My first memory of Marc Guggenheim is his work on The Amazing Spider-Man. Jeez, how long ago is that now? Oh yeah, and he wrote one of my favorite Wolverine arcs of all time during Marvel’s "Civil War." That stuff was brutal. Regardless of my history of reading stuff from the guy, I never would have thought that he’d be doing any digital stuff. To have so many different things come out this often from Marc is great. I’m really happy to see that he’s taken over an arc of Legends of the Dark Knight. Plus, having Riddler as the villain is awesome. I’ve always been a big fan. I am very pleased with the conclusion of “Herded Limits”. I really like how Dr. Meridian’s diagnosis of Edward Nigma and Batman are both being read throughout the events of this arc. That was a pretty cool creative move. You’d think that it would tend to get a little distracting, but that’s not the case. It’s the main focus of the story. It kind of reminds me of watching a DVD with fun facts playing out on the bottom of the screen. Plus, Meridian’s diagnosis of Edward Nigma turns out to be spot on in this case. You get a good idea of why Riddler never seems to “win” when he goes up against Batman. Is it really because he continues to get outsmarted every time, or is there something else? There is a lot more going on inside that head of his than I actually thought was possible.
Marc Guggenheim does a really good job with Meridian’s character. Obviously this is a comic about Batman, but her intelligence and strength really take center stage in this issue. We still get to see the always fun and brooding nature of Batman, but overall, he’s seen more as a tool for Gotham. Almost an “unsung hero” in a manner of speaking. We all know why Bruce can never have a normal relationship in his life, but the content in this issue really drives that point home and makes it very clear.
Federico Dallocchio did a terrific job for this entire arc. Every character has a sense of elegance about them. His art is an overall really good fit for the specific story that Marc tells.
This issue was great, but it doesn’t compare to the overall quality of the arc. As a whole, Herded Limits would make a really good collected edition. I’m not saying that it has to be read that way, but it would definitely help.
I guess that the real bottom line is that I’m recommending this issue. But I’m also strongly suggesting that you go back and read the whole story. I’m sure that you know how the whole digital series thing works by now. We’re seeing more and more digital series all the time. This is why they stick around.
Score: 5/5
Writer: Marc Guggenheim Artist: Federico Dallocchio Publisher: DC Comics Price: .99 cents Release Date: 12/3/13