The creative team of Scott Peterson (Writer), Rick Burchett, Tim Levins, (Pencillers) Terry Beatty (Penciller & Inker), Lee Loughridge (Colourist) Albert DeGuzman (Letterer) provide one of my all time favourite Batman stories from my all time favourite series of Batman stories. Gotham Adventures like The Batman & Robin Adventures before it had been created to complement Batman The Animated Series and together form the best set of Batman stories I have ever read. Collectively they are an astonishing achievement, a series of stand alone stories written for an all ages audience of remarkable and consistent quality.
Issue 48 is special even by the standards set by the series, it captured the elusive spark that makes a Batman story a great Batman story. The actual story is simple, Robin is talking to Alfred about an incident where he had seen Batman take off after a carjacker. He is a bit troubled because Batman seemed to take no interest in the victim, just the criminal, for Robin this was a cause for concern as there was a human element missing.
The rest of the issue examine this human element via two narratives that capture why Batman is a hero. The reveals are done with great skill, the real object of each pursuit are hidden to the end, the reveal is astonishing. That the creative team should be able to conjure up such a moment with a character that has been so worked over as Batman is extraordinary enough, that it is genuinely heroic and utterly a Batman moment is astounding. A joy to read.
