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jakewritesbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Like many, I rewound and watched the new trailer for The Batman several times since it came out. I’m a big fan of the Caped Crusader; he’s basically the only superhero I roll with on a consistent basis. When looking up reviews for the trailer (go ahead and laugh but I was curious how others would interpret the Easter Eggs), I saw that one of director Matt Reeves’ big inspirations for the movie was Darwyn Cooke’s Batman: Ego graphic novel from over 20 years ago. Obviously, I needed to check it out for myself.
The story itself comes these days in a collection of several Batman tales (and one Catwoman one). Some are better than the others. Ego is first and perhaps the best. It starts by Batman taking a look at the psyche of others while chasing a criminal. He eventually comes face-to-face with it himself, arguing with his subconscious (that takes the form of the batsuit with long sharp teeth) on what he is supposed to do. The set up for it is very well done. The pay off? Not bad, could be better. It has its moments but comes off as a bit too much like a dorm room philosophy argument. Still, it’s an engaging story with some of my favorite artwork in a Batman comic (minimalism representative of Year One). If Reeves takes the right lessons from it, it could be a winner.
Most of the other stories hit more than miss. I had already read Selena’s Big Score. It’s good; a must for Catwoman fans. The Guardian one, where someone builds a statue to Batman that becomes the scene of public debate and eventually the scene of a crime, was very good and would be perfect to reexamine in this time. The black-and-white art on it worked. The Spirit team up had too many Spirit references for me but was still fun.
It’s a good collection that will maybe give the Batfan an idea of Matt Reeves’ approach to the Dark Knight. Check it out if you can.
The story itself comes these days in a collection of several Batman tales (and one Catwoman one). Some are better than the others. Ego is first and perhaps the best. It starts by Batman taking a look at the psyche of others while chasing a criminal. He eventually comes face-to-face with it himself, arguing with his subconscious (that takes the form of the batsuit with long sharp teeth) on what he is supposed to do. The set up for it is very well done. The pay off? Not bad, could be better. It has its moments but comes off as a bit too much like a dorm room philosophy argument. Still, it’s an engaging story with some of my favorite artwork in a Batman comic (minimalism representative of Year One). If Reeves takes the right lessons from it, it could be a winner.
Most of the other stories hit more than miss. I had already read Selena’s Big Score. It’s good; a must for Catwoman fans. The Guardian one, where someone builds a statue to Batman that becomes the scene of public debate and eventually the scene of a crime, was very good and would be perfect to reexamine in this time. The black-and-white art on it worked. The Spirit team up had too many Spirit references for me but was still fun.
It’s a good collection that will maybe give the Batfan an idea of Matt Reeves’ approach to the Dark Knight. Check it out if you can.
pjwhyman's review against another edition
5.0
Brilliant stuff. Darwyn Cooke was such a great writer and artist.
tidestriders's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
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
4.75
"I realized a long time ago that I can't change the world... I've begun to wonder if the only thing I can change is myself."
bruce's introspection was riveting, and his commentary was witty. the illustration is stunning. selina's big score was fun as well
bruce's introspection was riveting, and his commentary was witty. the illustration is stunning. selina's big score was fun as well
sam_t1027's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
sapphisms's review against another edition
4.0
While I haven't read Selina's Big Score (as I write this review currently, thus the -1 star), I can 100% attest to the fact that Batman: Ego is one of the better depictions of Bruce and his struggle to continue to be a symbol for Gotham. The entirety of the volume revolves around him having a sort of nervous breakdown (which is no spoiler) due to the heavy amount of stress he's under and the lack of sleep he gets. He's forced to confront the 'Batman' inside of him- the part of him that wants to become lethal and put an end to Gotham's festering underbelly. The entire volume shows a grand dichotomy between Bruce Wayne and Batman- his human side, and who he believes he needs to be for the city.
clarie1122's review against another edition
5.0
the effort i had to go through in order to get a copy of this (or well the effort i made my manager go through). anyway, it was fully worth it. the stories within are !! top tier.
the batman ego one shot had me in tears - these are the internal struggles batman has to go through and we never really get to see this. i loved seeing how his cause causes him this psychological turmoil.
catwoman: selina's big score - holy crap, i loved this. i loved seeing her backstory and just her overall character, if i didn't already love selina this would've sealed the deal.
the batman ego one shot had me in tears - these are the internal struggles batman has to go through and we never really get to see this. i loved seeing how his cause causes him this psychological turmoil.
catwoman: selina's big score - holy crap, i loved this. i loved seeing her backstory and just her overall character, if i didn't already love selina this would've sealed the deal.
rainlilies's review against another edition
3.0
main stories were actually such a disappointment but i DON’T regret buying the book cause i got to read deja vu, date knight, and batman black and white: here be monsters, which were all VERY fun to read. not groundbreaking but very fun!
carnetsdenini's review against another edition
4.0
Ego is hands down one of my all time favorite Batman story. I really wished more writer would tackle his psych and trauma like Cooke did. It really was a unique way of showing why Batman exists and why gotham still accepts he exists.
christopherwilson13's review against another edition
4.0
we take a brief break from #MemoirMarch for this, which was said to be one of the inspirations for The Batman film. That movie is good, and this collection is good, with some shorter, fun sections and then the anchors of Ego (Bruce and Batman have a conversation/mental breakdown in the Bat Cave, including a great page of the Caped Crusader dissing the billionaire's social life) and an awesome, A++ Catwoman heist.
claudiagreen's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0