Customer Reviews

Batman the Ultimate Evil

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

I would say I enjoyed this book, but the subect is to serious for that description. I found it thought provoking, hard to put down, and extremely well written. The writing is gritty, but for Batman, and this story line, that works.

There is an interesting addition to the history of Batman, by way of Martha Wayne's history, and the motivation for the murder of Martha and Thomas Wayne. I won't say more and ruin it. . .

The descriptions of Batman/Bruce Wayne and the other characters are dead on and you feel like you know the character. The descriptions of the settings are just as good. The dialouge is also realistic and well done.

I'd recommend this story to any ADULT Batman fan, but only if you're in the mood for some serious reading. This is not a light, fast, escapist read. But it is WELL worth taking the time to read.

It is a good book for any Batman fan. The book is awesome. I liked how batman went out of the normal rescue, like saving people, stopping a crime. It is way different from any other book I have read. It is about abuse, Child Abuse. It is my favorite BATMAN book of all time.

I picked this book up as a Bat-fan and thought it would be an ok read for a boring afternoon. I was so wrong. It was a wonderful book and I couldn't put it down. Thank you Andrew Vachss for giving Batman back the compassion and fire that Hollywood has killed in the past decade. No, this is not an all out action, beat dozens of bad guys into bloody plup kind of book that most people associate Batman with; this is Batman the Detective, who is going after people who are lower than the slime on sewer walls. And he does it with style and boundless determination, knowing that if even one child can be saved from this Hell, then he will have made a difference. That is what matters.

This is probably the best Batman book out there, and I'll tell you why.
Most Batman novels jump all over the place with many focal points. This one concentrates totally on Batman. While I don't mind following other characters, I would prefer sticking with the main character.
How does this compare to the other Batman novels? The novelizations are good but since you've probably seen the movie they will hold no surprise for you. Batman captured by the engines by Lansdale, a fine writer, does just what I don't like--it focuses on other people and leaves little time for Batman. The Batman murders and Batman to stalk a specter are good reads, definately worth your time but nothing to savor forever. Batman no man's land was very good but again the point of view changed dozens of times.

Back to Vachss. A single point of view Batman is the best yet. And his gritty dark style doesn't hurt. It's also nice to see Vachss writing in third person for a change, though I wish he would've touched on another, possibly lighter subject matter. Had a different subject been chosen, this would've been the perfect vehicle for a blockbuster movie hit.

Enjoy...

Sean

The fact that Batman was indeed battling the ultimate evil of child pornography made his victory over the scum of the underworld that much sweeter. Because this evil is real in our society, I felt more strongly about this story than any other I've read. Vachss portrayed Batman as he is meant to be--the dark phantom of justice, bringing judgment upon the criminals of Gotham, swiftly and silently. In this book, Batman held fewer punches than in other material I've read. I'd like to see it kept that way. Waiting to see the Dark Knight give the evildoers their just dues kept me enthralled with this novel. I hope Vachss writes another.

While this book is years old, it is still an excellent supplement to any "Batman" collection. Child advocate Andrew Vachss, known for his "Burke" book series, does an outstanding job with this book.

While some complain that this book is not authentic, it was authorized by DC Comics. Admittedly, the book is not 100% like the DC Comics series, but still has the spirit and major elements of Batman. Unlike the 1989 movie or 1960s TV series, this book even lists the canonical Joe Chill as the Wayne family murderer.

If you enjoy Batman or Andrew Vachss, this book is for you. While the overt child advocacy message may irritate some, this book shows how the Dark Knight would feel about real-life psychotic criminals in our society today.

This book is a departure in feel from the Batman series as we've always known it but this is a book that I feel, though written before the movie, would certainly fit with the Batman we are given portrayed by Christian Bale. This book also does something that the DCVerse fails miserably at, true depth to the character of Martha Wayne. Through the subject of this novel, the author gives us a Martha who is more than the woman at Thomas Wayne's side. This woman is both the mother of Bruce Wayne but in her fight, we find the mother of Batman and that is a HUGE thing. It's been years since I read this book and I can still remember it clearly, it will stick with you and in a good and powerful way. Kudos to the author for writing it.

In this book Batman is frustrated that his battle against crime is not enough. As billionaire Bruce Wayne, Batman meets social worker Debra Kane, who claims child abuse is the root of crime. Intrigued, Batman goes after child porn only to learn from his trusted servant, Alfred that Batman's mother had been after this same group when she died. Beware this books does has some strong language and some violence.

The author Mr. Vachss is a child advocacy crusader and the author of crime fiction. This novel was written to raise awareness of the pedophilia problem overall and the Thai child exploitation problem. There is a non-fiction child sex tourism report included as an appendix to this book that drives this point home. This book is a good read, but for adults.

Andrew Vachss is an important writer of crime fiction who know his way around a good detective story:fast action, interesting characters and sharp resolution. In his series of Burke novels he has proven himself a worthy advocate for children in abusive settings.

In Batman:The Ultimate Evil he does much the same. The Batman character can be replaced by any similar character and we would have much the same story. The novel takes on the issue of sexual abuse of children. Batman the hunter of criminals takes on the issue with a vengence.

The character development is somewhat spotty, as I said Batman can be replaced with any vanilla crimefighter and the result would be much the same. The author exposes his issues to an audience that normally would not read novels as has been said in another review of this book. The information Vachss provides is important in that it exposes the reader to information he would not normally have access to. Child abuse is a major cause of crime in later years. This much has been proven by sociological research. The sexual abuse of children has to be stopped as it is ruining whole generations. If it takes a comic book character to show this to the world then so be it.

Vachss purpose is a noble one. The issues are real. I only wish Mr. Vachss had fleshed this one out with one of his stronger characters. The story seems a little too contrived with the Batman as the protagonist. I only hope that the readers won't pass up the major issues by looking only at the comic book surface of the story.

The ultimate evil is child abuse. It was a great idea to put a fictional character like the Batman in a real life situation. It was ironic because the Batman was born due to a type of child abuse (his parents were murdered right in front of him). I like Mr.vachss writing style with his emphasis on characterization and mickey spillane-like fighting scenes. I hope he can one day write a sequel. It would be a great thing if one day all types of child abuse could be eradicated but at least Mr.Vachss' roles as writer/lawyer can help people one at a time.