Some time has passed since Ra’s Al Ghul tried to take over Gotham, about 6 months to be precise. With the departure of Alfred, Batman has been left on his own with Katana, and it doesn’t look like it has been so good for his attitude. During a training session, in a room very reminiscent of the X-Men’s Danger Room, Katana points out that he is being very aggressive with his training, overdoing it, not eating, all of that good stuff. Of course Batman being as stubborn as he is, denies the whole thing and keeps on going. I have always consider Alfred the link that connects Batman and Bruce Wayne, and without that link the Bat would take over. Batman is kind of crazy remember.

Beware the Batman Nexus 01This episode revolves around the introduction of District Attorney Harvey Dent, who most of you know as Two-Face. This of course being a tale from the earlier days of Batman’s career means that this is a pre-monster Harvey. But this Harvey is not the same that many of you know from versions like the Dark Knight. He is not a friend to the cape crusader, but instead a very bitter enemy. Dent wants to pass an initiative against all capes, and get them off the streets of Gotham. This goes against the NEWLY named commissioner Gordon and the Mayor’s beliefs. But when there is a bombing of the Mayor’s office and Batman’s name is all over it, this sends Dent into high gear! You see someone got a hold of one of Batman’s batarangs and is trying to frame him!

Dent goes as far as setting up Batman and Katana when Gordon uses the Bat-Signal to call them in to explain what’s happening. Dent has requisitioned some cops to arrest the heroes, but he didn’t think it was going to be that easy, did he? Batman decides the only way to draw out the real culprit is by abducting Dent. So he does, which of course doesn’t bode well for the relationship between the two. The ploy works and the villain is exposed to be the one and only Anarky! AGAIN the thing I love about this show, and what probably made it unappealing for most viewers, is the usage of obscure villains. In this episode, Anarky is an interesting combination of The Riddler and The Joker, more or less. It ends up that he has placed a bomb somewhere in Gotham and Batman has to figure out a riddle in order to defuse it. To make things more interesting, Anarky has placed wristband bombs on himself, Batman, Katana, and Dent. If they seperated from each other too much, BOOM! These come in pairs, so Batman and Dent are a duo and Anarky and Katana are one.

Beware the Batman Nexus 02The GCPD of course are on Batman’s tail, which Gordon had to order due to the abduction of Dent, which makes Batman’s task even harder. Batman of course being the riddle genius he is, figures everything out and saves the day. Well almost, the bomb goes off and Anarky gets away but no one is hurt in the process. But Harvey Dent still wants him taken down, even though Batman saved his life several times during the episode. The worst part of the whole scenario? The Mayor has to back Dent’s initiative out of the fear that if she does not he will drive her out of office and take the job, something she tells Gordon would FAR WORSE. The episode ends with Batman in the training room again going psycho. Katana tries to contact Alfred, but the call goes to voicemail. She tells him that Batman needs him, Bruce needs him, and she needs him. Before the darkness takes over.

I wonder how far they will take the whole Dent storyline, I’m sure something really cool will happen by the end of the season and he will become Two-Face and then the show will never come back again. I have to go punch a wall now.

 

~CynicNerd