Batman: Detective (Paperback)

~ Paul Dini (Author), Royal McGraw (Author), J. H. Williams (Illustrator), Don Kramer (Illustrator), Joe Benitez (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

As lead writer of the popular 1990s animated TV series Batman, Dini was instrumental in restoring the character's noirish tone. Here he takes the reins of the comic-book Batman and rather than putting his own idiosyncratic stamp on the Caped Crusader, as Frank Miller and, more recently, Matt Wagner, did, simply turns in a complement of better-than-they-need-to-be tales spotlighting longtime series villains the Penguin, the Riddler, Poison Ivy, and, of course, the Joker. The artists of the various stories range from exemplary (Promethea's J. H. Williams III) to competent. Not groundbreaking, but eminently readable. Flagg, Gordon

Product Description

Paul Dini, the Emmy Award-winning writer and producer of Batman: The Animated Series, Superman: The Animated Series and Justice League, joins with J.H. Williams III, the acclaimed artist of the Eisner Award-winning series PROMETHEA, and others for this all-new collection of mystery stories that will test the skills of the World's Greatest Detective!

The Dark Knight must face the Riddler, the Penguin and Poison Ivy as well as brand-new villains while trying to solve crimes. Prepare for twists, turns and betrayals every step of the way as Batman is even forced to forge alliances with his enemies to crack these cases.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: DC Comics (April 7, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401212395
• ISBN-13: 978-1401212391
• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 6.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #449,821 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A BIT UNEVEN BUT OVERALL VERY GOOD, May 1, 2007

By	Tim Janson (Michigan) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

Batman: Detective isn't your usual trade paperback. The six issues of Detective Comics collected here don't represent a single story arc but rather, it presents six stand-alone stories that call upon Batman to use the skills that have made him the world's greatest detective. In another twist, the stories feature some of Batman's greatest foes including The Riddler, The Penguin, Poison Ivy, and the Joker, but rather than battling these arch foes, Batman actually has to aid them...with one notable exception we'll get to in a moment.

In the opening tale, members of Gotham's high-society are falling victim to crime by a gang masquerading as blue bloods themselves. A new villain named Façade is in town and Batman needs to track him down before he can commit further crimes. This was the weakest story in the book. A new, uninteresting villain barely caused Batman to break a sweat.

"E. Nigma, Counseling Detective" finds the Riddler going straight by opening his own detective agency. In his first case, he helps to prove that Bruce Wayne did not commit the murder of former girlfriend Karrie Bishop. Just when the Riddler thinks he's nailed the case, Batman ups the ante with his own detective skills.

In "Stalked" Poison Ivy is attacked in her Arkham Asylum cell by a monstrous form of plant, which she cannot control. Batman takes her to the Batcave for safe-keeping but in searching her former hideout, finds a DVD which repulses he and Robin. Ivy developed a new form of carnivorous plant that slowly dissolves its victims. But somehow this plant maintained the souls of its victims and they've come looking for revenge on Ivy and anyone trying to help her. Solid story although it involved little detective work by Batman in keeping with the overall theme of the book.

The Penguin is also attempting to go straight in "Night of the Penguin" but his new venture may be short-lived as he's endanger of being wiped out in a high-stakes poker game. Batman suspects that Mr. Zzz is cheating and enlists the aid of Zatanna to find out how. A light story, filled with a lot of humor...particularly from Bruce Wayne's date for the evening at the Grand Opening of Penguin's new lounge. Lets just say she bears more than a slight resemblance to Paris Hilton...particularly in the dumb blonde department.

The best story in the book is actually the odd story out in terms of the detective motif and Batman barely makes an appearance. In "Slayride" Robin is being pursued by gun-toting thugs and gets a ride from a passing motorist...The Joker! Robin awakes bound and gagged with the Joker at the wheel of a Soccer mom's van (mom and dad are dead in the back seat!). During this maddening ride to Hell, Robin watches helplessly as the Joker runs down innocent pedestrians and shoots a fast food restaurant Manager when they can't get his order right. Can't say as I blame him for that one...

The stories were written by Paul Dini and Royal McGraw, with art by Don Kramer, J.H. Williams III, Joe Benitez, and Marcos Marz. The book is a little uneven and some stories, particularly the Joker story is an odd fit. One gets the sense that it was included only to round the book out with six stories.

REVIEWED BY TIM JANSON

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A solid Batman collection, April 9, 2007

By	Nicholas Zinn "Chaotic Reader" (Madison, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This collection of Batman stories suprised me by how much strength is in each chapter/issue. Mr. Dini carries over his excellent writing style from the animated series and excels at not dragging out a story too long. The only running storyline deals with the Riddler and it doesn't hasten the self contained shorts. Also the art plays well by having each artist's style compliment the story accordingly. This would be a great gift for a fair weather Batman fan or a newcomer to the genre, easily accessible and fun.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Great stories by Dini, Lousy art from Kramer!, August 16, 2008

By	Parker (At Large) - See all my reviews

With Paul Dini's return to Batman as regular writer of the monthly Detective Comics, readers were promised a back to basic stroytelling approach, with one or two part mystery stories of batman confronting his classic foes. Paul Dini delivered the stories, but after a great first issue drawn by J. H. Williams III, the quality of the artwork drops with the switch to Don Kramer as regular artist on the series.
Don Kramer, who is still learning the ropes as an artists, fails to elevate these stories above the average, and lets Dini's scripts and readers down.
A Poison Ivy story featuring art by Joe Benitez, as well as another featuring Dr. Phosphorus drawn by Marcos Marz save the rest of this collection from being a complete wash.
The srength of Dini's writing comes from its simplicity, so the wrong artist impacts the story all the more. Any new readers DC Comics aquired with Paul Dini's name on the cover were quickly lost after being subjected to the mediocre art that has more often than not been a staple of Batman comics. Will DC please hire an art director!