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soniek's review
dark
reflective
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? Yes
2.0
marcelo_flores's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
emfed's review
batman syllabus continues.. dug the art style of this one & appreciate the deeper delve into the question of why he doesn’t just kill the joker
vigneswara_prabhu's review
4.0
You know, I love Batman. But even the most hardcore fans really find it vexing how the Joker & Batman go about this game of cat & mouse, with the death toll ever rising. And they wonder, 'Why doesn't Bats just end the clown? One death, in face of the countless casualties.
Some writers try to come up with contrived reasons other than the 'We can't kill off one of our most popular Villains'. But others, take that as a challenge, and chose to delve into the deep, dark, and ultimately f**ked up the psyche of Batman; yes Batman, because there is no Bruce Wayne.
It tells the tale of a man whose dark impulses could rival that of even the mad clown, and combined with his indomitable will, genius and skills could turn him into a menace that can give Gods & Demons pause. But then we see this man, restraining those impulses, tempering them, and using them to help people, rather than pursue a journey of vengeance and self-gratification.
He chose to take the road less traveled, the more difficult path over fire and brimstone, where even his most arduous supporters would criticize his inadequacies. But that is the path he chose to walk, to keep his inner darkness in check, and to be in control. Which just adds yet another feather, as to why Batman is such an engaging character study.
Review:
As a story, Batman: Ego is nothing spectacular. It’s sort of a ‘day in the life of’ narrative, much reminiscent of that one episode from Bruce Timm’s Brilliant Batman: The Animated Series. . In fact, the story flows much the same, like the episode ‘I am the Night’.
After years of fighting the maniacal homicidal deranged super villains of Gotham, particularly the Joker, Batman is at his wits end. Even an indomitable will such as that of the Caped Crusader is still human and has his limits.
Seeing his presence in Gotham, making no change in the life of the people, he has a crisis of confidence. Worse, the latest antics of the Joker show that his presence is causing more harm than good, as the clown prince of crime had made it his life’s mission to color the town red, just to try and break the bat.
One a Christmas night, when one of Joker’s would be victims, rather than risk falling to the clown’s deranged games, decides to take the easy way out. He kills his family and blows his brains out in front of Batman, that was his breaking point.
Wounded, tired, and mentally broken, the Batman retreats to the Batcave, his sanctum sanctorum, while seriously contemplating whether he should hang up the cowl for good.
Only, that is a decision which he alone is not allowed to make. That part of the Batman, the darkness which had taken root the night the Bruce had lost his parents, resurfaces. This version of his psyche, his Ego in the Freudian sense, manifests. And like a more terrifying version of the Ghosts of Christmas, demands him to uphold the covenant he had made with it, with himself, to dedicate his life for the pursuit of justice.
This version of him, one which the Batman had harnessed to fuel his incredible drive for crime fighting, and yet was one which he had subdued, tempered, and compromised with. For this darkness was one which constantly nagged him with the demand that so many fanboys have in real life. ‘Just kill the f**king joker and end all the suffering that he wrought’. Just him, and no one else. Do the world a favor, and bend your morals just a little.
It seems so easy, so alluring. The simple and quite easy task would allow Batman to get rid of the chief source of his problems, as well as make Gotham as a whole sigh in relief. But what does it mean for The Batman?
His unwillingness to take a life, while it may seem like weakness to his enemies, and even to his allies, is an imposition that he has placed on himself. In a weird way, it’s reminiscent of how Kurapika from Hunter x Hunter places a restriction on his life; in exchange he gets a great power boost, when facing, and only when facing the members of the infamous Phantom Troupe.
The restriction that Batman has placed on himself, not willing to take a life, through action or inaction, makes his job that much more difficult. In a contrarian way, this also means that it makes it easier. To function effectively within the restrictions placed on himself, Bruce Wayne has to always be prepared, mentally, physically, strategically. He must be extremely versatile, skilled and adaptable to handle dangerous situations. In a way it keeps him on his toes, always driving him to better himself. It’s literally ‘Get Good, or Die’
That is not even mentioning the moral imperative. The world sees Batman in a complex light. Some see him as a guardian, some as a deranged maniacal madman out to get his kicks from violence. Some see his pursuits as noble, others as a power fantasy to satiate the darker impulses in him.
He is all of that. At this point, it’s almost a cliche that Bruce Wayne became Batman due to the trauma of losing his parents to crime. He fights so as to make sure no one goes through what he does. But also, this is the same young boy in the alley, left with the corpses of his parents, who was scared. Scared for his life, scared of the future, and scared of the dark.
Being Batman allows that young part of Bruce’s mind to take back some of the agency he lost that night.
Also, also, no one much brings this up, but there is a great darkness brewing inside this man’s psyche. Which, if allowed to go untethered, can unleash onto the world an entity which can cause death and destruction on an unimaginable scale. Just consider how much of a menace Batman would be, if he was batting for the other team?
And no, I’m not talking about that hack story [b:Nemesis|8709880|Nemesis|Mark Millar|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1439045688l/8709880._SY75_.jpg|13582731]by Mark Miller, with the whole Batman, but if he was an a**hole tagline. That’s just pretentious and in bad taste. Think more along the likes of Lex Luthor meets Owlman from Earth-2; or Ozymandius from The Watchmen.
Rather, by sticking to his rules, Batman has avoided an extremely slippery slope of not being the guy on the other side. As much as you might hate and criticize him for being ‘too soft on crime’, and even after half the time you’d be justifiable in that sentiment, you don’t want the alternative.
A murder junkie wearing a ridiculous costume, going around leaving bodies in his wake. At least in the present, even the most ardent critics of Batman, can be comforted in the knowledge that, despite how far he goes, you can absolutely trust in him to not break that final barrier.
That which separates him from the monsters that roam the streets of Gotham. Batman is someone who has stared into the abyss that Nietszche so feared, he has stared into it, and NOT turned into the monsters that he has been battling day and night. He is a watchman that doesn’t need watching, he is the check and balance for his own person.
He is the one constant, a symbol of hope and perseverance for the everyday people of Gotham, even when the act placed a titanic burden on him Psyche. And that just makes him that much more intriguing of a character to explore.
Some writers try to come up with contrived reasons other than the 'We can't kill off one of our most popular Villains'. But others, take that as a challenge, and chose to delve into the deep, dark, and ultimately f**ked up the psyche of Batman; yes Batman, because there is no Bruce Wayne.
It tells the tale of a man whose dark impulses could rival that of even the mad clown, and combined with his indomitable will, genius and skills could turn him into a menace that can give Gods & Demons pause. But then we see this man, restraining those impulses, tempering them, and using them to help people, rather than pursue a journey of vengeance and self-gratification.
He chose to take the road less traveled, the more difficult path over fire and brimstone, where even his most arduous supporters would criticize his inadequacies. But that is the path he chose to walk, to keep his inner darkness in check, and to be in control. Which just adds yet another feather, as to why Batman is such an engaging character study.
Review:
As a story, Batman: Ego is nothing spectacular. It’s sort of a ‘day in the life of’ narrative, much reminiscent of that one episode from Bruce Timm’s Brilliant Batman: The Animated Series. . In fact, the story flows much the same, like the episode ‘I am the Night’.
After years of fighting the maniacal homicidal deranged super villains of Gotham, particularly the Joker, Batman is at his wits end. Even an indomitable will such as that of the Caped Crusader is still human and has his limits.
Seeing his presence in Gotham, making no change in the life of the people, he has a crisis of confidence. Worse, the latest antics of the Joker show that his presence is causing more harm than good, as the clown prince of crime had made it his life’s mission to color the town red, just to try and break the bat.
One a Christmas night, when one of Joker’s would be victims, rather than risk falling to the clown’s deranged games, decides to take the easy way out. He kills his family and blows his brains out in front of Batman, that was his breaking point.
Wounded, tired, and mentally broken, the Batman retreats to the Batcave, his sanctum sanctorum, while seriously contemplating whether he should hang up the cowl for good.
Only, that is a decision which he alone is not allowed to make. That part of the Batman, the darkness which had taken root the night the Bruce had lost his parents, resurfaces. This version of his psyche, his Ego in the Freudian sense, manifests. And like a more terrifying version of the Ghosts of Christmas, demands him to uphold the covenant he had made with it, with himself, to dedicate his life for the pursuit of justice.
This version of him, one which the Batman had harnessed to fuel his incredible drive for crime fighting, and yet was one which he had subdued, tempered, and compromised with. For this darkness was one which constantly nagged him with the demand that so many fanboys have in real life. ‘Just kill the f**king joker and end all the suffering that he wrought’. Just him, and no one else. Do the world a favor, and bend your morals just a little.
It seems so easy, so alluring. The simple and quite easy task would allow Batman to get rid of the chief source of his problems, as well as make Gotham as a whole sigh in relief. But what does it mean for The Batman?
His unwillingness to take a life, while it may seem like weakness to his enemies, and even to his allies, is an imposition that he has placed on himself. In a weird way, it’s reminiscent of how Kurapika from Hunter x Hunter places a restriction on his life; in exchange he gets a great power boost, when facing, and only when facing the members of the infamous Phantom Troupe.
The restriction that Batman has placed on himself, not willing to take a life, through action or inaction, makes his job that much more difficult. In a contrarian way, this also means that it makes it easier. To function effectively within the restrictions placed on himself, Bruce Wayne has to always be prepared, mentally, physically, strategically. He must be extremely versatile, skilled and adaptable to handle dangerous situations. In a way it keeps him on his toes, always driving him to better himself. It’s literally ‘Get Good, or Die’
That is not even mentioning the moral imperative. The world sees Batman in a complex light. Some see him as a guardian, some as a deranged maniacal madman out to get his kicks from violence. Some see his pursuits as noble, others as a power fantasy to satiate the darker impulses in him.
He is all of that. At this point, it’s almost a cliche that Bruce Wayne became Batman due to the trauma of losing his parents to crime. He fights so as to make sure no one goes through what he does. But also, this is the same young boy in the alley, left with the corpses of his parents, who was scared. Scared for his life, scared of the future, and scared of the dark.
Being Batman allows that young part of Bruce’s mind to take back some of the agency he lost that night.
Also, also, no one much brings this up, but there is a great darkness brewing inside this man’s psyche. Which, if allowed to go untethered, can unleash onto the world an entity which can cause death and destruction on an unimaginable scale. Just consider how much of a menace Batman would be, if he was batting for the other team?
And no, I’m not talking about that hack story [b:Nemesis|8709880|Nemesis|Mark Millar|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1439045688l/8709880._SY75_.jpg|13582731]by Mark Miller, with the whole Batman, but if he was an a**hole tagline. That’s just pretentious and in bad taste. Think more along the likes of Lex Luthor meets Owlman from Earth-2; or Ozymandius from The Watchmen.
Rather, by sticking to his rules, Batman has avoided an extremely slippery slope of not being the guy on the other side. As much as you might hate and criticize him for being ‘too soft on crime’, and even after half the time you’d be justifiable in that sentiment, you don’t want the alternative.
A murder junkie wearing a ridiculous costume, going around leaving bodies in his wake. At least in the present, even the most ardent critics of Batman, can be comforted in the knowledge that, despite how far he goes, you can absolutely trust in him to not break that final barrier.
That which separates him from the monsters that roam the streets of Gotham. Batman is someone who has stared into the abyss that Nietszche so feared, he has stared into it, and NOT turned into the monsters that he has been battling day and night. He is a watchman that doesn’t need watching, he is the check and balance for his own person.
He is the one constant, a symbol of hope and perseverance for the everyday people of Gotham, even when the act placed a titanic burden on him Psyche. And that just makes him that much more intriguing of a character to explore.
elfhiem's review
dark
inspiring
reflective
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? Yes
4.25
dcommet's review
4.0
Good book, but I was much more into the idea of Bruce dehumanizing the criminals of Gotham and having the end result of that dehumanization - the very real destruction of human lives at his own hands in his quest for revenge - hitting him head on with the murder/suicide of one of the petty criminals he looks down on so much. Sadly like 3/4 of this becomes like a ghost story with Batman arguing with Bruce about the necessity to kill criminals like the Joker. I think the introspection about the damage Bruce himself has caused is much more interesting than another discussion over the morality of a hero's right to kill. Especially since the answer in my mind is always pretty obviously that if an evil clown man keeps killing people and cannot possibly be contained because he will enevitably escape because its a never ending comic book then, yeah, the clown should probably be killed.
dreamshamy's review
4.0
Comic/novela gráfica de estilo clásico en el que vemos a Batman enfrentarse a sus demonios internos ahondando mientras tanto en la psique del personaje. La historia no necesita de haber leído nada más para entenderse y funciona de forma independiente. El dibujo es de estilo claramente clásico, con una utilización de colores bastante estridentes para remarcar ciertas cosas. Recomendable.
jaziles's review
3.0
I read this because Matt Reeves cited it as an inspiration for The Batman, and it was a nice trip into Batman's psyche, but too short to deliver anything of note. On a side note, the font made it harder to read for me.
jadejade's review
1.0
My comic book club pick this one-shot, as the new Batman movie was coming out. The following is adapted from the discussion I had with my comic book club members:
Watch out – incoming rant re: Batman EGO!
Trigger warning for domestic violence cos it clearly triggered me FARK.
I could have really liked this but literally one page made me so angry that I couldn't just sit back and enjoy it. The bit where the guy at the start says “I couldn't bear the thought of my wife and daughter in the hands of that maniac—so I killed them myself!” Batman makes Pikachu GASP face.
I'm sorry, are we supposed to feel sympathy for this arsehole? I don't want to be rude but geeze you can tell a man wrote this comic.
What he's describing is not a fridging per se (note the wife and child don't even have the dignity of being shown or named). What that guy tried to do (and succeeded in doing) is a murder-suicide. IRL the media spins stories of tragedy around actual murder-suicides but what I see is glorified domestic violence. Why are we being asked to feel sorry for a person who murdered multiple people?
To be clear, the loss of any life is tragic, and this comic is dancing around the topic of maybe taking a life might save others. BUT it did not even bother to try to deconstruct what a heinous act a murder-suicide is. Instead it treats the guy's situation as a tragedy – oh boo hoo he was so terrified of the Joker that he had no choice but to MURDER the women in his life, how noble and brave of him! You know, like a pharaoh being buried with his property.
And the worst thing of all was that this added absolutely nothing to the comic. Imagine the same scene playing out but the guy instead just 1) expresses distress that he has been rescued; 2) expresses despair that the Joker knows he was the leak; 3) expresses anger that the Batman has driven him to do this – then the guy shoots himself. The rest of the comic can play out exactly the same and you still get Pikachu-face. Comic just as good, right? Which tells me the writer threw in a line about the guy murdering his own wife and daughter for shock value only, never mind that it added zero to the story and the way murder-suicides are portrayed in the media is extremely problematic.
Don't forget, skilled writers/artists can effectively work with limited real estate. It comes across as callous here because I'd put money on the writer not even considering the DV angle, and the treatment of mental health in media is a whole thing as well ahhhh.
I think the writer here is focussed on the dialogue between the Batman vs Bruce Wayne, which tbh I liked in concept: it gave me Scrooge vs the ghost of Christmas past/present/future vibes. That is to say, the writer had a particular direction in mind and almost certainly didn't consider the implications of throw-away lines. In my limited experience, a lot of people of the writer's generation genuinely treat murder-suicide as though it is group-suicide, if it involves a family unit (i.e.: “oh how sad for that family” rather than “that arsehole murdered those innocent people”). The writer could have even chucked in a line about “I discussed this with my wife and we agreed this was the only way out” to emphasise the despair, to make it clearer that this wasn't just a person disposing of property he controlled. But the writer didn't, and that page really lands flat for people who have lived through DV.
Soz that I'm wearing my grumpypants. I really wasn't the right reader for this one.
Watch out – incoming rant re: Batman EGO!
Trigger warning for domestic violence cos it clearly triggered me FARK.
I could have really liked this but literally one page made me so angry that I couldn't just sit back and enjoy it. The bit where the guy at the start says “I couldn't bear the thought of my wife and daughter in the hands of that maniac—so I killed them myself!” Batman makes Pikachu GASP face.
I'm sorry, are we supposed to feel sympathy for this arsehole? I don't want to be rude but geeze you can tell a man wrote this comic.
What he's describing is not a fridging per se (note the wife and child don't even have the dignity of being shown or named). What that guy tried to do (and succeeded in doing) is a murder-suicide. IRL the media spins stories of tragedy around actual murder-suicides but what I see is glorified domestic violence. Why are we being asked to feel sorry for a person who murdered multiple people?
To be clear, the loss of any life is tragic, and this comic is dancing around the topic of maybe taking a life might save others. BUT it did not even bother to try to deconstruct what a heinous act a murder-suicide is. Instead it treats the guy's situation as a tragedy – oh boo hoo he was so terrified of the Joker that he had no choice but to MURDER the women in his life, how noble and brave of him! You know, like a pharaoh being buried with his property.
And the worst thing of all was that this added absolutely nothing to the comic. Imagine the same scene playing out but the guy instead just 1) expresses distress that he has been rescued; 2) expresses despair that the Joker knows he was the leak; 3) expresses anger that the Batman has driven him to do this – then the guy shoots himself. The rest of the comic can play out exactly the same and you still get Pikachu-face. Comic just as good, right? Which tells me the writer threw in a line about the guy murdering his own wife and daughter for shock value only, never mind that it added zero to the story and the way murder-suicides are portrayed in the media is extremely problematic.
Don't forget, skilled writers/artists can effectively work with limited real estate. It comes across as callous here because I'd put money on the writer not even considering the DV angle, and the treatment of mental health in media is a whole thing as well ahhhh.
I think the writer here is focussed on the dialogue between the Batman vs Bruce Wayne, which tbh I liked in concept: it gave me Scrooge vs the ghost of Christmas past/present/future vibes. That is to say, the writer had a particular direction in mind and almost certainly didn't consider the implications of throw-away lines. In my limited experience, a lot of people of the writer's generation genuinely treat murder-suicide as though it is group-suicide, if it involves a family unit (i.e.: “oh how sad for that family” rather than “that arsehole murdered those innocent people”). The writer could have even chucked in a line about “I discussed this with my wife and we agreed this was the only way out” to emphasise the despair, to make it clearer that this wasn't just a person disposing of property he controlled. But the writer didn't, and that page really lands flat for people who have lived through DV.
Soz that I'm wearing my grumpypants. I really wasn't the right reader for this one.
apblaidd's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0