What do you think?
Rate this book
Batman
Batman: Through the Looking Glass
In this original graphic novel, Batman meets his foe The Mad Hatter for the very first time - landing The Dark Knight in a Won-derland he could never have imagined, hot on the heels of a white rabbit. But is this strange place real, or a hallucination? Robinand Alfred have to believe he's deep in delirium - but if that's the case, how does he manage to resolve several mysteries that have plagued Gotham City for decades. This fantastic tale is spun by renowned comics writer Bruce Jones (THE INCREDIBLE HULK) with surreal art by Sam Kieth(THE MAXX, ARKHAM ASYLUM - MADNESS, LOBO).
112 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2012
6 people are currently reading
205 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 105 reviews
September 7, 2016
Don't misread the 3 star rating.
This is definitely not a comic book for fans of Batman.
This is a graphic novel for folks who like Alice In Wonderland, and might find it cool to see Batman thrown in the mix.
The art is whimsical (READ: stretchy and weird), and the storyline has a very trippy feel to it.
But, in its defense, Batman has been drugged.
So.
The ghost/hallucination of a little girl (Bruce used to be friends with her when he was a child) is his tour guide though the Looking Glass.
The story follows the two of them as they try to unravel a series of murders. In Batman's mind, the people involved play the roles of different Wonderland characters.
Meanwhile, Alfred and Robin try to track Bruce through the sewers, in the hopes of saving him from himself.
The tone is a mix of the absurdly silly and the tragically dark.
It's not for everyone, but after I got over hating it as a Batman story, I sort of liked it.
Sort of.
Mostly?
This is definitely not a comic book for fans of Batman.
This is a graphic novel for folks who like Alice In Wonderland, and might find it cool to see Batman thrown in the mix.
The art is whimsical (READ: stretchy and weird), and the storyline has a very trippy feel to it.
But, in its defense, Batman has been drugged.
So.
The ghost/hallucination of a little girl (Bruce used to be friends with her when he was a child) is his tour guide though the Looking Glass.
The story follows the two of them as they try to unravel a series of murders. In Batman's mind, the people involved play the roles of different Wonderland characters.
Meanwhile, Alfred and Robin try to track Bruce through the sewers, in the hopes of saving him from himself.
The tone is a mix of the absurdly silly and the tragically dark.
It's not for everyone, but after I got over hating it as a Batman story, I sort of liked it.
Sort of.
Mostly?
January 21, 2015
I’m not sure when or even why Lewis Carroll came to be so closely associated with Batman but today there’s a very strong Wonderland presence in Gotham thanks to the character of Jervis Tetch aka The Mad Hatter. To be fair to ol’ Jervy, he’s had his moments. In New 52 The Dark Knight Vol 3: Mad, we got an enthralling Hatter origin and a thrilling Batman tale, and his part of the Arkham City video game was easily one of its highlights, not to mention quite atmospheric.
Then there’s Batman: Through the Looking Glass from Bruce Jones and Sam Kieth which is disposable junk!
Batman gets accidentally dosed with hallucinogenic tea and is sucked into a Wonderland adventure where he encounters characters from Carroll’s classic sequel, Through the Looking Glass. The twist is that the characters, though visually similar to Carroll’s creations, represent “real” figures in Gotham society and a murder mystery begins that Batman and “Alice” have to solve.
Our Alice facsimile is Celia, a childhood friend of Bruce’s who died young. I vaguely recall seeing a girl friend of Bruce’s in other stories of his youth and it might be Celia but it’s more than a little contrived to have her be this incredibly powerful figure in his psyche all of a sudden. Her presence instantly changes his personality to make him desperately clingy to her thus ensuring the two follow each other everywhere and the book can happen. How convenient!
While Jones’ script is a stinker, Sam Kieth is a good fit as the artist on this book. His swirling, fluid art style worked beautifully in The Maxx, another trippy, fantasy comic that blurs the lines between reality and fiction, and stars a big bruiser of a man alongside a waif of a girl. And as Batman’s been drugged, the warped look is appropriate. But even with an appreciation of his art from his work on The Maxx, his illustrations in this book are much more loose and rough than usual, to the point where it looks extremely sloppy, rushed and amateurish.
Through the Looking Glass is a contrived run-through of Carroll’s characters first and a story second. I kept reading hoping that it wouldn’t be quite so mundane as “Batman in Wonderland” but the book never rises above this conceit. Instead this single idea is run into the ground. Also, this is astonishingly presented as Batman’s first encounter with Jervis, probably so that Batman wouldn’t instantly suss out who’s clearly behind it all – that’s how poorly put-together this story is!
Batman fan? Lewis Carroll fan? Avoid! Use your vorpal blade on this book – snicker-snack!
Then there’s Batman: Through the Looking Glass from Bruce Jones and Sam Kieth which is disposable junk!
Batman gets accidentally dosed with hallucinogenic tea and is sucked into a Wonderland adventure where he encounters characters from Carroll’s classic sequel, Through the Looking Glass. The twist is that the characters, though visually similar to Carroll’s creations, represent “real” figures in Gotham society and a murder mystery begins that Batman and “Alice” have to solve.
Our Alice facsimile is Celia, a childhood friend of Bruce’s who died young. I vaguely recall seeing a girl friend of Bruce’s in other stories of his youth and it might be Celia but it’s more than a little contrived to have her be this incredibly powerful figure in his psyche all of a sudden. Her presence instantly changes his personality to make him desperately clingy to her thus ensuring the two follow each other everywhere and the book can happen. How convenient!
While Jones’ script is a stinker, Sam Kieth is a good fit as the artist on this book. His swirling, fluid art style worked beautifully in The Maxx, another trippy, fantasy comic that blurs the lines between reality and fiction, and stars a big bruiser of a man alongside a waif of a girl. And as Batman’s been drugged, the warped look is appropriate. But even with an appreciation of his art from his work on The Maxx, his illustrations in this book are much more loose and rough than usual, to the point where it looks extremely sloppy, rushed and amateurish.
Through the Looking Glass is a contrived run-through of Carroll’s characters first and a story second. I kept reading hoping that it wouldn’t be quite so mundane as “Batman in Wonderland” but the book never rises above this conceit. Instead this single idea is run into the ground. Also, this is astonishingly presented as Batman’s first encounter with Jervis, probably so that Batman wouldn’t instantly suss out who’s clearly behind it all – that’s how poorly put-together this story is!
Batman fan? Lewis Carroll fan? Avoid! Use your vorpal blade on this book – snicker-snack!
December 26, 2013
The Mad Hatter, named for the Alice in Wonderland character, has been a villain of the Batman for quite some time. A somewhat lame villain, but a member of Batman’s rogues gallery nonetheless. His shtick is he basically uses his hats to mind control his victims. It was only a matter of time before some enterprising writer added elements of Alice in Wonderland into a Batman/Mad Hatter story. On paper, it has the makings of a fairly interesting saga; however, we’ll have to wait before someone actually writes one.
Bruce Jones is a good writer. He did some terrific work with The Incredible Hulk; however, under his direction this Bat story is, at best, ill conceived. It seems that Bruce Wayne inadvertently ingested hallucinogenic mushrooms at a society function that were intended for someone else. And now donning the cape and cowl, he’s tripping – Alice-In-Wonderland style.
He’s accompanied throughout this misadventure by the specter of a childhood friend, who represents Alice. (Why do Batman writers feel compelled to drag out yet another old child hood friend as a plot device? Little Brucie must have been quite popular back in the day.) Alice in Wonderland themed hijinks ensue.
The art is stylized and ugly.
Bruce Jones is a good writer. He did some terrific work with The Incredible Hulk; however, under his direction this Bat story is, at best, ill conceived. It seems that Bruce Wayne inadvertently ingested hallucinogenic mushrooms at a society function that were intended for someone else. And now donning the cape and cowl, he’s tripping – Alice-In-Wonderland style.
He’s accompanied throughout this misadventure by the specter of a childhood friend, who represents Alice. (Why do Batman writers feel compelled to drag out yet another old child hood friend as a plot device? Little Brucie must have been quite popular back in the day.) Alice in Wonderland themed hijinks ensue.
The art is stylized and ugly.
October 12, 2013
This story had a *very* Sam Kieth feel, so I enjoyed it.
But it only felt *somewhat* Batman. So if that's all you're looking for here, you're probably going to be disappointed.
But it only felt *somewhat* Batman. So if that's all you're looking for here, you're probably going to be disappointed.
March 13, 2012
Art is classic Sam Kieth, and he's a master. The reviewers of this graphic novel who were so shocked by the art just display their ignorance about who Sam Kieth is. His art is very recognizable, and personally I think he's a welcome and much needed new visual look for classic comic book characters. But if you're coming to this book looking for your classic Batman comic style, it's not going to be for you. If you like some of the archetypes of the comic book classics but think they need a breath of fresh air and a a little re-envisioning, this is for you. The melding of Alice in Wonderland is strange but stays true to the way in which the original story is very strange. For the most part it works though it's not the strongest story Kieth has ever illustrated - even compared to other Batman comics he's re-envisioned. But I was drawn to this because I love both Sam Kieth and Alice in Wonderland, and it was worth picking up.
July 31, 2014
What the hell did i just read? Obviously the writters were trying to entice a wider market by using Alice in Wonderland??? It wasn't much of a mystery, it wasn't much of a story, it wasn't much of anything really. I hate when the story of Alice in Wonderland is regurgetated as nonsense, if the books were just nonsense they wouldn't still be read today.
The book tried too hard to be edgy/trippy, and I saw nothing about this "Batman" that was true to character. It was just some flat nobody dressed as Batman. And what about when he askes the little girl if she knows what sex is... what the hell?!
The art was a mishmosh, sometimes it was really cool and sometimes it just looked like the illustrator's hand was getting tired.
This book is not for Alice in Wonderland fans, Batman fans, or comic book fans.
The book tried too hard to be edgy/trippy, and I saw nothing about this "Batman" that was true to character. It was just some flat nobody dressed as Batman. And what about when he askes the little girl if she knows what sex is... what the hell?!
The art was a mishmosh, sometimes it was really cool and sometimes it just looked like the illustrator's hand was getting tired.
This book is not for Alice in Wonderland fans, Batman fans, or comic book fans.
May 22, 2021
This is a very polarizing graphic novel, and I can see why. First off, I am a huge Bruce Jones fan, but mostly of his horror work. This was a graphic novel that I really shouldn't have liked. It was very surreal, which I normally don't enjoy. It also had a characterization of Batman that didn't fit, as he was cracking jokes that would have fit Spiderman better. Granted, Batman was high on mushrooms and hallucinating, but still.
But for some reason, for me it least, it all worked. The Sam Kieth artwork really fit the story, and I really thing Kieth's later artwork is better than his early work.
To summarize, this graphic novel is basically Batman being thrown into the world of Alice in Wonderland, and it's just as weird as it sounds. However, the art is visually striking, and if you can get past the weirdness (at least to a degree, as there's no getting by it totally) there's a decent graphic novel here. But just keep in mind, this is...different, to say the least.
But for some reason, for me it least, it all worked. The Sam Kieth artwork really fit the story, and I really thing Kieth's later artwork is better than his early work.
To summarize, this graphic novel is basically Batman being thrown into the world of Alice in Wonderland, and it's just as weird as it sounds. However, the art is visually striking, and if you can get past the weirdness (at least to a degree, as there's no getting by it totally) there's a decent graphic novel here. But just keep in mind, this is...different, to say the least.
August 10, 2012
The only thing worse than the derivative story is the childish art. Avoid at all costs.
August 6, 2017
This cross-over should have worked so much better. Sadly, the messy narrative accompanied by the messy artwork shows a complete miscomprehension and disregard for Carroll's original 'Wonderland'. Drawing upon Alice in Wonderland simply appears to be an excuse to regurgitate a nonsensical, scarcely thought out narrative with two-dimensional characters; a narrative in which Batman is absolutely out of place.
April 5, 2018
Confused the hell outta me, but it was a cool comic
Read
May 30, 2019I don’t even feel like rating it. My head hurts. I never felt like leaving anything related to Batman in the middle and THIS made me want to quit while going through every other page.
February 14, 2017
A strange Batman story.
From the art to the story, very odd.
but extremely readable.
From the art to the story, very odd.
but extremely readable.
March 25, 2012
I love Batman, and I love Alice. This was a gift from a fellow comic friend that knows me well. I thought it was a fun story and didn't take it as seriously as some if the other fans did here. I just looked at it as a quirky one-off that was just for kicks. I did get a little bothered by the inconsistent art, but I also just attributed to the twisted world that is Wonderland and left it alone. I thought overall it was an enjoyable story and it was fun seeing Batman running around with my favorite pinafore'd heroine.
May 8, 2012
... Not as good as I would have hoped. They story and art were all over the place making everything hard to follow. Jones has given us a pleasant (but completely disposable) tale. There is nothing here that is going to thoroughly grip the reader. Sadly, not even the art couldn't lift story into something more redeeming. Some of Kieth's panels were very well rendered whereas others seemed like rough sketches. With these two at the helm, this should have been much more creative and exciting than it actually turned out to be.
April 18, 2017
FOR VIDEO REVIEW CLICK HERE - https://youtu.be/SjmHUoagt-U .. this is a very crazy play on Alice in wonderland trough Bruce Jones is eyes set in the Batman universe. Sam Keith's art is a very unique style that might not be for every one & here it gets even weirder as u see things constantly change from imagination to reality & people change back in fort from human to anthropomorphic animals depending on the situation wish I enjoyed. the story was fun but lacked a good ending or good reason why everything happened.. I give this a 6/10
February 23, 2013
I liked this quite a bit more than I thought I would based on reading reviews. It's a quirky, heavily themed (Alice in Wonderland) standalone mystery. Yet, the mystery, and its solving, though done while hallucinating, is interesting and logical. The art was very well done and added to the mystique of the story. This is currently one of my favorite Batman stories.
May 1, 2012
Although the storyline's nothing new and Hatter proves to be a very 2D Batman villian, I can't help but love the Alice In Wonderland inspired Batman graphic novels. I really enjoyed this and I loved the real rough and ready artwork, it went great with the grungey world of Alice.
July 21, 2016
I love batman and I love Alice so I decided to get this from the library. I love the art style. It was a good story even though I'm still not entirely sure on what happened. It was an entertaining read.
January 2, 2013
Nauseating artwork and an equally bad story to go along with it.
January 7, 2015
This book is more for Alice in Wonderland fans and not as much Batman fans. It was a good story but Batman was so out of character throughout the whole thing. It was still an interesting story
March 27, 2015
Very confusing story; But this is exactly how Robin should always be drawn.
September 26, 2021
In order from best to worst.
Bruce jones: the plot and script of this mess is arguably passable if the art didn't suck. Emphasis on passable. The story makes little sense and plays less like an homage to Alice in Wonderland, and more like a rip-off cobbled together in a weekend.
Sam Kieth showed up for maybe 1 out of every 10 panels here. Granted, his style is great, that's why I bought this in the first place, but he just no-shows for the majority of the book. That said, if the colors didn't suck so bad you could maybe get away with this lackluster effort.
David Baron, colors. WTF happened here David? Did you only have a day or two to color this whole book? There is neither style nor substance to anything in here except the front and end pieces. This is some of the worst color I've ever seen in a book. Pages and pages of panels with foreground background and character the same drab colors. Literally panels of muted greens and browns and pinks.
Abysmal.
This is work to be ashamed of.
Bruce jones: the plot and script of this mess is arguably passable if the art didn't suck. Emphasis on passable. The story makes little sense and plays less like an homage to Alice in Wonderland, and more like a rip-off cobbled together in a weekend.
Sam Kieth showed up for maybe 1 out of every 10 panels here. Granted, his style is great, that's why I bought this in the first place, but he just no-shows for the majority of the book. That said, if the colors didn't suck so bad you could maybe get away with this lackluster effort.
David Baron, colors. WTF happened here David? Did you only have a day or two to color this whole book? There is neither style nor substance to anything in here except the front and end pieces. This is some of the worst color I've ever seen in a book. Pages and pages of panels with foreground background and character the same drab colors. Literally panels of muted greens and browns and pinks.
Abysmal.
This is work to be ashamed of.
July 3, 2020
Clocking in at just over 100 pages, this book was still a chore to get through. Batman: Through the Looking Glass is a murder mystery but spiced up by having Bruce Wayne mistakingly drugged at a charity dinner. Batman goes through a hallucinogenic journey through Wondeand with his childhood friend Celia, a stand in for Alice.
I think it is weird how much of Lewis Carol's tale has been incorporated into Batman mythos over the years. But this story was unnecessary. The writing is simply not good. It felt more of an excuse to have a tripped-out Batman than to tell an interesting story. The crazy art by Sam Keith fits the story perfectly. You couldn't find a better artist for this story other than possibly Skottie Young.
Even being a huge Batman fan who will read anything the Bat appears in, this can be skipped. Maybe skim through the art if you are bored.
I think it is weird how much of Lewis Carol's tale has been incorporated into Batman mythos over the years. But this story was unnecessary. The writing is simply not good. It felt more of an excuse to have a tripped-out Batman than to tell an interesting story. The crazy art by Sam Keith fits the story perfectly. You couldn't find a better artist for this story other than possibly Skottie Young.
Even being a huge Batman fan who will read anything the Bat appears in, this can be skipped. Maybe skim through the art if you are bored.
February 9, 2021
I'm a fan of wildly different interpretations of characters. This is atypical Batman in visual style and story, which I see has repulsed many readers. I enjoyed the surreal take. The tale itself is fairly familiar Batstuff; Batman has been drugged and is trying to figure out why he's hallucinating, piecing together what he can while not completely in control of his mind, Robin and Alfred lend an assist. The tone of the narrative is less familiar. Like the hero's drug-addled mind, and Carroll's original Wonderland and Looking Glass books, the story unfolds with incongruities and absurdities, in something of a child's gentle nightmare. There isn't a strong, compelling mystery or a jarring surprise, but the unique portrayal was fun for me.
November 20, 2024
Sam Keiths artwork is brilliant and works well with this kind of story which is Batman tripping on mushrooms (or any psychedelic)
but unfortunately thats all this is, just Batman in wonderland and besides Batman actually being in it, i dont think theres much to even convince you its a Batman book
the premise is interesting admittedly, having Batman take a trip through wonderland, with prominent figures taking the place of wonderland characters and the mad hatter being the villain, and they could even adapt the Celia character but make us actually care about her and show that she actually is a childhood friend
positives for being a mad hatter story, he doesnt get much appreciation nowadays
but unfortunately thats all this is, just Batman in wonderland and besides Batman actually being in it, i dont think theres much to even convince you its a Batman book
the premise is interesting admittedly, having Batman take a trip through wonderland, with prominent figures taking the place of wonderland characters and the mad hatter being the villain, and they could even adapt the Celia character but make us actually care about her and show that she actually is a childhood friend
positives for being a mad hatter story, he doesnt get much appreciation nowadays
July 5, 2020
I've liked some things by Bruce Jones and I've liked some things by Sam Kieth so I figured I'd give this a try. It's ostensibly the first meeting between Batman and the Mad Hatter, but it fails to introduce Jervis Tetch in any meaningful way. A lot of Kieth's stories have a hallucinatory component, and Batman is already hallucinating as the story opens. He follows a phantom Alice through a murder mystery which fails to be engaging. There were moments which reminded me why I like these creators, but over all this story isn't anything special.
July 6, 2017
Wow, I didn't expect much from this standalone Batman story, but I really didn't expect this.
The story is uninteresting, more than a few times Batman feels out of character, and the art changes drastically, almost in every panel.
Overall, if there ever was a standalone Batman story that should be skipped, this is it, even if you are a Mad Hatter fan.
The story is uninteresting, more than a few times Batman feels out of character, and the art changes drastically, almost in every panel.
Overall, if there ever was a standalone Batman story that should be skipped, this is it, even if you are a Mad Hatter fan.
June 11, 2020
Batman is tripping and its, as you can imagine, a big one down the proverbial rabbit hole. I did like how it ties into the real-world murder investigation. There are some loose ends here and there, like Mad Hatter actually seeing Alfred but we can forgive that due to the overall dreamlike narrative.
February 26, 2022
The first time I ever saw Batman interact with the Mad Hatter was in Batman: The Animated Series. This was interesting. Nothing like the tv episode. This gave me creepy vibes as well, but I did enjoy all the Alice references. Check this out if you're a fan of both Alice and Batman and want something a little different.
November 29, 2024
Well written, but the art is strange - Dick Grayson is not NEARLY as burly as depicted, nor as hairy - and what is UP with the haircut and suit? Alfred would tend to have better teeth, as well. One quibble with the story - Bats is shown with his utility belt, but he doesn't even pull out a batarang during the whole story, nor the cutting torch or lockpicks he ALWAYS has in the belt.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 105 reviews