Friday, December 13, 2013

Batman: Nine Lives (Elseworlds)


In this beautifully done noir-type Elseworlds, someone has killed Selena Kyle. What’s so great about this book is that though many of the characters are good guys or villains, they are  not super villains, with exception of Batman. The other characters are more archetypes than anything else.

 Take Jack, the Joker. He’s not a chemically enhanced clown who’s got mad chemistry skills with a sadistic streak. Instead, he’s a down on his lunch card sharp that’s more pathetic than fearsome. That’s just about how every character in this book is and I love it.

Everybody, even Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson, have a motive for killing Selina. While I don’t have a problem with her being black, I think for her to be a sex kitten type character, why is she drawn all frumpy and well about as big as Moms Mably? I’d expect this woman who’s sleeping with every power broker in Gotham to be drawn like BeyoncĂ© or Hallie Barrie. It just seems that the way she’s drawn is unbelievable. I’ve seen lots of gangster flicks, not one has the crime boss sleeping with a woman who looks like Roseanne.  (I know that this is a weird thing to harp on, but I’m not just a collector, I’m a connoisseur of the comic medium.)

Regardless of my feelings, Nine Lives was a fantastic read and a daring mystery that had me having a difficult time putting down. I think I finished this in less than 2 days.

Worth Consuming.

Rating 9 out of 10 stars.

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