Batman and the Mad Monk

This is a sequel to Batman and the Monster Men and should be read after that (also great) book. On it's own this book could be considered to have a few loose ends, but then again, it's a sequel and shouldn't be judged as a completely stand alone collection. It's brilliant. I don't know for sure, but I suspect it's in part a retelling of a classic Batman story (as Monster Men was). Julie Madison is a character from Batman's past, and I wouldn't be surprised if the "Mad Monk" was as well. The story tells of Batman's first encounter with a possibly supernatural enemy. As Monster Men told of Batman's encounter with an impossible sci-fi type of foe. Both these books go exquisitely with Frank Miller's Batman: Year One and are probably the best year one-and-a-half stories in print. Even more amazing is the fact that Wagner not only spun this fantastic yarn but drew it beautifully as well. I've got all the respect in the world for a creator who is that talented. The art is a visual feast, and there's something about the colors that just haunted me (excuse the pun). I can't really imagine loving Batman and not loving this book. I hope and pray Wagner does more Batman soon.

This sequel of sorts to Batman Year One is actually pretty good, and seems to keep to the style reasonably faithfully. A subplot involves Commissioner Gordon establishing and defending himself against various corrupt cops, still. They have a bigger problem in that people keep turning up no longer alive with their throats torn out and drained of blood. When Bruce Wayne's girlfriend runs into those responsible, things get personally bloody for Batman.

Many good reviewers and fans had stated how good this book is. My only gripe with this title is just how shallow is: not much character construction, not of Batman, not of Gordon, not of Nicholai Tepes, not of Alfred. Pluses: * Great art, specially inking. Batman looks superb * Many sub-plots going on, that keep things entertaining. * Solo Batman is great. Keep them coming!! * Tongue-in-cheek allusion to Robin Cons: * Flat-out lot-to-be-desired story, a bit cheesy at times. * Another person finds out who Batman is. * The villain is not such a worthy opponent and the fight scene is fairly short. It really deserved a 3.5 star rating.

Batman and the Mad Monk is a sequel to 2005's Batman and the Monster Men, also written and illustrated by Matt Wagner. This story takes place very early in Batman's career, predating his first encounter with The Joker. Batman "persuaded" an organized crime boss to forget about the debts owed to him by businessman Norman Madison, father of Bruce Wayne's current flame, Julie. Yet the encounter with Batman has left Norman mentally scarred, and more in fear of the Batman than the crime boss. Batman is already working closely with "Captain" Jim Gordon, a situation that puts Gordon into conflict with the corrupt police commissioner. Batman also has his first encounter with Assistant D.A. Harvey Dent, before he becomes Two-Face, but already, as Batman points out, bound by the law, but smoldering for justice. Gordon asks for Batman's assistance with a recent series of murders where the victim's throats were torn out and they were drained of all their blood. His investigations lead to the discovery of a shadowy group known as the Brotherhood who have taken up residence in the decrepit Rallstone Castle, built by a family even more wealthy than the Waynes. The group is led by the charismatic and hypnotic Niccolai Tepes, Tepes also having been the family name of Vlad Dracula. Niccolai and his underlings soon set their sites on Julie Madison and plot to use her to help steal her father's fortune, after which they will make her a blood sacrifice. Niccolai bites, but doesn't drain Julie, keeping her as his thrall until she can get her father to will over his estate. Batman, weakened after a fight with a pack of wolves and nearly crushed between a wall of spikes, will have to face off against the powerful Niccolai in order to save Julie's life. While this Batman story is set in modern times, Wagner infuses it with a permeable scent of 1930's crime noir, and set against a backdrop of classic Universal Studios horror films. Batman's exploration of Castle Rallstone leads him into deadly traps as steps turn to slippery inclines as well as the aforementioned crushing walls of spikes. It's just like something out of an old movie serial. It's funny, but criminals always use the wall of spikes despite the fact that I don't think I ever saw anyone actually get killed by them. When Batman battles Tepes' wolves, you can almost hear Bela Lugosi proclaiming, "Children of the night...what music they make!" Wagner's art only serves to take the reader back to the days of beautiful dames and melodramatic villains. In typical, nonchalant villain style, Tepes doesn't even check on the person whose fallen into his trap in the castle, confident that whomever it was, won't be getting out alive. Wagner is also able to show a Batman who is extremely vulnerable (he takes a major butt-kicking in this book) yet also extremely resourceful, relying on his wits as much as his fists. We can only hope that Wagner doing a Batman mini-series will continue to be an annual event.

For me, with this second entry in the Dark Moon Rising series of Batman novels, Matt Wagner joins my list of the best Batman writers in the past 5-10 years or so alongside Miller, Dini, and Loeb. Not only can he write the character well, his art is quickly becoming what I imagine when I think of Batman. I think other writers/editors agree too, as more and more of Wagner's Batman illustrations appear on covers. The Mad Monk picks up where The Monster Men leaves off, the first book in this series. A new villain is introduced, but Batman and the rest of his relationships are developing. It's still early in the dark detective's career and he's having to deal with keeping his identity secret from his girlfriend, and sovling cases with Gordon for the first time. Wagner weaves a simple tale, inspired and reinterpreted from one of Batman's earliest adventures where he encounters a Monk cloaked in red who may or may not be a vampire. Batman is investigating the recent murders while trying to balance out time with his girlfriend Julie, who was introduced in Monster Men. Julie's father Norman returns, as well as crime boss Sal Moroni. What I'm really enjoying about these books, are how they intertwine story and art elements from both Year One as well as Loeb and Sale's Bat books. It's beginning to bridge the gap and fill in the time between Year One and The Long Halloween in Batman's continuity. It's making Bruce's early years of crime fighting that much more enjoyable to relive for me. It's hard to say if I enjoyed this more than Monster Men or not. They fit so nicely together that I like to think of them as an ongoing storyline. Julie's character is getting more interesting and less annoying in this book as she deals with being the neglected flame in Bruce's life as well as her father's downward spiral into alcoholism and paranoia. Batman's partnership with Gordon is in full swing by this point, although it's clear that Gordon struggles with his affiliation with a man that dresses like a bat and how that might affect his career and his family. Overall some good solid development all around. The inner monologue and dream sequences contribute greatly. Not quite as much action in this one as Monster Men, but still some excitement in every chapter. The way the story is told visually is really fluid and helps the flow of each scene. I hope Wagner is in the process of writing another installment, because currently he's creating some of the best recent additions to the Batman canon.