3.74 AVERAGE


I'd just like to be completely transparent:
1) I didn't read the book this is adapted from.
2) No, I don't read all the current Batman comics.
3) I am familiar with the main Batman canon.
4) I knew straight off the bat this was not canon and is the author's own work.
5) I'm not a Marie Lu fangirl, although I did enjoy the Legend series (the only books of hers I've read btw).

Phew. With that out of the way, there isn't much to say. It's a graphic novel adaptation of her novel. The pacing can seem a bit over the place, my assumption due to cutting scenes or combining scenes into one. The story itself is quite unbelievable in the sense of Bruce Wayne's...position in the asylum. Even in the films I've seen and the Batman comics canon I know of, his situation and influence is a bit unbelievable. However, that's a bit more of a nitpick, as the rest of the GN wouldn't really work right if it was any other way. I did enjoy this angsty version of Bruce Wayne, considering he's 18 and fresh out of high school. His actions and demeanor are both something I'd expect and a bit more refined for a regular teen. The only real issue I had with the GN is the art. I seriously dislike the art style and it wasn't just giving me the vibes I was looking for. Obviously that's a personal preference, but if I was shopping for a GN art style plays a huge role in my selection process.

Short review as it's a GN. I mean unless you want me to spoil everything. Honestly, it might be worth checking out. If the synopsis call to you then give it a shot. If the synopsis makes you wonder wth's happening to Bruce Wayne, then I'd suggest you skip it.

The art is absolutely stunning and perfectly encapsulates the book that I loved. A short, fun read for any Batman fan 5/5
adventurous dark

No
dark mysterious tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I usually enjoy Lu’s work, and the complexity of this story and the relationships between the characters were intriguing. However, ACAB always!! Support Madeleine and the Nightwalkers!

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous dark tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Un bon comics avec l’adolescence de Bruce et ce qui le mène a devenir Batman

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

(Official review will be posted October 1st, 2019 on our website.)

The new DC Ink and DC Icons series graphic novel, Batman: Nightwalker, is based on the Marie Lu best-selling novel. It transports readers into the gates of the Arkham Asylum, where the darkest mysteries take place. Bruce Wayne has just turned 18 and the billionaire with a trust fund is going to make some grave mistakes. One of those mistakes was chasing after the "Nightwalkers" on his birthday. That lands him in doing community service at the Asylum. Since this is a graphic novel written by Marie Lu and adapted by Stuart Moore, we will mention them both. The narrative throughout this graphic novel is marvelous -- between Bruce Wayne, Madeleine, and the various other characters -- we get such a voice and tone from each character. I will focus on Bruce and Madeleine since they are predominantly the characters who get the most screen time during the novel. The other characters do as well, but this is a Bruce Wayne story.

Bruce can be tedious to read most of the time, no matter what age he is. (I am just being honest.) Batman: Nightwalker was a refreshing take on the voice of Bruce and who he is when it comes to his ethics. While we have a slightly different version, similar to the previous installments, of a watered-down version of his story, it still works. I am certain the average comic reader identifies that Gotham is cryptic. It is a town with more villains and vigilantes than heroes at times. However, some of the best of the best come from Gotham City. With the illustrations, it is necessary to depict the cryptic that is Gotham City. In Batman: Nightwalker that is done exceptionally well by Chris Wildgoose. I would be lying if I said this wasn't a necessary read if you love Batman and Bruce Wayne. Honestly, we have had a few favorites in the past few months from DC.

They are creating these narratives for teenagers that are being done incredibly well. The stories are modern, but they aren't changing the character we know and love. They are not modifying the personality of Bruce, but instead, making the narrative more kid-friendly if necessary. That is important to understand.
adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective fast-paced

Pretty cool retelling of Batman's origin story but while enjoyable, I'm also kinda disappointed.

The cameos from Harvey Dent and Jim Gordon are my favourite parts of this book. Alfred is awesome as always. I also particularly loved the Gotham setting as it was so vivid and felt so real, especially with the bleak and sombre colour palette.

I was expecting so much more about the whole Nightwalker thing but it was just a lot of back-and-forth banter in a jail cell. Despite a promising start, the plot was ultimately underwhelming. I didn't care for the romance at all as it didn't feel that natural or developed despite the pair's interesting dynamics. Not every comic book character needs a love story.

Most of the characters were one-dimensional, including the antagonist (I don't even remember his name now). The supporting cast had a lot of potential to make this a better read but were delegated to the backseat instead. I would have loved to see more of Harvey and Diane.

Overall, this was an interesting and action-packed read but not one of my favourites from DC's line of graphic novels for young adults.

I'm really enjoying the fact that these DC Icons books have graphic novels because since I can't always seem to concentrate on a book, I still get to read these stories even if they are probably a lot more in the books.

But it does give me an extra push to go and read these books.

I really enjoyed this version of Batman. I have never really been a major fan of Batman. I did watch some movies, but I never considered myself a fan. I know that this probably doesn't follow the original Batman story (or maybe it does, I couldn't tell you lol), but I found it quite entertaining.

I really hope that maybe in the future, they could be more, but I'm not sure it's something that was ever planned.