Scott's Take: Batman Universe by Brian Michael Bendis and Nick Derington

Batman Universe by Brian Michael Bendis and Nick Derington is a hunt to recover stolen loot. The Riddler has stolen a Faberge Egg on behalf of the immortal Vandal Savage. Batman’s quest to recover the egg from The Riddler and his allies will require Batman to enlist the help of Green Lantern, Green Arrow, and others. As part of his quest, he must uncover the secrets of the Faberge Egg and that means he has to learn more about the original owner, the legendary gunslinger, Jonah Hex. Batman will travel across space and time to places such as Thanagar, Dinosaur Island (an island full of dinosaurs that exists in the DC universe), Gorilla City (a city ruled by super advanced Gorillas), and more.

There is plenty of action, mystery, and humor to be found in this book. As Batman moves forward in his quest, Alfred makes various witty observations with his usual sarcasm. The artwork is very colorful and varied and is a visual treat to look at as one reads Batman Universe.

My one criticism about this book applies to everything Bendis writes is that he writes dialogue in his own unique way of talking. For example, Character 1 “What is?” Character 2 “Bendis speak?” Character 1 “Yes, tell me about Bendis speak.” Character 2 “Bendis speak is when one person talks in short clipped sentences…” Character 1 “With interruptions that are supposed to.” Character 2 “Normal conversations.” Character 1 “That People have in real…” Character 2 “Life.” This can make some of the dialogue clunky and unnatural sounding. Hopefully, I did a good job of explaining the way Bendis writes. His dialogue is not for everyone, but this is one of his better books dialogue wise.

If you are looking for a fun Batman book that does not require one to be up to date on the status quo of the current Batman books this is the one for you. Batman Universe by Brian Michael Bendis and Nick Derington is perfect for new readers as well as long term Batman readers. 

My reading copy came from the Grauwyler Park Branch of the Dallas Library System and was picked up thanks to “Curbside to Go.”

Scott A. Alexander ©2020