Batman: As The Crow Flies Paperback – November 30, 2004

The worst thing I can say about "As the Crow Flies" is that I wanted it to be longer. But then, all good books are like that.This book collects Batman 626-630. A fun look at Gotham's mafia element. It's a great short story and at a cover price of $12.95 and being available lots of places for much less it's a steal.Perhaps the most notable part of this effort was that it was Dustin Nguyen's debut in the world of Batman. Mr. Nguyen goes on to be an asset to Detective comics and in this reviewer's opinion he's a gift to the dark knight. He goes all out, for his part, and many of the pages are breathtaking.All in all a great read and worth any Batman fan's time and money.

In As The Crow Flies, Batman must discover who has unleashed a vicious, man-eating monster called the Scarebeast on Gotham City. All the while, the Penguin has started making moves with crime families to take over Gotham City.The storyline, while decent, doesn't grab my attention like Hush or Under The Hood Vol. 1 and 2, did. Judd Winick is a great writer but here it doesn't feel the same as it did in his later work. The story tries to grab your attention, but just can't seem to hold it (for a long amount of time, that is).I liked it but I took off one star for the story, becuase it was average, and one star for the artwork, which was unfortunately, average.The Penguin is interesting, but it seemed to be a story that was more centered around him than Scarecrow or Batman, despite the title of the book.Now there are some really good scenes in here, particularly, when Batman is dosed with the Scarebeast's fear gas and begins to hillucinate about the Joker, Two-Face, and Jason Todd. That's where the spectacular dialgue is, other than that, the rest of the dialogue is blah, except for a line that made me laugh when Tim Drake is dressed like a girl to go get tissue samples from the dead body of one of the mobsters. That dialogue made me laugh.Summing it up, the story's okay, not too fantastic, but not so dull you'll fall asleep while reading. This is mainly for fans of Judd Winick and Penguin.

Even though the title is "As the Crow Flies," and Scarecrow is on the cover of the book, the Penguin is the real puller of strings here. If you were in hopes of an intriguing Scarecrow vs. Batman storyline, this book will partially disappoint you. Batman confronts two maddened thugs who become superhumanly strong after coming in contact with fear toxin. Soon after, a scarecrow monster of Goliath proportions begins threatening organized crime. All the while, Penguin is sitting back, sharpening his beak. What is the mysterious new "Scarebeast?" That is the new mystery Batman must solve. The answer to the mystery is a bit surprising. To earn that answer, Batman must subdue a seemingly unstoppable monster. This is a fairly good storyline. However, I offer the warning that this is not, in the main, a Scarecrow story. It is a plot that highlights the Penguin as shooting for a criminal takeover of Gotham after "No Mans Land."

This was an enjoyable Batman story focusing on the Penguin and the Scarecrow. It's a nice mix of mystery and crime story taking place in Gotham City as Batman tries to figure out those responsible for taking out some of the city's gangsters. The story moved along at a good pace with good characterization, though the Scarecrow shown with more sympathy than normal. The art work was fantastic and fit the story very well. Overall a good Batman story that most could enjoy that does not rely too heavy on continuity.

Enjoyable "Bat" tale, though not one of the best, an enjoyble read. Artwork didn't quite work for me, but it's all a matter of taste.

Something deadly is happening to Gotham City wiseguys in the employ of the Penguin. Is this an outside attack on his operations or is he involved himself? And how is Scarecrow, who is begrudgingly in his employ involved with this and the appearance of the creature Scarebeast? Judd Winick's debut on Batman contains witty dialogue plus an enjoyably gritty characterization of that tough old bird, though his portrayal of Scarecrow as again a punching bag for someone to abuse is getting tiresome. A hallucinatory sequence involving Batman and phantom rogues, notably the Joker and Jason Todd, is the highlight and regarding Todd a prelude of things to come. On the artistic side Dustin Nguyen's work is awkward upon first viewing, being slightly reminiscent of Jack Kirby on steroids, though it does become enjoyable upon further viewings. Winick delivered two solid stories during his tenure on Batman, and while his run on the title and his work in general has critics, I am not among them and wished his stay on the book was longer.

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