Asylum.

This issue starts out with a focus on Robinson Park. It’s being advertised as an environmental marvel, but we already know we can’t trust the adverts we’ve been shown. In truth the park is the last remnants of Gotham as it was. No efforts have been effective at getting the last dwellers out of the forest, and it appears that any attempt results in fatalities (that certainly sounds like Gotham…).

These very woods are where Violet is headed. It is here she hopes to find an ally, or at least get information on how to break into Arkham. I have a few theories on what is making those woods so dangerous, and seeing them come alive to attack Violet pretty much confirms all of them. Somewhere in these woods Poison Ivy lives on.

While Violet was willing to dodge and cut tree branches, she’s unwilling to fight cats (aka two giant tigers that were sent to collect her). So she lets them lead her to a cabin in the woods (that sounds like the beginning of a terrifying story, doesn’t it?). I’m sure you can guess who those cats are escorting her to…Catwoman of course.

Once Violet is able to make it clear that she isn’t part of the Collective (an  understandable mistake, considering she showed up in a mask – something only the Collective does these days) she’s able to tell Catwoman what she wants – to rescue her mom from Arkham. This would have the added bonus of hurting the Collective, though she doesn’t understand how or why. That can come later.

Violet is told to head to a certain location at midnight tomorrow – there she will find help to get into Arkham. Oh, she’s also told never to come back, but that’s not terribly surprising. Oddly enough, we haven’t seen Ivy around, just Catwoman. One of the plants does reach out to hold Selena’s hand however…could Ivy has transcended and become a plant? Normally I would consider this a good thing for Ivy…but Selena seems so sad and lonely, I have trouble feeling that way right now.

The Collective may be marketing the new Gotham as a happy and healthy city, but it’s anything but. The masked crusaders running around seem more similar to a mobsters ‘protection’ offered than anything else, and the police resort too quickly to lethal force – even when civilians would potentially witness or be put at risk by their actions.

While Violet is prepping for her mission, the Joker has been rounded up like so many other villains. He doesn’t put up the normal fight one would expect from him. Instead he threatens them with his balloons once again, before being carried off while laughing…at least that last bit is more like the old him.

Meanwhile Rosie is furious that Violet won’t let her come along on the mission. She’s determined to hurt the Collective, and doesn’t seem to understand that Violet’s mission isn’t of the ‘hurt people’ sort (though it should indirectly hurt the Collective, or at least that’s what we keep getting told).

So naturally Rosie slips out into the night once Violet is gone. Surely to enact her own sense of justice on the world and the Collective. That will probably get bloody and more than a little bit messy. Though I’m sure she can handle herself.  

Violet heads to the agreed upon location…only to find that isn’t Catwoman that’s meeting her. Sure, she’s dressed like Catwoman, in a sense, but she’s far too young. I suppose she could be a child of Catwoman, or a fan learning her ways. It’s hard to be sure, especially since Violet didn’t ask (though likely she wouldn’t have been given those answers anyway).

The guide leads her through the sewers, up until a certain point (which Violet is fine with – she doesn’t want to have to protect anyone this mission), where she leaves her with directions and codes for the rest of the way. I’m sure the codes are accurate (it’s implied that Ivy got the codes through a plant in Harley’s office…yes that Harley).

This issue was mostly building up to something, which I’m okay with, though obviously I don’t know what it’ll lead to. It was interesting to see the alternative versions of a few different characters, such as Ivy, Catwoman, and Harley. I’m curious to see if Harley will go down the same path, with Joker now being brought into Arkham. Probably not, but it’s interesting to think about.

I love the darker and richer tones used in this series. It makes the bright suit of Violet’s stand out even more. Having her character so starkly different from the world and other vigilante stories we’ve known is such an interesting idea. It shows us how alien this world really is.

Score: 3/5

Mother Panic Gotham A.D. #2
DC's Young Animal