What the Dickens.... Batman?

I thought I’d review something to tie-in with Charles Dickens Centenary. I didn’t want to go the obvious route of a straight adaptation, so I found ‘Batman Noel’. This is basically a retelling of ‘A Christmas carol’ but with characters from the Batman universe. The most interesting idea, and the one that really grabbed me is the Batman is Scrooge. It came as a shock reading it, because Batman’s nearly always pictured as the hero. The author cleverly plays with the readers expectations all the way through, and there are some unexpected moments. I tried to guess who the different ghosts and characters would be in Gotham, I didn’t always get it right. I like books that surprise me and this one did. The characters draw you in and there is an uneasiness throughout the book that Batman may have finally turned too dark.

The artwork is beautiful, breathtaking at times, a painted style that tells a lot of the story for you. Yes, I know graphic novels should do that anyway, but some artworks just do it better.

There’s a bit of bad language in the book, but I suspect some teenagers would love it. Reading groups who don’t do graphic novels would enjoy comparing it with the original ‘Christmas Carol’

A must read.

Well, I finally found my way back here, well its been 2 years lol.

So what have I been reading recently:

The Batman Chronicles Vol. 4.

What struck me when I was reading it was how much it was a social commentary on the time it was written in - the early 1940s. In nearly every story, Batman/Bruce Wayne decides to buy War Bonds.

It is even more striking when Batman and Robin team up against a Nazi plot. you can tell they are Nazi's due to the big image clues pasted all around the script.

But is it a good read?

Yes, its fun. There's the odd story that you could see being written now. For example, when Batman does a lecture tour and is quoted as saying the Joker wants to be caught as he keeps leaving clues around the place. The Joker isn't happy so goes on a deliberate crime spree that even has Batman guessing.

I would recommend it if you like light Batman stories, with lots of 'Pow' in them. There's nothing in it that is too offensive, so its probably suitable for all. Just bear in mind when it was written.

What did I learn?

• Bruce Wayne used to date someone called Linda, who thought they might get engaged.


• Catwoman, used to have a full face cat mask, and can work as a beautician.


• War bonds were very important to the US