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In this dark, moody tale, the young Dark Knight learns that there are more twisted faces of evil than those worn by the street criminals and mobsters of Gotham City. Now, Batman must counter sinister machinations and new dimensions of wickedness as he confronts the hooded menace of the Mad Monk!
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wagner has me hooked,
By
This review is from: Batman and the Mad Monk (Paperback)
For me, with this second entry in the Dark Moon Rising series of Batman novels, Matt Wagner joins my list of the best Batman writers in the past 5-10 years or so alongside Miller, Dini, and Loeb. Not only can he write the character well, his art is quickly becoming what I imagine when I think of Batman. I think other writers/editors agree too, as more and more of Wagner's Batman illustrations appear on covers.The Mad Monk picks up where The Monster Men leaves off, the first book in this series. A new villain is introduced, but Batman and the rest of his relationships are developing. It's still early in the dark detective's career and he's having to deal with keeping his identity secret from his girlfriend, and sovling cases with Gordon for the first time. Wagner weaves a simple tale, inspired and reinterpreted from one of Batman's earliest adventures where he encounters a Monk cloaked in red who may or may not be a vampire. Batman is investigating the recent murders while trying to balance out time with his girlfriend Julie, who was introduced in Monster Men. Julie's father Norman returns, as well as crime boss Sal Moroni. What I'm really enjoying about these books, are how they intertwine story and art elements from both Year One as well as Loeb and Sale's Bat books. It's beginning to bridge the gap and fill in the time between Year One and The Long Halloween in Batman's continuity. It's making Bruce's early years of crime fighting that much more enjoyable to relive for me. It's hard to say if I enjoyed this more than Monster Men or not. They fit so nicely together that I like to think of them as an ongoing storyline. Julie's character is getting more interesting and less annoying in this book as she deals with being the neglected flame in Bruce's life as well as her father's downward spiral into alcoholism and paranoia. Batman's partnership with Gordon is in full swing by this point, although it's clear that Gordon struggles with his affiliation with a man that dresses like a bat and how that might affect his career and his family. Overall some good solid development all around. The inner monologue and dream sequences contribute greatly. Not quite as much action in this one as Monster Men, but still some excitement in every chapter. The way the story is told visually is really fluid and helps the flow of each scene. I hope Wagner is in the process of writing another installment, because currently he's creating some of the best recent additions to the Batman canon.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not bad, but Wagner has done better,
By
This review is from: Batman and the Mad Monk (Paperback)
I'm a fan of Matt Wagner's Grendel and Mage series, and have generally enjoyed his previous Batman projects (Batman: Faces and Batman/Grendel), so I was looking forward to Batman and the Mad Monk, a decidedly retro tale pitting the young Dark Knight against a vampire cult leader.Artistically, Batman and the Mad Monk is every bit as impressive as I expected from Wagner. He has a truly unique style, and it's one that is ideally suited to a dark character like Batman. Consciously or not, Wagner's style brings to mind David Mazzuchelli's Batman: Year One work, which helps establish a feeling of continuity. The dark, dynamic artwork fits the mood of the story to a T. Unfortunately the story is not as impressive as the artwork. I like the nods to Year One and Batman: The Long Halloween, but the story seems overly simplistic at times, and the rushed, inconclusive ending didn't offer much closure. Was the Mad Monk really a vampire? Was he who Batman thought he was? Did the romance angle really have to end in such a trite and predictable way? As much as I enjoy Wagner's other work, I think he dropped the ball here. The average Batman Animated Series episode accomplishes with ease what Wagner seemed to try so hard for here. If you're a serious Matt Wagner fan, and/or couldn't get enough of the Batman and the Monster Men characters, by all means check out Batman and the Mad Monk. For my part, I hope Wagner has the Batman bug out of his system and will get back to the Mage story. I need some closure there, big time.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An OK book,
By
This review is from: Batman and the Mad Monk (Paperback)
Many good reviewers and fans had stated how good this book is.My only gripe with this title is just how shallow is: not much character construction, not of Batman, not of Gordon, not of Nicholai Tepes, not of Alfred. Pluses: * Great art, specially inking. Batman looks superb * Many sub-plots going on, that keep things entertaining. * Solo Batman is great. Keep them coming!! * Tongue-in-cheek allusion to Robin Cons: * Flat-out lot-to-be-desired story, a bit cheesy at times. * Another person finds out who Batman is. * The villain is not such a worthy opponent and the fight scene is fairly short. It really deserved a 3.5 star rating.
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