Detective Comics #23.3 Scarecrow

We get a look at one of the members of the Secret Society this week as Scarecrow gets his moment in the spotlight.

It seems this story takes place a little while after the events of Forever Evil #1. All the Arkham inmates like Mr Freeze and the Riddler have claimed their own territories in Gotham (ala Arkham City) and Scarecrow is hopping from one place to the other to get their participation in a war that is brewing between Arkham and Blackgate.

First he goes to Mr Freeze where apparently people are trying to leave due to the frosty climate. The conversation wasn't exactly exciting or anything but served it's purpose.

There is a nice 'cold' touch when he freezes one of the people doused in the fear gas and breaks the statue. Then he looks at his wife and tells his men to take her and tell her that the husband escaped. It's a very apt portrayal of how Freeze sees life.

Then he visits the Riddler who gets the most interesting lines in this book. Nygma is proving to be a standout in the New 52, and completely overshadows the title character here.

We next see Killer Croc, who's hiding near Poison Ivy's nest. After a show of strength, he goes away saying he gave up his area to someone else.

Poison Ivy's nonplussed about the coming war, and is angry that the sun has been blotted out (as shown at the end of Forever Evil #1) and Scarecrow mentions that Bane is going to be a problem.

Finally, after so many pages of getting overshadowed by others, Scarecrow gets his own in the last two pages. After killing his assistant, his true ambitions come out. He's using this war to eliminate all the competitors and claim Gotham for his own.

The entire proceedings, while showing some good interaction between Batman's rogues gallery, never hits any heights and feels a little tedious. Not only that, this issue doesn't even focus on Scarecrow and instead tries to include too much as a prologue to Arkham War and neglects the Scarecrow.

I've had a big issue of Scarecrow's design not being 'fear'-ful enough, but the cover was good. The rest not so much.

But it seems Jonathan Crane will have a big part to play in the upcoming miniseries Arkham War, so hoping for good things from the Prince of Fear.

So, I give this 5.5 out of 10.