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A review by conico
Batman: Death by Design by Chip Kidd
4.0
Batman: Death by Design isn't like your typical Batman story. Honestly I'm not sure there's another graphic novel that's like it. The story takes place in the 1930's, during the golden era of comics. Everything -- well, almost everything -- comes together to put Death by Design in the time and place of 1930's Gotham City (aka NYC) but this book does have a few problems.
The first issue is that Death by Design is too short. Most reviewers will probably say that this book is boring and dull, and they're not exactly wrong, but the real issue is that this book isn't long enough to give it heft and substance. It starts off really slow and wordy then zips through the middle and ending -- mostly with pictures -- leaving characters that were probably important in the original conception of the story as mere footnotes.
That leads me to the next problem, the inclusion of characters that aren't really used to move the story forward, namely Penguin and Joker. They took up precious space that could have used to strengthen the story. Penguin has a random one-page panel at the end of the book that has nothing to do with the story, architecture, or corruption and it was never suggested that Penguin had any connection to the crime that Batman is investigating. In fact, Penguin is not mentioned, thought of, or seen anywhere else in the book.
Like Penguin, it seems that Joker was thrown in the book as an afterthought. However, unlike Penguin's appearance, Joker is introduced early on in the story, just as the plot is beginning to thicken. The problem with the Joker's inclusion is that as the plot moves along, the Joker is little more than a two-bit crook taking advantage of the situation instead of being the mastermind or coconspirator of the crime. This Joker is a throwback to the early days of Batman rather than the homicidal maniac we know him as now but the story would have been better without his thieving ways muddying the plot.
There also are a few things that are just too modern for the 30's. First, Bruce Wayne talks to Alfred remotely with a device that I can only imagine is like a microscopic blue tooth. There's also the mention of reducing the carbon footprint during construction. Something that didn't become en vogue until the past decade or two. Finally, there's the usage of the word "exactamundo" which wasn't much used before the 50's. While I understand that they're used as literary devices, they stood out like a big flashing neon sign.
Despite the problems with Death by Design, it is truly elevated by the artwork. Because it's done almost entirely in pencils, it looks like an aged black, white, and grey newspaper comic with a few hints of color. That's perfect too because the central character is a reporter that's covering the story of the century: the incredible destruction of Wayne Tower. I would cautiously recommend this book to Batman fans but to people who don't usually read superhero comics, this will likely be a big hit.
The first issue is that Death by Design is too short. Most reviewers will probably say that this book is boring and dull, and they're not exactly wrong, but the real issue is that this book isn't long enough to give it heft and substance. It starts off really slow and wordy then zips through the middle and ending -- mostly with pictures -- leaving characters that were probably important in the original conception of the story as mere footnotes.
That leads me to the next problem, the inclusion of characters that aren't really used to move the story forward, namely Penguin and Joker. They took up precious space that could have used to strengthen the story. Penguin has a random one-page panel at the end of the book that has nothing to do with the story, architecture, or corruption and it was never suggested that Penguin had any connection to the crime that Batman is investigating. In fact, Penguin is not mentioned, thought of, or seen anywhere else in the book.
Like Penguin, it seems that Joker was thrown in the book as an afterthought. However, unlike Penguin's appearance, Joker is introduced early on in the story, just as the plot is beginning to thicken. The problem with the Joker's inclusion is that as the plot moves along, the Joker is little more than a two-bit crook taking advantage of the situation instead of being the mastermind or coconspirator of the crime. This Joker is a throwback to the early days of Batman rather than the homicidal maniac we know him as now but the story would have been better without his thieving ways muddying the plot.
There also are a few things that are just too modern for the 30's. First, Bruce Wayne talks to Alfred remotely with a device that I can only imagine is like a microscopic blue tooth. There's also the mention of reducing the carbon footprint during construction. Something that didn't become en vogue until the past decade or two. Finally, there's the usage of the word "exactamundo" which wasn't much used before the 50's. While I understand that they're used as literary devices, they stood out like a big flashing neon sign.
Despite the problems with Death by Design, it is truly elevated by the artwork. Because it's done almost entirely in pencils, it looks like an aged black, white, and grey newspaper comic with a few hints of color. That's perfect too because the central character is a reporter that's covering the story of the century: the incredible destruction of Wayne Tower. I would cautiously recommend this book to Batman fans but to people who don't usually read superhero comics, this will likely be a big hit.