Batman: The Chalice (Batman

Batman has often been seen as a figure of salvation in a city that is seemingly beyond redemption. In this entertaining and thoroughly atmospheric tale, the Dark Knight comes in to contact with a relic that may just bring that about: The Holy Grail. However, such an artefact has many interested parties, and for the Batman, that means the nefarious likes of Catwoman, Ra's Al Ghul and The Penguin, as well as all manner of mercenaries. The task of telling such a potentially enticing tale has fallen to Chuck Dixon, who ranks among the very best of Batman's current scribes. Dixon allows the religious allegories to settle in to an intriguing background, knowing only too well the needs of a Batman story. While chaos erupts around him, it's interesting to see Batman placed in such a compromising position: what does he do with this potentially astounding antique? Is he, of all people worthy of such power? While The Penguin and Catwoman make suitable obstacles, they are thankfully second-stringers to the immortal Ra's Al Ghul--who has long been a highly satisfying adversary, especially in this instance, where he has a personal stake in controlling the Grail. Dixon's high-calibre mix of history, religion and Bat-heroics is finely complemented by Van Fleet's potent and gritty artwork that mixes photography and paints. Rarely has Batman's world seemed so layered and filled with depth. With a satisfying ending that is somehow remarkably apt, this is a good opportunity to see Batman's measured myth work with a real-life one that is even more vivid and mysterious. --Danny Graydon