'Tis the Season...
Writer: Meghan Fitzmartin, Tini Howard, Sam Johns, Dan Watters
Artist: Alberto Jimenez Alburquerque, Nikola Cizmesija, Christian Duce, Karl Mostert
Cover Price: $7.99
Release Date: December 14, 2021
Most people will be jumping into this issue of Urban Legends to see what Tim Drake is up to next, but I am here for the Tweedledee & Tweedledum story myself. That's what I like about this book. Everyone can find something to like here, but in the end, is it all worth the hefty price tag? That's what we are here to find out, so let's jump into it!
Meghan Fitzmartin's Tim Drake one-shot, Carol of Bats, is up first, and I'm sure it will get more eyes on it after Tim cam out as Bi in her last story. Unfortunately, if you are looking for some stuff with Tim and Bernard, you will be disappointed. He is in the issue, but this is more of a Batman & Robin (and Nightwing) story. Although letting the relationship progress naturally is a good idea, I wish the story was more substantial.
Most fans know that Tim Drake was the Robin who saw the darkness in Batman and knew he needed a Robin. Fitzmartin lays heavily on this concept throughout this issue. She also makes a great attempt at tying the story into current Bat-Events, but the timing feels off at times.
My biggest gripe, however, is how she writes Nightwing. He is a real dick here, pun intended! It's as if Fitzmartin thinks she needs to write an awful Dick to show how great Tim is. Spoiler Alert - they are both great! She wins back some points when Batman and Tim talk about Bernard, and while some may want more from it, Batman is not a talkative fellow.
In the end, Batman saves the day with one of the most loving yet awkward hugs I've ever seen, and some less fortunate people get a nice holiday dinner.
We move on to Sam Johns' Tweedledee & Tweedledum story. I loved the first part of this two-parter, and while this one is still good, it falls apart a bit by the end. Readers will still get feels as Tweedledum tries desperately to save his cousin, but Johns seems to run out of page space, and the solution to it all is a bit forced and confusing. It just gets too big for a story whose charm was because it focused on a couple of bad guys that most forget about after they occasionally show up. It was still good, just not as strong as the opener.
Next up is Dan Waters' "Dark Knight of the Soul" finale, and I guess this story, and Waters writing, is not for me. This month, Azrael and the Poor Fellow (the woman warrior who showed up in the last issue) talk about the Knights Templar, their crusade against the Lazarus Pits, and... well, not much else. The idea of the Templars vs. Ra's Al Ghul is an interesting tidbit, but that's just a sidenote. The actual story here is boring, and the ending just happens and makes you wonder why this was even a thing, other than to have an Azreal story of any sort in this book.
Finally, we get Tini Howard's Nightwing story, "The Bats of Christmas Past." This one is interesting to see what Tini's got, coming over from Marvel for her big debut here at DC Comics. As one-shots go, this one, unfortunatley, has mixed results.
The story centers around some Scarecrow fanatics who are taking it to the streets of Bludhaven after Fear State. It's a cliche setup that we saw after Joker War (pretty much to give Clownhunter something to do), but it makes less sense going down in Bludhaven. Plus, while this is going on, we get Oracle yelling odd things and being an overall jerk the whole time.
Overall, Tini Howard writes a pretty good Nightwing. It's not perfect, but she seems to have done some research which is more than I can say for some of the other writers at DC these days. Zinger!
The story takes a very odd It's a Wonderful Life swerve, and even though it's obvious that Howard is trying for the feels, it's a bit too surface-level to get them. It's nice to see the Bat Family together (and extra props for including Duke), but it felt like a bit of a missed opportunity.
Overall, this was a decent issue of Urban Legends. Readers will get some holiday cheers from a couple of the stories, and while I was not too fond of one of them, the other three were good enough to enjoy. But is it all worth the price of admission? That's up to each person and their wallets, but I think this one barely makes the grade. What is interesting is that the next issue will have all brand new stories, which will be a cool way to start the new year!
Make sure to listen to our Weekly DC Comics Recap and Review Podcast to hear us talk more about this book. Just look up "Weird Science DC Comics" anywhere you listen to podcasts, and make sure to rate, review, and subscribe!
Bits and Pieces:
Batman Urban Legends #10 is a mixed bag of good and bad, but that's pretty much par for the course when it comes to this title. Meghan Fitzmartin continues her Tim Drake story and Tini Howard debuts with a Nightwing holiday tale. Thow in the surprising good Tweedledum story and some good art, and I can recommend this, even if it is to avoid looking like a Scrooge during the holiday season.
7.0/10
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