#and before anyone tries to say that the creature on the splash isn't anything BUT a dragon pls reread what i wrote

[lethalhoopla]

Okay so while everyone's making killer theories and observations about the teasers we have for Dreadwolf on top of piecing together more and more of the lore and imagery from Inquisition and 2 and even Origins, I just needed to put this observation of my own down as well.

So, the final, incomplete, Solas mural in the rotunda, right?

Clearly, the dragon slayed with the sword, and a.... beast, of some sort. I've seen it referred to as a wolf, a dragon in and of itself, and just some representation of the Inquisition itself.... maybe.

But that's always not quite fit for me. It seems odd that Solas, who is beyond skilled at painting and iconography/symbology, would make something so…. hard to parse. And granted- this was clearly roughed out in a rush, to put it lightly. He's left at this point, the mural forever unfinished.

But in Tevinter Nights, it's described specifically (as written by Lukas Kristjanson):

"The eighth and final panel of the fresco, meant to commemorate the battle against the blighted magister Corypheus, was unfinished. It showed only rough shapes, outlines...."

"... The story was well known- the Elder One, the false god Corypheus, had torn a hole in the sky to steal power from the heavens. He couldn't be killed until his blighted dragon was dead, and the Herald, the Inquisitor, had somehow countered with a dragon of their own. And there was a dragon on the panel, with an Inquisition blade in its neck. But according to the story, both creatures had fallen first, leaving the final victory to the Inquisitor.

But here, unfinished, was the outline of a beast that stood over both dragon and sword. This was not the battle, or the victory. This was after. And the beast was not a dragon. The outline alone might have allowed that assumption, but now, filling with black and red, it was something other. The creature was reptilian, but also canine. The snout was blunted and toothy, but edges came to a point in houndlike ears. [.....] revealing scales and tail, and paws with talons. It looked like two figures painted on either side of a pane of glass, then viewed together, their forms confused. A wolf that had absorbed a dragon, and now stood crooked over all."

Now, without getting too deep into spoilers for that short story (I really recommend it, and the rest of Tevinter Nights!), the depiction could be warped by what happens in the story (and is unfolding in that scene). But due to the reason it's warped, what 'colors' it, I think that the depiction is still accurate (it just becomes a bit more Spicy, let's say). I think that what Solas was starting was a creature like that - a wolf, that absorbed a dragon.

Of course, the question then is what that means.

As lore's revealed over the series, dragons aren't just associated with Archdemons, or even with the potential legends of qunari 'origins' (as dragonkin). Dragons are also specifically associated with the Evanuris - from the fact that only those as powerful as might-as-well-be-god mages could shapeshift into dragons, to their personal symbolism, to hints that different archdemons might be connected to each one (their numbers match, for one...)

Was it Solas leaving some hint as to who, what he was, then? The Dreadwolf, but also the Trickster God? Perhaps how despite simply attempting to free/help his people (he speaks of the loyal, steadfast wolf in the game more than once, wise and wonderful), he was elevated to the status of legend and god (dragonhood)? Was it symbolizing the blended might of the Inquisition, both protector Wolf and godlike Dragon? Some blend thereof, or extrapolation beyond?

Fuel for thought, for sure. But beyond that... the silhouette kept reminding me of something.

It took me a little too long to realize - it wasn't until I was idly staring at the Steam startup image for it while waiting for Origin to hurry up and connect that it hit me.

It's.... it's right there on the box/start screen.

It's... way, way closer to the creature Solas had begun to depict than what we've seen in dragon silhouettes in the past. And I get it- even as I write this, I hesitate, because I mean, the whole silhouette included has wings, right?

(sidenote, but major props to whoever designed this piece, the details are so good, including the fade/fireball/comets shooting off the 'wings' to look like support bones for wing webbing)

That's why I hadn't really thought about it before. But when that hit me, I went back to look at dragon silhouettes in previous games, and I mean-

That's the usual Origin one - and yeah, that's.... way more narrow a snout, though of course you're still getting that dragon spine spike along the neck. The neck itself is far more narrow, too, and its teeth more needlelike.

Okay, what about DA2?

Alright, now we've got some framing that is like DAI. (also, more props for the designers, and the silhouettes of Kirkwall friends/foes, hot damn).

But that face - the dragon's face. I keep catching on it. DA has a really great track record of being pretty specific about its silhouettes, symbols, and general representations, at least where it matters.

The dragon-made-by-silhouette in the Inquisition cover art is significantly blunted in its snout, the neck much broader, shortened in horn (or ear), and even the angle of horn (ear??) is different from past dragon iconography.

I dunno. I definitely don't think it's unreasonable to leave it at artistic representation/liberty, it just ended up a bit rounded, whatever. But where I get less inclined to leave it at that is when coming back to this final incomplete mural panel.

... It's all of it. The down-rounded snout, the way the teeth are depicted, the horn-ears, the spikes-that-could-be-fur, the obviously shorter and wider neck, the over-exaggerated sternum bone that strikes as dragon (/reptilian) before you think it could also be wolf rib cage-

It's.... close. Awfully, curiously close. At the very least, the Inquisition splash art feels like it could be the middle step between dragon and this. The splash is dragon, but wolflike - this is wolf, but dragonlike.

........... now, why the heck does this matter? Well, maybe it doesn't to most people, haha. But I'm an imagery and lore-reference obsessed nerd, and Dragon Age really does go hard with it's laid lore and hints of the future. So I can't help but ask-

Is the mural really depicting the Inquisition Defeating Corypheus?

... even the Tevinter Nights story, the way it's phrased casts some murkiness.

"The story was well known...." ".... This was not the battle, or the victory. This was after."

.... With dragons representing the Evanuris, perhaps.... is this instead a note, a hint, left depicting Solas' intent? To slay the dragon, the true dragons, what remains of the Evanuris after he tears down the Veil - because it would not only cause chaos, but also release them from the prison he'd made via the creation of the Veil?

Is the dragon-wolf not the Inquisition, but Solas, or rather - more importantly - Fen'Harel?

The shape of the maw, the way the ears point back, the trailing scruff/magic along the neck 'spine'....

Even the way the rips are traced, and the paw is drawn-

Hmmm.

Hmmmmmmmmm.

... I think it's depicting more than Corypheus' defeat.

But too, there's two other elements that keep rolling around in my mind with all this-

) "... On the mural, all Messere would say is, 'Skyhold is [their] fortress' (meaning of course the Inquisitor). 'These are [their] actions.' "

If these are their actions........ how does the potential for this image to be depicting the downfall of elven gods play into the picture (literally)...?

And thus, the second thought:

2. ) On that very same splash image for Inquisition, the silhouette of the dragon (with hints of wolf) is made via the energy of the Mark coming off the Inquisitor's hand. The dragon-ish creature is of the Inquisitor's making.

The creature is what the Inquisitor has made. Their actions. The mural, a depiction thereof; their choices, their efforts, their impact.

Their impact - a changed Solas... or, perhaps, one all the more committed to his cause. Fen'Harel, or a wolf-dragon hybrid, roaring at a slain dragon, sword of the Inquisition buried deep.

Trespasser, revealing just how much further Solas' network of spies and agents has expanded through the Inquisition. And whether through friendship/love or rivalry/antagonism, Solas coming away from it with his determination redoubled, his mission certain.

Whether it was intended to depict the effect of the Inquisitor on things they don't yet grasp, or their affect on him and his intent to bear out his mission........... I think this mural's about a lot, lot more than just the defeat of Corypheus.

[theferalscion]

How about something for day 24?

Day 24: Too Weak to Move

(seeing as how I've been given the freedom to choose, I'll go ahead and do an Emma and Emet one with this, set post absorbing the last Light Warden)

'Come to me in the Tempest'. What a ridiculous offer. As though Emma would ever abandon his friends to go transform into a horrible monster in the company of a violent, sociopathic stranger that had betrayed them.

Unfortunately, 'ridiculous' and 'Emmanellain' seemed to go hand in hand.

It was hard enough to see the Light back in the sky after waking up in his room, knowing that it was because of him. That he had failed. That his 'friends' had hid this knowledge from him, thinking it better that he remain ignorant of the danger.

More unbearable than that, however, had been the way they acted towards him now. Offering their companionship and time, time that they never seemed to have on hand before, when he asked. Because of course now it wasn't only safe to befriend him, it was ideal for their consciences. Who wanted to let someone suffer a fate worse than death without making themselves feel better about how they'd treated him, after all?

Emmanellain sees through it, eyes wide open and the bitter taste of reality fresh on his tongue. He's not a hero, he's a tool. And they're not friends - they're just guilty and want to stop feeling sorry about how they treated him, used him.

Too little too late.

Emmanellain takes an amaro without telling anyone, flying off towards the ocean. He all but falls off of the creature when they arrive over the water, splashing into the depths and starting to swim down.

Thanks to the gift acquired in the Ruby Sea, he needn't worry about pressure or drowning. But he still has to swim, still has to claw his way down, down, down...and with the pain wracking his body, he only gets so far before it becomes too much.

His eyes sting as he finally gives up and stops moving, limbs burning and soul twisting in his core. He vomits more sickly white fluid and it lingers in the water around his face, glowing brightly and ugh it just touched him...

Emmanellain stares miserably at the depths below, drifting down far, far too slowly to make any meaningful progress. He'll turn far before he reaches anything of note.

Maybe that was what Emet-Selch actually wanted. He didn't actually want to offer the Elezen a private place to suffer in, he just wanted to trick him into enduring it all here, in empty nothingness.

He sniffs, but feels too tired to cry. So he closes his eyes, tries to think only about how comfortable it always feels to be so weightless in the water, and lets himself sink.

Snap

Emma gasps as there's suddenly a rush of air around him and his back hits the ground, coughing and flailing about in a panic. There's blinding lights everywhere, and his head and body hurt-

"Oh don't make such a fuss. You're embarrassing yourself."

Emmanellain's eyes squint up, and he vaguely can see Emet-Selch's face above him, mostly silhouetted by the lights around him. He spits a bit more salt water, sucking in a breath and trying to calm down. Except now he's recalling every single time the Ascian hurt him, and now he's too weak to fight, too weak to even move, and what is he going to do to him how is he going to punish him for existing this time-

Emet-Selch crouches, eyes as bored as ever as he stares Emmanellain down, but this time there was something else there as well. Something alongside the usual disgust and resentment there.

"I pity you. I truly do."

Emmanellain flinches when gloved fingers sink into his hair, squeezing his eyes shut. "I...t...t-tried...I d..did..."

"Hush." He says simply, but at least his voice isn't harsh with hatred like it so often is. Just more of that soft, belittling pity which Emmanellain should resent, but he clings to it instead. "You did everything you could."

How long has Emmanellain longed for such a simple truth to be acknowledged? To hear that instead of 'try harder next time', as though he didn't already push himself as far as he could go in his endless, desperate desire to please everyone and disappoint no one?

He gives a sob, ears wilting beside his head as he feels arms grab him up, another snap followed by the sensation of warm towels wrapped around him, wicking away the cold water clinging to him. His head falls against Emet-Selch's chest as he's carried off to.. somewhere. Emma doesn't care where. So long as he's not alone.

"They always expected far too much of you." Emet-Selch says softly, rubbing gently at Emma's ear in the way he knows he likes. "How cruel of them, to expect so much of something so broken...you were never going to succeed. But it's alright now. I'll not let you fail me anymore."

Giving up control, letting someone else decide how best to use him...a familiar leash to wear. Except this wasn't Ishgard or the Scions, it was someone who actually knew what Emma's limits were, and wouldn't demand more of him than he could give.

"Go to sleep."

Emma is all too happy to obey. He just wishes it wasn't so blindingly bright even behind his closed eyelids.

[angelfire115]

The one who fell part 2

They walked into the hotel, Alice looked around, the decorations were incredible, it was the most amazing hotel she had ever seen. She hasn't been to many of course but still, it's the best one. She stared at the portrats on the wall, all kinds of paintings, most having Charlie in them. She spotted one that had her dressed formally, a beautiful tall woman that she guessed was her mother since the hair was the same. The other must be her father as they had the same pink cheeks. He did, however, give her a bad gut feeling as his smile looked eerily similar to the tall red man in that alleyway.

Charlie: "Huh, I wonder where Alastor is". Alice looked to Charlie, who looked around looking for this Alastor. Angel dust: "Oh yeah, I remember him saying he had to go deal with some "unpleasant" people". Charlie looked at Angel with surprise, then a dissapointed and angry scowl came across her face, guess whatever hes doing wasn't good. Alice: "Um, sorry to interrupt but, who is Alastor?". Charlie and Vaggie looked to Alastor. Charlie: "Oh well, Alastor is my business partner, he's helping me on making this hotel a success". Vaggie rolled her eyes and silently scoffed at that.

Alice looked to her new friends in a bit of confusion, he doesn't seem that bad if he's helping demons be redeemed. Charlie: "Hehe, well, he has his doubt's but still, I'm still glad he's here, we need as much support as possible". She looked to Vaggie as she said that which Vaggie looked away from her. As she walked towards the couch that was behind Alice, she stopped right next to her, leaning to her ear. Vaggie: "Word of advice, its best to stay away from that guy". Alice: "Why? Is he bad?". Vaggie: "He's worse then any demons you've met, he's named the radio demon, he kills and tortures whoever even touches him and one of the top demons that reside in hell, there are others which you should avoid but right now, Alastor is the number 1 demon to avoid". She faced her with a fury of justice burning in her eyes. Vaggie: "Don't, trust, anyone".

Alice understood what she was saying, she had to not forget that this place, was hell. She may have never had to feel this way or not as much but she had to train herself. Just like how she was trainned to face the real world by her parents, she had to make sure she lived through this. Vaggie had sat down after she had a talk while Charlie turned to Alice, excitement shining in her eyes.

Charlie: "Alright, Alice, should we get started with the proper signatures and such". Alice was a bit blanked out from her thoughts but snapped back into reality when she heard her name. Alice: "Oh, yeah, sure". She followed Charlie to the front desk. She signed some forms and some other hotel things then was given a key and was showed to her room. It was exciting and she absolutely loved her room. The place was so well made, however, she hadn't seen another guest yet. Maybe they were asleep?

Charlie left her to her room to get settled, she flopped onto the bed, staring at the sealing. Alice: "What a day? I wonder... Will anyone realize... If I'm gone?". She drifted to sleep, it had been a long and grueling day. At every turn while being here was one shock after the next. She was drained so she deserved some sleep, even if she was dirty and covered in blood, she didn't care. As her eyes closed and everything went dark, as she drifted into a sea of sleep.

Alice short up for a start, her head was spinning and her body feeling a bit numb. She rubbed her head, a little bit of a headache grew as time went. She looked around, she was in her room, sitting at her desk. The sun shined through the blinds, the air felt thin and warm. It was so familiar, she could hear the song birds singing their tunes. She got up slowly, a bit clumsy as she walked.

So, why in such a hurry toots?

The headaches got worse, making her fall to the ground, she seemed so tired, even though she just woke up. She grunted and grumbled, she really needed to get some painkillers. She remembered they were in her cupboard. She tried to get up but she fell again. She was shaking badly, tears ran down her face but she didnt notice.

Its ok, whatever happened is over now, you'll be ok

But she didn't want to give up, she was determined to stand. Her tears stopped and faded away. The headache was still there but it didn't hurt as much. Still though, she needed those painkillers. She walked to her door, it opened on its own but she didn't notice. She continued to walk down the halls, she turned to her left as she heard dripping, a dark eery room oozed a dark aura. Was there a tap still running? She thought to herself to go and turn it off

Don't, trust, anyone

She decided to not and just do it later, she continued to her kitchen. Finding the painkillers in her cupboard where she thought it was, grabbing it, she also grabbed a cup of water from the fridge. The dark ooze rounded the corner, sneaking its way towards her slowly and surely. She stared at the cup for a few seconds, ignoring the eyes that popped up in the reflection that wasn't hers. A burst of wind blew the doors open which she casually stared at. Before she was able to place the painkillers in her mouth....

How did you end up here?

She froze, an ice cold chill went up her spine as the ooze of darkness loomed over her. Bright red eyes shot open. She slowly turned, her shaking growing worse, as she shook, the house seemed to shake with her. She dropped the cup and painkillers that smashed and splashed into glass and thick red blood. She started to cry, the tears never stopped not that she tried to stop them. When she finally turned and looked to the shadow behind her. Large yellow teeth splayed across the darkness, the red eyes with no pupils seemed to stare into her soul. Disintegrating it with its terrifying look. Sharp claws reached out to her grabbing her head, she screamed but it faded away.

She shot up from the bed, she panted and cried. She looked around at her red room, the hotel room she was allowed to stay in for free. She backed up to the beds board behind her. Holding her knees up against her chest and letting her head lay in them as she cried from that nightmare. It was then she knew she couldn't stay in hell, she couldnt stay and help herself. She needed a guide, she needed freinds. She was too weak for this world. She wished she could go back immediately but, she knew she couldn't which made her lonely crying even worse.

After a few minutes of crying, she decided to stop, knowing that crying wouldn't get her anywhere. She looked around her room, then spotted a clock on the side of her bed. The clock showed 8:00 in the morning. Alice: "Wow, i didn't realize it was day". She shifted to the window where she opened the blinds. To her surprise, the sky was still dark but at least more brighter then yesterday but not as much. Of course, in a world of hell, it would still be dark even in the day. Alice: "Jesus, how can they tell time here?".

She remembered her shenanigans throughout hell and remebered her new friends. So after cleaning herself up, heading out the door and down the stairs. She made her way to the main lobby. Hopefully talking to people would get her mind off the nightmare and off the sorrowful feeling of not being able to go home. As she made it down stairs she noticed how busy some people were while others were new.

She saw Vaggie and Charlie, sitting on the couches with a large paper filled with writing, like it was some kind of small business meeting. She spotted the two new people, one looking like a large black and white cat with a small top hat and incredible red wings that folded perfectly on his back. He looked grumpy and he took big swigs of his drink he had. He looked a lot like her Uncle Jones who she'd spot at family reunions, all alone in the corner avoiding everyone. Made sense, her Aunt Grace didn't exactly enjoy his company. The other person though, disappeared.

??: "Who are you?". Alice was startled by a small and unfamiliar voice at her feet. She looked down to see the child looking creature staring up at her with one eye and a razor sharp smile. Alice: "Oh! You scared me, um I'm Alice, I'm a new guest, what's your name?". She crouched down a little, placing her hands on her knees. The young demon came closer to her and sniffed around her bubble which confused her greatly. ??: "Hmm, you don't smell like a demon". This shocked her a little.

She knows she's not a demon, she landed in this world without dying or anything else so she isn't. She came to the realisation that she had told no one since she got here about her being a human from the living world who's still alive. She wondered if she could, since, she didn't know what they could do to her if she found out. Alice: "W-well, uh, I'm gonna go over here". She was able to dodge the conversation by heading towards Vaggie and Charlie who wear still deep in thought.

Alice: "Um, morning guys". Vaggie and Charlie lifted their heads to see Alice and both smiled. Charlie: "Morning Alice, how was your sleep? Hope it went well". Alice: "Yeah it was great". Alice didn't want to bother them two with her nightmare she just had so she didn't say anything on it. She looked to the large paper they had, when she looked closer, it looked like a decorative drawing. It had rainbows and stars and happy things all over it, it even said the Happy Hotel. Alice smiled at how cute it was though the drawings looked like a five year old made them.

Alice: "So what are you guys doing?". Charlie looked back at her friend and new guest with a bigger smile growing on her face. Charlie: "We're making the new poster for the happy hotel". She picked up the poster, showing off all the drawings and more all over it. Alice: "Oh I see, it looks really good". Charlie sneered a little, she looked to her drawing in every angle. Charlie: "I know but I feel like it looks the same as the last one, I wish i could do something more different". Alice stood there for a second, thinking about any possibilities in her mind. One idea popped in her head and she grabbed a paper, a pencil and started her drawing.

Charlie and Vaggie was surprised by her intrusive act but was more interested to see her work. It took Alice a few minutes but she was done. Alice: "It's just a quick sketch so it isn't perfect but maybe this will give you an idea". She lifted her drawing which was neat and beautiful. It had a giant rainbow going into clouds on both sides just behind the letters that said "Hazbin Hotel" in bold and neat letters. It showed at the bottom a amazing drawing of heaven and at the top showed a detailed drawing of Charlie with her arms out and her smile huge.

Both Vaggie and Charlie stared in amazement at the incredible well made drawing. Vaggie: "Wow, that's pretty amazing". Alice slightly blushed at the compliment. Alice: "Oh its nothing, I've just done these things before, I've taken a lot of art classes". Charlie excitedly grabbed the poster and looked at every inch of it. Charlie: "This is AMAZING, I love it". She was so happy and her demeanour was bright but it quickly faded as she noticed something. Charlie: "Although, why does it say Hazbin Hotel? This is the Happy Hotel". She pointed to the letters on the page.

Alice: "Oh sorry, I thought that's what the Hotel was called since the sign says it at the top". Charlie looked more confused, the sign? Charlie: "But that should say the Happy Hotel as we-". She stopped at the middle of her speaking to realize in an angry scowl which ended in a disappointed sigh. Charlie: "He must of changed it". She sort of mumbled that to herself but Alice and Vaggie could still hear it. Did she mean Alastor? The one Vaggie warned Alice about? It might be.

Charlie got up from her seat to head to the door. Alice: "Are you ok Charlie?". Charlie kept heading to the door. Charlie: "Yeah, I'm fine, I just want to see it for myself". Alice stood in a bit of disaray, she was nervous but she had to be brave. Alice: "Uh, Charlie wait". She called out to Charlie which made her stop just at the door, she looked back to Alice who slowly approached her. Charlie: "Yeah? Is there something you need?". Alice stiffened, she was told by Vaggie yesterday not to trust anyone and she's followed it through but Charlie was nice and kind, she didn't seem like a demon at all. She knew or thought she could trust her with her secret as a living mortal in hell.

Just as Alice was about to speak, the doors at the front of the hotel burst open. A strong wind sent everyones hairs go crazy from it. A strong light gleamed through but Charlie turned to it. She folded her arms and glared at the person there. Charlie: "There you are, I've been worried". Alice couldn't see who was at the door since the light was too bright and Charlie was in the way. ??: "Sorry to worry you my dear, I was a bit busy today". The second Alice heard that voice her heart stopped, it was the same voice as before. The same voice she heard cackling in that alleyway. That same voice who's mouth drooled with blood and chomped on the flesh of people. She started to shake and her breathing was heavy, she wanted to run but she couldn't move.

Charlie: "Did your busy time involve hunting people?". The person laughed in an ungodly and terrifying way that sent shivers down Alices' spine. ??: "Maybe, but no, I was looking for someone". Charlie gave up on her questioning and moved aside to let him in. The person who entered was tall and red, it was definitely the same person who was in that alley, who killed that old beetle demon in cold blood and all the others

She looked up at this fiend while he stared down at her. His smile sharpened as he saw her, he definitely recognized her. Charlie: "Alice, this Alastor, Alastor this is Alice, she's our new and first guest". Charlie had walked in to introduce the two. Alastor looked to Charlie in more curiosity. Alastor: "Is she now".

He looked back at her, his smile still wide in amusement. Alice still couldn't move, she stared at him in incredible amounts of fear, her shaking never stopped. Alastor: "Well it is very nice to meet you Alice, my, what a lovely name, I am the radio demon Alastor, very happy to make your acquaintance". Alastor held out his hand for a hand shake which Alice stared at for a while. She still couldn't move, if she could, she would be out of there. Charlie looked at her with concern and worry, stepping to her side, she held her shoulder. Charlie: "Alice, are you ok?". Within seconds everything went black for Alice, she could hear her name being called a few times, muffled but it faded away. She didn't know what happened, all she saw was darkness, was she dead? Asleep? She still couldn't move but, she didn't want too, so she laid in darkness, waiting for the end.

[ty-talks-comics]

Best of DC: Week of November 27th, 2019

Best of this Week: Batman: Creature of the Night Book Four - Kurt Busiek, John Paul Leon and Todd Klein 

Kurt Busiek is amazing at humanizing and retelling the stories of our favorite heroes.

He managed to do so during his tenure on The Avengers and even more so on his breathtaking Superman: Secret Identity. He delves into the mindsets of characters and creates an emotional attachment between them and the reader that draws you into their individual struggles and his work on Creature of the Night is no different. He manages to juxtapose the story of Batman from the perspective of a fan of Batman in the "real world" and despite the long wait, it proves more than worth it.

Batman: Creature of the Night follows the life of Bruce Wainwright, inheritor of the Wainwright family fortune and company after their murder by a home invader. Throughout the series we see him deal with his family's death by doing his best to live up to their ideal, making the City of Boston better through philanthropic pursuits and smart business decisions. Though, he has a dark side to him, believing that he's managed to conjure an actual Batman-like protector for the city and believes it to be his stillborn brother, Tommy.

The last book saw Bruce obsessed with the origin of The Batman, how he was able to solve crime and how his company was succeeding because of the various arrests and takedowns, finding out that "Batman" had been the cause of everything. He had gone after Bruce's business opponents, exposed their wrongdoings and essentially cheated their way to the top. This sends Bruce on an unfortunate Spiral, thinking that all of Boston was corrupt and that maybe the other business people and Bruce's own allies might have had something to do with their deaths.

This issue begins with a splash page of a page from Batman; specifically where Thomas and Martha are killed by Joe Chill. It's also taken extreme damage likely from the Batman entity that Bruce believes to exist. This shows just much Wainwright's own parents deaths has affected him and his mindset. We also get a few shots of Bruce's messy office. John Paul Leon makes sure to draw the readers attention to just how much Bruce's life is beginning to spin out of control. His floor is full of trash, booze and even a bra from who knows and Bruce himself is found by his assistant Robin, passed out among the mess.

In his stupor, he asks her about coffee before flinging himself off of the roof, turning into the Bat entity himself. Robin isn't surprised and we learn that she's known about Bruce's supposed abilities since the first time she and Mr. Jepson, one of Bruce's employees (his Alfred so to speak), saw him transform two years prior. If I remember right, the moment when Bruce was on the roof was when he found out about what Tommy had done and it's implied that Bruce was up there alone the whole time.

Unfortunately, Jepson suffers a heart attack after seeing his boy like that and is admitted to a hospital in and out over the next few months or years. Jepson's failing health leads Bruce to continue winding down, violently stopping crime while knowing that it's not actually doing anything better. At the same time, Robin is tasked with taking care of him by Mr. Jepson as she's been with them both for a very long time, Bruce even played her way through college. When Bruce goes to jail over a bar room brawl that left the other guy hospitalized, Robin bails him out. 

These scenes are grim and paint Bruce at almost his lowest, drinking in some decent looking bar and getting angry at even the smallest of slights. A man bumps him and Bruce decides to make a big thing of it, so they take the fight outside and Bruce gets his ass kicked while being watched by a small crowd. As it goes on, the Bat entity, or at least what we perceive as the Bat Entity from Bruce’s perspective, emerges and begins to absolutely wreck the other man. Leon uses minimal, flat colors for the entire issue and these pages are some of the more dynamic of them. Leon makes Bruce look animalistic and his eyes are colored red, signaling the change and after his arrest, he’s unshaven and looks like a mess.

Bruce and Robin’s relationship together serves as the main crux of the book with her watching him as he goes down his dark path and doing her best to get him back on track. Bruce, however, is still caught up in his parents murder and the continued injustices that Boston is home to every night. Both of them are fighting losing battles and growing darker with each passing day. Their relationship reaches a particular low after a still drunk Bruce plants an unwanted kiss on her after she picks him up from jail. This is particularly horrible because of their aforementioned history together. She tells him that he needs to see a therapist or help of some kind.

Initially, he thinks that he might disagree, but says yes and explains what he’s been going through to his doctor. It seems like a very cathartic moment for him, getting everything off of his chest and eventually being prescribed antidepressants. For a while, he returns nearly to his normal self. Jepson and Robin are happy for him, but we learn later on that he feels like the antidepressants make him feel sludgy and confused. He feels like he needs to wean himself off of it for a little while, having had fear that they would break his connection to Tommy or kill him. 

Bruce immediately begins to become more paranoid, asking why someone would want to kill Tommy. He starts to believe in some grand conspiracy to ruin him and his family and he decides to go to a private room in his company’s offices. Leon colors this scene with a light cool blue, giving off the feeling of Bruce’s cold “logic”, though the reader can likely also interpret this as Bruce turning inward to himself. He’s lonely and with only Tommy to really talk to, he’s not exactly the most reliable of narrators. He truly believes that everything that’s happened to him, including Jepson’s sickness, has been part of a carefully orchestrated plot to plunge Boston into darkness.

In an amazing reference to when Dick Grayson first discovers the Batcave, Robin opens the door to find Bruce alone in the room. Framed against his immensely large connection board, Bruce kind of looks like a crazy person. He berates her for not respecting his privacy and asks what could possibly be so important for her to find him before she informs him of Jepson’s passing. What was initially small paranoia morphs into FULL conspiracy paranoia with Bruce being absurdly sure that someone is targeting him for getting close to the real culprits behind his parents death. Robin tries to comfort him, but he tells her that she needs to run for a little while and she calls him delusional and pleads with him to get help. 

Unable to handle the truth, Bruce flies away and later has a hallucination of Batman’s greatest villains surrounding him, telling him to take the pills. Joker, Catwoman, Two Face, Penguin and Riddler surround and taunt him. Leon makes sure to draw them as normal, potentially actually being there, but as Bruce’s mental state continues to unravel, they begin to deform and swirl into a mass of laughter and color/ As they begin to overwhelm his senses, Bruce tosses his antidepressants off the roof of the building as the background is colored a bright white - a clearing of the head in a way. 

Bruce returns to his board and begins to connect the dots, trying to find out who benefits the most from the deaths of his parents. He notes local politicians and other people he couldn’t hurt as Batman and then has an epiphany. He goes to confront Detective Gordon Hoover, the man who had been in charge of Bruce’s and various other related cases before his retirement. He destroys one of Gordon’s walls when confronting him and soon after, Robin arrives and checks on the detective. He tells her that Bruce has gone insane and that all of this was coincidence at best before telling her where he went. 

Concerned with his continuingly deteriorating state of mind, Robin ventures to Boston’s Franklin Park Zoo, a place very near and dear to Bruce as his family had a huge stake in it when Bruce was a child. He’s absolutely destroyed the entrance way and is in the Bat exhibit when Robin finds him having a complete mental breakdown. Leon absolutely smashes the art in this sequence, portraying Batman as fighting back against his enemies. They swirl around him in the same mass as earlier (with Ra’s al Ghul thrown into the mix for whatever reason) and Bruce says that he has to tear Boston down to make it better.

Robin, having had enough and sensing that Bruce might do something he’ll regret, asks him if that’s something that Batman from the comics would do. This manages to snap Bruce out long enough for Robin to reach him. She asks him who he’s talking to, who he’s fighting against and Bruce struggles to answer, seeing Batman’s Rogues gallery slowly swept away by the mass of bats around them before disappearing himself. Much later, we pick back up with Bruce who’s dating the girl he met in college way back in Book Two. He’s back on his medication with a modified dosage and Robin is doing well too. He realizes that there was no conspiracy and that he’d been holding on to his pain, causing him to almost have a psychotic break… though he still maintains one really important familial relationship.

Though the gap between Books Three and Four were absurdly long, the quality of the story was well worth the wait. Kurt Busiek doesn’t write as much as he used to, but with this book, he shows that he hasn’t lost a single step along the way. This was an amazingly character driven story that kept me interested throughout. John Paul Leon’s art was a big part of that as well with just how beautiful it was. Together, they managed to craft an underrated masterpiece. I loved the story of obsession and inspiration and how Batman can influence just about anyone. Bruce Wainwright turned out to be a really interesting character, both because he was very much inspired by Batman so much so that he modeled his life after him and because of his mental illness.

I can only hope that this book succeeded well enough that Busiek and Leon come back for another book together or Busiek does a third of these with Wonder Woman as the hero inspiration. Overall, high recommend.