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vicaaaaaaaaa's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
tawfek's review against another edition
if this is legends of the dark knight then i think i read it already and enjoyed it alot
4/5
4/5
soumil_da_vinci's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Great take on Batman but the plot is far fetched, theatrical and spins so faster that you can't possibly catch up.
Alfred and Wayne chemistry is peak, humour is perfectly used.
Alfred and Wayne chemistry is peak, humour is perfectly used.
turret's review against another edition
5.0
+9 Taking place around Batman: Year One, Shaman mostly stays away from it aside from expanding upon some scenes in issue one and references in others. This was appreciated, as it allowed me to follow the story and the character development somewhat separately. Absolutely loved that Bruce learned about fear and superstition through native Alaskan tribes and their culture, with their representative mask also being a bat to make it poignantly clear. Reading Batman do detective work on the coincidental mythologically similar but not connected mysteries and cracking the cases was incredibly satisfying too.
[Read and reviewed in June 2022]
[Read and reviewed in June 2022]
ferzemkhan's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
bjoernschneider1's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
mynameisjack's review against another edition
4.0
This gets 4 purely because it's 'Year One 2.0' and has some nice references to Catwoman #1.
twilliamson's review against another edition
3.0
In Batman: Shaman, which collects the first five issues of the well-received series Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight, Batman learns the value of the cowl as a mask and must face a shaman who has been murdering a number of citizens over the course of a few years in Batman's early career.
Here, the story borrows from Native American legend and supplants Batman's old line about criminals being a superstitious and cowardly lot with a dash of domestic mysticism, such that the story is really about the power of metaphor in the creation of Bruce's Batman persona--which, the book suggests, must become Bruce's true face. The message is all a bit heavy-handed, steeped in borrowed culture that somehow tries to tie Batman to native American land.
It's the politics of the Native American legend here employed that sits rather poorly with me. Bruce wants to cast himself as a white savior, and although the Native American woman he inexplicably has romantic feelings about (which makes absolutely no fucking sense, almost as if the writers just wanted to add a love interest just because) refutes his advances, it seems like a weird bit of posturing about Native American lives. It doesn't feel very genuine, and the borrowed mythology feels suspicious to me.
That said, this scaled-back version of Batman, clearly intended to tie in closely with the events of Batman: Year One and matching in tone, works really well for the Caped Crusader. While I do not think it nearly as strong as the story it aims to emulate, it gets a passing grade for embracing some gothic weirdness and for presenting Batman as a complex character both unsure of himself but secure in his mission as a vigilante. It's never going to top any lists, but it's not the dredge of so much of Post-Crisis Batman, either.
Here, the story borrows from Native American legend and supplants Batman's old line about criminals being a superstitious and cowardly lot with a dash of domestic mysticism, such that the story is really about the power of metaphor in the creation of Bruce's Batman persona--which, the book suggests, must become Bruce's true face. The message is all a bit heavy-handed, steeped in borrowed culture that somehow tries to tie Batman to native American land.
It's the politics of the Native American legend here employed that sits rather poorly with me. Bruce wants to cast himself as a white savior, and although the Native American woman he inexplicably has romantic feelings about (which makes absolutely no fucking sense, almost as if the writers just wanted to add a love interest just because) refutes his advances, it seems like a weird bit of posturing about Native American lives. It doesn't feel very genuine, and the borrowed mythology feels suspicious to me.
That said, this scaled-back version of Batman, clearly intended to tie in closely with the events of Batman: Year One and matching in tone, works really well for the Caped Crusader. While I do not think it nearly as strong as the story it aims to emulate, it gets a passing grade for embracing some gothic weirdness and for presenting Batman as a complex character both unsure of himself but secure in his mission as a vigilante. It's never going to top any lists, but it's not the dredge of so much of Post-Crisis Batman, either.
jwest12's review
3.75
I like Batman Shaman. It’s not great but it was definitely not bad. The art by Edward Hannigan was probably my favorite part.