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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
A crowd is gathering in the Dew Drop Inn. A car pulls into Crime Alley and Selina Kyle gets out and heads into the pub, she is directed to a room in the back. People are gathering for a wake and taking their seats in front of an open casket. Inside is the Caped Crusader himself. As more people arrive they tell their stories of their encounters with Batman, each one recounting how he died, but what is the truth? Can this really be the end? Why does he die a different way each time?
I have read almost all the Gaiman Sandman series, probably the graphic novel series that he is best known for, I had enjoyed them, so when I found this on the shelf in the library, thought I’d give it a go. Gaiman always manages to take what has gone before and give it those couple of extra twists that lift it from the original storyline. This is no different. I really liked the section where they show the way that the cartoon progresses from a rough pencil outline, to a detailed pencil sketch, before it is drawn and coloured for the final strip. Not a bad book overall.
I have read almost all the Gaiman Sandman series, probably the graphic novel series that he is best known for, I had enjoyed them, so when I found this on the shelf in the library, thought I’d give it a go. Gaiman always manages to take what has gone before and give it those couple of extra twists that lift it from the original storyline. This is no different. I really liked the section where they show the way that the cartoon progresses from a rough pencil outline, to a detailed pencil sketch, before it is drawn and coloured for the final strip. Not a bad book overall.
Posted with permission from the Sacramento Book Review
Neil Gaiman, bestselling author and writer of the renowned comic book series, Sandman, was asked to write a two-part series about Batman and was given complete choice of what story he could tell. In his introduction, Gaiman talks about how Batman was one of the first TV shows he watched as a kid, and this was then the first comic book he ever read, and regardless of all the comic books he read after, and all the characters he created, he always had a special spot for Batman. Because Batman never gave up, no matter what.
In Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader, Gaiman does the story of what happens when Batman finally dies and can rest at peace. Brilliantly illustrated by Andy Kubert, and inked by Alex Sinclair, they perfectly capture the noir, colorful look of Batman, while combing the styles of all the different artists who have illustrated for Batman before. The deluxe hardcover edition also features Gaiman’s four other Batman stories, the most entertaining of which is A Black and White World featuring Batman and The Joker behind the scenes waiting to go on.
Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader blends the fantastic world of Batman with all the familiar characters, combining Gaiman’s writing skill and some incredible artwork, making it a must for any Batman fan.
For more reviews, check out the BookBanter site.
Neil Gaiman, bestselling author and writer of the renowned comic book series, Sandman, was asked to write a two-part series about Batman and was given complete choice of what story he could tell. In his introduction, Gaiman talks about how Batman was one of the first TV shows he watched as a kid, and this was then the first comic book he ever read, and regardless of all the comic books he read after, and all the characters he created, he always had a special spot for Batman. Because Batman never gave up, no matter what.
In Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader, Gaiman does the story of what happens when Batman finally dies and can rest at peace. Brilliantly illustrated by Andy Kubert, and inked by Alex Sinclair, they perfectly capture the noir, colorful look of Batman, while combing the styles of all the different artists who have illustrated for Batman before. The deluxe hardcover edition also features Gaiman’s four other Batman stories, the most entertaining of which is A Black and White World featuring Batman and The Joker behind the scenes waiting to go on.
Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader blends the fantastic world of Batman with all the familiar characters, combining Gaiman’s writing skill and some incredible artwork, making it a must for any Batman fan.
For more reviews, check out the BookBanter site.
This is an odd little story which tells of the death, or rather deaths, of Batman, in the words of his closest friends and enemies. Gaiman manages to include a mystery and some mysticism into his tight script and the art matches it well. Short and pretty sweet, this is definitely worth a read.
It also comes with some original sketches for the story and some short pieces set in the Batman universe in which the Caped Crusader himself only tangentially appears.
It also comes with some original sketches for the story and some short pieces set in the Batman universe in which the Caped Crusader himself only tangentially appears.
This is it. The final Batman story. Nothing can or ever will come after this, Bruce Wayne is dead and watching over his own funeral, still in costume. Everyone is in attendance for this event, it being held in a bar in Crime Alley, while Joe Chill directs the mourners to the back, where Batman and his coffin lay.
His rogues gallery, his vast network of friends and accomplices stand and take turns, telling the rest the tale of the Batman's death, each person giving a different account. No two tails are alike, all are vastly different, but all have happened in one context or another. The deceased is looking on the whole time, in a corporeal form, wondering where these stories are coming from, that his death never was nothing like what these people were describing, that it was different, that he wasn't dead yet.
The Batman was quite alive though, and quite dead.
This piece was written with a dual purpose: one is to be the definitive and final Batman story, to close the book on the mythos and leave it to never be opened again; it is meant to be the first Batman story, for the ending shows a young Bruce Wayne being born, about to relive his life as the Batman once again, this time just a little different, this time dying a different death.
This is what Gaiman can do fantastically well, writing about Death seems to be second nature, and Death for him is a spunky goth girl. It can be morbid, it can be the end, but it can be the beginning, the starting of something new.
His rogues gallery, his vast network of friends and accomplices stand and take turns, telling the rest the tale of the Batman's death, each person giving a different account. No two tails are alike, all are vastly different, but all have happened in one context or another. The deceased is looking on the whole time, in a corporeal form, wondering where these stories are coming from, that his death never was nothing like what these people were describing, that it was different, that he wasn't dead yet.
The Batman was quite alive though, and quite dead.
This piece was written with a dual purpose: one is to be the definitive and final Batman story, to close the book on the mythos and leave it to never be opened again; it is meant to be the first Batman story, for the ending shows a young Bruce Wayne being born, about to relive his life as the Batman once again, this time just a little different, this time dying a different death.
This is what Gaiman can do fantastically well, writing about Death seems to be second nature, and Death for him is a spunky goth girl. It can be morbid, it can be the end, but it can be the beginning, the starting of something new.
I loved how the different Batman stories intertwined, but the ending felt odd and lackluster to me.
A good story -- I only wish it were longer! There are a few older one-shots in the back of this edition that are also excellent. Neil Gaiman + Batman always = awesome.