Review: Batman - Contagion

When a deadly virus is unleashed on Gotham City, Batman and his allies race against time to find a cure before its citizens can be decimated by the infection. While the police attempt to maintain order in the city, Robin and Catwoman join forces to track down survivors carrying antibodies in order to formulate an antidote. With time running out, it becomes clear that Batman very well be facing the one threat he can’t beat.

Batman: Contagion collects Azrael #15-16, Batman #529, Batman Chronicles #4, Batman: Shadow Of The Bat #48-49, Catwoman #31-35, Detective Comics #695-696, and Robin #27-30, written by Doug Moench, Alan Grant, and Chuck Dixon.

Contagion was the first major Batman event following the commercial and critical success of Knightfall. Unlike its episodic predecessor, it is a tightly plotted crossover that unfolds as a clear and concise arc. It begins with an outbreak of the Ebola Gulf-A virus, which quickly spreads across Gotham City. With the GCPD on the frontlines as it happens, Batman works towards finding a cure before all life in the city is decimated by the virus. It’s a gripping storyline that presents Batman with an enemy that he can’t simply beat up and throw into Arkham Asylum. Much like with Knightfall, he’s pushed to his limits, but this time learns to accept the help of those around him (including his enemies). As such, we get a really great sequence where Batman relies on Poison Ivy to deliver a potential cure to the infected due to her immunity to diseases.

Interestingly, Batman doesn’t actually feel like the star of this crossover. His presence feels muted in comparison to the rather prominent roles Nightwing, Huntress, and the GCPD play in keeping the peace in a city ravaged by a plague. Furthermore, Robin serves as the nucleus of this arc. He’s the one who is tasked with the mission of finding the antibodies to manufacture a cure and who later joins forces with Nightwing and Huntress while Batman is busy with Poison Ivy. The real scene stealer though is Catwoman. With a bounty out on the survivors of the virus, the Feline Fatale is determined to be the one who finds them. This initially puts her into opposition with Robin, but the pair put their differences aside in order to team-up and find the survivors. This subplot is the most well-written and exciting part of Contagion, largely due to how action-heavy it is and since Catwoman’s dialogue is so electric and sassy. The character injects life into an otherwise dour and melancholy crossover.

Batman: Contagion is impressive start to what would become a tetralogy of Batman crossovers from the 1990s. It is a grounded and carefully plotted storyline that is evenly paced throughout. Despite there being a lack of a distinctive (physical) antagonist, Contagion features Batman at a point of apparent hopelessness and gives readers a lot of great action sequences courtesy of Nightwing, Robin, Huntress, Catwoman, and Azrael. My sole complaint regarding this specific collection was the decision to include some of the issues that take place in the aftermath of the main event. The Robin issues are fantastic, but the Batman-focused ones seem out of place and unnecessary. Aside from that, this is essential reading.

RATING: A-