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darkknight79's review against another edition
3.0
Enjoyable, but overall mostly forgettable. I'm a big Batman fan so I enjoyed all of the stories in this collection (certainly some more than others). There seem to be a concentrated effort on the writers to shy away from the major villains. The Joker makes a few appearances (one as a side character, another as the main villain). Some readers may find this as a positive. I found that the stories I enjoyed the most were the small, quirky ones. Neutral Ground, The Batman Memos, Northwestward, and Idol were my favorite chapters. In a nutshell, I'd say Batman fans would enjoy this book, but the non-fan may not be moved by it at all.
justinchonaker's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
bloodstreamcity's review against another edition
3.0
I read this when I was younger and I remember a few of the stories making an impression on me. I recently bought a used copy to check it out again and it's been fun revisiting the material. The one that always stood out to me the most was the one written in screenplay form, which was an interesting choice and the first time I was exposed to that format of writing.
miocenemama's review against another edition
4.0
An interesting collection of Batman and Batman adjacent short stories written by writers who were popular at the time this book was compiled. This book was published in 1989, but I'm not sure when some of the stories were written. The settings of the stories included one set in 1943 and one in the 50s. Whenever the stories were written, it was interesting to see the idea of cutting-edge technology at the time. In one story, Batman and R0bin were putting together a super-computer with a database of all of the criminals they had dealt with. The computer used punchcards and vacuum tubes. In another story, Batman had a map of his own design that sounded like a touch-screen tablet that he could scroll up or down to see more areas. The story formats were interesting too. One was written entirely in the form of memos to or from David O Selznick regarding various actors and a plan to make a movie about Batman. In it, Bruce Wayne as an agent and close friend of Batman goes to Los Angeles to discuss the movie deal. Although it is never explicitly stated, it suggests that Batman becomes involved in rescuing an abducted starlet and helping to uncover her kidnapper. Another story is written in multiple POVs with descriptions of action and scenery that sound like they are describing comic book panels. Two stories were largely Robin's adventures while a couple of the stories dealt with Batman after Robin's death. One of the most unusual in my opinion was a story by Isaac Asimov about a 73-year-old man named Bruce Wayne whose contributions to crimefighting had inspired the stories of Batman. He was concerned about his butler, Cecil Pennyworth, Alfred's nephew, and his involvement in an exposition using Wayne's extensive collection of Batman memorabilia. I was amused that it even referenced the Batman TV show of the 1960s. The stories Neutral Ground by Mike Resnick about the tailor Kittlemeier and Idol by Ed Gorman about a disturbed and obsessive young man never even mentioned Batman by name but implied the character from context. I enjoyed the variety of stories and the different approaches the writers took. It was a fun read
kacey's review against another edition
3.0
Some of the stories in this collection are actually a pretty good read, but most of them are fairly sub-par.
Still, the collection provides an amusing enough read, if the awkward prose for some stories can be overlooked. A couple of the stories feel out of place, such as "Idol" or "Northwestward" which don't help the book any.
For the most part, characterization is pretty good from most of the authors; Dick Grayson reads particularly reminiscent of his Animated Series self, despite these stories having been written prior to the show's debut. The title man is a bit more hit-and-miss with his characterization, something which is not aided by most of the authors' tendency to muse a little too much on what (I think) is considered pretty common knowledge about Batman.
All in all, not a bad little book. Far from a stellar read, but for the $2.00 I got it for, I'll let it pass with three stars. (Which, is more than I've given some of the Batman comic storylines.)
Still, the collection provides an amusing enough read, if the awkward prose for some stories can be overlooked. A couple of the stories feel out of place, such as "Idol" or "Northwestward" which don't help the book any.
For the most part, characterization is pretty good from most of the authors; Dick Grayson reads particularly reminiscent of his Animated Series self, despite these stories having been written prior to the show's debut. The title man is a bit more hit-and-miss with his characterization, something which is not aided by most of the authors' tendency to muse a little too much on what (I think) is considered pretty common knowledge about Batman.
All in all, not a bad little book. Far from a stellar read, but for the $2.00 I got it for, I'll let it pass with three stars. (Which, is more than I've given some of the Batman comic storylines.)
pussreboots's review against another edition
5.0
It's a nice mixture of story telling styles and "eras" of Batman. One of my favorites in the group is the first story in the book as it thinks through all the work Bruce Wayne must go through to keep his separate identities apart.
pussreboots's review against another edition
5.0
It's a nice mixture of story telling styles and "eras" of Batman. One of my favorites in the group is the first story in the book as it thinks through all the work Bruce Wayne must go through to keep his separate identities apart.
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