A review by dumblydore
Batman: Nine Lives by Dean Motter
4.0
Some of DC's best collaborative works have come out of Elseworlds. Nine Lives is one of these. Batman virtually returns to his era of origin, the snappy hard-boiled 30s/40s, home of the gangster and noir genre. It's no wonder that he fits so seamlessly into the gritty, seedy world.
Selina "The Cat Woman" Kyle, owner of the Kit Kat club, has been found dead in mysterious circumstances. Turns out she has quite a long line of conquests and "supporters" all of whom have their own secrets. Dick Grayson steps into a Phillip Marlowe kind of shoe with jarring awkwardness as her former PI. The Rogue gallery as we know them are a little different as only Elseworlds could mould them, but are none too dissimilar to their canon counterparts. Bruce Wayne is a murder suspect among them, but the narrative takes an intriguing turn when his alter ego encounters Dick.
The art complements the era beautifully with a limited and muted palette of dark shades, while the constant black background accentuates the cinematic air of each panel. The unusual landscape layout of the pages also gives off a kind of visceral film reel/newspaper strip feeling, and lends the story a linear sequence that may seem too straight-forward (perhaps dull). These are minor issues – overall this is a richly satisfying story for the typical noir fan. Batman fans will also appreciate the subtle details and changes made by Motter and Lark.
Selina "The Cat Woman" Kyle, owner of the Kit Kat club, has been found dead in mysterious circumstances. Turns out she has quite a long line of conquests and "supporters" all of whom have their own secrets. Dick Grayson steps into a Phillip Marlowe kind of shoe with jarring awkwardness as her former PI. The Rogue gallery as we know them are a little different as only Elseworlds could mould them, but are none too dissimilar to their canon counterparts. Bruce Wayne is a murder suspect among them, but the narrative takes an intriguing turn when his alter ego encounters Dick.
The art complements the era beautifully with a limited and muted palette of dark shades, while the constant black background accentuates the cinematic air of each panel. The unusual landscape layout of the pages also gives off a kind of visceral film reel/newspaper strip feeling, and lends the story a linear sequence that may seem too straight-forward (perhaps dull). These are minor issues – overall this is a richly satisfying story for the typical noir fan. Batman fans will also appreciate the subtle details and changes made by Motter and Lark.