Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Batman: Private Casebook by Paul Dini, Dustin Nguyen and Derek Fridolfs

This graphic novel collects six stories about vengeance from Batman's own Rogues gallery, from Ra's Al Ghul to the Mad Hatter, Riddler, Scarface and Catwoman. And even... Zatanna?

"Resurrection of Ra's Al Ghul- Epilogue has the reborn Ra's coming to Gotham to live, and since Ra's can't have Batman as a neighbor, he declares war against him for control of Gotham- something that Batman has no problem with. But Batman aims to win, and how do you get rid of an immortal demon, anyway?

"The Wonderland Gang" has the Mad Hatter breaking out of Prison and recruiting a new gang based on Wonderland Characters while stealing Wonderland-themed items. But when the gang starts doing regular crimes like robbing the jewelry exchange, Batman has to wonder who is really behind the crime spree, and bring him or them to justice.

"The Suit of Sorrows" begins when Talia Al Ghul gives Batman an old suit of chainmail armor as a Gift. It is supposed to make its wearer stronger and swifter, and it certainly helps Batman when he goes after Gotham Jack, a snappily-dressed robber. But when it brings out a vein of cruelty in him, Batman must investigate the truth of the suit and where it comes from before it leads him into being just as bad as the criminals he fights. But will the truth so easily yield to investigation?

"Opening Night" Teams Batman with his fellow Jusice-Leaguer Zatanna. When Zatanna is hired by Johnny Sabatino to headline at his club for a single night, Batman comes along to keep an eye on her. Somebody has a vested interest in taking down Sabatino and ruining his club. But who is it?

"Curtains" continues the story of Scarface and his new Ventriloquist, who is the daughter of a prominent crime family. Peyton Reilly has been dealt a raw deal by life, and Scarface is her only friend. But can he save her when her ex-husband decides to get some payback?

"The Riddle Unanswered" has Batman facing off with Edward Nygma, the Riddler, who has gone straight to become a detective in Gotham himself, to be the first to uncover a serial killer who is taking out a seemingly endless string of unrelated victims. Who is the killer, and who will get to him first? Batman, or the Riddler?

"Kcirt Ro Taert" tells a story of Zatanna and a group of druggies who thought it would be terribly amusing to fill the candy they gave to kids with hallucinogenic drugs. Told by Scarecrow, is this just a story aimed to scare, or truth? And which would scare you more?

This was an interesting set of stories. It seems that Batman's foes are changing. Many of his past Rogues have gone straight, or aren't really responsible for the crimes he's investigating in these stories, and those who haven't gone straight have changed- Scarface has a new Ventriloquist after the old one died, and the Mad Hatter isn't really responsible for the Crime Spree supposedly taking place in his name.

But these are very effective stories- most of them are mysteries that Batman has to investigate to solve, although even that doesn't always work for him. These stories are very dark, strip-mining the lower emotions for their shocks and thrills, but even as they do, the stories rarely linger there. These stories are all pretty much self-contained within an issue or two- no long story arcs here, but we don't get quite so much Angsty!Batman or Vengeful!Batman. These stories are actually, dare I say it, fun to read.

An excellent collection of short stories that are a fun, enjoyable read and an antidote to the usually dreary long epic storylines that Batman and his team have been involved in lately. With a vanishingly short appearance by Catwoman, and a rather longer one by Zatanna, there's lots to love here. Highly recommended.

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