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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