Batman: Going Sane [Paperback]

J.M. Dematteis (Author)

Book Description

Release date: August 12, 2008

Brand new item.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: DC Comics (August 12, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401218210
• ISBN-13: 978-1401218218
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 0.4 x 10.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,099,879 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Eisner Award winner J. M. DeMatteis was a professional musician and rock music journalist before entering the comic book field. Although he's written almost all of the major DC and Marvel icons -- including critically-lauded runs on Justice League International and Spider-Man (the epic "Kraven's Last Hunt" was voted the number one story in Spider-Man's fifty year history by Comic Book Resources), DeMatteis's greatest acclaim has come for sophisticated original graphic novels like Seekers Into The Mystery, Blood: A Tale, The Last One, and Mercy. The autobiographical Brooklyn Dreams was picked by the ALA as one of the Ten Best Graphic Novels and Booklist, in a starred review, called it "as graphically distinguished and creatively novelistic a graphic novel as has ever been...a classic of the form." The groundbreaking Moonshadow was chosen (along with Brooklyn Dreams, Blood and other DeMatteis works) for inclusion in Gene Kanenberg, Jr's 2008 book 500 Essential Graphic Novels -- where it was hailed as one of the finest fantasy graphic novels ever created.

His success in the comic book medium has led DeMatteis to work in both television (writing live action and animation) and movies (creating screenplays for Fox, Disney Feature Animation, directors Carlo Carlei and Chris Columbus and producer Dean Devlin, among others).

More recently DeMatteis has had great success with the children's fantasy series Abadazad (hailed by Entertainment Weekly as "...one of those very rare fantasy works that can enchant preteen kids and 40-year old fanboys..."), The Life and Times of Savior 28 (called "one of the finest super hero stories of the decade" by Newsarama) and the novel Imaginalis (which Publishers Weekly praised as "a sure-footed fantasy" with a "hopeful message about the power of reading and belief.")

Current projects include the upcoming all-ages fantasies The Adventures of Augusta Wind and The Edward Gloom Mysteries; writing for Cartoon Network's Teen Titans Go (set to debut in 2013); his ongoing Imagination 101 workshops, which explore the practicalities and metaphysics of writing for comics, graphic novels and animation; and Creation Point, a story consultation service that offers in-depth guidance for both the professional and aspiring writer.

DeMatteis and his family live in upstate New York. His blogs can be found here at Amazon.com and at www.jmdematteis.com.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Love Hurts August 25, 2008

By Jon Repesh

Format:Paperback

What would the Joker do if Batman no longer existed? Would he actually do the unimaginable, go straight, or as the title alludes to, go sane? According to J. M. DeMatteis, he would do exactly that. While under the assumption he had killed the Dark Knight, thus losing his muse, mojo, and mirth combined in one fateful evening, he indeed joins the ranks of the everyday masses and finds love. Meanwhile Batman, having suffered near fatal injuries due to the aforementioned incident, is under the care of a female doctor at her personal residence outside Gotham and experiencing his own pangs of affection. At this point the message becomes clear. Since the appearance of Batman on the scene initially created the Joker, can his presumed permanent disappearance therefore uncreate him? An intriguing if not necessarily original premise, but other questions do arise. If the Joker can let go of Batman, can Batman let go of the Joker, and can they both find normalcy and happiness apart and leave their troubled alter egos behind? For Batman at least, the answer is no, with his obsession over the Joker, or any villain for that matter, being stronger than any love of a woman. His return to health and Gotham subsequently triggers the return of the equal obsession that the Joker has for him, thus ending his romance as well. They both need each other and their kinky kinship above all else. Certainly a scary thought, and one psychiatrists would love to analyze, but make room on that couch, since we are just as guilty of savoring the perverse pleasure of wanting their sordid situation to continue. As far as the two lovelorn ladies forsaken by these recidivist rascals, classify them under star crossed lovers, because anybody involved in a relationship with these two never stood a chance. No one said love was easy.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I Prefer it to Moore's "The Killing Joke" December 2, 2008

By Ben Reilly

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Comic fans tend to view Alan Moore's "The Killing Joke" as the definitive Joker story, but I beg to differ. "Going Sane" fell under the radar in 1994 because it was published in the anthology series "Legends of the Dark Knight," whereas "Killing Joke" got the prestige format treatment in '89.

If TKJ attempts to flesh out the Batman/Joker conflict, "Going Sane" fleshes out the Joker. DeMatteis wisely refrains from telling us why the Joker is who he is. No sob childhood stories. Instead, DeMatteis shows us a man who can't be anything else, even when he tries. By the story's end, you might even feel sorry for him. Don't worry, though. You won't have to like him, because let's face it, the Joker is the epitome of the villain we love to hate.

This is also a Batman story, incidentally, so don't think he gets eclipsed by the Joker. DeMatteis ties Batman's attempts to be something more than human to the Joker's struggle to be human. This is one of my favorite comic stories ever.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Thoroughly enjoyed this title... January 8, 2011

By C. Downes

Format:Paperback

bought this on a recommendation from a friend. I've read through most of the contemporary Batman series and thought this was a good stand alone. An interesting perspective on the Joker and an enjoyable story.