Batman Confidential #40 - DC

Sam Kieth is doing this next story-arc for Batman Confidential and it looks amazing. It's easy to be a fan of Sam's art, but it just as easy to forget how good of a writer he is. This story is about a kind of sulfur-ghost that seems to be preying on the homeless around Gotham. We don't know all the details yet, but . . I think it's somehow connected to a social worker that has an office nearby, Callie Sarah Dean. She's kind of a recluse, much like Batman. And it seems that she lost her mother when she was young, also much like Batman . . to a man with a bullet. After the second murder Batman finally gets a bead on the creature. And of course, as he's finally going to talk to Callie, he comes face to face with it. Somehow it seems to be feeding off the pain and panic that it incites in it's victims. The issue ends with Batman sprawled out on the street. He can't think straight and he's losing consciousness. And he begins to black out he hears a 'tap . . tap . . tap' coming down the street. It's a sound that Callie just described when she's talking about her homeless clients. 'I'm ashamed of how tired I secretly get of that smell on my clients in the streets . . that awful stench! It's not their fault, though, it's mine. Rescue anyone . . what a joke. Such a useless sound when my clients hear the tap tap tap of my cane as I approach.' But is Callie here to help Batman? Or is she somehow connected to this ghost? Maybe we'll find out some more next issue. This was a great issue all around. It was hard to read it the first time because I wanted to study every panel of Sam's art. But after looking at his unique style, I went back and tried to absorb the story. I thought it was fantastic. I can't wait to see what happens next.