A review by mimirtells
Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? by Neil Gaiman
5.0
5/5 Stars (%92/100)
Before I dive too deep into the book, allow me to say a few words. Like Gaiman himself (read the introduction), Batman is my number one hero. I have a lot of favorite heroes like The Flash but Batman is different. I've always loved him and I probably read most of the comics and graphic novels (I don't really remember when). I've read this one before and it is definitely my favorite Batman comic but I couldn't really remember exactly when I read it. I decided to reread it because well Batman is my fav and Neil Gaiman is my second favorite writer (Tolkien being the first). So, I'll admit I'm kind of biased. When I finished it, it all came back to me. I remembered when and how I read this one.
The book deals with Batman's death observed by the great detective himself. Everyone who knows and loves Batman comes to his funeral, including his enemies like Penguin, The Riddler, and The Joker. Everyone tells a different story and the death of Batman and this baffles the Bat. From the beginning till the end, I felt oddly warm. This is why I think the book is described as a love letter to Batman. The dialogues, the panels, the art style...everything was perfect in my opinion. I especially LOVE that certain panel of Alfred as The Joker. I've some people complaining about the ending but I found it fitting as well. Overall, this is a different Batman book than what we are used to in the sense that there is less action but more philosophical subjects. It makes you think and question certain things but you cannot help but admire Batman and what he stands for. Simply brilliant!
Before I dive too deep into the book, allow me to say a few words. Like Gaiman himself (read the introduction), Batman is my number one hero. I have a lot of favorite heroes like The Flash but Batman is different. I've always loved him and I probably read most of the comics and graphic novels (I don't really remember when). I've read this one before and it is definitely my favorite Batman comic but I couldn't really remember exactly when I read it. I decided to reread it because well Batman is my fav and Neil Gaiman is my second favorite writer (Tolkien being the first). So, I'll admit I'm kind of biased. When I finished it, it all came back to me. I remembered when and how I read this one.
The book deals with Batman's death observed by the great detective himself. Everyone who knows and loves Batman comes to his funeral, including his enemies like Penguin, The Riddler, and The Joker. Everyone tells a different story and the death of Batman and this baffles the Bat. From the beginning till the end, I felt oddly warm. This is why I think the book is described as a love letter to Batman. The dialogues, the panels, the art style...everything was perfect in my opinion. I especially LOVE that certain panel of Alfred as The Joker. I've some people complaining about the ending but I found it fitting as well. Overall, this is a different Batman book than what we are used to in the sense that there is less action but more philosophical subjects. It makes you think and question certain things but you cannot help but admire Batman and what he stands for. Simply brilliant!