Batman: Ego and Other Tails [Paperback]

Darwyn Cooke (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 18, 2008

Darwyn Cooke, the award-winning, acclaimed writer and artist of DC: THE NEW FRONTIER, has won praise for his insightful, emotionally resonant storytelling.

Now, DC presents Cooke's early tales of the Dark Knight in one graphic novel, including the epic tale "Ego," in which Batman must face his own inner demons and, in its entirety, the original graphic novel CATWOMAN: SELINA'S BIG SCORE.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Before embarking on the epochal New Frontier, Cooke wrote and drew several Batman stories, notably Ego, Cooke's first published comics story other than one apprentice effort. It remains a stunning debut, a psychologically loaded tale in which Bruce Wayne confronts his innermost fears in the form of a grotesque embodiment of his costumed alter ego. Even this early in his career, Cooke's striking style, made up of dynamically simple drawings, cinematic compositions, and noirish lighting effects, is fully formed. Besides Ego and a handful of shorter stories featuring the Caped Crusader, this collection includes the Catwoman graphic novel Selina's Big Score (2003), in which that villainess attempts a final heist before her reinvention as a vigilante defending the downtrodden. Its presence here might be questioned, for nowhere is Batman to be found in it, yet it's so impressive—the high-water mark of Cooke's pre–New Frontier career—that it's petty to quibble. The many fans Cooke has acquired since these stories first appeared will seize the chance to read these early efforts. Flagg, Gordon --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: DC Comics (November 18, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401213596
• ISBN-13: 978-1401213596
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 0.2 x 10.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #104,559 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Actually, the best story is about catwoan, September 28, 2007

By 

J. Giardina (USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Batman: Ego and Other Tails (Hardcover)

I'm a big batman fan, but I'm not really a fan of the other characters. I don't read the catwoman or nightwing or huntress spinoffs. I'm a fan of the detective. But in this graphic novel (which is a compilation of several short, stand alone works), catwoman's story is actually the best part. It's not even really a catwoman story, it's a heist story. But its exciting and violent and cool. And there's no batman. So oh well, maybe there's something to all these side characters. I'm still not going to read the catwoman comics, but I guess I'm glad I got tricked into reading this one...

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is Why People Read Batman!, August 20, 2008

By 

Parker (At Large) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Batman: Ego and Other Tails (Hardcover)

This hardcover collect two excellent graphic novels by Darwyn Cooke, Batman: Ego and Catwoman: Selina's Big Score, as well as some short stories also by Mr. Cooke.
Batman:Ego was published in 2000 as a 64 page graphic novel, but finally gets the hardcover treatment it deserves, while the Catwoman tale, which was an original hardcover, crops up again in the same format. Both tales feature fast paced writing coupled with a fantastic art style which harkens back to Batman the Animated series (for which Darwin was one of the designers) but with more of a noirish edge, so don't let the streamlined style fool you into thinking these stories are for all ages or too soft. If you liked Mr. Cooke's recent work on the Spirit, this is better. Much better.
Some other reviewers on this page commented that this book was a little dissapointing due to the inclusion of a story which does not feature Batman, but don't be dissuaded from picking this one up. Selina's Big Score features one of Batman's oldest villians in one of her greatest appearances, so don't miss out. Give it a chance, then read the collections of Catwoman comics by Ed Brubaker, Cooke and Cameron Stewart, which are some of the best crime comics around.
Fans of Richard Stark's Parker will recognize a Parker like Character, named Stark, a heister who helps Catwoman pull of the titular big score which is just as hard nosed (and fun) as any written by Richard Stark during the 60s and 70s. This will serve as a primer to Darwyn's upcoming adaptations of the first four Parker novels, beginning next year.
This hardcover is also special because it does not feature the ugly spine design which appears on many of the current DC hardcovers where a DC logo appears at the bottom of the spine in a blue back ground, ruining a book's appearance on the book shelf.
Don't miss out on one of the best written and drawn set of Batman stories of the last 20 years; right up there with the Batman classics of the 80s like Year One, DKR and the Killing Joke, at least in my opinion.

4.0 out of 5 stars Well written, brilliantly drawn, January 18, 2012

By 

Mark McLaughlin "pop culture junkie" (Deerfield Beach, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Batman: Ego and Other Tails (Hardcover)

There's a reason the illustrators name is the primary author of this book. While it contains different writers for each section, Cooke's drawing remains a constant throughout. Bringing a feeling of nostalgia and a vintage look to Batman while maintaining the modern day asthetic in a comic book is extremely difficult, yet Cooke easily manages this. Highly recommended for all lovers of comic books.