Batman Gothic

by Grant Morrison

Book Overview

In the intensely chilling BATMAN GOTHIC, the Dark Knight Detective must defeat an immortal killer while dealing with a terrifying horror from Bruce Wayne's youth. While plagued by nightmares about a... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0446394289
• ISBN13: 9780446394284
• Release Date: September 1992
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 6.7" x 10.2"

Customer Reviews

A Morrison twist on a classic theme stays powerful until the threads unwind for the final act

It's not uncommon for some of the greatest "comic book" fiction to feature an amazing and surprising build up for the first 2/3rds of the story arc, and then to completely unravel down the stretch for the sake of wrapping up plots. We've seen this in the All Star Superman, 52, the various Crisis books, Dark Knight Strikes Back etc... This story explores themes of what Gothic really means (no it's not about "me too" piercings and shallow emo music), the impact of selling one's soul, and of course a Mark Twain favorite, the devil in disguise; making deals for his own profit. Unfortunately the story ends with a wink and a nod from Morrison as he provides sort of a "shout out" to a different Batman era. Without spoiling it, essentially the story changes tone drastically for the finale, and it's unclear why. A more grounded resolution would have fit better and led to less confusing artwork than what the reader is provided for explaining how things end. It's a minor complaint as the rich backstories provided for young Bruce and the antagonist are interesting and never drag. In fact a few more pages on the dynamics of both would have been welcomed. Whisper himself could have his own graphic novel and it would be satisfying in it's own right. Unfortunately Morrison feels compelled to provide a "Batman" battle, one that is not quite up to his usual high standards. A must read for all Batman and D.C. fans, and would also provide compelling material for anyone interested in the history of Gothic in a fictional form.

Yikes!

I dislike a reviews that give away anything but the vaguest plot points, so as usual there'll be no spoilers here. This book is really pretty darn scary. Batman faces a foe who doesn't cast a shadow. Although the book collects Legends of the Dark Knight 6-10 it reads seamlessly as if it were written to be a one shot graphic novel. I couldn't even figure out where one issue ended and one started. That's a nice touch in a story like this, which is a quite a cut above what you'll usually find in any monthly books. Even if you're like me and think Grant Morrison is great but maybe just a little overrated this will make you sit up and pay attention. I normally would savor a book this length over 2-3 nights but I couldn't but this one down. It's really that good.

Different, but good...

This isn't your typical batman story, but it is very good. The main villain in the story is well developed, and very interesting, which is nice since he is not a typical batman villain. Lots of action and detective work, the too keys to a good batman story, so i would recommend this one for any batman fan!

One of the great hidden treasures in comic books

Though Grant Morrison is best known for his wonderful multi year rampage on New X-Men, or the dark masterwork Arkham Asylum, Gothic is a match for either one of these. With gritty, haunting art by Klaus Janson, Morrison tells a remarkable tale of Batman, Mr. Whisper, and sinister evil that has burned across continents for more than 300 years. Batman is still at the beginning of his crime fighting career, still coming into his own, when a mysterious madman named Mr. Whisper begins killing off mob bosses using poetry as a clue. Meanwhile, Batman is plagued by nightmares of his father with his lips sewn shut, trying to pass on some manner of clue to his son. Soon Batman is horrified to learn that Mr. Whisper is actually his old headmaster from an all boys school that nearly killed him as a child, and the madman might be older than that. Filled with occult lore, and mature topics, this Batman volume is more suited to older audiences, and parents might want to screen it before letting their children read it, but for those of us who have been Grant Morrison fans for a long time, please take the time to read and enjoy this lost treasure. This volume collects Legends of the Dark Knight #6-10.

A Really Good Batman Story

This is a tradepaperback of issues that appeared in Legends of the Dark Knight. Someone is killing mobsters in particularly inventive and vicious ways. It turns out that all of them were involved in a killing many years ago and their victim is back to claim revenge. However, that revenge is just a digression of a plot that stretches back to an Austrian monastery at the time of the Black Death. Batman has to solve this mystery before Gotham dies screaming. Grant Morrison does a good job with Batman; nothing as arcane and twisted as Arkham Asylum but some interesting glimpses into Bruce Wayne's childhood and his feelings towards his father. Klaus Janson does the art and it's very good in a Neal Adams style. Very tight and moody. Recommended.