Batman: Gothic (Paperback)

~ (Author), Klaus Janson (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Batman must face his own greatest fears when the man behind the mask, Bruce Wayne, begins to have nightmares about his boyhood schoolmaster, the cruel Mr. Winchester. Now Winchester has come to Gotham City, this time with supernatural powers. And unless the Caped Crusader can stop him, he will convert the city into his own cathedral--of death. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: DC Comics (July 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1563890283
• ISBN-13: 978-1563890284
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 6.6 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #464,419 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the great hidden treasures in comic books, June 5, 2005

By	Madelyn Pryor "Goblyn Queen" (Mesa, AZ United States) - See all my reviews

Though Grant Morrison is best known for his wonderful multi year rampage on New X-Men, or the dark masterwork Arkham Asylum, Gothic is a match for either one of these. With gritty, haunting art by Klaus Janson, Morrison tells a remarkable tale of Batman, Mr. Whisper, and sinister evil that has burned across continents for more than 300 years.

Batman is still at the beginning of his crime fighting career, still coming into his own, when a mysterious madman named Mr. Whisper begins killing off mob bosses using poetry as a clue. Meanwhile, Batman is plagued by nightmares of his father with his lips sewn shut, trying to pass on some manner of clue to his son.

Soon Batman is horrified to learn that Mr. Whisper is actually his old headmaster from an all boys school that nearly killed him as a child, and the madman might be older than that.

Filled with occult lore, and mature topics, this Batman volume is more suited to older audiences, and parents might want to screen it before letting their children read it, but for those of us who have been Grant Morrison fans for a long time, please take the time to read and enjoy this lost treasure.

This volume collects Legends of the Dark Knight #6-10.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Really Good Batman Story, April 6, 2000

By	Jason Brezinski "breeze30" (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews

This is a tradepaperback of issues that appeared in Legends of the Dark Knight. Someone is killing mobsters in particularly inventive and vicious ways. It turns out that all of them were involved in a killing many years ago and their victim is back to claim revenge. However, that revenge is just a digression of a plot that stretches back to an Austrian monastery at the time of the Black Death. Batman has to solve this mystery before Gotham dies screaming. Grant Morrison does a good job with Batman; nothing as arcane and twisted as Arkham Asylum but some interesting glimpses into Bruce Wayne's childhood and his feelings towards his father. Klaus Janson does the art and it's very good in a Neal Adams style. Very tight and moody. Recommended.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An intriguing plotline, September 2, 2005

By	Corum Seth Smith (Hendersonville, NC USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Some people are of the opinion that the Batman genre, one that exemplifies modernism in so many respects, should never mix with anything of the superstitious or supernatural. I am not one of those. Even if I was, "Gothic" would have probably changed my mind.

Batman is drawn to a place from his past when men are murdered in a chapel. From this trail of destruction Batman is led to confront a terrifying evil that has existed for nearly 300 years.

Batman is himself the stuff of many legends and superstitions. He preys on the fear of criminals that he might be some monster or demon. How will he fare when he faces a being that is worthy of such fear?

Batman "Gothic" is actually an intriguing piece that is inspired by literary greats like "Faust." Morrison's title is very appropriate and for once, I actually enjoyed the foreword that explained the reasoning behind the storyline. This is good stuff.