Batman The Shadow

DC Comics and Dynamite Comics have published a couple of team-up story arcs featuring Batman and The Shadow.

Here, a Shadow-type bad guy called The Stag teams up with Batman’s arch-enemy, the Joker. The Stag’s purpose is to kill philanthropists, to punish those who do good. What better ally to recruit in such an endeavor than the Joker who enjoys killing everyone.

One of the Stag’s targets is Lamont Cranston, a good-hearted man who feeds the mad villains inhabiting Arkham Asylum, the place where many of Batman’s enemies call home. Cranston happens to share the same name as one of the Shadow’s aliases – a man who reportedly died 50 years earlier. 

Batman discovers the link and discovers The Shadow has arrived in Gotham City. Batman and The Shadow do not hit it off. The Batman wants The Shadow out of Gotham. The Shadow wants the Batman to stop seeking out his elderly, former colleagues such as Margo Lane.

They also partner to stop the Stag-Joker alliance.

Scott Snyder and Steve Orlando developed the storyline, with Orlando writing the script. The art is by Riley Rossmo.

“The Murder Geniuses” has a lot of good things going for it, but like the other Batman-The Shadow book, instead of more being more, it seems to be less.

Batman and The Shadow are great characters in their own books. And the idea of the two teaming up sounds like a match made in comic book-pulp heaven but so far that’s not been the case.

They are good but they aren’t $25 premium hard-cover collection good.

Maybe, another team up will be attempted and it will meet expectations. Who knows? The Shadow knows … maybe.