evie´s drawing board

Now, where were we? Ah, it´s

Gotham Adventures #7 "Dagger´s Secret"



Tim Drake´s tenure as Robin has only started in this series, his debut was covered in Lost Years #4, with a preceeding little one panel cameo in the first issue.

In the first pages we are introduced to Charlie "Dagger" Dixon, an ex-member of Two-Face´s gang. He´s keeping company with some rather suspicious looking individuals, but claims to have gone straight after being caught by Batman twice. A Batman tattoo on his right forearm serves him as a reminder to keep on the right side of the law.
Enter Batman and Robin, searching to arrest a murderer, who feels too safe in the company of a roomful of goons to give up without a fight. The inconceivable happens: in the middle of the fight Dagger Dixon recognises - and saves - Tim in the Robin costume! It turns out that Dagger was Steven "Shifty" Drake´s partner in crime. Dagger does the math: Tim´s adoption by Bruce Wayne was all over the news (we learn that Dick was Bruce´s adopted son too from there), so the big secret is out and Dagger has enough criminal energy left in him to try to take advantage of his findings. The situation escalates when Penguins gets wind of Dagger´s plan to blackmail Bruce Wayne and it all leads to a showdown in Wayne Manor.

I won´t spoil how the situation is resolved, it is actually quite clever, but I will say that I find it remarkable that Dagger Dixon survives in this story.

I was wondering if the cartoons have more on Tim and his life before he met Batman. If there was an explanation of this "new" Tim Drake, I´ve completely forgotten it.


And now:
Écoutez bien les enfants, je vais vous raconter l´histoire de l´Homme Chauve-Souris de Paris!

Gotham Adventures #8 “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”




Before I start with the story I´d like to point out how much I like the detailed and moody rendition of the Notre Dame de Paris cathedral in the background of the cover.

Batman and Batgirl follow the trail of the League of Assassins (see Deadman issue, GA #6!) to Paris to meet with Inspector Anton Legere of the Paris Sûreté, an old acquaintance of Bruce´s. Legere looks a bit like Jean Reno playing a typical Frenchman, scruffy beard, droopy eyes – the works. He leads them to the hideout of one of Sensei´s henchmen, a killer who is not at all impressed by Batman´s appearance. The planned interrogation gets a bit out of hand due to Legere´s temper tantrum and the killer´s subsequent cunning escape, but then a new player appears – the Batman of Paris, in a way. Take that, Grant Morrison!
The issue is by and large an introduction to the Hunchback, how he came to be and what may become of him.

A fun issue overall, a nice change of surroundings and a lead in to the next issue, where Batman and Batgirl continue to pursue the Sensei.