Poison" by Brian Azzarello being the weakest, a run-of-the-mill Batman/Poison Ivy story whose flowery narration from Ivy isn't really very convincing or meaningful. The other three stories are very much in the EC Comics vein, whether it's the murder revelation in "Drive" by Joe Kelly (which uses an unnecessarily confusing off-panel conversation as it's driving force), the intriguing examination of prison politics and aging in prison of "Old Dog/New Trick" by Andy Helfer or the gory shock ending of "The Stalking Horse" by Chuck Dixon.
Whether or not the stories resonated deeply or not with me is hardly the point, though, as the artwork looks great throughout. Bernet really sells the grossout factor and the comedy in "Back Bone," the lurid doings of "Drive," the intricate routine of the prison in "Old Dog/New Trick," the madness of revenge in "The Stalking Horse" and the sensuality of Poison Ivy in "Poison." Each story also features a different colorist, or in the case of "Drive," a black and white motif, and this variance of style in color and writing allows Bernet to show off a different aspect of his art in each story.
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