Batman: Scottish Connection [Paperback]

Alan; Quitely, Frank; Hollingsworth, Matt; Matthew, Brad Grant (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1998

Graphic Novel

Product Details

• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: DC Comics Inc (1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 156389372X
• ISBN-13: 978-1563893728
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 6.6 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #353,647 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Batman Goes to Scotland, August 21, 2011

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CapeAndCowl87 - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Batman: Scottish Connection (Paperback)

Bruce Wayne is vacationing in Scotland. The story begins with Wayne attending the reinterment of Sir Gaweyne de Weyne, a knight of the Scottish court 600 years ago. Wayne's schedule for the next week consists of a sightseeing tour of the country, and will end with a gathering of the wealthy MacDubh clan, of which Wayne is a member through a distant relative, in Edinburgh.

After the ceremony for Sir Gaweyne, Bruce notices some damage to the tombstone that appears to have been caused recently. This arouses the detective's suspicions, and he returns that evening, donning the cape and cowl. Batman's investigation of the site is interrupted by a group of thugs that are quickly dispatched by the Dark Knight and a mysterious woman named Sheona. Sheona explains a feud that began two hundred years ago between the poor crofters of the Scottish west coast and the MacDubh clan. The MacDubh slaughtered many, and drove the rest from their land, forcing the survivors to emigrate to the Americas.

"The Scottish Connection" involves Batman's investigation of the clan feud, an ancient curse, and the violent retribution that someone has in store for the descendants of the MacDubh clan who drove the peasants from their lands all those years ago.

Alan Grant's writing here takes the reader through the story in a fairly straightforward fashion. The mystery involves few clues or revelations, and is completely absent of red herrings. The plot involves a single element of mysticism that invades an otherwise realistic story. The narrator device is employed, and is removed from the story; in other words, the narrator is not one of the characters, just a bodiless voice to occasionally move the plot along or explain a detail here and there. The dialogue gets the job done, but don't expect any insightful exposition.

The penciling by Frank Quitely is adequate, but nothing spectacular. The characters, including the Dark Knight, are portrayed in realistic proportion. Batman is drawn particularly well during the combat scenes, although lack of motion blur or movement lines sometimes breaks the flow of the action, requiring the reader examine the panel closely to discern exactly where the movement is occurring. A single whole-page panel at the beginning of the story's fourth chapter is an effectively haunting visual portraying a ship at sea and its overboard crew.

Overall, the story is average at best. There's little here Bat-fans haven't seen before, and what's new is unlikely to add much to your knowledge of the Caped Crusader. On the other hand, if you've ever wanted to see Bruce Wayne in a kilt, this book is your chance.