Paul Dini, the Emmy Award-winning writer and producer ofBatman: The Animated Series, Superman: The Animated Series and JusticeLeague, joins with J.H. Williams III, the acclaimed artist of the EisnerAward-winning series PROMETHEA, and others for this all-new collection ofmystery stories that will test the skills of the World's GreatestDetective!The Dark Knight must face the Riddler, the Penguin and Poison Ivy as wellas brand-new villains while trying to solve crimes. Prepare for twists,turns and betrayals every step of the way as Batman is even forced to forgealliances with his enemies to crack these cases.
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When the Deitch boys jam, even dear ol’ dad—signature UPA animator Gene Deitch, who later created the Tom Terrific cartoons for Captain Kangaroo—gets into the act, introducing five stories written and illustrated, alone or together, by Kim, Seth, and Simon Deitch. In all, the words predominate, while the drawings complement, thereby exemplifying pictofiction, a medium Kim created in honor of the copiously illustrated old editions of Victorian novels that he collects. His two solo contributions look the most like comics because their texts are lettered rather than typeset. Both are prime Kim, concoctions of nostalgia and dread, characteristically concerned with pop-cultural ephemera (in this case, bottle caps) and early-twentieth-century entertainment (here, Depression-era jazz), simultaneously lighthearted and creepy a la his Waldo the Cat stories. Seth gives us a golem tale that Simon illustrates, a weird-science “memoir” that Kim illuminates, and an alternative-reality sketch decorated only by Kim’s frontispiece. Kim and Simon both draw rather blockish figures, the latter more realistically, if hardly as energetically as his older brother. Ingratiating work, though marred by lax proofreading. --Ray Olson
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Overall very good!,
This review is from: Batman: Death and the City (Paperback)
This graphic contains Detective Comics #827-834 and follows the "Batman: Detective" graphic, also by Dini. The artwork is good, and it contains 4 standalones and 2 two-part storylines. Dini has continued his trend of incorporating old villains turned good, and putting interesting twists on previous villains.
In "Double Talk" Batman discovers Scarface is back from the dead (see "Face to Face" for details on Scarface's "death") and Scarface's new Ventriloquist. To Penguin's dismay, this discovery takes place in the newly revamped Iceburg Lounge. "Shark Bite" involves Riddler, teaming up with Batman in his new role as detective to find out who killed an old friend of Bruce Wayne, and why. The two-part "Siege" storyline makes buying this worthwhile by itself. Recent fans of Batman probably know that for a while, Bruce was become rather psycotic and utterly consumed by Batman, to the point of letting his relationships with his family suffer badly. More recent fans will know that Bruce lately adopted Tim Drake (see "Face to Face" for this storyline). "Siege" begins with Bruce attempting to broker a truce between the bickering heads of states of two unfriendly nations. Unfortunately, a suicide bomber decides to blow up Wayne Towers, leaving it up to Tim and Bruce to save the day, the heads of state, and themselves as well. "Kind of Like Family" stars Harleen Quinzel, better known as Harlequin. She's doing her best to get parole through her good behavior when she's kidnapped from Arkham (yes, really) and drafted by the new Scarface to help him carry out a robbery. This one did a good job of showing how Harley has changed, and showing her as a person rather than Joker's giggling henchwench. "Triage" was a fun detective story, with Batman using his sleuthing skills to hunt down the mysterious person apparently intent on killing off the Terrible Trio. The real twist was in who the would-be killer is. "Trust" was perhaps my favorite of the lot. The two-parter has a magician whose assistant died during a stunt. Batman's investigations turn up a pattern of deaths or mutilations in the magician's latest shows, and so he calls in Zatanna. It's probably a good idea to read "Identity Crisis" before reading this, although you can follow along fairly well without it. Over the course of their investigation, Batman and Zatanna must face the lack of trust in their relationship, and decide if their friendship can withstand the harm Zatanna did to Batman. Overall, good artwork, excellent stories, and a nice addition to anyone's Batman collection.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Outstanding,
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This review is from: Batman: Death and the City (Paperback)
Having been a Batman fan for many years, I've found the Dini stories begun in the "Batman:Detective" collection refreshing. The stories return to Batman's sometimes overlooked role as the world's greatest detective.
These are stories, tales, intimate looks into the intellectual (and human?) side of Batman. Watch as he forms uneasy alliances with former foes . . . and former friends. My favorite tale involves Batman and Zatanna teaming up to solve a case that brings about a deadly encounter with an unexpected foe. The plot weaves together a mystery with a touching story from Bruce Wayne's past. The image of Zatanna as a girl blowing magical bubbles, and its reappearance in Batman's mind during a certain scenario bring a chill. The splash pages in between stories rivet me everytime - the black and white images bring out the most stunning emotions. If you like the artwork and the effects it brings to the stories, check out some of the "Batman: Black and White" collections. This book does nicely on its own, but when you read it in conjunction with the "Detective" collection, it takes on a unique flavor that leaves you hungry for more.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
CONSISTENTLY GOOD STORIES FROM DINI,
This review is from: Batman: Death and the City (Paperback)
The latest Batman trade paperback collects Detective Comics issues #827 - 834. This isn't one continuous storyline as the back description might have you believe but rather a few stories which are tenuously linked. The opening tale, "Double Talk" features the return of Scarface, with a new ventriloquist pulling the strings, no pun intended. Batman goes undercover to find out who the new villain is...In the second story, "Shark Bite" Batman and the Riddler are both on the trailer of a killer who murdered an old friend of Bruce Wayne's.
One of the best stories is the two parter called "Siege." Bruce Wayne is hosting an anti-terrorism conference at Wayne Towers with several world leaders when a series of explosions rocks the building. A terrorist using a gun that shoots out a liquid explosive is fully intent on bringing Wayne Tower down ala the Twin Towers. This was a great story. Batman along with Robin were at their most resourceful in tracking down and trying to stop the terrorist, But then, how do you stop a man who is on a suicide mission? Dini shows Bruce Wayne and Batman at his best, utilizing all his skills and Robin is calm and collected, even when his life is in great peril. The new Ventriloquist returns in "Kind of Like Family." Harley is turned down for parole with Bruce Wayne casting a deciding vote to keep her locked up. Scarface breaks Harley out of prison to use her skills in a major heist. Harley has to decide whether to aid Scarface and be free, or if she wants to truly gain her release through legal channels. One of the better depictions of Harley the person rather than Harley the villain that I've read. The final story is the two-part "Trust." Batman teams with Zatanna to investigate the death of one of the Zatanna's former assistants. But the magician responsible for her death turns out to be something much more sinister than Batman had bargained for. Dini's story features a good deal of tension between Batman and Zatanna as a result of the events in identity Crisis and the pair are finally able to reconcile. It's also revealed for the first time that her father Zatara was friends with Bruce Wayne's father, Thomas and worked on various charitable functions with him. Dini shows a remarkable consistency as Detective Comics writer. While none of them may be earth-shatter, his tales are always solid and that shows in this volume as there isn't a clunker on the whole lot. The art is excellent throughout but I enjoyed Don Kramer's work on "Kind of Like Family" the most. He brought a certain charming innocence to Harley Quinn that made the story stand out.
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