Batman Begins - The Movie and Other Tales of the Dark Knight

Movie Adaptation
Writer: Scott Beatty
Artists: Kilian Plunket and Serge LaPointe
Publisher: DC Comics
Format: Graphic Novel

Other Tales
Writers: Denny Oneil, Greg Rucka, Ed Brubaker, Bill Willingham
Artists: Dick Giordano, Rick Burchett, Scott McDaneil, Tom Fowler

Content Guide: Violence/action, some intense situations, an allusion to an adult situation.

Batman Begins

The release of the blockbuster hit, “Batman Begins” has led DC comics to issue a comic book adaptation of the movie in two formats. The first is just an adaptation of the movie, but the other is a graphic novel that collects not only the adaptation, but pinups and four other tales of the Dark Knight. This makes for a perfect entry point for new comers to the Batman universe and Batman aficionados should enjoy it as well.

The Adaptation

The adaptation itself is pretty good. It stays very close to the movie, and only tries to condense it in a few instances, but the basic storyline is there. There was one instance that I felt they should have stayed closer to the movie and that is with the battle with Scarecrow. The line that was added for the comic felt cheesy and out of place. I preferred the movie to the comic, but the comic still did a good job overall.

Other Tales

The rest of the stories are where this graphic novel really shines. There is the comic version of the origin of Batman, a couple of great classic adventures, as well as a less serious tale about a misguided Batman. These are the things that people interested in getting into Batman comics will really enjoy.

One of the great things that this graphic novel shows is the many different takes on Batman. The different art styles, writing, storylines, and moods that were shown are like a showcase of the different kinds of Batman storylines that are available to the public. I really enjoyed comparing the two different origins with the movie and comic version and felt that the movie had done the comic storyline justice.

Conclusion

For people just discovering Batman, this graphic novel is a great way to see all that Batman has to offer. The value is great too and with the extra pinups and storylines, this is still a great deal for Batman enthusiasts. The only person that this comic wouldn’t really be for is the one that already has the comic issues presented here. If that is the case, you can still pick up just the comic adaptation by itself, as mentioned above. Overall, if you’re looking to find more about Batman then do yourself a favor and pick up this comic.