Customer Reviews

Justice League of America - Batman: The Stone King

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When the JLA rescues Gotham City after a dam bursts, they pay little attention to the prehistoric pyramid that the flood uncovers. The pyramid contains the trapped soul of a 4,500 year old shaman, who calls himself the Stone King. With ancient knowledge of how to tap into the latent energies of the Earth itself, he may very well be the most powerful opponent that they have ever fought. And when the Stone King uses his awesome power to capture Superman, Wonder Woman, the Flash and Green Lantern, only Batman is left to save civilization from utter destruction. But, does Batman have the power to overcome such a potent adversary? There are resources out there for the man with enough brains to collect them, and Batman is just the man to do it!

Overall, I found this to be an excellent audiobook. The story is excellent, with a great mix of action and horror. And, as for the production of the audiobook itself, it is nothing short of awesome. So many audiobooks have little or no sound effects, and all of the dialogue is done by one voice-actor. This audiobook, on the other hand, was made with a whole cast of actors (27 according to the box!), and with a great set of special effects. This truly is "a movie in your mind!"

So, if you are a fan of superheroes, and want a *great* audiobook, then get Batman: The Stone King - you won't be disappointed!

As an audio adventure, this is an excellent original story, with a fine voice cast, and, although familiar at times in a type of invasion tale, holds up well. Of the series, this is the best I've heard in the collecton to date.

Let me start by saying I'm not much of a Comic Book reader, but I loved the Bruce Timm & Christopher Nolan Batman productions. I also pick up a highly ranked Graphic Novel every few years--so this is where my review is coming from.

I have been listening to these AudioBooks for a few months now, and I really enjoy them for when I'm running around town. PLEASE NOTE THAT MOST OF THE POSITIVE REVIEWS FOR THIS ITEM ARE POINTING OUT THE PRODUCTION QUALITY! GraphicAudio, the company which produced this book is EXCELLENT. They have a huge & talented cast, and fantastic sound effects.

As for this story, I'd rank it as the worst adventure I've heard from GraphicAudio. It's just sooo cut-and-dry. Read the paperback novel reviews, and you'll get the idea. One of the bigger criticisms on the novel's page is that Batman is elevated as too competent/capable compared to Superman, Wonder Woman, etc. I don't agree with that since Batman MUST be the smartest guy in the room or he'd be completely useless to the team.

My criticism of the story is that there's absolutely no character development. The only characters that have life-changing experiences are the two college students, but given the fact that Peter and his girlfriend only take up about 2% of the dialog, you really don't care that much about them (they're also generally uninteresting).

No surprises, no twists, no moral ambiguity :(

If you're like me, and like the more emotionally driven stories, this is really the worst from the superb GraphicAudio company. I would recommend "Countdown to Final Crisis," "52," and "Batman: Dead White."

When a dam burst along the outskirts of Gotham City uncovers a previously uncharted ancient pyramid, the Justice League of America comes face to face with one the most evil and powerful forces the world has ever known. A 4,500 year old shaman, known through mythic lore as "The Stone King," has been reborn within the guise of a young college student. When the fellow League members of Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and The Flash are all quickly overcome, the task of making everything right lands decisively in the laps of Batman and the telepathic Martian Manhunter. Batman, as most any fan already knows, does not possess supernatural abilities of any kind. This makes the task of overturning the increasingly harrowing situation all the more daunting.

This story, written by Alan Grant and based off his own novel, represented my very first exposure to Graphic Audio. And, I have to say, I was overwhelmingly impressed! The voice acting, the accompanying sound effects, and the exemplary music score drew me into the overall listening experience like nothing I've ever seen before. The production values are so amazingly high that I would easily rank this, along with all the other Graphic Audio productions I've listened to in weeks since, side by side with anything Big Finish Productions has ever done. It really is that good! This is a company that, as far as I'm concerned, sets the Gold Standard by which all other audiobook manufacturers would certainly do well to follow.

Whether you purchase the 6-CD package or the MP3 download directly from Graphic Audio's site, you are guaranteed a worthwhile and thoroughly entertaining ride! I strongly recommend this release to everybody!

There's just something about a full-cast audio book that makes it a special performance. I listened to this on a long car trip and was fully entertained the entire way! The music and sound effects added to the experience greatly and were top notch. If you're NOT taking a long trip it may take a bit of your "spare" time to get through it at 6 hours, but it is well worth it. I read the book many years ago and enjoyed it and was happily NOT let down by the audio book. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys stories about superheroes, comic books, or full cast dramatizations.

This is a top notch production of a pretty good story. The cast is the same from the "JLA: The Exterminators" CD also from this company, so listening to this after that really adds to the story. They've done perfect voice casting for every character here. A pyramid is unearthed in Gotham City, and soon an evil force takes over a student and allows the return of the Stone King. He's not a villain who ever appeared in a Batman story before, but we do get to hear Batman break into Arkham Asylum to get help from one of his old foes (and it's not the Joker), as well as several other big moments. When the JLA are captured, it's up to Batman to fight it alone and save them all.

The sound effects, score, and cast are all stellar. The story never really seems to drag at any point either. The guy chosen to do Batman's voice does a good job of creating his own unique character while still giving us the vibe we're used to (imagine Kevin Conroy from the animated show crossed with Christian Bale). I look forward to more releases from these guys!

I have to admit that Batman wasn't always a favorite of mine. I've never been partial to DC comics in general.

Of course there are people out there who will be offended with what I'm about to say, and there are, of course, people who will agree with me.

But, either way, I'm going to say it. That's just the kind of guy I am.

Marvel is far better. It's got a richer, more concise background, the universe that was created seems to mesh together far better than that of the DC universe.

Fact is though, over the past few years I have found that Batman is growing on me. I'm more interested than ever before in the world's greatest Detective.

Does Dark Knight have anything to do with this, perchance? Well, duh! Why should I deny that? The Dark Knight, in my opinion, was the best movie of 2008. Hell, it was one of the best movies I've seen in years!

And of course, due to that fact, my interest in Batman has been piqued. I won't bother denying it... after the movie; I went out and picked up a half dozen of what were considered to be the best Batman Graphic novels.

I enjoyed them all.

I almost bought the Batman encyclopedia, but I held off. That's something I'll probably pick up at a later date. I don't know everything about the DC character, but I now know enough that I can read graphic novels and comics and have a pretty good idea about what's going on.

So, what does this have to do with the review? Well, it's about Graphic Audio's adaptation of the Justice League of America - Batman: The Stone King.

I'm quite the fan of Graphic Audio's work, and have bought more than a few of their titles. The adaptations are excellent, and they've yet to really let me down.

Oh, before I forget, my trademark disclaimer - I will not give away any part of the plot that would be construed as a spoiler. The things I mention about the novel can be gleaned from the back cover.

I hate spoiling things for people.

The novel Deals with the Justice League, and many familiar DC characters are in it - Wonder Woman, Flash, The Green Lantern, Superman, Martian Man hunter, and of course, Batman.

But the novel revolves mainly around The Batman, as the title suggests.

Something has been unearthed near Gotham City, during a disaster that the Justice League fights to avert.

Things spiral out of control, as an ancient entity awakens and plans on reshaping the world, effectively bringing about Armageddon.

Once the Justice League confronts this entity, the only one to escape, the only one who can possibly bring the entities downfall is the Batman.

As I mentioned before, the production quality of the book is exceptional - I wouldn't expect less from Graphic Audio.

But - this is the kicker... I had issues with the novel.

Overall, it wasn't bad, and it was entertaining to listen to. But, I hate to say it; Comics belong as a visual medium. Either in comic format, on the silver screen, or on Television.

Books, actual word novels without pictures, it just doesn't have the same impact. Even someone with a powerful imagination, someone who can actually visualize a scene as it's described - well, it's just not enough.

That's the problem with comics being translated into novels.

Yeah, yeah, I know there are people who will argue with me over this statement, but I'll say this - it's the opinion of one man. If you don't agree, that's fine, if you do, that's fine too. You can't please everyone all the time.

Oh, as for the other issues? This isn't really a spoiler, so don't get upset. There's a scene in the novel that takes place beneath the streets of Gotham, in the sewers. It does describe how worn and old the sewers are. Got it?

Ok, according to the DC universe, Gotham had suffered a major earth quake, something that had caused tremendous damage to the city, and that took the city years to recover from.

That should have been reflected in the novel, during the scene that took place in the sewers.

Yeah, nitpicking, but it's something that really stuck out with me.

Also, when it comes right down to it, the story has been done before. A powerful entity, arisen to remake the world in its vision.

Been there, done that.

There wasn't anything really groundbreaking or new about the novel. Just a superhero twist on an old Science Fiction / Fantasy plot.

Hey, if you need a Batman fix while you wait for the next animated show to hit the air, or the third installment of the reborn franchise, or even for the Dark Knight to come out on DVD, by all means, pick this audio book up and listen to it.

Enjoy it!

But, don't expect to be totally blown away by it.

Either way, it's worth buying and listening to.

3 out of 5