Group Review: Batman: Creature of the Night #1
By the Comic Bastards
Welcome to the review. If you’re unfamiliar with Comic Bastards’ group review format, then allow me to get you up to speed. Each of the participating writers will give their thoughts, along with their own personal score for the issue. Each score stands on its own so don’t expect an average. Now, here’s a blurb about Batman: Creature of the Night #1.
Young Bruce Wainwright lost his parents in a violent crime…and in the real world; no superheroes exist to save the day. But as grief and rage builds inside Bruce until he feels he can’t keep it inside anymore, something strange starts taking wing in the Gotham night! Perhaps Bruce’s grief isn’t inside him after all?
DANIEL – Score: 4/5
I have been a fan of Batman as long as I can remember. This means I’ll pretty much read any Batman book I come across. At least to check it out. This book is no different. I had no idea what this book was about before I started to read. I guess I went into it expecting just another run-of-the-mill Batman story. But what I got here was something completely different. Batman: Creature of the Night is a sad and somber and depressingly real. This book isn’t really even a “Batman” book. Not technically. I mean, yes, he’s in it, but it’s more about the hope he instills in people. It’s more about the idea of Batman, a protector. I did enjoy the book, but I’m just not used to having my heart broken by a comic book.
I felt like the art perfectly fit the tone of this book. It is dark and moody and has an old-timey feel to it. The colors are muted and mostly grays and blues. Deep and heavy shadows. And this adds to the dark and depressing feel of the book. There’s a strong sense of gritty realism and nostalgia to these pages.
DUSTIN – Score: 5/5
It's increasingly rare for me to hand out a five out of five on a group review. Hell, I usually only participate in giving a fringe perspective since I know that I don't typically line up with the other reviewers on the site. This book though, I find myself in the “Most Definitely” column.
The narration is masterful in this first issue of the series. Not only are there two narrators, one in the future one in the present, but they’re so different that it’s highly believable. Yes, the gimmick as it were to this story might rub some people the wrong way, but perhaps it’s from the perspective of a parent that I understand how obsessed children get with a particular thing or object. Batman is a comfort to our main character. He’s constant when everything else is being taken away. Kurt Busiek is writing his ass off, and I absolutely love his story and the grounded world it’s taking place within.
The artwork, goodness me it’s the richest dessert I’ve read in a long time. My eyes just want to keep eating it up. The realism makes the story all the more striking as it looks and feels exactly like our world. If every DC artist copied John Paul Leon’s style, I would buy every issue. While I love a variety of art styles, I have a top five looks/styles that I will absolutely drool over, and Leon’s linework is one of those styles. I couldn’t absorb the pages enough. DC would be fools not to offer a deluxe edition of this upon completion. From me to you, get this book. Don’t miss out on it.
JUSTIN - Score: 4/5
Creature Of The Night is novel-esq in its appeal. It is a tragic coming of age story. It has a young boy dealing with a formative tragedy. This could actually have been much longer. At fifty pages this gives you an already nuanced character-driven story, but they did so well crafting layers on to Bruce that we could have followed his story much longer. The names felt contrived. We didn’t need them. Poor Alfred in this book has a lot more story to tell. We needed Bruce to have nowhere to go so that he would have to deal with his loss, thus creating the creature, but it seemed like he had an arc, but then it was dropped. Besides, that’s one of the hallmarks is Bruce and Alfred’s intimate, father-son relationship. Ultimately he was reduced to just a narrator. I would love to have had more of his and Bruce’s story told. It does get a little boring in places, but I blame that on the narration, the journal style of captions, I’ve never been a big fan of that technique.
I really like Leon’s style. A bit of an eighties throwback. Detailed. Very at home in a comic book with this realism. It all comes together pretty well. It’s a moody book that brings to mind Year One and Dark Knight Returns. I wish I had more to say about the artwork. Leon’s a pro. It’s on every page. He strategically uses panels and layout to give a sense of Bruce’s mental state, he does this sparingly, but to great effect. Panels go full bleed to open up during the suspenseful scenes, the margins closing in during the little moments. The double page splash where Bruce sees his creature from the rooftop is pure perfection.
Ultimately I liked the story. It’s so relatable, Batman was my favorite childhood hero and to countless kids in the world, and when things got tough you could aspire to be like Batman, because he could handle anything, and if he were there he’d make everything right. It’s an examination of a child’s grief and the hope that having a hero you look up to can bring when life takes its dark turns.
JONATHAN - Score: 5/5
Superman: Secret Identity is one of my absolute favorite Superman books. I think it’s one of the best examples of who Superman is as a character, what his principles are, and why he’s important, plus it’s just a damn good read. So, when DC announced that Kurt Busiek was giving Batman similar treatment with Batman: Creature of the Night, I was more than thrilled and could not wait to read it. I had high hopes, and this first issue exceeded them.
Intellectually, I knew going that where Secret Identity had been light and hope, Creature of the Night would be darkness and pain. But, that doesn’t compare to the evocative and visceral feelings that come with actually reading it. Busiek has tapped into something dark, mythic, and primal here, and as fantastical as it is, it’s still wholly human.
John Paul Leon’s art is fantastic. Gritty and detailed and moody and just so perfect for this story. Additionally, there’s a whole sequence done in the style of ‘50s or ‘60s comics, and despite being completely visually distinct, it’s integrated super well with both color and context.
I love Batman: Creature of the Night #1. It’s one of the best issues I’ve read all year, and I fully expect it to be one of the best books I read too. I don’t have much else to say without getting hyperspecific about what I love and why, so I’ll just say I wholeheartedly recommend picking this one up for yourself. Because this book isn’t just about a Batman fanboy putting on the mask (or cowl) after his parents are murdered. Among other things, it’s about exploring human emotion as a force of nature and all of the raw power that comes with it.