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DC Comics’ Batman: Urban Legends #10 follows the Bat-Family during the holiday season, giving Gotham City a much-needed glimmer of hope.
It’s Christmastime in Gotham City, but even the holidays are not a time of rest for the Bat-Family. In Batman: Urban Legends #10, crime is still running rampant. Holiday shopping is as brutal as anything Scarecrow has done. However, this latest DC issue spotlights a glimmer of hope for Gotham — just in time for the holidays.
In Batman: Urban Legends #10, Tim Drake struggles to reignite Batman’s sense of hope in the wake of a violent Christmas season. He turns to friends like Nightwing and lovers like Bernard for support. Driven to desperation, Tweedle Dee searches wildly for a cure for his dying brother and finds help in an unexpected place. The holy warrior Azrael has a crisis of faith as he seeks redemptions. And Nightwing’s pursuit of a deadly fear-toxin nearly costs him his life in yet another of his family’s Christmas celebrations.
This is the world of Batman, a place of darkness and where victories are bittersweet. Despite this dark tone, Batman as a franchise tends to be idealistic — being a hero is unquestionably difficult but it is worth the struggle. Batman: Urban Legends #10 reinforces this ongoing theme, further strengthened by the holiday setting. Tim Drake’s story, “A Carol of Bats,” depicts characters grappling with hope. As Scarecrow’s fear toxin agitates a desperate populace, Batman questions whether he failed Gotham City. Tim Drake questions his ability to convince Batman of his greatness. There is a deep and beautiful message here about being responsible for one’s journey to find hope and happiness.
Nightwing’s story, “The Bats of Christmas Past,” works as an homage to Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol. After being doused with fear toxin, Nightwing — who is already in danger of missing a Christmas with the Bat-Family — receives visions of the other Christmases he blew off in favor of self-destructive missions. The Batgirls — Barbara Gordon, Stephanie Brown, and Cassandra Cain — play the roles of Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future. Nightwing’s holiday stress and the fears are relatable, and the “Christmas Carol” plot is used effectively, with moments of humor to balance an already compelling story. Even the stories that are not holiday-themed share this idealistic undertone of discovering hope.
The writing in all four segments of Batman: Urban Legends #10 is exceptionally strong. The issue makes ample use of Christmas tropes and motifs. Nightwing’s story is possibly the strongest in the bunch and is as heartbreaking and heartwarming as only a Batman story can be. The art from four different artists and colorists is equally moving. Each artist uses a palette that evokes a specific time, place, and mood, with bold linework throughout the issue. The art is both nostalgic and gritty, fitting this unusually sentimental entry of the Batman lore.
What makes Batman: Urban Legends #10 a standout issue is its sense of hope. Many of its stories start impossibly bleak, especially the first story that shows Gotham citizens on the verge of rioting during Christmas. What could have been a cynical drag on human nature turns into something affirmative and beautiful. Batman diffuses the situation using his often forgotten power of empathy. Batman: Urban Legends #10’s surprising optimism reminds readers of what makes Batman such a beloved franchise. Even in the grimy abyss of Gotham City, there is always a reason to believe in change.
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