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younglacksleepii's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
thundrflap's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
garrodot's review against another edition
2.0
A high school lit mag if half the contributors has been told the theme was Batman. The art is at times quite beautiful, but more often than not hinders the story. The original script included in the book reveals many important details entirely omitted from the final product due to the murky art. Style utterly trumps the readers ability to understand certain scenes. The author's frustration with the art peeks through a few times in his "commentary" on the script - including a story where the artist refused to paint Robin into the story, thinking the character beneath him.
That being said, even if a great artist had perfectly rendered this script, it would still at best be a heady philosophical mix of symbolisms and allusions at the forefront, run-of-the-mill Batman story as an afterthought. Here we see the weakest Batman I've ever read, who is pushed over the edge by "trauma" lesser than most stories he lives through. Broken and crazy, he stumbles and brutally lashes out, barely surviving a mildly threatening evening.
I appreciate a very unique and thoughtful take on Batman. Clearly there is passion oozing out of every page. They worked hard to bring some depth to a character and genre often treated very shallowly. But when your symbolism is layered unfathombly thick (see the fish represents pisces, tarot, Jesus and androgyny at the same time! Oh also the Joker, and it might have been a time travelled thought.) it's not really impressive... it feels hobbled together. Furthermore, the final product doesn't even include all the pieces for your fish point to be made, because the artist decided it wasn't necessary.
Just didn't work for me.
That being said, even if a great artist had perfectly rendered this script, it would still at best be a heady philosophical mix of symbolisms and allusions at the forefront, run-of-the-mill Batman story as an afterthought. Here we see the weakest Batman I've ever read, who is pushed over the edge by "trauma" lesser than most stories he lives through. Broken and crazy, he stumbles and brutally lashes out, barely surviving a mildly threatening evening.
I appreciate a very unique and thoughtful take on Batman. Clearly there is passion oozing out of every page. They worked hard to bring some depth to a character and genre often treated very shallowly. But when your symbolism is layered unfathombly thick (see the fish represents pisces, tarot, Jesus and androgyny at the same time! Oh also the Joker, and it might have been a time travelled thought.) it's not really impressive... it feels hobbled together. Furthermore, the final product doesn't even include all the pieces for your fish point to be made, because the artist decided it wasn't necessary.
Just didn't work for me.
wereallinthegutter's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
liamroush's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
hstapp's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this book, the artwork was well done, but the text tended to be a bit hard to read. Sometimes the panels are laid out confusingly so it can be easy to loose your way. There is also a lot of jumping around so that the story is hard to follow.
amy_da1sy's review against another edition
1.0
Honestly so bad. There was basically no redeeming features other than the actual illustrations were good
redshirt2004's review against another edition
2.0
The story was decent but the art was hard to follow.
alwroteabook's review against another edition
5.0
Interesting take on Batman and his relationship with Arkham Asylum, adding a supernatural aspect to the history. The art was great, very dark and broody, but I found some of the Joker's text hard to read. Still, well worth a look for Batfans.