By Will Barber – Taylor

Batman and Katana team up with Rex Mason (who has been classified as the “Golem of Old Gotham”) as they combat an increasing army of armoured thugs that have been terrorizing several parts of Old Gotham after they were supplied the high-tech armours that came from Stagg Enterprises. In addition, they also dodge Harvey Dent’s newly-created Special Crimes Unit which is ordered to take down both the armoured criminals and the vigilantes fighting them.

Following on from the previous episode, The Dark Knight of Gotham is in a bad state. As mentioned in the previous episode without Alfred grounding him, Batman seems to be losing control and getting harder on both himself and Katana. This plays out interestingly in this episode as we see Batman once again not only push himself to the limit but also those around him, Katana and Rex.

In the case of Rex this story serves as a way to go from his origin to actually being hero. His reason to be a hero is kind of flimsy. It essentially boils down to the fact that he had powers and he decided to use them for good. While this is possible as a motivation for becoming a superhero it does seem a bit convenient for the plot. The fact Rex seems to have been defending Old Gotham for a while suggests that Batman, without Alfred’s presence, has become a tad sloppy. In a way this episode helps cement why Alfred is so important to Batman in his crusade against crime. Without his direction and sympathy, The Caped Crusader seems to lose his purpose and to an extent loses his humanity. This makes Batman seem more of a grounded figure and shows that even though he is a superhero like Superman he still has weaknesses. This in turn makes us empathise with him because we realise he is simply trying to do his best while juggling his own life problems.

All in all, Monsters is a fine addition to the Beware the Batman canon. It shows us in greater depth the universe in which Batman inhabits as well showing him in an interesting light. As Katana calls Alfred, will Batman’s former butler and father figure be able to bring him to his senses? Tune in soon for the next review. Same Bat – Time, Same Bat Website!

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GAMES