Modern Age Review: Batman and the Mad Monk #2

"Batman and the Mad Monk, Part Two"
By: Matt Wagner
Colours: Dave Stewart
Letters: Rob Leight
Synopsis: Picking up where we last left off, the mysterious Dala is gathered in front of a large number of robed cultists in a large chamber. The unfortunate girl she drugged at the end of issue one is tied up at the altar. As she screams for help, the leader of this group emerges -- the red-cloaked, mysterious, Monk. The Monk tears open the girl's throat and drinks blood from her wound, then gestures to the gathered cultists to do the same. The Monk's name is Niccolai, and Dala's internal monologue tells us that he has promised to make all the cultists one day immortal like himself -- for he is a vampire.
Meanwhile, Norman Madison has sought an audience with mobster Sal Maroni. Madison wishes to pay off his debts, but Maroni tells him that he is freed from this requirement, thanks to the Batman. Norman is becoming ever more paranoid that the Batman is in fact after him because of his dealings with the mob, and insists he pays Maroni. Maroni insists stronger and has Norman thrown out.
Batman, meanwhile, has a late-night meeting with one of his allies -- assistant district attorney Harvey Dent. Dent and Batman are trying to link Maroni to a huge misplaced shipment of heroin.
While Bruce is out playing Dark Knight Detective, his fiancee Julie Madison is staking out Wayne Manor -- convinced Bruce is hiding something from her. But the stake-out yields nothing, and Julie goes home frustrated.
The young girl whom the Monk and his minions have murdered is found dumped in an alleyway. Captain Gordon's team are on the scene, and soon so is the Batman. Batman notes that these murders are ritualistic in nature, while Gordon expresses concern at the continuing need for him and Batman to meet like this -- over the dead victim of some lunatic.
In chemical tests, Bruce discovers that the victim was drugged with a substance derived from perfumes, and tracks the source to an abandoned cosmetic factory. Sure enough, several hoods who work for the Monk are there, picking up the hearse Bruce deduced must've carried the body. As the Batman, he swoops down to attack them -- and that's the end of the issue.
My Thoughts: All by itself, this issue is fairly weak -- it's mainly designed to get us from point A to point B, and the only reason its content fills a whole issue is because of the time Wagner gives to each of his continuing plot-threads. The best bit definitely was the meeting between Batman and Harvey -- Wagner can't resist some nice foreshadowing -- even though this scene is probably the least plot-related in the issue, it's great character interaction. And I always love seeing classic, good Harvey Dent.
The Art: Wagner seems to be rushing it this issue -- the art is rougher and less polished in places than last month's, and his work always looks much worse if it's not well inked -- which several panels aren't here, indicating a hurried job.
The Story: Really nothing much happens here, except we're formally introduced to the titular Mad Monk. The rest of the issue really feels like biding time, padding things out for the sake of turning a 2-part Golden Age story into a 6-part Modern Age one, which makes it read well in a collected edition, but not so well on its own.