Writer: Doug MoenchPlot: The dark lords attack Batman and his allies in Wayne Manor, forcing Bruce into a painful confrontation with his mother's soulself.
If there's one thing Doug achieved in this four-part Elseworlds mini, it's Bruce Wayne's heroic metamorphosis. Unlike in Bloodstorm, the second part of the Bat-vampire trilogy, Bruce doesn't physically evolve into a different character; Haunted Gotham is a tale of spiritual evolution.
In issue four, Bruce fully realizes his past and his destiny, finally deciding to embrace both. Even though he's trained for an unknown battle throughout his life, he understands that he needs help to defeat the dark lords - that he can't do it alone.
The talking skeleton, Cal, isn't forgotten, since his quirky introduction in the first issue; his "body" is put to good use, here. Alfred has a bit of an adventure, too, jumping from painting to painting in the Manor.
The interconnection between Bruce and the mystical bat is a little hard to believe at first, since baby Bruce comes up with a feat of phonological amazement, but it ties up neatly at the end, providing an even more cogent and rewarding ending than issue two would have done.
