This one was a bit of a fun one, though to begin with it was something that didn't quite catch my attention, it felt a bit odd to begin with as I wasn't sure where it was heading. An issue that felt like it was a bit different from the usual direction the comic had been going in, though in the end I think it paid off quite nicely. This was an issue that didn't rely on the past all too much, but was still mentioning people from the past. A bit less of the Batman character and more of a focus on the detective side of being Batman though as the normal Bruce individual: young adult and construction worker for the city. This construction worker side of Bruce's career was mentioned previously in how he contributes to the development and reconstruction of the city whenever Batman gets a bit too caught up in the action and causes a little bit too much damage to the surroundings. But also under the assumption that development in the city contributes to its growth. In the previous issues we also saw how this job gives him additional access to certain city features: unknown tunnels, empty buildings for scouting.
In this issue this career returns with some use again. The city now in a weird state of martial law as a result of the previous events that came from the events of the masked individuals and their leader, which had been running rampage throughout the city with various bounties orchestrated upon politicians and regular people alike. Batman crushes that force with brutality. He's responsible for some of this martial law though, and Batman is one of the considered threats that the intensified police force aims to keep at bay. With this came the collapse of the development in the city. Less work around, though Batman's suspicion remains as he notices across the river a new series of developments taking place. Curious as to what's going on, and with an interest in finding some work, he utilises an old friend that's still in the criminal underworld that can make him a fake I.D. to get inside. Some of this story relies on Bruce's former friends, and how it even implies Bruce himself wasn't always that good, part of a little criminal gang himself that would get up to no good. Though these friends aren't that happy with him due to his Batman acts, as well as having kept the secret hidden from them for so long. A different take on Batman give he revealed his alternate life to people.
Bruce's friend and criminal colleague dies on the spot upon handing over the badge, however. And that's a big mystery that leads Bruce into a new realm of confusion and investigations. Curious as to what would suddenly send a person into an immediate death. And this is where some of the usual Batman tropes are twisted: Alfred is still somewhat an aid to Bruce, helping him get information on things that he otherwise couldn't through various government organisations. Though this doesn't lead to anything regarding how exactly and what exactly killed off his friend. Though all signs point to something odd taking place inside the building, especially given his friend had already announced he had been working there himself. Attempting to find out more information as Batman, he realises the usual route isn't going to cut it. He can't sneak around, as he had previously hoped an ongoing snow storm would hide his approach to the building, which ultimately fails due to it coincidentally clearing up upon his approach. Back to the basics with detective Bruce, and much of this is told to us through Batman's own little notes. I quite liked that part of the story, little snippets of text from his own personal files that mention his investigation and thoughts over time.
Not all is as it seems though. Having gained access into the building, Bruce speaks to a worker there that reveals the building's true nature. It's a place that embraces cryogenic freezing. That means it's placing people, animals even, into a frozen death as they are preserved in hopes of being unfrozen and capable of living again, an idea that's deeply rooted into the realm of science-fiction with the hopes that technology advances enough to bring frozen things back to life. The main hall of his building having previously frozen animals in the wall: a mammoth down to a small beetle. The worker seems to buy the idea that Bruce is a valid worker, telling him about the building and its practices, before shortly revealing that he's the son of two frozen people in the building, and that he once was a sick child that died and was revived from the ice. This is where the issue takes a more horror turn, with him then getting all weird about the ice and how painful it is, that it's no blissful sleep. Stating that it created a monster, and that monster is him. At this point Bruce manages to put things together and realise the death of his friend was likely due to this strange fellow.
At first I didn't really like the art from the issue, it seemed a bit odd and low effort. Though the more I read, the more it reminded me of other comics I had liked in a somewhat similar style. Especially reminding me of Time Before Time and its use of silhouettes and shadows, as well as more simplistic colours and background shapes. But in some ways also reminding me a little bit of Batman: Year One. It seems many comics love looking like that one, and to some degree in some areas of the issue I can see it. That slowly allowed the story to grow on me a bit more, and it certainly did. An odd one that jumped into horror and science-fiction, and I really liked it for that. Especially given the story before relied more on regular people and technological masks with traditional criminals and villains more than anything else. Definitely looking forward to where this next story takes us.