Title: Batman: Long Shadows
Author: Judd Winick
Artist: Mark Bagley
Genre: Superheroes / Action / Adventure / Thriller
Year Published: 2009
Year Read: 2015
Series: Batman
Publisher: DC Comics
Source: Library
Content Rating: Ages 15+ (Gory Violence and Some Language)
Buy or Add on: Amazon // Goodreads
Introduction:
Now to be honest, I have
never read DC Comics’ major event “Final
Crisis,” so I am not familiar with Batman (or Bruce Wayne in this case) being
dead during this event and this comic book “Batman:
Long Shadows” takes place after the events of “Final Crisis.” However,
despite not reading “Final Crisis,”
I still thoroughly enjoyed this graphic novel (although being a huge Dick
Grayson fan also helps)!
What is this story
about?
After the events of “Final
Crisis,” Batman (Bruce Wayne) is pronounced dead, but in order to prevent
the world from knowing that the real Batman is dead, Bruce Wayne’s protégé Dick
Grayson decides to take up the mantle himself.
Unfortunately, Batman’s old nemesis Two-Face notices that Batman is not
himself and he sets out to murder the new Batman!
What I loved about
this story:
Judd Winick’s writing: Wow! Can I say that I was
truly impressed with Judd Winick’s
writing of this short story that takes place after “Final Crisis?” Now as it is
known by now, I am a huge Dick Grayson fan and the fact that I am reading
another “Batman” comic that stars
Dick Grayson taking the mantle from Bruce Wayne
(the first comic I read that had Dick Grayson as Batman was “Batman: The Black Mirror”) is just so
exciting to me! I loved the way that
Judd Winick wrote this story as we actually get to see how Batman’s immediate
family (his butler Alfred, Damian Wayne and Dick Grayson) react to Bruce
Wayne’s death and how they are trying to cope with the legacy that he left
behind as Batman. It was pretty
interesting to see how Dick Grayson tries to upheld Bruce Wayne’s legacy as
Batman while doing things his own way and I loved how the other characters
often commented on how Dick Grayson was a lot more friendlier as Batman than
Bruce Wayne was and it was a nice change for the characters, especially for
Alfred. I really enjoyed the
relationship that Dick shares with Damian Wayne and Alfred as he treats Alfred like
a father figure and he tries to get through the hard headed Damian Wayne. Judd
Winick’s portrayal of Dick Grayson was fantastic as Dick continues to crack
jokes throughout the story while showing great concern and compassion for his
mentor Bruce Wayne and that just made me love Dick Grayson even more!
Mark Bagley’s artwork: Mark
Bagley’s artwork is truly fantastic, especially during the battle
sequences! I loved the way that Mark Bagley made all the explosions
look extremely realistic and effective as I really felt the chaotic mood of the
battle scenes that Dick Grayson gets involved in. I also loved the way that Mark Bagley drew the expressions on the
characters’ faces as they look expressive and I actually felt the same emotions
that the characters felt through certain situations, like the sadness that
Batman’s immediate family felt when Bruce Wayne died.
What made me feel
uncomfortable about this story:
The reason why I took off half a point from the rating was
because the beginning tended to drag on for a while before the story got
exciting and I will admit I was a bit bored with the beginning until I got into
the actual story as it went on. Also,
for anyone who does not like gory violence and language, this comic does have a
fair share of violence and language.
Final Thoughts:
Overall, “Batman: Long Shadows” is an excellent graphic
novel for fans who want to see Dick Grayson take up the Batman cowl and own it
like no one else!
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