There’s a criminal on the loose who can drive faster than any car that she gets behind the wheel of. This is, of course, impossible. So is the prospect of Bruce Wayne’s parents suddenly showing up at Wayne Manor right as the bat signal appears in the night sky. These tales of Gotham appear alongside a few others in Batman: Urban Legends #21. Writer Anthony Falcone and writer/artist Michael Cho open the issue with an interesting mutation of the speed force. Writer Joey Esposito and artist Vasco Georgiev close the issue of strange suspicions on the apparent return of the Waynes. There are a few fun stories in between, including the promising opening of writer Dennis Culver and artist Hayden Sherman’s Arkham Academy.

They call her Getaway. There’s only one way that she could drive faster than the batmobile in the car she’s driving, and it involves the same speed force that the Flash has access to. Elsewhere, an incoming commissioner deals with her past while getting established with Gotham City PD, a class of young criminals begins its work in the minimum security wing of Arkham Asylum, and Bruce Wayne is beginning to realize that the people who have arrived at his estate might actually be who they say they are. His investigation will take him back to where it all started for him.  

Falcone’s issue-opening story may not have a lot of thematic depth, but the idea is clever. It’s the type of plot that might have worked a bit better as an ongoing mystery run through a regular series, but it’s a fun premise. Bringing Bruce’s parents back, though it’s clearly going to be a temporary thing, is a monumentally difficult task to pull off. Esposito fails pretty miserably at making it work dramatically, but his script DOES have some beautiful moments. Culver develops an engaging ensemble for Arkham Academy, which appears to be a very clever mutation of the superhero school trope. 

Cho has his moments in the first story. When he’s given the right space, he makes the speed of a car chase in Gotham City feel appropriately jarring. Much of the action might feel muted, but the chase sequences look pretty good. The gritty graininess of Sherman’s art in Arkham Academy is delightfully textured in a story that features some charming dramatic weight. Georgiev’s art is by far the sleekest in the issue, lending intensity to scenes that probably would have fallen quite flat otherwise. 

Once again, the mix of stories feels pretty vast. Gotham City is a big and menacing place with lots of corners that are being explored under many covers every month for DC. Urban Legends manages one of the most diverse looks at the city in a single title. There’s a very natural flow of action from the Batman story at the beginning to the Batman story at the end. Not all of it is perfect, but it’s quite a journey from start to finish.

Grade: B-