Comics Review: "Batman: Damned" - Da Hell? (SPOILERS)

While DC has retired the "Elseworlds" imprint, its basic concept, telling unique stories without the hinderence of the main continuity, has gained new life with the "Black Label" series of books. Even DC seems to acknowledge the legacy between imprints with re-releases of past stories such as "Kingdom Come" and "DC: The New Frontier" under the Black Label banner. Much like how Elseworlds unofficially began with Batman stories such as "Dark Knight Returns" and "Gotham by Gaslight", the roots of the Black Label line stem from the success of another out of continuity Batman story, "White Knight". The first official Black Label series would be "Batman: Damned" by the creative team of writer Brian Azzarello and artist Lee Bermejo.
My only experience with Azzarello's work is on Batman stories, such as the "Flashpoint" tie-in series I praised way back in my 2013 review. He also wrote the film script for the Killing Joke adaptation, including the prologue focusing on Batgirl; while I didn't mind said prologue at first, repeated viewings have made me realize how cringe-worthy it really is to the point where I just skip to the actual Killing Joke story from now on. While he's done characters like Superman and Wonder Woman, Azzarello seems more in his element when it comes to gritty crime stories, which makes him perfect for Batman. Said style is emphasized when he works with artist Lee Bermejo, including their 2008 "Joker" graphic novel. Bermejo brings a much realistic take in his art style and the characters. The best examples can be seen with the more tactical elements of Batman's suit, Joker's smile comes from scars much like Heath Ledger's depiction, and Killer Croc is less monstrous, being just a gangster with a skin condition and cannibalistic tendencies. Bermejo would later write and draw the 2011 graphic novel "Batman: Noel", and though Azzarello wasn't involved, you could see his influence in Bermejo's writing.
The two reunite for "Batman: Damned", a story where we see Batman investigating the Joker's murder. Batman worries he may have committed it but is unable to remember doing so and enlists magic-based DC characters to help him. Fear not though, the gritty realism is still present and the supernatural elements don't hurt the tone. Even Superman made an appearance in "Noel"; it is still the DC universe after all.

I'll start by saying the art by Bermejo is spectacular on this book. Bermejo did the coloring himself, though it seems he learned some tricks Barbara Ciardo, the colorist from "Noel", to make "Damned" just as vibrant. Since this is basically a horror book, Bermejo's also able to create some imagery that's unsettling, such as the appearances of Enchantress and an odd instance of a live bat stitched onto a possibly dead human male chest (which admittedly doesn't really add anything to the story). I think Azzarello's direction also influenced the new designs for characters like Deadman and the Spectre. Instead of his circus outfit, the red parts of Deadman's appearance are basically bare human muscles. As for the Spectre, he appears as a homeless man wearing a green jacket with a hood; the Spectre is probably possessing the poor guy, but it really works with the aesthetic of the book.

When it comes to Azzarello's writing style, for better or worse, he definitely does a lot to make this story stand out. For example, whenever Lee Bermejo is drawing Batman, and it might be because of the constant scowl, I can't help but feel he's a lot meaner than other depictions. This story might explain why, as we see through flashbacks that much like in the Telltale Games, Bruce's father wasn't exactly ideal. Thomas was having an affair and the young Bruce was constantly listening to his parents arguing; of course the guy's going to have issues...well more than you'd usually expect with Batman. There's also the fact that Enchantress has been haunting Bruce since he was a boy, and partly responsible for his parents' deaths. Normally I'd say this hurts the point of Batman's mission, that no one suffers from a random act of violence as he did. Considering they're aiming to be different though, I don't want to get too bent out of shape about it.
Another idea I liked is how Azzarello depicted Deadman's power of possession, showing that he can only stay in a vessel for so long, as it seems to deteriorate while he's inside.
A lot of characters stick to their traditional appearances like Constantine, Enchantress, Zatanna, and Swamp Thing (who is depicted as much larger than life character than normal; seriously, his head is the size of Batman's whole body). But one character redesign that's really out there is Etrigan's, who is depicted as a free-stylin' rapper going by J Blood (his real name being Jason Blood). When I realized who this character was, I was a bit torn. On one hand, it's definitely a unique take and the rapper gimmick allows the character to keep his penchant for rhyming. I also like how the yellow lighting for his scenes helps add some semblance to the original character along with the red sunglasses. Still, I'm not sure if he's actually a demon like he's supposed to be or just a rapper with a very devoted following willing to kill Batman and each other for him.

If there's a main problem I have with the story, it's the plotting. One big example is the break between issues two and three. Issue two ends with Batman, possessed by the Enchantress, strangling Harley Quinn against the bat-signal. Issue three begins with Batman finding himself buried alive in a pinewood casket before being unearthed by Swamp Thing. What the hell happened between issues? Did Batman kill Harley? Did Constantine stop him and then bury him? Why did he bury him at all? Did he know Batman was possessed? How would he know that? In the words of another Batman:

Then there's the ending, and boy is it head scratching. "Damned" is a follow up to the "Joker" graphic novel as it depicts the end of the battle Batman and Joker had at the end of that book. Throughout "Damned", Batman is unwilling to accept the idea of Joker being dead, waiting until the end to finally go the morgue to see the body. The Spectre, who has been stalking Batman throughout the book, is there waiting to cast judgment. Batman remembers that during their battle, he punched Joker and sent him over the edge of a suspension bridge, hanging on for his life. Batman, who was bleeding out from knife wounds inflicted on him by Joker, reached out his hand only to withdraw it, fearful of Joker's future actions. Batman looks at the Joker's body and, regretful of his inaction, states "I wish he were still alive." Then all of a sudden, Batman is sucked into the Joker's body chamber and the door shuts behind him. We then cut back to the bridge they were fighting on, as we end the story with Joker emerging from the water and coming ashore, with Bermejo paying homage to the Joker creation scene from "The Killing Joke." Once I finished reading, I spent probably about twenty minutes trying to make sense of what happened.
So my best guess as to what this ending means has to do with how this depiction of the Spectre's powers may work. He confronted Batman about his evil act, and because he showed regret, the Spectre set things right by making sure the Joker survived his fall. Otherwise, Batman may have felt the Spectre's vengeance. Again, I am only guessing because the comic does not make it clear.
This has the same problem I had with the ending to the "Joker" graphic novel; it just doesn't have that satisfying an ending. At least "Noel" had a clear-cut conclusion.

To finish up, "Batman: Damned" is a good but flawed story. I cannot praise Lee Bermejo's art enough, with its detailed realism and horror imagery. I wouldn't go so far as to say it's "style over substance" because Brian Azzarello brings a lot of good ideas to the table with this book, with his reinterpretations of the DC characters involved. It just doesn't truly stick the landing or have what I think is a meaningful payoff.
Still, I will say that it is a strong start to the DC Black Label line and worth checking out, especially if you've already read the previous Batman works involving Lee Bermejo. Of the three stories though, "Noel" is still my favorite.