David Mazzucchelli

A stunning graphic novel by a master of the craft.

The writing is sublime and human, with some of those choice moments that ring as true because you've seen them before in your own life.

The art is not just beautiful, but evocative of the story itself. He uses so many different qualities of art style to help enhance the narrative.

Asterios as a character is fascinating. By turns unlikable but also incredibly sympathetic in the two different streams of the story, and as they converge, it's a show more powerful experience. show less

The nice thing is, the whole story is kind of Batman punching cops. And yeah, ok, it’s the “these are bad cops” bullshit (I remember there being some kind of throwaway line about Gotham’s PD just being extraordinarily corrupt)… but it’s still like almost 100% of the cops that are bad?

Even Jim Gordon’s “I’m gonna fix it from the inside!” kind of story was kind of good? Even though it’s been shown over and over again that that isn’t a thing and we need abolition… show more there was still plenty of stuff in this story line that I highly approved of. Like the commissioner dismissively telling him “you kept the media away from it, that’s all that matters” when Gordon references a past mistake, and when Gordon vows that he won’t have to worry about dishonesty from him, the commissioner says it’s “the last thing on [his] mind.” Which makes even more sense when we later see the commissioner dining with literal mob bosses.

Gordon’s primary antagonist is even the perfect representation of the worst kind of cop, a white guy who peaked in high school. Dude’s off-duty uniform was a letter jacket for the gods’ sake.

The only real Frank Miller bullshit on display here was his misogyny. Well, ok, and also his usual weird depictions of masculinity (like Gordon randomly using the barbell in Harvey’s office in the middle of a formal conversation where they’re both dressed in suits???), but those are surely related.

As far as misogyny, there’s especially a lot with how sex workers are portrayed here that’s just… ick. But probably the most frustrating thing is when Gordon’s hypercompetent coworker Detective Essen looks like she’s gonna be a great supportive friend for him but they end up having an affair because of course they do. It’s just so frustrating.

Also, on a very petty/whiney note: this needed more Catwoman!!!

But, yeah! I think this is the least bad Frank Miller story I’ve ever encountered. show less

Miller is doing what Miller does: oppressively moody noir, larger-than-life macho men, chilling speeches and one-liners, and cool but violent action sequences. Often, when dialled to his typical eleven, that can come out as campy, crude, or self-parody. But (as often at that point in his career) this is a comic where it works. The reimagining of Batman's origin as following all established canon -- the murder of his parents, the return after the world tour of training himself, the show more inspiration of the bats -- yet attempting to ground it and deepend it has been so hugely influential, it almost doesn't seem groundbreaking at all. With decades-later-goggles, this just seems like Batman. But that's precisely the effect of how well done this comic was -- it's the standard now. Even the acclaimed Nolan films are explicitly and clearly inspired by the approach made here.

The artwork is great, too. Batman looks a bit too much like he's wearing the 1960s grey bodysuit to me in some panels, but everything else is perfectly conveying the gritty, depressed tone the story is going for.

So is it perfect? Well, no. It's not even among my favourite Batman stories. It's story is too basic, with nary a twist, and the outcome a known factor before you start. Some minor points, like Gordon's affair, also always rub me the wrong way (it feels a bit too much like Miller's idea of what a tormented hero cop is like, more than what Gordon is like -- but of course, this was a reimagining, so it's likely just me unfairly backwards projecting my current feel for the character). But it's entertaining, memorable, and should in particular be praised for the genious but simple idea of telling the story from the perspectives of both Gordon and Wayne, and the way these two get juxtaposed, entwined and mirrored throughout. That is by far my favourite part of this comic, and it's maintained throughout the entire miniseries. show less

A wrong number starts everything in this adaptation of Paul Auster's novel into graphic form...and from the moment Daniel Quinn who has been hiding behind his William Wilson identity decides to adopt the identity of Paul Auster, things take a turn for the strange. In a story that manages to effortlessly weave the Tower of Babel, Don Quixote and pulp fiction books, this graphic novel also manages to play with the prose and add depth to the questions of language, identity and obsessive meaning show more in the meaningless in ways that are limited by mere words. The illustrations do more than merely illustrate - they become integral pieces to solving the unsolvable puzzle. show less