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Batman
Batman: Dead White
Who better than Batman to protect the dangerous city of Gotham, where even the cops are crooks? But the latest imminent terror might be too much for the burgeoning Caped Crusader, who is still carving out a place for himself in the minds of Gotham’s criminals.
There’s a host of deadly new weapons in Batman’s glittering, sinister city—in the hands of a psychotic mastermind called White Eyes. With his radical murder machine, the fiendish leader of Gotham’s racist Bavarian Brotherhood can move beyond dealing drugs and hot guns to pursue his real the white supremacist takeover of America.
The homegrown terrorists’ first strike—at the heart of our nation’s capitol—is only weeks away. But first they’ll test out their killer toys on Batman, who is hot on the trail of White Eyes and his brutal militia. Ounce for ounce, muscle for muscle, Batman’s no match for the cunning villain and his wicked new firepower. At least, that’s how White Eyes sees it.
Batman has other ideas . . .
There’s a host of deadly new weapons in Batman’s glittering, sinister city—in the hands of a psychotic mastermind called White Eyes. With his radical murder machine, the fiendish leader of Gotham’s racist Bavarian Brotherhood can move beyond dealing drugs and hot guns to pursue his real the white supremacist takeover of America.
The homegrown terrorists’ first strike—at the heart of our nation’s capitol—is only weeks away. But first they’ll test out their killer toys on Batman, who is hot on the trail of White Eyes and his brutal militia. Ounce for ounce, muscle for muscle, Batman’s no match for the cunning villain and his wicked new firepower. At least, that’s how White Eyes sees it.
Batman has other ideas . . .
320 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published July 25, 2006
9 people are currently reading
788 people want to read
About the author
John Shirley
320 books463 followersJohn Shirley won the Bram Stoker Award for his story collection Black Butterflies, and is the author of numerous novels, including the best-seller DEMONS, the cyberpunk classics CITY COME A-WALKIN', ECLIPSE, and BLACK GLASS, and his newest novels STORMLAND and A SORCERER OF ATLANTIS.
He is also a screenwriter, having written for television and movies; he was co-screenwriter of THE CROW. He has been several Year's Best anthologies including Prime Books' THE YEAR'S BEST DARK FANTASY AND HORROR anthology, and his nwest story collection is IN EXTREMIS: THE MOST EXTREME SHORT STORIES OF JOHN SHIRLEY. His novel BIOSHOCK: RAPTURE telling the story of the creation and undoing of Rapture, from the hit videogame BIOSHOCK is out from TOR books; his Halo novel, HALO: BROKEN CIRCLE is coming out from Pocket Books.
His most recent novels are STORMLAND and (forthcoming) AXLE BUST CREEK. His new story collection is THE FEVERISH STARS. STORMLAND and other John Shirley novels are available as audiobooks.
He is also a lyricist, having written lyrics for 18 songs recorded by the Blue Oyster Cult (especially on their albums Heaven Forbidden and Curse of the Hidden Mirror), and his own recordings.
John Shirley has written only one nonfiction book, GURDJIEFF: AN INTRODUCTION TO HIS LIFE AND IDEAS, published by Penguin/Jeremy Tarcher.
John Shirley story collections include BLACK BUTTERFLIES, IN EXTREMIS, REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY WEIRD STORIES, and LIVING SHADOWS.
source: Amazon
He is also a screenwriter, having written for television and movies; he was co-screenwriter of THE CROW. He has been several Year's Best anthologies including Prime Books' THE YEAR'S BEST DARK FANTASY AND HORROR anthology, and his nwest story collection is IN EXTREMIS: THE MOST EXTREME SHORT STORIES OF JOHN SHIRLEY. His novel BIOSHOCK: RAPTURE telling the story of the creation and undoing of Rapture, from the hit videogame BIOSHOCK is out from TOR books; his Halo novel, HALO: BROKEN CIRCLE is coming out from Pocket Books.
His most recent novels are STORMLAND and (forthcoming) AXLE BUST CREEK. His new story collection is THE FEVERISH STARS. STORMLAND and other John Shirley novels are available as audiobooks.
He is also a lyricist, having written lyrics for 18 songs recorded by the Blue Oyster Cult (especially on their albums Heaven Forbidden and Curse of the Hidden Mirror), and his own recordings.
John Shirley has written only one nonfiction book, GURDJIEFF: AN INTRODUCTION TO HIS LIFE AND IDEAS, published by Penguin/Jeremy Tarcher.
John Shirley story collections include BLACK BUTTERFLIES, IN EXTREMIS, REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY WEIRD STORIES, and LIVING SHADOWS.
source: Amazon
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews
July 28, 2020
This is a pretty good book... it's not a good Batman book, but it's a good gritty crime novel about racism and drug addiction and supremacist groups and mob mentality. A policeman and his drug-addicted son and the tensions and violence caused by the titular antagonist are the focus rather than any of Bat-mythos or infrastructure. I got the impression that the author (known primarily as a horror writer) either didn't know or maybe much care about the superhero comics genre. The Dark Knighters should give it a try, but Adam West fans should steer clear.
May 1, 2011
I don't know that John Shirley has ever picked up a single comic book or graphic novel detailing the mythos of Batman, the Dark Knight, in his life, but, if I base my opinion on the "facts" he presents in BATMAN: DEAD WHITE, I'd have to say loudly that he hasn't. As a matter of fact, I'm honestly surprised that the good folks at DC Comics would have allowed this "interpretation" of the Dark Knight -- if that's what it is -- to see the light of day.
Now, don't get me wrong: the first one hundred pages of DEAD WHITE are very impressive. A new villain has come to Gotham City in the form of Aaron Bunch, aka White Eyes. He's a bit of an old school thinker -- death and destruction are good for business -- with a heavy whiff of New Wave crime thinking -- African-Americans and Jews are the source of all things wrong with the world -- and he hopes to bring an end to the 'Zionist rule' with high tech weaponry and a launch of the Ebola Virus on U.S. soil ... all of this starting with the destruction of Washington D.C. It's a surprising inventive, fresh, and mature idea for a Batman novel, especially given the fact that Batman is a superhero largely brushed off from topics of political relevance with stories of costumed madmen and wild fisticuffs. There's a tremendous amount of thought that goes into the set-up of the characters and the events in this tale set in Bruce Wayne's early forays as the Batman, and author Shirley involves a young Captain James Gordon and a disgraced Gotham City cop Cormac Sullivan.
However, once you get beyond those first hundred pages or so, DEAD WHITE begins to feel less and less like a Batman story and more like an adventurous yarn that was force-fed into the Batman universe. White Eyes becomes less interested in action and far more interested in making grand sermons against the Zionist Conspiracy. A love interest inserted into Bruce Wayne's life feels much like a bad afterthought thrown in for the sole purpose of lightening up the darkness, giving the readers a chance to see, 'Hey, the world ain't all bad,' and it might be more believable if it all didn't feel so Hollywood. Add to the mix the fact that Shirley appears to have no grasp at all for one of the Batman's prime directives -- "thou shalt not kill" -- and you're quickly concerned about the novels rising body count; once Batman savagely kills five men with a rocket-fired missile from his new Batplane in the ultimate showdown, I realized I wasn't reading 'Batman' any more but quite possibly the draft for the next Arnold Schwarzenegger movie ... once Arnold decides to quit politics. Also -- it's a minor quibble -- but one of the inherent strengths of the Batman universe is the subtle work of tying in the darker, subversive Gotham City as a character within the tale, but, sadly, much of this book takes place with other characters, leaving the reliably dark and sinister Gotham City little more than a passing reference. There's a part of me convinced that this just WASN'T a Batman story at one point in its history, but somehow -- be it crafty editing or some heavy "search/replace" Microsoft Word revision -- it became one.
What Shirley does very well in these pages is capture a sense of darkness -- of dread, of doom and gloom -- associated with these elements of crime. I'm not entirely convinced that white supremecists are as dumb as the author would have you believe, but they're quite probably from a mental track as twisted. It's easy to dismiss some relatively off-the-mark character moments in the last one hundred pages because the action is whizzing by with comic book frenzy -- there's guns, explosions, fights, etc. -- but once the villainous White Eyes descends into glorified speeches and cheap grandstanding, the novel just spirals out of control. There are WAY too many events depicted in the last couple of chapters, including some pretty laughable sequences of what's supposed to be heartfelt understanding between a reunited father and son finally making peace between themselves with the help of ruthless violence, and the book feels rushed together in order to make a publication date.
Other reviewers have also noted: the book is not for the young. I'd have to heartily agree.
Now, don't get me wrong: the first one hundred pages of DEAD WHITE are very impressive. A new villain has come to Gotham City in the form of Aaron Bunch, aka White Eyes. He's a bit of an old school thinker -- death and destruction are good for business -- with a heavy whiff of New Wave crime thinking -- African-Americans and Jews are the source of all things wrong with the world -- and he hopes to bring an end to the 'Zionist rule' with high tech weaponry and a launch of the Ebola Virus on U.S. soil ... all of this starting with the destruction of Washington D.C. It's a surprising inventive, fresh, and mature idea for a Batman novel, especially given the fact that Batman is a superhero largely brushed off from topics of political relevance with stories of costumed madmen and wild fisticuffs. There's a tremendous amount of thought that goes into the set-up of the characters and the events in this tale set in Bruce Wayne's early forays as the Batman, and author Shirley involves a young Captain James Gordon and a disgraced Gotham City cop Cormac Sullivan.
However, once you get beyond those first hundred pages or so, DEAD WHITE begins to feel less and less like a Batman story and more like an adventurous yarn that was force-fed into the Batman universe. White Eyes becomes less interested in action and far more interested in making grand sermons against the Zionist Conspiracy. A love interest inserted into Bruce Wayne's life feels much like a bad afterthought thrown in for the sole purpose of lightening up the darkness, giving the readers a chance to see, 'Hey, the world ain't all bad,' and it might be more believable if it all didn't feel so Hollywood. Add to the mix the fact that Shirley appears to have no grasp at all for one of the Batman's prime directives -- "thou shalt not kill" -- and you're quickly concerned about the novels rising body count; once Batman savagely kills five men with a rocket-fired missile from his new Batplane in the ultimate showdown, I realized I wasn't reading 'Batman' any more but quite possibly the draft for the next Arnold Schwarzenegger movie ... once Arnold decides to quit politics. Also -- it's a minor quibble -- but one of the inherent strengths of the Batman universe is the subtle work of tying in the darker, subversive Gotham City as a character within the tale, but, sadly, much of this book takes place with other characters, leaving the reliably dark and sinister Gotham City little more than a passing reference. There's a part of me convinced that this just WASN'T a Batman story at one point in its history, but somehow -- be it crafty editing or some heavy "search/replace" Microsoft Word revision -- it became one.
What Shirley does very well in these pages is capture a sense of darkness -- of dread, of doom and gloom -- associated with these elements of crime. I'm not entirely convinced that white supremecists are as dumb as the author would have you believe, but they're quite probably from a mental track as twisted. It's easy to dismiss some relatively off-the-mark character moments in the last one hundred pages because the action is whizzing by with comic book frenzy -- there's guns, explosions, fights, etc. -- but once the villainous White Eyes descends into glorified speeches and cheap grandstanding, the novel just spirals out of control. There are WAY too many events depicted in the last couple of chapters, including some pretty laughable sequences of what's supposed to be heartfelt understanding between a reunited father and son finally making peace between themselves with the help of ruthless violence, and the book feels rushed together in order to make a publication date.
Other reviewers have also noted: the book is not for the young. I'd have to heartily agree.
August 1, 2011
I'm a big fan of John Shirley's other work, especially "Crawlers" and "Demons" -- though rarely have I been struck, in reading a writer's efforts, with quite so palpable a feeling that I am being informed of that writer's personal details. In Shirley's case, though I know nothing about him except what I have read in the aforementioned novels and his collection, "Black Butterflies," I am quite positive that Shirley is quite politically liberal and almost certainly gay. Neither of these facts of his personal life make any difference to me when reading his books, except insofar as they break the illusion created by the story. I should not have to leave the narrative in order to ponder the narrator, yet I find myself doing so.
"Batman: Dead White" is a competent and compelling story, with some interesting takes on a young and still less-than-completely-confident Batman learning to put himself mentally "in the pocket," achieving a sort of bat-mind-of-no-mind in order to defeat his foes. Batman is, after all, simply a man, whose only advantages are his training, his equipment, and his will. The shades of obsession Shirley weaves into Batman's inner dialogue are perfectly in keeping with the character as most readers will see it. The action is well-paced, the stakes high enough to give Batman a challenge, and the running struggle between the personae of Bruce Wayne and the Dark Knight worthy of the character's legacy.
That said, the novel suffers greatly from Shirley's left-wing hand-wringing. The man cannot resist editorializing as the story progresses. The result is a host of two-dimensional, unrealistic villains -- from the quintessential redneck, racist Sheriff, to the "militia nuts" who form the key villain's white supremacist followers, to the villain White Eyes (aka "Big White") himself. The steroid-abusing "tan-challenged" leader of the Great Big Evil White Supremacist group against whom Batman is pitted is more a caricature than a character.
When Shirley isn't treating us to trigger-happy senior citizens with Rush Limbaugh and NRA bumper-stickers on their RVs, he's preaching to us that there is no difference between fascists and "neoconservatives." Shirley's political and emotional perspectives also hinder him in his attempts to get into the mind of the Batman, for this detective -- for all his hatred of firearms -- is by no means a liberal. He is a vigilante, a mindset to which most liberals cannot relate. Thus when Shirley writes sentences like, "Batman was ready to rock," the reader cringes.
Fans of the Batman genre will enjoy this book. Despite its flaws, I did. It's worth a read, though I'm a little disappointed in John Shirley.
"Batman: Dead White" is a competent and compelling story, with some interesting takes on a young and still less-than-completely-confident Batman learning to put himself mentally "in the pocket," achieving a sort of bat-mind-of-no-mind in order to defeat his foes. Batman is, after all, simply a man, whose only advantages are his training, his equipment, and his will. The shades of obsession Shirley weaves into Batman's inner dialogue are perfectly in keeping with the character as most readers will see it. The action is well-paced, the stakes high enough to give Batman a challenge, and the running struggle between the personae of Bruce Wayne and the Dark Knight worthy of the character's legacy.
That said, the novel suffers greatly from Shirley's left-wing hand-wringing. The man cannot resist editorializing as the story progresses. The result is a host of two-dimensional, unrealistic villains -- from the quintessential redneck, racist Sheriff, to the "militia nuts" who form the key villain's white supremacist followers, to the villain White Eyes (aka "Big White") himself. The steroid-abusing "tan-challenged" leader of the Great Big Evil White Supremacist group against whom Batman is pitted is more a caricature than a character.
When Shirley isn't treating us to trigger-happy senior citizens with Rush Limbaugh and NRA bumper-stickers on their RVs, he's preaching to us that there is no difference between fascists and "neoconservatives." Shirley's political and emotional perspectives also hinder him in his attempts to get into the mind of the Batman, for this detective -- for all his hatred of firearms -- is by no means a liberal. He is a vigilante, a mindset to which most liberals cannot relate. Thus when Shirley writes sentences like, "Batman was ready to rock," the reader cringes.
Fans of the Batman genre will enjoy this book. Despite its flaws, I did. It's worth a read, though I'm a little disappointed in John Shirley.
May 25, 2012
Sure it's batman, how can any one damage something already good? Well this author did. John Shirlys version in this book, had little to do with batman and more about a cop and his drug addicted son. White eyes was not as good as a bad guy as I expected, I perferdly liked Esperanza (the crazy gunmaker) than white eyes. I will defenetly read more of the batman series as long as its not John Shirley.
April 25, 2020
I got this on a Humble Bundle several years ago but wasn’t really sure how to listen to it. Figured it out now, though, and really love the way Graphic Audio puts their books together. This really was “a movie for your mind.”
Story wise, this seemed okay. I need to read more Batman to really rank it. But I enjoyed most of it, and the audio put it over the top.
Story wise, this seemed okay. I need to read more Batman to really rank it. But I enjoyed most of it, and the audio put it over the top.
August 19, 2023
Batman: Dead White, by John Shirley. 2006.
Batman, of course, is most known from the comics. Starting out in the late 30's/early 40's as a kind of pulp inspired hard-boiled private detective/vigilante that happens to wear a mask and a cape. There were several predecessors; Fantômas, Judex, The Shadow, and Spider all come to mind. I think Batman has endured as a character because, at heart, he represents the ability of an individual to take out the bad guys when it seems all too often the authorities are unable (or unwilling) to do so. There is also a healthy skepticism in those authorities as well, and even an antagonism between them with a few trusted exceptions (e.g. Commissioner Gordon).
He's also interesting as a superhero because he doesn't have any supernatural powers. All of his "powers" come from a combination of training and technology. He's not a nigh invincible alien from another planet (like Superman). He doesn't have a more-than-human sixth sense because he was bit by a radioactive spider (like Spider-Man). He doesn't have magic powers (like Doctor Strange). He's just a man. And yet, he is an idealized fantasy of what a man might become if he is determined enough and trains hard enough. It also doesn't hurt that he has that inheritance to be able to invest in all those gadgets. So there's that. He has privilege. He's super wealthy. But he uses that privilege to stand up for the downtrodden and vulnerable, often with great sacrifice to his personal life and relationships.
Considering how popular the character continues to be, it is surprising to me that there aren't a whole lot of Batman novels. There are, as mentioned, tons of comics. There are also many graphic novels. There was the kitschy TV series in the 60's, and several movies over the years. But when it comes to just straight up novels, there are only about 20 or so. Compare this to, say, the Star Wars franchise, where there are literally hundreds of books. There's a list of Batman novels here. I own about five of them. I'd like to eventually have a complete set, though good luck finding some of the out of print ones in good condition for a decent price.
I picked up Batman: Dead White several years ago, but only got around to reading it now. It's not bad. I gave it three stars ("liked it"). Though flawed in many ways, it was an interesting take on Batman. Some of the flaws include the fact that this is supposed to be Batman when he is fairly new to being Batman. Though, there are cell phones in the story, which would be anachronistic if this was really an early era Batman. Also, a pet peeve of mine. If you are going to have firearms in your story, and include descriptions, you should make an attempt to understand how they operate, and what the different parts of them are. The author twice used the term "clip" when it should have been "magazine". Also, the author had an antagonist fire a semiautomatic handgun, and then "cock" it to fire the next round. That's not how semiautomatics work. Mistakes like that can be somewhat distracting for me, but I just rolled my eyes a little and moved on.
The action scenes were pretty cool. And the main theme, which is Batman against a right-wing radical white supremacist group that had a Christian Identity kind of ideology, with a Turner Diaries type of agenda, including plans to attack Congress, felt especially relevant considering some of the real-life activities we've witnessed in the US over the last few years (e.g. QAnon, and the Storming of the Capitol). This book was written in 2006. These types of things have been percolating just below the surface of our society for some time now, to anyone who's been paying attention. They didn't just magically show up during the Trump administration. I couldn't help but cheer and smile as Batman took down the racists. Go get 'em, Bats.
Batman, of course, is most known from the comics. Starting out in the late 30's/early 40's as a kind of pulp inspired hard-boiled private detective/vigilante that happens to wear a mask and a cape. There were several predecessors; Fantômas, Judex, The Shadow, and Spider all come to mind. I think Batman has endured as a character because, at heart, he represents the ability of an individual to take out the bad guys when it seems all too often the authorities are unable (or unwilling) to do so. There is also a healthy skepticism in those authorities as well, and even an antagonism between them with a few trusted exceptions (e.g. Commissioner Gordon).
He's also interesting as a superhero because he doesn't have any supernatural powers. All of his "powers" come from a combination of training and technology. He's not a nigh invincible alien from another planet (like Superman). He doesn't have a more-than-human sixth sense because he was bit by a radioactive spider (like Spider-Man). He doesn't have magic powers (like Doctor Strange). He's just a man. And yet, he is an idealized fantasy of what a man might become if he is determined enough and trains hard enough. It also doesn't hurt that he has that inheritance to be able to invest in all those gadgets. So there's that. He has privilege. He's super wealthy. But he uses that privilege to stand up for the downtrodden and vulnerable, often with great sacrifice to his personal life and relationships.
Considering how popular the character continues to be, it is surprising to me that there aren't a whole lot of Batman novels. There are, as mentioned, tons of comics. There are also many graphic novels. There was the kitschy TV series in the 60's, and several movies over the years. But when it comes to just straight up novels, there are only about 20 or so. Compare this to, say, the Star Wars franchise, where there are literally hundreds of books. There's a list of Batman novels here. I own about five of them. I'd like to eventually have a complete set, though good luck finding some of the out of print ones in good condition for a decent price.
I picked up Batman: Dead White several years ago, but only got around to reading it now. It's not bad. I gave it three stars ("liked it"). Though flawed in many ways, it was an interesting take on Batman. Some of the flaws include the fact that this is supposed to be Batman when he is fairly new to being Batman. Though, there are cell phones in the story, which would be anachronistic if this was really an early era Batman. Also, a pet peeve of mine. If you are going to have firearms in your story, and include descriptions, you should make an attempt to understand how they operate, and what the different parts of them are. The author twice used the term "clip" when it should have been "magazine". Also, the author had an antagonist fire a semiautomatic handgun, and then "cock" it to fire the next round. That's not how semiautomatics work. Mistakes like that can be somewhat distracting for me, but I just rolled my eyes a little and moved on.
The action scenes were pretty cool. And the main theme, which is Batman against a right-wing radical white supremacist group that had a Christian Identity kind of ideology, with a Turner Diaries type of agenda, including plans to attack Congress, felt especially relevant considering some of the real-life activities we've witnessed in the US over the last few years (e.g. QAnon, and the Storming of the Capitol). This book was written in 2006. These types of things have been percolating just below the surface of our society for some time now, to anyone who's been paying attention. They didn't just magically show up during the Trump administration. I couldn't help but cheer and smile as Batman took down the racists. Go get 'em, Bats.
May 16, 2010
"Batman: Dead White" is a mature story that may be a bit intense due to its content and subject matter, but for those that can withstand the crude language, the graphic violence, and the racially charged conflict in this book - it's quite the Batman adventure, and well worth the listen if you're taking in the Graphic Audio audiobook. The experience is enhanced by an original soundtrack, sound effects, and a myriad of voice actors who provide an interesting listening experience. I did have my qualms with a few of the voice actors at first, but taking in the whole experience, I found it immersible and worth the time.
The scenario follows Batman, in his early years of crimefighting (so he has to deal with his internal demons as well as the external), facing off against a White Supremacist group in Gotham City led by a formidable leader, White Eyes. Dealing with drugs, internal police corruption, weapon development, and most prominent, racism, among a host of other blunt conflicts, it feels so in your face that it may make the listener bristle with how blunt it is (White Eyes made my blood boil, not just for his blunt racist epithets but the fact he nearly rapes a girl to further his "movement" *shudders*). Then again, it fits right in with the collective Batman franchise considering the dark, gritty storyline. The familiar cast of characters are here (Alfred, Commissioner Gordon) as well as a interesting cast of protagonists (Cormack, Gary, Beth, Grenobyl, Harold) and antagonists. I liked the varying shifts in viewpoints, the progressive yet quick pacing in both the alternating action and character focus, and the accompanying soundtrack - it felt like listening to a movie with the descriptions painting each step of the story.
I think there were some relationships/character constructions that were treated in shallow progressions, but for a story that juggled both its subsequent conflicts with action - it's difficult to critique it. I wouldn't say it's the best Batman story I've heard, or even the strongest original cast as compared to some of the comic spin-offs I've read, but for an original novel, I did appreciate hearing it as a whole. It makes me want to look into the other Graphic Audio adaptations of the Batman franchise.
Overall: 3/5
The scenario follows Batman, in his early years of crimefighting (so he has to deal with his internal demons as well as the external), facing off against a White Supremacist group in Gotham City led by a formidable leader, White Eyes. Dealing with drugs, internal police corruption, weapon development, and most prominent, racism, among a host of other blunt conflicts, it feels so in your face that it may make the listener bristle with how blunt it is (White Eyes made my blood boil, not just for his blunt racist epithets but the fact he nearly rapes a girl to further his "movement" *shudders*). Then again, it fits right in with the collective Batman franchise considering the dark, gritty storyline. The familiar cast of characters are here (Alfred, Commissioner Gordon) as well as a interesting cast of protagonists (Cormack, Gary, Beth, Grenobyl, Harold) and antagonists. I liked the varying shifts in viewpoints, the progressive yet quick pacing in both the alternating action and character focus, and the accompanying soundtrack - it felt like listening to a movie with the descriptions painting each step of the story.
I think there were some relationships/character constructions that were treated in shallow progressions, but for a story that juggled both its subsequent conflicts with action - it's difficult to critique it. I wouldn't say it's the best Batman story I've heard, or even the strongest original cast as compared to some of the comic spin-offs I've read, but for an original novel, I did appreciate hearing it as a whole. It makes me want to look into the other Graphic Audio adaptations of the Batman franchise.
Overall: 3/5
May 28, 2012
In three words: Not Quite Batman
What I liked: The story, once it got started, was interesting if a bit predictable. The author manages to get over the jarring sensation I usually get when you mix superheroes with realistic issues, such as drug-running and racism, without making too many bumps along the way.
What I disliked: The author spends a bit too much time, for my tastes anyway, on original characters rather than on the titular character. Most annoying, however, is that this novel is ostensibly in the Nolanverse timeline, yet neither Alfred nor Batman sound anything like the versions of the characters from the film. To make matters worse, there are a few moments where it didn't seem like I was reading a Batman story at all. Many things he does seem out of character for the Caped Crusader.
In the end: The book surprised me a bit. I wasn't expecting a literary masterpiece going into it, but it proved an entertaining enough read.
What I liked: The story, once it got started, was interesting if a bit predictable. The author manages to get over the jarring sensation I usually get when you mix superheroes with realistic issues, such as drug-running and racism, without making too many bumps along the way.
What I disliked: The author spends a bit too much time, for my tastes anyway, on original characters rather than on the titular character. Most annoying, however, is that this novel is ostensibly in the Nolanverse timeline, yet neither Alfred nor Batman sound anything like the versions of the characters from the film. To make matters worse, there are a few moments where it didn't seem like I was reading a Batman story at all. Many things he does seem out of character for the Caped Crusader.
In the end: The book surprised me a bit. I wasn't expecting a literary masterpiece going into it, but it proved an entertaining enough read.
June 21, 2017
This is an excellent story of the Dark Knight creating his legend before things get overly complicated with Batman international. This story meant for adults not children. Batman has started to establish himself, and is taking on a White supremacist organisation, street criminals and corrupt Gotham Police officers. Their leader is a giant man using an early form of the Venom steroid. With Batman it is always interesting to see the interplay between Bruce and Batman, and the lengths Batman will go to keep his two personalities separate. My only complaint would be I would have liked more time focused on Batman/Bruce, not just the side characters who would probably not be heard of again outside this book.
August 23, 2018
This story is filled with vitriol, hatred, profanity, psychosis, and left-wing political commentary. At best, it's tiresome. At worst, it's offensive and disgusting. The book has many logical and characterization flaws. I can't believe I made it all the through, and I don't even want to give a detailed review. Just avoid it.
May 22, 2012
This book started great! But by the time I got to the end it was bad. The villain "white eyes" was pathetic, his minion "Esperanza" was a better bad guy. The author included useless information about characters that I didn't care about. So in shorter words did not like the book.
February 23, 2011
Never quite felt like Batman.
September 22, 2016
Another great Graphic Audio production. Batman is not my favourite superhero, but this was very well done - lots of crooked cops and angst and action.
July 30, 2018
This was my first experience with GraphicAudio, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. It was interesting and decently done, but still had its cons as well.
Before listening to this story, my main experience with this type of performance (full-cast acting with sound effects and sometimes with narration) had been listening to Focus On the Family's media ("Adventures in Odyssey" and Radio Theatre).
Compared to that, this is not quite as well performed or casted I feel. However, it is still pretty well done. And the voices kind of grow on you and seem to get better as the story progresses.
Also, the content is obviously quite different. This has more intense violence and gore. While some of that does not bother me too much (especially in the cool Batman scenes where his skills and ingenuity are displayed), it does get a bit extreme at times. The same with the language, which sometimes includes, as the beginning content advisory states, "racial epithets" due to the nature of the story. It all could perhaps have been toned back at times.
There is also "implied sexual activity" and some other immoral content that the story could have done without and should not have encouraged. There is a chunk near the end that breaks the story's pacing and is dedicated to discussing some of it, but not all of it. There are other kinds throughout, and I didn't like it.
Despite this, the story itself if still fairly interesting (except perhaps for the conclusion) and I wanted to keep listening to find out what happens. I got a bit addicted I guess and did listen whenever I could.
Before listening to this story, my main experience with this type of performance (full-cast acting with sound effects and sometimes with narration) had been listening to Focus On the Family's media ("Adventures in Odyssey" and Radio Theatre).
Compared to that, this is not quite as well performed or casted I feel. However, it is still pretty well done. And the voices kind of grow on you and seem to get better as the story progresses.
Also, the content is obviously quite different. This has more intense violence and gore. While some of that does not bother me too much (especially in the cool Batman scenes where his skills and ingenuity are displayed), it does get a bit extreme at times. The same with the language, which sometimes includes, as the beginning content advisory states, "racial epithets" due to the nature of the story. It all could perhaps have been toned back at times.
There is also "implied sexual activity" and some other immoral content that the story could have done without and should not have encouraged. There is a chunk near the end that breaks the story's pacing and is dedicated to discussing some of it, but not all of it. There are other kinds throughout, and I didn't like it.
Despite this, the story itself if still fairly interesting (except perhaps for the conclusion) and I wanted to keep listening to find out what happens. I got a bit addicted I guess and did listen whenever I could.
October 20, 2019
Too much of his original characters and not enough Batman. Cormac wants to reconnect with his estranged son Gary who has run away from home but Gary is hiding something (really obvious). Eventually Also Batman deals with the fear that darkness is part of him - ooh. Death follows in his wake! And he never stops to suss out this is because the gang he's going up against is a bunch of violent racists intent on overthrowing the government using force and not due to anything he's doing. The token love interest (1 of only two ladies in the book) gives him the helpful advice to embrace his shadow self and then all is well.
The bits with Batman were rather fun (except when he was romancing his lady friend - those parts were just boring) but Cormac and Gary shared too much of the spotlight and Batman spent too much time thinking about how he couldn't have a romantic relationship.
The bits with Batman were rather fun (except when he was romancing his lady friend - those parts were just boring) but Cormac and Gary shared too much of the spotlight and Batman spent too much time thinking about how he couldn't have a romantic relationship.
April 20, 2020
I picked this one up a decade ago, and it has been on my "to-read" list for a long time. It sounded interesting: Batman is going to go up against a racist militia group. I was curious about how that was going to come through, since most militia groups do not operate a whole lot in large cities, or at least I think they don't.
The story "flowed" very well, and did not leave me not wanting to come back to it. However, I am terribly confused by the choices made by the author. I rather enjoyed the side story, about the detective and his son. That was probably the best part. The second Bruce found another love, though, I knew how that was going to work out. More of that story, that Bruce has to choose between the man and the vigilante, blah blah blah. That was a tired trope when Spider-Man went through this back in the Sam Raimi trilogy. We know what the choice will end up being.
If you're really into Batman, then this story should work for you. If not, then there are other Batman stories where you could start.
The story "flowed" very well, and did not leave me not wanting to come back to it. However, I am terribly confused by the choices made by the author. I rather enjoyed the side story, about the detective and his son. That was probably the best part. The second Bruce found another love, though, I knew how that was going to work out. More of that story, that Bruce has to choose between the man and the vigilante, blah blah blah. That was a tired trope when Spider-Man went through this back in the Sam Raimi trilogy. We know what the choice will end up being.
If you're really into Batman, then this story should work for you. If not, then there are other Batman stories where you could start.
May 1, 2019
One day, I'll pick up an original novel from a beloved graphic novel or screen medium and find myself impressed (other than the Star Wars novels, which developed a rich literary universe over the course of decades and is the exception). It's not this book. This was okay. Some of the social undertone was interesting, but the villain seemed a little...low level, I guess?
I spent the entire time thinking, "Batman should be more impressive than this."
I know a lot of people have harped on how original characters seem to take the focus. Honestly? I enjoyed the original characters. They were a redeeming feature of this book. I would've read a book based on those original characters. They ended up being far more interesting than this version of Batman.
I spent the entire time thinking, "Batman should be more impressive than this."
I know a lot of people have harped on how original characters seem to take the focus. Honestly? I enjoyed the original characters. They were a redeeming feature of this book. I would've read a book based on those original characters. They ended up being far more interesting than this version of Batman.
June 20, 2020
The voice actors and sound effects are really excellent.
The story is a mixed bag. The first three of six discs are boring, drags on, and is even a bit confusing in spots. Toward the end of the third disc the story gets a lot more interesting. There is plenty of action throughout perfectly described by the narrator.
There were a couple of forced plot points that felt unnecessary; such as the bounty hunter's kid reveling he is gay and the federal government trying to arrest and then hire Batman.
The story is a mixed bag. The first three of six discs are boring, drags on, and is even a bit confusing in spots. Toward the end of the third disc the story gets a lot more interesting. There is plenty of action throughout perfectly described by the narrator.
There were a couple of forced plot points that felt unnecessary; such as the bounty hunter's kid reveling he is gay and the federal government trying to arrest and then hire Batman.
March 14, 2021
Dead White is the story of a relatively young Batman going through a crisis of self doubt while facing a small army of gun smuggling white supremacists aiming to attack the U.S. capital. Shirley doesn't have a good handle on getting into Batman's character, and a romantic subplot with a previously unknown character bogs it down further. On the other hand, Dead White perhaps deserves a read (or listen if you can get GraphicAudio version) for its prescience in light of January 6.
June 13, 2017
The villain was one-dimensional, and disgusted me. The best villains are still likable in a WWE-heel kind of way, and this one was not. As well, Batman's visions about his old suits was, in my eyes, silly and distracting. The detective plot line was interesting and redemptive, so I give this 3 stars. I mean, it's Batman. A certain level of cool comes with the cowl.
July 23, 2018
Listened to the audiobook version. As the other reviewers said, too many people dying in this one for this to be a proper Batman story. There's too much padding to get to the needed page count - cop and his son's story takes a lot of pages. And the other one, encounter with former Batman love interest, exists solely to tell Batman to confront his shadow and then fly away in the parting scene.
July 21, 2019
This was interesting. It really comes down to it being a racist story that Batman happens to appear in. Batman almost plays a minor role, and the 'hero' of the novel is not him...
All said, there are a lot of racist views (intentional, as it is part of the story) and hatred throughout the book. If Batman were not in it at all, this book would have been a 1-star story for me.
All said, there are a lot of racist views (intentional, as it is part of the story) and hatred throughout the book. If Batman were not in it at all, this book would have been a 1-star story for me.
March 8, 2018
This was interesting reading in today's political climate. Again the secret to becoming a US federal agent is be a rich crime fighter. On a whole it was an ok read. I just got tired of Com. Gordon magically being able to get the FBI,CSA, Secret Service etc to listen to him instantly.
April 26, 2018
Not sure I like the feel of the book. Its not bad, but it doesn't feel like it fits into the Batman universe. There are things I liked about it, sure, but it just wasn't what I felt it was trying to be.
April 21, 2019
It's not Batman, I'm not even sure if it tried to be Batman, I think the author did zero research on the character.
The story was heavy handed and had many flaws, the main villain was boring and even Batman was not interesting.
Worst DC book I have read so far.
The story was heavy handed and had many flaws, the main villain was boring and even Batman was not interesting.
Worst DC book I have read so far.
September 29, 2023
Not too bad, but too sterio typical. No nuanced characters or character development. The story moves at a good pace, the batman is fun to get to know, not much about Bruce, just the typical internal self difing struggle. Ok, but not great.
July 2, 2025
3.5 rounded up for the surprise factor of how much I liked it! Not my usual fare but Louis gets to choose which books we listen to on road trips, and he hasn't missed yet, even though they're not usually titles I would pick up myself.
May 16, 2019
Good story and the warning about mature concepts is spot on.
August 10, 2019
Wow what a great story. Batman has always been a favorite DC character of mine, but my love towards the character has deepened after finishing this book. An absolute jewel.
February 17, 2021
nice one but its short :(
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