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sean_from_ohio's review against another edition
2.0
This was dreadful. Ramon Bachs' art was very good and helped this from being rated lower but reading this was a serious struggle. Over 12 issues of meandering speechifying and nothing of significance happened. The budding mystery...nothing. The potential new antagonist...nothing. The book was just bad. I feel bad for those who read this as monthly issues. It must have been agonizing. Overall, I want my time back.
michaelclorah's review against another edition
4.0
Man, I bet this story was a bitch to read as a monthly - this was definitely paced as a novel, with long, slow-burn sections - tons of mood, sometimes at the expense of actual detail.
In some respects, I feel that the villain - the Body - was underdeveloped (not as a person, which was not important to this particular villain, but as a movement/threat possessing some quantifiable goal), but I was completely engrossed by the atmosphere and characterization of the city. Lapham really hit a home run with the full issue he spent detailing the life of the Hill and its residents, setting the stage for exactly what Batman had to infiltrate to find answers.
On some level, I felt that certain elements didn't come together completely - how Batman found certain answers, the "horror" sequence at the hospital and the cause of it, and - as noted earlier - the Body's reason for existence. Nevertheless, Lapham crafted a powerful, moving, truly desperate tale of Gotham City.
Ramon Bachs' linework was very nice, and working over Lapham's layouts was an inspired choice. Nobody paces these noir sequences better than Lapham.
In some respects, I feel that the villain - the Body - was underdeveloped (not as a person, which was not important to this particular villain, but as a movement/threat possessing some quantifiable goal), but I was completely engrossed by the atmosphere and characterization of the city. Lapham really hit a home run with the full issue he spent detailing the life of the Hill and its residents, setting the stage for exactly what Batman had to infiltrate to find answers.
On some level, I felt that certain elements didn't come together completely - how Batman found certain answers, the "horror" sequence at the hospital and the cause of it, and - as noted earlier - the Body's reason for existence. Nevertheless, Lapham crafted a powerful, moving, truly desperate tale of Gotham City.
Ramon Bachs' linework was very nice, and working over Lapham's layouts was an inspired choice. Nobody paces these noir sequences better than Lapham.
jekutree's review against another edition
3.0
Started strong and petered off towards the end but overall a solid story. Worth reading for any Lapham fan that wants his take on a Batman story and any Batman fan looking for some of the darkest Batman material put into panels.
alimarvels83's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
library_brandy's review against another edition
3.0
I always believed that, if a non-superhero writer could write a good Batman story, it would be David Lapham of Stray Bullets fame. His dark, gritty noir style, everyday-meets-crime-fiction kind of stories--I really thought he'd be a good choice.
This book proved me wrong. It's not awful, but the story is convoluted and complicated (and I'm not just whining it's too harrrrrrrrrrd! I'm a girl!!)--there are too many red herrings and dead ends, too many twists and turns, to really keep track of in a story. I'm left with the impression that Lapham was trying too hard to write episodes that would become a full story, once his 12 issues of Detective Comics were done. It just didn't work.
The art was pretty good, though, so it gets 3 stars instead of 2.
This book proved me wrong. It's not awful, but the story is convoluted and complicated (and I'm not just whining it's too harrrrrrrrrrd! I'm a girl!!)--there are too many red herrings and dead ends, too many twists and turns, to really keep track of in a story. I'm left with the impression that Lapham was trying too hard to write episodes that would become a full story, once his 12 issues of Detective Comics were done. It just didn't work.
The art was pretty good, though, so it gets 3 stars instead of 2.
nightwyrm's review against another edition
5.0
I'm at a loss to understand a lot of the previous reviews on this book. It's dark and gritty, very well-written, and loaded with some serious brooding art. This may seriously be one of the best Batman stories I've read.