Batman the Dark Knight Annual #1

Batman the Dark Knight Annual #1 – I have seen that often annuals are afterthought comics with stories squeezed into the schedule of a regular comic production schedule.  Sometimes this results in really crappy and painful to read comic books.  Other times an annual is an epic story full of comic world shaking events that change the comic book universe as we know it.  Then there is this comic and it is neither as it is a good story.  The Mad Hatter, the Penguin and the Scarecrow are invited to a home with the promise of an intriguing business proposal.  The usual suspects show up at the location and find out that they were invited into a trap; it also turns out the location chosen was the Arkham youth facility now long closed down.  Oh and it is Halloween Night – the night of trick and treating.  We then get to watch the three villains minds go wild with fears of the Batman gone crazy again and out to get them.  This leads to all sorts of interesting actions.  But in the end it turns out that the Batman just wanted one night that did not require him to run around in costume.  I was amused and entertained.