Review: Batman: City of Crime

by Dave Lapham.

Dude. Great graphic novel.

Spoilers, in the form of questions, follow:

However, I feel like there's more going on than is ever revealed...

1) What's the deal with the baby scam? Why is Penguin trading in babies illegally in the first place? Since the storyline shows the illegal trade was concealed through legal adoptions, it's not like you're skipping paperwork. And the women who were locked up -- it was hinted they were troubled girls, girls who had done drugs. Are these the kind of women you want to carry your baby to term? If you're the kind of wealthy people who can afford to do this?

2) Whatever happened to Jonathan Crane? I was waiting for him to show up. In one scene, it was stated that the park that everyone's scared of (and that gives everyone hallucinations of things they fear) was built on the site of the old Crane Mansion. Also, there are numerous scenes in which cranes show up...my theory is that Crane dumped a bunch of crap around the grounds, stuff that worked its way into the soil, which is subsequently taken advantage of by...

3) Where did the dirt guys come from? Did Clayface fall into a Lazarus pool or what?

4) Was there a mastermind? Why was the room full of pictures, some of them (including Penguin) crossed out?