Saturday, November 23, 2019

Scott's Take: Batman Damned by Brian Azzarello


Batman Damned by Brian Azzarello is the first book from the “Black Label” line from DC comics. This line is mandated to produce out of the canon adult stories where creators have more freedom to do whatever they want. Batman Damned is a Batman themed horror story featuring cussing, male nudity, and violence. In this story, the Joker is dead and Batman is not sure if he killed him or not. Batman lost his memory during the time the Joker was killed and therefore has no idea if he did it or not. Who killed the Joker, why, and what exactly happened is just part of Batman Damned.


Readers find out what happened by way of the very unreliable narrator John Constantine. The story is very different than the typical Batman story. It features cameos from various supernatural/magic themed heroes. The art is great and reflects the fact it is different than the typical Batman story. While I enjoyed it, I am not sure I understood everything that was going on in the read. I think the fact that I don’t understand everything was the point as it seems to be setting up for a sequel series despite the fact that this miniseries is marketed as being self-contained.


This book is not for everyone due to its strong horror elements and deliberately unclear story. As noted before, this read is designed for adult readers as there is adult language, male nudity, and more in the read.  If you are interested in something different than most Batman stories and are okay with never fully knowing what is actually going on in the read, I recommend it. 


Batman Damned
Brian Azzarello
DC Black Label
September 2019
ISBN# 978-1-4012-9140-2
Hardback (also available in digital format)


My review copy came from the Preston Royal Branch of the Dallas Public Library System.


Scott A. Alexander ©2019

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