Review: Batman: The Murder Machine

Quick Summary

Pros: The entire comic is a chilling and nightmarish look at Batman. The twisted version of a beloved character is horrifying and very well done. The art and colors in this issue are fantastic and perfectly fit the tone.

Cons: The Murder Machine’s origin is slightly unbelievable in a few places.

Overall: This is another hit in the Dark Batmen series of comics. It takes one of Batman’s biggest fears and turns it into a chilling reality. Both new and old readers alike will be able to appreciate and be shocked by the emotional betrayal that this issue forces upon them. This is what the issue does so well with and why it is such a neat read. Plus, the art amplifies all of this and solidifies the book as the horror hit that it is.

Story

Batman: The Murder Machine by Frank Tieri and James Tynion IV is a big success in both storytelling and in concept. Right off the bat, the book is an entertaining tumble through another Dark Universe that then goes on to effect the real world. However, the true genius of the book is the concept behind this Dark Universe. It twists one of the most beloved and stable aspects of Batman’s life and turns it against him. It is the definition of a nightmare and will surely give all fans a creepy chill while reading.

(spoilers start here)

The issue starts out with an extremely quick recap of what is happening in the Metal event storyline: some sort of invasion is happening, Batman is missing, and something is happening in Central City. It is short, sweet, and to the point in a way that is not boring for dedicated readers but will be sufficient for new readers.

Then the main event begins. The story flashes back and fourth between scenes from the Dark Multiverse, detailing the Murder Machine’s origin, and the present, dealing with the Murder Machine’s attack on the Watchtower. It is a different structure than the one used in Batman: The Red Death (Review) but one that works well here.

In the past, we see what drove the Murder Machine to madness. In his universe, Alfred died at the hands of Batman’s enemies and Bruce was crushed by guilt and loss. He turns to Cyborg and asks for help designing an AI to replace his fallen father figure. The AI ends up going mad, deciding that the best was to protect Bruce is by killing all of his enemies. It then takes over Bruce’s body and proceeds to destroy the rest of the League when they try to stop him.

Though a little hard to believe in some places, this origin story is overall extremely well done. It is chilling and creepy in exactly the way it needs to be. But its biggest triumph is in the way it turns Alfred into an unfeeling, psychotic AI. Seeing one of the most wholesome and beloved characters in all of comics twisted in this way is terrifying and definitely the scariest part of the book. It takes a page from The Shining in how it drives a father figure into madness and forces the audience to imagine the same thing happening to them. Following the theme from Batman: The Red Death (Review), this is a horror comic, and a good one at that.

The present day story is not as mind blowing as the past one, but is still a success on its own. It highlights Cyborg’s relationship with his father and also some of Cyborg’s skills as a League member. I personally think Cyborg is one of the most underused members of the current League lineup, so it is nice to see him get some time in the spotlight. Plus it allows some great concepts to unfold in the Metal storyline, as the final page shows an Earth under siege and a corrupted version of the Watchtower.

(spoilers end here)

Art

Artist Riccardo Federici deserves a lot of credit for making this issue what it is. His art is detailed and representative of the characters he is drawing, yet at the same time manages to be horrifying as well. His pencils look like something sketched right out of a Lovecraft novel and have an equally chilling effect. Plus his depiction of the “Alfred Protocol” is a horrifying reimagining of a beloved character.

On top of that, colorist Rain Beredo’s work only serves to enhance all of this. His use of muted colors in the present contrasting with black and white in the past is a clash of nightmares. Everything is going to hell in this comic and, thus a normal color pallet would not satisfy. Beredo’s colors are a huge part of what make this issue great and definitely deserve recognition here.

Continuity

Batman: The Murder Machine is part of a series of seven one-shots designed as tie-ins to Dark Nights: Metal. Most of the events in this issue flow out of Metal #2 (Review).

For more information on the timeline of the Metal event see our “Metal Timeline” right here or click here for a list of reviews/continuity breakdowns of each issue of Metal.

This issue also references the stories from other comic books, all of which are detailed below:

• Cyborg mentions something happening to Central City. This is due to the events of Batman: The Red Death (Review).
• A references are made to Cyborg’s origin and his father’s role in it. This is shown in Justice League Vol. 1 Origin (Review).
• A few quick references are made to Bruce “ringing the bell” to summon Alfred to patch him up. This, most likely, an allusion to Batman: Year One.
• The “Alfred Protocol” has been brought up before, however it was a backup of Batman’s memories instead of Alfred’s. This was from Batman Vol. 9: Bloom.