It’s a little hard to take this issue seriously. At one point, Batman is shocked the fighting gang members–this issue is part of the “War Games” crossover event–he’s shocked when the gang members abandon people in need. It’s a terrible, terrible scene. Gabrych goes through a lot of trouble for realistic gang behavior, then makes Batman absurd.
Otherwise, the issue mostly involves Batman and Batgirl running around Gotham fighting various gang members. Trying to calm them down, more like. It’s a lot of awkward, expository sequences. Gabrych’s Orpheus character (Batman’s plant in the crime world) is in it way too much.
There’s also the lame part where DC had decided Batman was an urban legend again and “War Games” revealed him on the TV news.
The backup, from Shane McCarthy, Tommy Castillo and Rodney Ramos, is bad. Riddler and Poison Ivy. Really weak proportions from Castillo in particular.
CREDITS
War Games, Act 1, Part 1: Flashpoint; writer, Andersen Gabrych; penciller, Pete Woods; inker, Nathan Massengill; colorist, Jason Wright; letterer, Pat Brosseau; editors, Michael Wright and Bob Schreck. Low, Part 1; writer, Shane McCarthy; penciller, Tommy Castillo; inker, Rodney Ramos; colorist, Tony Avina; letterer, Ken Lopez; editor, Wright. Publisher, DC Comics.
Batman and Robin versus Zsasz, only it’s Stephanie Brown as Robin and so Batman’s trying to train her.
Given the incessant Tarantula narration–Gabrych goes off the deep end, amping up the character’s annoying factor instead of toning it down to reasonable levels–one would think the ending would make sense because there would be some commentary on it in the narration.