Man-Bat #3

Man-Bat #3: Below Rock Bottom

Art by Sumit Kumar, Colors by Romulo Fajardo JR, and Letters by Tom Napolitano

As an editor, I worked on almost 75 issues of Harley Quinn comics. Mostly by the team of Amanda Conner, Jimmy Palmiotti, Chad Hardin, John Timms, Alex Sinclair & John J Hill on their landmark run on the character. I also grew up on Batman the Animated Series where Harley originally appeared, if my math her first episode debuted two weeks before I was born. As a character, she’s been almost omnipresent in my life, but she was never a character I expected to get to write. Then…she snuck her way into Man-Bat, took over the opening of this issue, and honestly helped make this the first issue of this mini-series that felt like it was completely in my voice.

A few weeks back I heard a great interview with Neil Gaiman where he talked about rereading his early work and being able to spot the places where his voice was cracking through. I thought it was very insightful and it gave me a new perspective to look at this mini-series with. The first two issues of this mini-series I am very proud of, but in rereading them, I can see everything I am trying to accomplish and all of the people I am borrowing from. In rereading this issue, and I also felt this way at the time when writing it, this feels like the first time I am comfortable, know this is my comic, and let myself cook.

Man-Bat #3, sub-titled “Below Rock Bottom”, kicks off where the last issue left off. Harley Quinn has tied down Man-Bat and is giving him an involuntary therapy session. The very first page shows Man-Bat having cured everyone in Gotham City, turning back into Kirk Langstrom, and getting back together with his wife. Pretty trite, but it is exactly how Kirk wants things to go, Harley interrupts this sequence by fake vomiting. Man-Bat is furious, trying to escape Harley’s bonds, but can’t. Harley expands more on what SHE thinks is going to happen. She thinks Man-Bat is going to get captured, carved up my scientists, and never found again.

From Kirk’s supply, Harley administers the Man-Bat anti-serum to turn him back into Kirk Langstrom. Harley cuts him loose, Kirk is confused as to why she is helping him. Harley says she doesn’t think that Kirk is a bad person, but he is making a lot of bad decisions, and if he keeps going down this road he will forever be bad. She knows what it’s like to make mistakes, and she knows that Kirk has been given a lot of chances, but this is the first chance Kirk has ever gotten from Harley. She lets him escape to try to make things right.

We cut away to Blüdhaven where Francine Langstrom is living on her own. Her home is invaded by the Scarecrow. Francine tries to fight him off, but Scarecrow successfully captures her along with the Blackout Gang members we saw in the last issue. Before Francine got kidnapped she successfully signaled Batman on a device he gave her for emergencies.

Then we go to a quaint town fifty miles away from Gotham City. We see a woman walking down the street taken off guard when she sees Kirk Langstrom sitting on her door step. He signs “Hello, Sister.” to her. This is Lisa Langstrom, Kirk’s hearing impaired sister we have been talking about since the first issue. Kirk has come here to hide out. Lisa doesn’t want him in her home. She has been texting with Francine and knows the situation. Kirk begs for her to stay, telling her he doesn’t want to die, he just needs a little time. Lisa gives it to him.

Back to Blüdhaven and Francine’s apartment, the police have finished their investigation, and given his recent rampage, they are convinced that Kirk Langstrom is responsible for Francine’s kidnapping. Once they leave Batman arrives and conducts his own thorough investigation. Once he sees hay on the ground, he knows that the Scarecrow is responsible for this.

Kirk uses his time in Lisa’s home to get back on his feet and clean himself up. We also learn more about their relationship. Kirk always felt like he had to take care of her but upon reflection, he realizes that they were taking care of each other. They lived in a cold, difficult home with emotionally unavailable parents. Without each other, they wouldn’t have made it out. But…as Kirk makes a breakthrough with his scientific work…he realizes he’s a lot more cold and calculating like his parents.

Kirk tells Lisa that he’s figured out a serum to help return the hearing to the people who were harmed in the sonic blast back in issue one. Lisa is thrilled for him. The only problem? Kirk wants to test the serum on Lisa. Lisa refuses, she doesn’t want her hearing back, and she doesn’t see herself as broken as Kirk sees her. Kirk becomes violently angry. This is where the nasty addict we have been dealing with for the first three issues comes back. When people don’t do what he wants…he bites them. Before he can continue to call his sister ungrateful, Scarecrow bursts into the home with the Blackout Gang.

Man-Bat, Scarecrow, and the Blackout Gang battle. Man-Bat loses. Kirk Langstrom wakes up in a familiar setting, a lab facility with Francine who is telling him they need to keep working on the Sonic Cannon for Dr. Crane. They seem happy. They seem in love.

We see that Scarecrow is watching them in a scenario that he’s designed. And that he’s keeping them happy with this delusional version of reality so they finish fixing the Sonic Cannon for him.

Observations

I am so pleased with this issue. I think it’s nicely paced. I LOVE the opening with Harley. And I love how ugly Kirk can be to his sister. This is the story of an addict, and sometimes…addicts can be incredibly nasty when they don’t get what they want. While I am not an addict, I have grown up around a lot of addiction, and as a result, have had some issues with co-dependency I am constantly working through. Some of Kirk’s ugliness towards the people he loves mirrors my own at moments I was at my worst.

And looping back to Harley, the joy I had writing her was a huge revelation from this issue. I didn’t realize I was Daniel Larusso the whole time I was an assistant/associate editor on Harley. Quietly observing the brilliant way that Amanda & Jimmy wrote that character and subconsciously taking notes for the future. I hope I get to write her again someday. I also got to write her calling mad scientists “intellectual perverts”, which I am still proud of.

Sumit and Romulo kicked the hell out of this issue. It is their best work together to date and it’s incredibly difficult to pick the best page for this issue, but once again…I have started a format here and I have to see it through to the end. Here is my favorite page from the issue.

The entirety of the issue that Harley Quinn takes over is stunning, but I think this page really takes the cake.

If this is the first issue that I felt comfortable working in my voice, then the next issue I push that comfort to the limit. Come back next week to read me break down issue 4 of Man-Bat, which as of the writing of this Newsletter is the wildest comic I have written to date!

Stay safe!

—Dave Wielgosz