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Hmm.

On the one hand, Batman failed to capture Joker. He failed to stop what he might regard as a farce at best and a reckless, dangerous stunt at worst. And he failed to avoid getting dragged into some charade where he had to "act" out a fight scene. All right, "failed" might be a bit harsh for the last point, but you see my point.

On the other hand, he failed to capture Scarecrow because he was doing legitimate research. His standard Rogue protocol, intimidation and physical violence, will have likely failed spectacularly. He failed to counter Dracula. And he failed to avoid looking like the next candidate for a 4x4 cell in Uncle Jerry's House o' Fun.

One might wonder which he regards as the greater disappointment.

I have to give kudos for the Count's reaction to how the entertainment industry has treated him over the many, many years. Sometimes, one just has to laugh at the absurd. And some of the stuff that's out there is definitely absurd.

So far, Batman's hasn't been able to deal with the TDK movie situation. He hasn't been able to take down Joker. And he definitely hasn't been able to take down Dracula, his flunky (sorry, Crane, but that's what you are right now), or his posse of one (Pammy, don't get pissy at me. Get pissy at the Man who turned the Goddess into a Slave). He's either too busy to effectively deal with any one situation (mainly because of the latter) or has been playing someone else's game (again, the latter). It's time for him to change the rules and make everyone else play his game--even if it means getting help, or thinking about magic for more than a nanosecond without the kneejerk "NO"--or he's gonna be screwed beyond the point of no return.

Last time, I said that Batman needs to make one of those famous plans or Protocols, even if it means getting help. Even if it means getting help from a magical source. I'm pleased to see that Batman did just that in this chapter, after a good night's sleep (guess all those 6-8 hours of sleep advocates are on to something). It's good to see how much of a man he is that he didn't let "My City, My Way" PsychoBat override (most of) his common sense.

I say "most of", because a) his Magic = Bad position is still in play, and b) it seems that Etrigan isn't the only one that shares certain character traits with the Dark Knight. Jason is just as stubborn as Batman can be, whether trying to get things done "his way", or going to ridiculously convoluted lengths to provide help just because someone wouldn't play by "his rules". If Selina wasn't around to sidestep that male equivalent of a hissy fit and cut to the chase, who knows how long they'd be at it?

The "Knights of the Round Table" thing was an interesting image by itself, but when coupled with Jason Blood's impromptu appearance, it seemed all the more appropriate. I particularly enjoyed the imaginative and original origin story of Dracula, the new interpretation on how he acquired his vampirism, and how he met Jason. One wonders if we'll get to see him and Etrigan assist in Batman's takedown.

In any case, it looks like Team Bat is starting to lay the foundations for a better Dracula Protocol 2.0. Problem is, Selina's got one of her own. Will they choose one over the other, or will both go into play simultaneously? If the latter, will the two plans step on each other's toes? And will either be able to assauge Selina's fears by including some steps on what to do with the Count if they actually manage to take him down?