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dantastic's review against another edition
4.0
In swinging 1961, Barbara Gordon and Dick Grayson fight crime in their thrillseeking way as Batgirl and Robin! Will Barbara's father, Commissioner Gordon, or ace cop Bruce Wayne, deduce their identities before they get in over their heads?
This Elseworlds Batman book has been on my radar for years. My wife nabbed it for me for my birthday last week.
Dan Brereton's painted art always has a more dynamic, lively feel than the art of some other comics painters. His character designs for Batgirl, Robin, Bianca Steeplechase aka The Joker, and later Batman are all dynamite, fresh but still reminiscent of the source material. He also paints one hell of a sexy Batgirl.
A lot of Elseworlds don't stray far enough from the source material for my taste but this one has everything off kilter. Barbara Gordon is a bored millionaire fighting crime for kicks with her acrobat boyfriend, Dick Grayson. Bruce Wayne's parents lost Wayne Manor and the unknown cave beneath it during the Great Depression and Bruce is a detective on the GCPD, avenging his parents in that way. The Joker is a maniacal woman named Bianca Steeplechase. Babs and Dick are sticking it to the corrupt police force when they get snared into something much bigger.
Not everyone gets out alive. It's a great couple of noir tales, illustrated in Brereton's moody style. Howard Chaykin knows how to weave a gritty detective yarn, super heroes or not. As a bonus, the sequel, Thrillkiller '62 is included, building off the events of the previous volume. Without giving too much away, Thrillerkiller '63 is long overdue! I want more of this off kilter world!
Four out of five stars. Go buy it!
This Elseworlds Batman book has been on my radar for years. My wife nabbed it for me for my birthday last week.
Dan Brereton's painted art always has a more dynamic, lively feel than the art of some other comics painters. His character designs for Batgirl, Robin, Bianca Steeplechase aka The Joker, and later Batman are all dynamite, fresh but still reminiscent of the source material. He also paints one hell of a sexy Batgirl.
A lot of Elseworlds don't stray far enough from the source material for my taste but this one has everything off kilter. Barbara Gordon is a bored millionaire fighting crime for kicks with her acrobat boyfriend, Dick Grayson. Bruce Wayne's parents lost Wayne Manor and the unknown cave beneath it during the Great Depression and Bruce is a detective on the GCPD, avenging his parents in that way. The Joker is a maniacal woman named Bianca Steeplechase. Babs and Dick are sticking it to the corrupt police force when they get snared into something much bigger.
Not everyone gets out alive. It's a great couple of noir tales, illustrated in Brereton's moody style. Howard Chaykin knows how to weave a gritty detective yarn, super heroes or not. As a bonus, the sequel, Thrillkiller '62 is included, building off the events of the previous volume. Without giving too much away, Thrillerkiller '63 is long overdue! I want more of this off kilter world!
Four out of five stars. Go buy it!
scottpm's review against another edition
3.0
A pulp retelling of Batman that had potemtial but was very uneven.
merqri's review against another edition
3.0
I loved the concept of Elseworlds. The authors get the liberty of taking characters out of their well formed, rigid, predictable personalities and thrust an entirely different storyline on them.
On that front this one does not disappoint. I loved how batgirl is torn between Robin and Batman. They have fundamentally altered the Wayne legacy too, and that's good. The writing maintains a brooding, noir theme with lots of narrations in the background.
Yet I felt it started in a great way and somewhat wavered in the middle only to get grip again towards the end. The characters are introduced very quickly and not enough space is given for them to blossom. I'd have preferred somewhat of a better drawings too.
It is my first Elseworlds one, so I might be conservative in rating, but I guess I'll stick to 3.
On that front this one does not disappoint. I loved how batgirl is torn between Robin and Batman. They have fundamentally altered the Wayne legacy too, and that's good. The writing maintains a brooding, noir theme with lots of narrations in the background.
Yet I felt it started in a great way and somewhat wavered in the middle only to get grip again towards the end. The characters are introduced very quickly and not enough space is given for them to blossom. I'd have preferred somewhat of a better drawings too.
It is my first Elseworlds one, so I might be conservative in rating, but I guess I'll stick to 3.
strawberryteeth's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
howattp's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent, groovy epicness. Filled with some top-heavy women, a cross dressing hero, and the most unique Joker we've seen yet. Elseworlds really continues to come through. I'm reading another Elseworlds book right now, and it's just as excellent.
earlapvaldez's review against another edition
5.0
Never thought that this Elseworlds piece would really hit it. Wow, 60s Gotham at its finest.
bloodravenlib's review against another edition
3.0
This was pretty good. An interesting take on Batman where Barbara Gordon, trust fund child becomes Batgirl and Gotham's heroine with Dick Grayson as her Robin. Bruce Wayne is a penniless cop after his family lost it all in the Great Depression. Sounds great, but the author really puts out a very convoluted tale of Gotham wracked by police corruption, and later drugs. You would think that is a good premise, but as I said, the plot is very convoluted at times, and at moments it seems things get wrapped up at the last rushed minute. The good things? The noir setting is very good, so if you like that genre, you may like this. The art is pretty good, adding a pulp feel to the story. And it is interesting to see how different characters such as the Riddler, the Joker (who is a woman), and others appear in the story in different ways. So, it was an "ok" read, entertaining at times, but I think the author tried to pack a bit too much. Still, worth a look for something different.
Comic is part of DC's series Elseworlds, which they describe as "heroes taken from their usual settings and put into strange times and places-- some that have existed or might have existed, and others that can't, couldn't or shouldn't exist." This comic definitely accomplishes that putting the characters we know in very different conditions.
Comic is part of DC's series Elseworlds, which they describe as "heroes taken from their usual settings and put into strange times and places-- some that have existed or might have existed, and others that can't, couldn't or shouldn't exist." This comic definitely accomplishes that putting the characters we know in very different conditions.
dumblydore's review against another edition
4.0
If you can remind yourself that this is an Elseworlds story, thus completely outside of the canon, Thrillkiller is a fantastic romp into the pulpy underworld of Gotham City in the 1960s. The characters are all familiar to us and yet entirely changed. Barbara/Batgirl is the leading character torn between her sometime lover and partner, Dick/Robin and GCPD detective Bruce. The Joker is a delirious femme fatale by the name of Bianca Steeplechase, while Killer Croc, Catwoman, Two-Face, Harley Quinn and Black Canary also make appearances albeit in an entirely deviant form to their original characters. The pace and action is brilliant, but once Batman enters the picture things get a bit too bizarre for comfort. Luckily, the end is nigh, so it's not as painful as it could have been.
The artwork by Dan Brereton is terrific—bold, brash and vibrant, with heavy red tones, and high contrasts, complementing the period's sensibilities beautifully.
The artwork by Dan Brereton is terrific—bold, brash and vibrant, with heavy red tones, and high contrasts, complementing the period's sensibilities beautifully.
tabman678's review
3.0
This elseworld is really fun. It plays around with Batman’s mythology in a way that is new to me and refreshing because Bruce isn’t the Star and that works in ways and doesn’t work in other ways. He’s still Batman believe me.
And the art is enchanting, it made me stop just to examine the pages in a way I haven’t for a long while. Because it’s so decadent in its execution.
But slipping into Gotham is something I love and this was familiar but different enough that it’s exciting.
That being said it relies on old Pulp tropes a bit much for me and that aspect feels tired. And the story is interesting enough but feels easy.
I’d still recommend this though.
3 stars.
And the art is enchanting, it made me stop just to examine the pages in a way I haven’t for a long while. Because it’s so decadent in its execution.
But slipping into Gotham is something I love and this was familiar but different enough that it’s exciting.
That being said it relies on old Pulp tropes a bit much for me and that aspect feels tired. And the story is interesting enough but feels easy.
I’d still recommend this though.
3 stars.
trisa_slyne's review against another edition
4.0
A very interesting alternate universe set in the 60s. I like the idea of Batgirl and Robin preceeding Batman for once.