Pat Broderick
Batman: Anno Tre

The first part of this comic happened to be something I bought at a comic convention in Bassano. It was the Italian (original?) copy from '96, I believe, and it also contained a short story from the '40s.

Obviously, the story was divided into multiple parts, so I had to wait for the next year to buy the other parts.

I didn't find the other parts at first, and disheartened, I bought a "crisis on infinite earths" or something like that to fill that void. But luckily, flipping through another collection of the same series, I found the SAME story that picked up exactly where it left off! Gosh, what a stroke of luck! After an embarrassing scene where I asked the newsagent if I could return the "crisis on infinite earths," swearing that I hadn't touched it, I set out to buy and finally complete that excellent story.

And now the plot: by now Batman, after the killing of the second Robin Jason Todd, has fallen into depression: he throws himself headlong against criminals without thinking about his actions, beats the informers to a pulp, and starts to question his vow to let criminals live.

Richard Grayson, the first Robin and now Nightwing, understands this and tries to talk to him, always failing.

The case: for a few weeks now, brutal murders of mafia bosses have been occurring, and to try to stop the killer, Batman will even ally with the mafia families of Gotham.

Meanwhile, Alfred (the most iconic butler in comics history), tries to convince the court not to release Tony Zucco, the murderer of Richard Grayson's parents.

One of my favorite stories in the series, it features a grim and dark Batman (this time not in a good way), who doesn't fight against quirky masked criminals, but against a more real and tangible enemy. It's more of an investigation; those expecting senseless brawls will be disappointed, but the few punches exchanged are filled with blood and realism.

Switching from flashback to present, it also tells the story of the first Robin (there's even a cameo by Tim Drake, the third Robin!)

I recommend it to anyone wanting an investigation not found in today's stories, and for anyone wanting to delve deeper into this important era of the Dark Knight.