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Batman: The Dark Knight
Batman: The Dark Knight, Volume 3: Mad
Everything hangs in the balance in the Dark Knight’s life as Bruce Wayne grapples with revealing Batman to the woman of his dreams. But just as he’s ready to give her his all, the Mad Hatter joins the ranks of one of the greatest threats Gotham has ever known. By poisoning and kidnapping its citizens, he terrorizes Gotham in an attempt to rebuild his lost hopes into a wonderland.
Can the Caped Crusader save the city-and his new love-before the Hatter shatters their world forever?
Acclaimed writer Gregg Hurwitz (Survivor) teams up with superstar artist Ethan Van Sciver (GREEN LANTERN: REBIRTH) and breakout talent Szymon Kudranski (Spawn) for BATMAN - THE DARK KNIGHT: MAD.
Collects: Batman: The Dark Knight #16-21 and Annual #1.
Can the Caped Crusader save the city-and his new love-before the Hatter shatters their world forever?
Acclaimed writer Gregg Hurwitz (Survivor) teams up with superstar artist Ethan Van Sciver (GREEN LANTERN: REBIRTH) and breakout talent Szymon Kudranski (Spawn) for BATMAN - THE DARK KNIGHT: MAD.
Collects: Batman: The Dark Knight #16-21 and Annual #1.
162 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 27, 2013
About the author
Gregg Hurwitz
303 books7,305 followersGREGG HURWITZ is the New York Times #1 internationally bestselling author of over 25 thriller novels, including the Orphan X series. His novels have won numerous literary awards and have been published in 33 languages. Gregg currently serves as the Co-President of International Thriller Writers (ITW). Additionally, he’s written screenplays and television scripts for many of the major studios and networks, poetry, and is an award-winning documentary producer. Gregg has also written comics for AWA (including the critically acclaimed anthology NewThink), DC, and Marvel. Currently, Gregg is working against polarization in politics and culture. To that end, he's penned dozens of op eds and pieces for The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, The Bulwark, Salon, and others, and pieces of creative content which have won numerous industry awards and achieved several hundred million views on digital TV platforms. He also helped write the opening ceremony of the 2022 World Cup.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 119 reviews
July 10, 2020
(A-) 84% | Very Good
Notes: Remarkably rendered, it reasons and redefines rooted ridiculousness as ruinous results of romanticized recollections.
*Progress updates: Preamble ◦ Issue #16 ◦ Issues #17-18
Notes: Remarkably rendered, it reasons and redefines rooted ridiculousness as ruinous results of romanticized recollections.
*Progress updates: Preamble ◦ Issue #16 ◦ Issues #17-18
January 12, 2015
3.5 stars
Mad hatter's origin was pretty darn good, and I think Hurwitz did a great job making Jervis' backstory different from the usual Shitty Childhood Produces Psychopath.
Jervis came from an incredibly loving family, and (though he was the typical runt) he had cool friends who defended him. Even the beautiful Alice liked him.
So what went wrong?
Well, let's just say he made the wrong choice.
WARNING: SPOILERISH STUFF AHEAD
When it becomes obvious that Jervis Tetch isn't growing at the same pace as his peers, his parents take him to a doctor. She informs them that he has a testosterone deficiency, and his growth is stunted because of it.
Jervis is understandably devastated, so when the doctor mentions an iffy and under-tested drug he jumps at the chance to be normal.
His parents agree to let him try the drugs when they see how heartbroken he is by the diagnosis.
Big Mistake. Huge!
Turns out one of the side effects is mental instability.
I thought this was a nice break from the usual I'm A Psycho, That's Why! origin story.
As to why Tetch is fixated on Alice, well I think that's something you just need to read about for yourself. The Mad Hatter theme does makes sense in a twisted way, because Hurwitz rooted the whole thing in a bit of reality.
And once it's explained that one of the side-effects of the drug is obsessive behavior, it doesn't seem quite as impossible for him to be stuck on a loop in Crazy Town.
The only thing I didn't really care for was the whole Love Story.
And probably not for the reasons you're thinking...
Oh Anne, you just don't think Bruce could be happy with anyone who isn'tyou Selina! It wouldn't matter who else they had him hook up with, you'd still bitch about it.
Not trueprobably!
I really liked Natalya, because she seemed like a complete character. Not just some arm candy to take up page time, you know?
But once he told her about his night job?
Well! That settles that, doesn't it?!
The only thing they forgot to do was carve an actual bullseye on her head.
Well, you never know. She could survive! Aren't you being just a teeny bit pessimistic? I mean, it's not like you know everything!
Natalya is a smart, tough, talented lady. She's not a disposable character that...um, what's that sound?
Oh. Ok. Never mind. You were right.
The last issue is about a Halloween trick Batman pulls on Penguin, Scarecrow, and the Mad Hatter. It has an upbeat ending, but I think this volume was too dark for it to have much of an impact when it came to lightning the mood.
Still, there was this one panel that really made me smile...
Mad hatter's origin was pretty darn good, and I think Hurwitz did a great job making Jervis' backstory different from the usual Shitty Childhood Produces Psychopath.
Jervis came from an incredibly loving family, and (though he was the typical runt) he had cool friends who defended him. Even the beautiful Alice liked him.
So what went wrong?
Well, let's just say he made the wrong choice.
WARNING: SPOILERISH STUFF AHEAD
When it becomes obvious that Jervis Tetch isn't growing at the same pace as his peers, his parents take him to a doctor. She informs them that he has a testosterone deficiency, and his growth is stunted because of it.
Jervis is understandably devastated, so when the doctor mentions an iffy and under-tested drug he jumps at the chance to be normal.
His parents agree to let him try the drugs when they see how heartbroken he is by the diagnosis.
Big Mistake. Huge!
Turns out one of the side effects is mental instability.
I thought this was a nice break from the usual I'm A Psycho, That's Why! origin story.
As to why Tetch is fixated on Alice, well I think that's something you just need to read about for yourself. The Mad Hatter theme does makes sense in a twisted way, because Hurwitz rooted the whole thing in a bit of reality.
And once it's explained that one of the side-effects of the drug is obsessive behavior, it doesn't seem quite as impossible for him to be stuck on a loop in Crazy Town.
The only thing I didn't really care for was the whole Love Story.
And probably not for the reasons you're thinking...
Oh Anne, you just don't think Bruce could be happy with anyone who isn't
Not true
I really liked Natalya, because she seemed like a complete character. Not just some arm candy to take up page time, you know?
But once he told her about his night job?
Well! That settles that, doesn't it?!
The only thing they forgot to do was carve an actual bullseye on her head.
Well, you never know. She could survive! Aren't you being just a teeny bit pessimistic? I mean, it's not like you know everything!
Natalya is a smart, tough, talented lady. She's not a disposable character that...um, what's that sound?
Oh. Ok. Never mind. You were right.
The last issue is about a Halloween trick Batman pulls on Penguin, Scarecrow, and the Mad Hatter. It has an upbeat ending, but I think this volume was too dark for it to have much of an impact when it came to lightning the mood.
Still, there was this one panel that really made me smile...
March 5, 2014
Yes - I knew I’d find a good New 52 book eventually! And, after trawling through what seems like an endless array of crap, I’ve found a really good New 52 book in The Dark Knight Volume 3: Mad.
I’ve never been sure what The Dark Knight was supposed to be about. Batman is the superhero comic, Detective Comics is the crime/mystery title, Dark Knight is…? Going by the first volume, Knight Terrors, I’d say it was the super-pervy Batman book but thankfully Paul Jenkins and David Finch have exited and taken their deplorable White Rabbit character with them. Gregg Hurwitz and Ethan Van Sciver have stepped in though the Alice in Wonderland theme still persists. So Dark Knight is the psychological horror/warped Alice in Wonderland Batman book apparently.
Volume 3 is about Jervis Tetch, the Mad Hatter. Hurwitz explores his tragic past and how he became an insane Wonderland cosplayer really well as Jervis tries to re-enact a perfect day he had as a kid with a girl called Alice. His stunted growth led to him using experimental hormones in a desperate attempt to be as tall as the other boys and have Alice fall in love with him. The side-effect that probably wouldn’t happen, happened, and drove poor Jervis mad. Couple that with his father’s profession as a haberdasher, his pet white rabbit, and the Wonderland theme-park where he spent his perfect day and you’ve got the makings of the Mad Hatter.
I liked that Hurwitz added the detail of the various teas that Jervis drinks altering him in different ways. A roid-esque tea makes him temporarily strong, enabling him to get in a good hit to Batman with his cane, while other teas can make him see what he wants to see, or slow down Batman and cause him to hallucinate. The teas play to the character while also making him more of a threat to Batman.
But no matter what, Jervis will never really be a threat to Batman, physical or otherwise. So if he can’t threaten Batman, who’s next? Gotham. This book shows how dangerous Mad Hatter can be to Gotham City when he’s let loose with his mind control hats en masse. There’s a nightmarish scene where hundreds of bodies are floating in the Gotham river that surprisingly underlines Hatter’s insanity and menace to ordinary people.
Where the book falls down is when Bruce falls in love for the umpteenth time and decides to reveal his secret identity to this new love, a concert pianist. This never goes well for the girl and, predictably, doesn’t go well here either. Her inclusion in the story felt arbitrary and dull at best and was the only real let-down of the book. Hurwitz needed more of a link between Batman and Hatter so he created this poor woman to be that connection for this book only. That and the fact that Batman doesn’t notice all the hat stalls that crop up across Gotham, as Hatter distributes thousands of his mind-control hats to the population were the only big flaws in the book. Batman’s faced Jervis before, he should recognise his MO straight off!
After the main storyline ends, the book closes with a one-shot story of Penguin, Mad Hatter and Scarecrow being tricked into going to the Arkham Children’s Facility on Hallowe’en, wandering the halls at night scaring themselves silly. It’s a funny and inventive tale that shows the extent of Batman’s ingenuity and understanding of his rogues.
Gregg Hurwitz has done something I didn’t expect with the third volume in The Dark Knight series and written a brilliant Mad Hatter story! He seems to have a knack for writing excellent Batman villain books like 2012’s The Penguin: Pain and Prejudice mini-series, which is also worth a look. The Dark Knight, Volume 3 is a really good Batman book and one of the few New 52 volumes that doesn’t suck!
I’ve never been sure what The Dark Knight was supposed to be about. Batman is the superhero comic, Detective Comics is the crime/mystery title, Dark Knight is…? Going by the first volume, Knight Terrors, I’d say it was the super-pervy Batman book but thankfully Paul Jenkins and David Finch have exited and taken their deplorable White Rabbit character with them. Gregg Hurwitz and Ethan Van Sciver have stepped in though the Alice in Wonderland theme still persists. So Dark Knight is the psychological horror/warped Alice in Wonderland Batman book apparently.
Volume 3 is about Jervis Tetch, the Mad Hatter. Hurwitz explores his tragic past and how he became an insane Wonderland cosplayer really well as Jervis tries to re-enact a perfect day he had as a kid with a girl called Alice. His stunted growth led to him using experimental hormones in a desperate attempt to be as tall as the other boys and have Alice fall in love with him. The side-effect that probably wouldn’t happen, happened, and drove poor Jervis mad. Couple that with his father’s profession as a haberdasher, his pet white rabbit, and the Wonderland theme-park where he spent his perfect day and you’ve got the makings of the Mad Hatter.
I liked that Hurwitz added the detail of the various teas that Jervis drinks altering him in different ways. A roid-esque tea makes him temporarily strong, enabling him to get in a good hit to Batman with his cane, while other teas can make him see what he wants to see, or slow down Batman and cause him to hallucinate. The teas play to the character while also making him more of a threat to Batman.
But no matter what, Jervis will never really be a threat to Batman, physical or otherwise. So if he can’t threaten Batman, who’s next? Gotham. This book shows how dangerous Mad Hatter can be to Gotham City when he’s let loose with his mind control hats en masse. There’s a nightmarish scene where hundreds of bodies are floating in the Gotham river that surprisingly underlines Hatter’s insanity and menace to ordinary people.
Where the book falls down is when Bruce falls in love for the umpteenth time and decides to reveal his secret identity to this new love, a concert pianist. This never goes well for the girl and, predictably, doesn’t go well here either. Her inclusion in the story felt arbitrary and dull at best and was the only real let-down of the book. Hurwitz needed more of a link between Batman and Hatter so he created this poor woman to be that connection for this book only. That and the fact that Batman doesn’t notice all the hat stalls that crop up across Gotham, as Hatter distributes thousands of his mind-control hats to the population were the only big flaws in the book. Batman’s faced Jervis before, he should recognise his MO straight off!
After the main storyline ends, the book closes with a one-shot story of Penguin, Mad Hatter and Scarecrow being tricked into going to the Arkham Children’s Facility on Hallowe’en, wandering the halls at night scaring themselves silly. It’s a funny and inventive tale that shows the extent of Batman’s ingenuity and understanding of his rogues.
Gregg Hurwitz has done something I didn’t expect with the third volume in The Dark Knight series and written a brilliant Mad Hatter story! He seems to have a knack for writing excellent Batman villain books like 2012’s The Penguin: Pain and Prejudice mini-series, which is also worth a look. The Dark Knight, Volume 3 is a really good Batman book and one of the few New 52 volumes that doesn’t suck!
July 13, 2015
Out of all the New 52 Batman titles, The Dark Knight is the only one I never really got into as much as the others. The first volume collected entitled Knight Terrors was written and illustrated by Paul Jenkins but these issues were subpar and lacklustre and their artwork was mainly the most exciting part about the ordeal. When Greg Hurwitz took over the writing duties and Jenkins stayed as the artist, the second volume Cycle of Violence finally had more substance than its predecessor though their is uneveness in the characterization and the overall plot presentation.
Nevertheless, I was impressed that Hurwitz placed enough effort to tell us a gripping tale concerning the Scarecrow and his descent to madness which started with ab awful childhood. On the other hand, Bruce Wayne's love life was also touched upon when he started getting serious with the Ukranian pianist Natalya who seriously gave me Silver St. Cloud vibes. I remember enjoying a few parts in Cycle of Violence and as few as they are, I enjoyed them immensely and they have to be the character-centric moments in the volume.
Now, this third volume called Mad concerns the Mad Hatter himself, a villain in rogues' gallery I honestly did not care about as much. Much like with the Scarecrow, the same formula was applied. Readers get to witness firsthand the struggle and descent to madness that Mad Hatter experienced which somehow gave us insight as to why he is committing crimes the way he had been doing during the present. Basically, he is trying to recreate his happiest memory with his childhood crush Alice and Gotham has to suffer the unbelievable ways he inflicts his unique vision of horror on its citizen just to accomplish this. It really was the same thing as with the Scarecrow narrative in the previous volume about the child abductions although Mad had a much more satisfying pay-off and conclusion. If it wasn't for that vital difference, the two story arcs are easily interchangeable.
That would have been an unfair generalization though because I believe I much cared about Hatter's experiences which were bittersweet. And I enjoyed the Alice in Wonderland symbolism since I've always been an Alice fan myself. Artist Ethan Van Sciver delivered just as strongly as Jenkins did in the first volume. His body of work in this one was absolutely chilling in spite of the colorful panels depicting Hatter's ugly version of Wonderland. And the Hatter himself looks positively deranged. I wasn't into the Scarecrow sewing his lips shut in the last volume, personally and I like that the Hatter was drawn less conspicuously insane except for the close-ups of those weirdly spaced eyes. Those eyes completely creeped me the fuck out.
Bruce's relationship with Natalya has also reached its expected tragic and disastrous death. Natalya was after all the ghost of Silver St. Cloud right to her demise which actually made me feel bad because those precious small moments of Bruce finally telling her that he is Batman were just so adorable and it sucks hairy donkey balls that the moment he has let another person in is what cost her life. It was a nice change of scenery that was almost nostalgic; to see Bruce Wayne actually try to live his life outside of his vigilante calling. It broke my heart just a little bit to see him hopeful and only to have that hope bashed in its head. Hurwitz made it believable enough for me so when he flipped the fuck out by the last issue, I bought it.
As a standlone title, The Dark Knight can pull of stuff like this without affecting continuity in other titles so don't expect Scott Snyder to talk about Natalya in his own Bat-run because she only existed in TDK, much like the nefarious and city-wide crimes committed by Scarecrow and Mad Hatter in their respective volumes are exclusive to TDK.
There's a bonus story in here called Once Upon a Halloween about a night with Penguin, Scarecrow and Mad Hatter which was rather interesting to say the least. I was baffled by it but I nonetheless thought it was quirky and fun to see these villains painted in such a light. So, overall, The Dark Knight volume 3: MAD was a great improvement from the last two volumes combined. I certainly hope Hurwitz would continue this upward projectile in his next collected volume which I will get around to reading and reviewing next.
RECOMMENDED: 8/10
DO READ MY BATMAN COMICS REVIEWS AT:
Nevertheless, I was impressed that Hurwitz placed enough effort to tell us a gripping tale concerning the Scarecrow and his descent to madness which started with ab awful childhood. On the other hand, Bruce Wayne's love life was also touched upon when he started getting serious with the Ukranian pianist Natalya who seriously gave me Silver St. Cloud vibes. I remember enjoying a few parts in Cycle of Violence and as few as they are, I enjoyed them immensely and they have to be the character-centric moments in the volume.
Now, this third volume called Mad concerns the Mad Hatter himself, a villain in rogues' gallery I honestly did not care about as much. Much like with the Scarecrow, the same formula was applied. Readers get to witness firsthand the struggle and descent to madness that Mad Hatter experienced which somehow gave us insight as to why he is committing crimes the way he had been doing during the present. Basically, he is trying to recreate his happiest memory with his childhood crush Alice and Gotham has to suffer the unbelievable ways he inflicts his unique vision of horror on its citizen just to accomplish this. It really was the same thing as with the Scarecrow narrative in the previous volume about the child abductions although Mad had a much more satisfying pay-off and conclusion. If it wasn't for that vital difference, the two story arcs are easily interchangeable.
That would have been an unfair generalization though because I believe I much cared about Hatter's experiences which were bittersweet. And I enjoyed the Alice in Wonderland symbolism since I've always been an Alice fan myself. Artist Ethan Van Sciver delivered just as strongly as Jenkins did in the first volume. His body of work in this one was absolutely chilling in spite of the colorful panels depicting Hatter's ugly version of Wonderland. And the Hatter himself looks positively deranged. I wasn't into the Scarecrow sewing his lips shut in the last volume, personally and I like that the Hatter was drawn less conspicuously insane except for the close-ups of those weirdly spaced eyes. Those eyes completely creeped me the fuck out.
Bruce's relationship with Natalya has also reached its expected tragic and disastrous death. Natalya was after all the ghost of Silver St. Cloud right to her demise which actually made me feel bad because those precious small moments of Bruce finally telling her that he is Batman were just so adorable and it sucks hairy donkey balls that the moment he has let another person in is what cost her life. It was a nice change of scenery that was almost nostalgic; to see Bruce Wayne actually try to live his life outside of his vigilante calling. It broke my heart just a little bit to see him hopeful and only to have that hope bashed in its head. Hurwitz made it believable enough for me so when he flipped the fuck out by the last issue, I bought it.
As a standlone title, The Dark Knight can pull of stuff like this without affecting continuity in other titles so don't expect Scott Snyder to talk about Natalya in his own Bat-run because she only existed in TDK, much like the nefarious and city-wide crimes committed by Scarecrow and Mad Hatter in their respective volumes are exclusive to TDK.
There's a bonus story in here called Once Upon a Halloween about a night with Penguin, Scarecrow and Mad Hatter which was rather interesting to say the least. I was baffled by it but I nonetheless thought it was quirky and fun to see these villains painted in such a light. So, overall, The Dark Knight volume 3: MAD was a great improvement from the last two volumes combined. I certainly hope Hurwitz would continue this upward projectile in his next collected volume which I will get around to reading and reviewing next.
RECOMMENDED: 8/10
DO READ MY BATMAN COMICS REVIEWS AT:
June 20, 2017
Wow I almost went with a 5 star but the last issue isn't as good as the rest. I really gotta say I'm enjoying The Dark Knight series a lot. I might go back to volume 1 and read 4 as well. I might like this more than most. I like Batman but I LOVE his villains. He's one hero that I enjoy his rogue gallery more than him. Give me a series that focuses on them and sign me right the hell up. This one focuses on Mad Hatter. Now if you told me I'd enjoy a story with mad freaking Hatter in it I'd laugh. But guess what? This was pretty awesome.
What I liked: The origins of Mad Hatter are tragic. You feel for the guy. He makes a choice, a dumb one in a way, but he's a kid. It's the only choice he saw fit. Then he takes out his rage of all the screw ups he did and murders and kills people to his liking while being just a tad bit nuts. Worst part? It's not even all his fault. Them drugs man. I really enjoyed the origin. I also dug the fact you can see inside batman's head and know he's not always so "cool". Also how great was it to see Batman go rage mode? Always nice.
What I didn't like: The last issue felt rushed. I wish this story went on longer. I felt Mad Hatter was too easy to defeat after all the fucked up shit he'd done. I also thought the art was weird. Like sometimes great, other times really stiff.
Overall I really enjoyed this a lot. I'd say this is great for fans of Batman's rogue gallery. It focuses on them and gives you a nice deep insight in to them. I gotta say this is one of the biggest surprised series for me. A 4/5.
What I liked: The origins of Mad Hatter are tragic. You feel for the guy. He makes a choice, a dumb one in a way, but he's a kid. It's the only choice he saw fit. Then he takes out his rage of all the screw ups he did and murders and kills people to his liking while being just a tad bit nuts. Worst part? It's not even all his fault. Them drugs man. I really enjoyed the origin. I also dug the fact you can see inside batman's head and know he's not always so "cool". Also how great was it to see Batman go rage mode? Always nice.
What I didn't like: The last issue felt rushed. I wish this story went on longer. I felt Mad Hatter was too easy to defeat after all the fucked up shit he'd done. I also thought the art was weird. Like sometimes great, other times really stiff.
Overall I really enjoyed this a lot. I'd say this is great for fans of Batman's rogue gallery. It focuses on them and gives you a nice deep insight in to them. I gotta say this is one of the biggest surprised series for me. A 4/5.
June 26, 2015
This was ok. A decent origins story for THE Mad Hatter. Just never quite pulled me in.
May 12, 2014
TDK Vol. 3: Mad, is pretty much the new ret-conned origin story of Jervis Tetch. It makes him into a supposedly more psychotic bad guy, as opposed to the usual Mad Hatter. (Alice in Wonderland isn't too spooky) He still uses mind-control, but this time he's using it to fixate on his perfect moment from childhood, and leaves a trail of bodies in his wake. So apparently in the New 52, every Batman Rogue is going to be a mass-killer, and I'm not sure how the 4 Million+ Gothamites will survive with 4 Batman series' of murders and crime (not to mention the Catwoman, Batgirl, Nightwing, and anyone else who shows up in Gotham).
There's nothing wrong with this book really, and happily, there are some moments of humour/jokes. One in particular when Batman smashes through a window and the baddie says "I'm supposed to be impressed?" to which Bats replies: "It WAS a pretty dramatic entrance..."
Another thing which is explored here is the damage Batman does to henchmen, one who describes in excruciating detail how he suffered, which catches Bats off-guard before he informs the man that if he catches him on the wrong side of the law again, he'll do worse.
Catwoman shows up in this volume, and it's completely useless. She is LITERALLY stealing a hubcap off the Batmobile.
There's a bigger investigation into Bruce Wayne's new relationship with a concert pianist, and she manages to push all the buttons to get him to open up, but also manages to get tied up with Hatter's scheme...which brings out the DARK of the Knight. There's a lot of bending of Batman here, trying to see if he snaps, and I think that is really what's being explored here; how much he can take before he just breaks.
There's also TDK Annual added to this volume, which has Hatter, Scarecrow and Penguin all end up in Arkham Children's Institution (where Hatter spent time as a kid) on Halloween. It's interesting as a one-of, and meant to be a palette cleanser I think.
So the art is mostly good (I prefer Van Sciver's work to Kudranski's, but neither one is out of place with the tone of the stories), and the story isn't too bad, but it isn't an essential book, and I don't think Batman: The Dark Knight will become an essential Batman title, but there's room for it for sure.
Give it a read if you're a Bat-fan, for everyone else, it's OK, decent, just nothing with a big WOW-Factor.
There's nothing wrong with this book really, and happily, there are some moments of humour/jokes. One in particular when Batman smashes through a window and the baddie says "I'm supposed to be impressed?" to which Bats replies: "It WAS a pretty dramatic entrance..."
Another thing which is explored here is the damage Batman does to henchmen, one who describes in excruciating detail how he suffered, which catches Bats off-guard before he informs the man that if he catches him on the wrong side of the law again, he'll do worse.
Catwoman shows up in this volume, and it's completely useless. She is LITERALLY stealing a hubcap off the Batmobile.
There's a bigger investigation into Bruce Wayne's new relationship with a concert pianist, and she manages to push all the buttons to get him to open up, but also manages to get tied up with Hatter's scheme...which brings out the DARK of the Knight. There's a lot of bending of Batman here, trying to see if he snaps, and I think that is really what's being explored here; how much he can take before he just breaks.
There's also TDK Annual added to this volume, which has Hatter, Scarecrow and Penguin all end up in Arkham Children's Institution (where Hatter spent time as a kid) on Halloween. It's interesting as a one-of, and meant to be a palette cleanser I think.
So the art is mostly good (I prefer Van Sciver's work to Kudranski's, but neither one is out of place with the tone of the stories), and the story isn't too bad, but it isn't an essential book, and I don't think Batman: The Dark Knight will become an essential Batman title, but there's room for it for sure.
Give it a read if you're a Bat-fan, for everyone else, it's OK, decent, just nothing with a big WOW-Factor.
February 1, 2015
I've never really given Mad Hatter much credit as a villain... But this volume really goes for the deep, dark, psychotic side of the character and brings out a truly frightening and sinister interpretation of him.
Very good writing and artwork and strong elements of horror. This collection shows how Mad Hatter is a legitimate adversary for Batman and stands beside a-list villains like Joker and Scarecrow.
4/5
Very good writing and artwork and strong elements of horror. This collection shows how Mad Hatter is a legitimate adversary for Batman and stands beside a-list villains like Joker and Scarecrow.
4/5
December 21, 2014
This was the first Batman story Ive read in a long time that was a true HORROR story. It's just too dark and disturbing to be called anything else. It also takes the Mad Hatter from a joke to a true psychotic threat. Some may complain that they turned Mad Hatter into the Joker, but that's not exactly true. Plus, they do call him the MAD hatter, so it's about time he lived up to that.
You get an unsettling origin of the Mad Hatter, and then he racks up a body count that is Joker worthy. You even get to see Batman on the edge. (Even moreso than usual.) I was a little concerned when Dave Finch left the title, but Ethan Van Sciver more than makes up for it, so the art is great as well.
I don't think I'd want every Batman story to be this dark, but I would like to see more horror stories featuring the character, especially since he's got enough books that one could be the "horror" title. I think unofficially that's what The Dark Knight was, but it didn't seem very popular. Maybe just too dark for most.
The Annual was also entertaining. It was horror as well, a Halloween tale, but light-hearted, especially compared to the Mad Hatter storyline. if you like Batman stories dark and edgy, pick this one up.
You get an unsettling origin of the Mad Hatter, and then he racks up a body count that is Joker worthy. You even get to see Batman on the edge. (Even moreso than usual.) I was a little concerned when Dave Finch left the title, but Ethan Van Sciver more than makes up for it, so the art is great as well.
I don't think I'd want every Batman story to be this dark, but I would like to see more horror stories featuring the character, especially since he's got enough books that one could be the "horror" title. I think unofficially that's what The Dark Knight was, but it didn't seem very popular. Maybe just too dark for most.
The Annual was also entertaining. It was horror as well, a Halloween tale, but light-hearted, especially compared to the Mad Hatter storyline. if you like Batman stories dark and edgy, pick this one up.
November 26, 2014
This perhaps deserves a 3 but I just couldn't. This is essentially a 6 issue origin story of Mad Hatter, the Alice In Wonderland themed villain that is not often utilized for obvious reasons: he's lame.
The story itself wasn't too bad, with a more homicidal Hatter killing people with disturbing ease. Really though, if this many people kept getting iced by various villains in Gotham, who would stay? The Hatter kills several hundred. A big problem though was one victim in particular: Batman's girlfriend. Hurwitz introduces and then kills her off in the period of this 1 arc. Whoa! Shocking!! Please, why I am really supposed to care? Batman apparently forgets about her in a month so why should I give a shit?
The best part is some issues penciled by the excellent Ethan Van Sciver. Soooo in conclusion, it's ok but instead you may want to just watch an infomercial for the Flowbee.
The story itself wasn't too bad, with a more homicidal Hatter killing people with disturbing ease. Really though, if this many people kept getting iced by various villains in Gotham, who would stay? The Hatter kills several hundred. A big problem though was one victim in particular: Batman's girlfriend. Hurwitz introduces and then kills her off in the period of this 1 arc. Whoa! Shocking!! Please, why I am really supposed to care? Batman apparently forgets about her in a month so why should I give a shit?
The best part is some issues penciled by the excellent Ethan Van Sciver. Soooo in conclusion, it's ok but instead you may want to just watch an infomercial for the Flowbee.
March 15, 2015
Gregg Hurwitz definitely plays up some predictable, tired Batman themes in his first two arcs but this is definitely stronger overall than his Scarecrow story. In fact, this might be the best Mad Hatter focused arc I've ever read.
Want to feel bad for Jervis Tetch? Want to worry even more about the bullied youth in our society ultimately being driven from being good kids to homicidal revenge nuts? Well this is the volume for you.
Want to feel bad for Jervis Tetch? Want to worry even more about the bullied youth in our society ultimately being driven from being good kids to homicidal revenge nuts? Well this is the volume for you.
October 8, 2016
5 stars
Nice that Bruce was able to have some happiness, even if it was only for a short time. Natalya seemed very good for him. The Mad Hatter, Jervis Tetch was very weird (nuts). Felt sorry for him a little though. The story with Penguin, Scarecrow, and Mad Hatter was very funny.
Can't wait to read Batman: the Dark Knight: Clay!!!!! Also can't wait to read more Batman and Bat family comics!!!!
Nice that Bruce was able to have some happiness, even if it was only for a short time. Natalya seemed very good for him. The Mad Hatter, Jervis Tetch was very weird (nuts). Felt sorry for him a little though. The story with Penguin, Scarecrow, and Mad Hatter was very funny.
Can't wait to read Batman: the Dark Knight: Clay!!!!! Also can't wait to read more Batman and Bat family comics!!!!
March 10, 2014
Great artwork, interesting origin for Mad Hatter.. Poor Batman.
June 22, 2020
I actually liked this more than the last volume. Similarly, this volume looks at the origin of the Mad Hatter adding some penological raining for why he acts the way he does. While he implements his plan, Batman once again makes an attempt at love. It’s dark, and gruesome, giving Tetch a level of terror he typically doesn’t have. The last issue is a one-off that starts out ok but quickly becomes far-fetched.
Except for the last issue the art is now done by Van Sciver and it looks excellent.
Except for the last issue the art is now done by Van Sciver and it looks excellent.
August 21, 2017
Przedstawienie Tetcha okazało się ciekawsze niż się spodziewałem. Czuć, że jeszcze więcej można z tej historii wyciągnąć, a samo szaleństwo kapelusznika jest usprawiedliwione w kiepski sposób.
January 17, 2023
God the art in this one was so good i really loved the layout of some pages. Also the story was pretty good in good though the girlfriend aspect i felt was pretty weak idk
January 4, 2025
The Dark Knight series keeps getting better and better with each volume 😁🙌.
This is such a wild ride down the rabbit hole and a wonderful plot pertaining to the sickness that is the MadHatter, who grew up in a seemingly normal family of tailors.
Our plot begins with the mysterious kidnapping of local Gotham citizens at local factories under the One Size Inc. Gordon and the G.C.P.D. attempt to take down a raid fail, but Batman steps in and manages to save one of the hostages but not the rest.
Bruce then returns to the Manor, where he is greeted by Natalie, who is suspicious regarding Bruce's cover story for why he is late. What follows is a major falling out over truth, and they break up.
Batman then goes to interrogate the Penguin, blaming them for the kidnappings, but Penguin neutralizes Batman's theory, and it's back to square one.
Meanwhile, Mad Hatter is putting together his set, props, and kidnapped victims to recreate the perfect day that he had with Alice Dee in middle school. Through a series of flashbacks, we learn that Alice and a group of boys all accepted Jervis into their group, protecting him from bullies. Jervis's parents take him and his guest Alice to the fair, where they have a perfect day exploring the Wonderland fun house and sitting beside the pool of tears eating fresh sugar donuts. Alice tells him that she is glad she came and that it was the most perfect day. As the days pass, the children begin to age and develop into young men and women preparing for H.S. and while Jarvis's peers continue to grow, he begins to feel left behind. This then leads to insecurities with Jervis as he convinces his parents to take him to the doctor, and the prospect of testosterone pill treatment is proposed, but there is a risk of psychological symptoms, including hallucinations and increased aggression. Jervis's father tries to keep the lines of communication open by asking his son to consider all options and weigh the risks before taking the medication. The following day, Jervis takes his first pill and hen asks Alice if she will go to the dance with her,ahe tries to politely infer that the group will be going together, but Jervis doesn't accept her rejection. What follows is Jervis's desperate act of trying to pull Alice towards him, which alerts others and ends in a minor bully beatdown to protect Alice. Later that evening, Jervis locks himself in his room, and when his concerned parents try to check on him, they find their son ripping his hair out and a dead hamster. The Tetchs are now forced with the life-altering decision to commit their son to juvenile Arkham for treatment. Years pass, and we see an adult, Jervis, track down Alice Dee, who has become a regular homely woman and wife with three kids. When Jervis asks what happened to her, she remarks with the plan statement that she grew up as did everyone except him. Jervis returns her sentiment by killing her with an iron (Yeah, very demented).
We then cut to Bruce, who has a flashback in the form of a nightmare of his own where he is reminded of an assignment he once had for school titled "What your parents want for you?". After a brief discussion, Martha and Thomas both conclude that, above all, they want their son to find happiness and the chance to confide in the love of another. Then the nightmare takes over, and Bruce wakes in a cold sweat with the need to confront Natalie in the Batplane to share with her his true self as Batman. After a ride around Gotham, Bruce shows her the cave and shares the most intimate part of his life with her, making Natalie not only flattered but pleased to know the full scope of the man she loves. The night ends with Natalie being dropped off for a performance at the Gotham Orcastra, but little does Bruce or she know that the Mad Hatter has his eyes on them (via mindcontrolleded people who bought his tracer hat from his business Krazy Hatz established all over Gotham). Mad Hatter has found his Alice and is set to put his plan in motion via a dress rehearsal, but when things don't go as planned, he orders the kidnapped victims to drown themselves.
We then skipped to a gruesome meeting between Batman and Gordon at the crime scene in the sewers where some of the bodies were carried while others met their final rest above in the harbor. G.C.P.D. exposes Krazy Hatz and promises to ID all victims, which forces Mad Hatter to act as the police and Batman close in. What follows is that Mad Hatter kidnaps Natalie before beating her to a pulp, interrogating her for the reveal of who Batman is underneath the mask, but she refuses to tell. Meanwhile, Batman rushes to trace down Natalie from across Gotham with her G.P.S. tracer showing her in danger, but he's too late as Tweedle Dee, Dum, and Hatter throw Natalia out of their flying helicopter. Natalie's cold body lies resting on the Bat-signal. Batman is devastated and charges to find the Mad Hatter at one of his bases, which leads him to Wonderland. What follows is a horrific psychedelic-induced nightmare as Batman navigates through the Mad House in a blind white rage, seeing images of Natalie's dead body along the way. Batman eventually catches up to the Mad Hatter, who has consumed a large amount of psychedelic tea and is ready to fight Batman but fails instantly against our hero, who beats him to a pulp. The fight ends in the pool of tears, and Batman throws Jervis in, turning his back. Until Alfred Implores Batman to save the Mad man by implying that he would be no better than the scum he fights. The night ends with Bruce returning to the Manor broken. Alfred asks if Bruce ment what he said about giving up being Batman, but before he can answer, the signal goes up, and Bruce leaves.
Our arc ends with a mini adventure involving Mad Hatter, Penguin, and Scarecrow, who all receive correspondence to meet in Juvenile Arkham for a business venture, which turns into the three trying to escape the Mad House while an imaginary Batman tracks them down. Our scene comes to a close with Bruce waking up from a relaxing night off but his computer reveals the messages he sent earlier that night.
I enjoyed this arc and have been impressed with the depth put into these remarkable plots within the Dark Knight series. The mix between the villains and our hero expressing their desires, which at times feels so intertwined, really allows for our distorted preps to be relatable and human while also providing a glimpse further into Bruce's/Batman's psychology. 8.8/10 for a well-structured and intriguing plot 🌟😁🙌. I can't wait to read the final volume in this series 😏👍💯. Wow, the Dark Knight series keeps getting better and better with each volume 😁🙌.
This is such a wild ride down the rabbit hole and a wonderful plot pertaining to the sickness that is the MadHatter, who grew up in a seemingly normal family of tailors.
Our plot begins with the mysterious kidnapping of local Gotham citizens at local factories under the One Size Inc. Gordon and the G.C.P.D. attempt to take down a raid fail, but Batman steps in and manages to save one of the hostages but not the rest.
Bruce then returns to the Manor, where he is greeted by Natalie, who is suspicious regarding Bruce's cover story for why he is late. What follows is a major falling out over truth, and they break up.
Batman then goes to interrogate the Penguin, blaming them for the kidnappings, but Penguin neutralizes Batman's theory, and it's back to square one.
Meanwhile, Mad Hatter is putting together his set, props, and kidnapped victims to recreate the perfect day that he had with Alice Dee in middle school. Through a series of flashbacks, we learn that Alice and a group of boys all accepted Jervis into their group, protecting him from bullies. Jervis's parents take him and his guest Alice to the fair, where they have a perfect day exploring the Wonderland fun house and sitting beside the pool of tears eating fresh sugar donuts. Alice tells him that she is glad she came and that it was the most perfect day. As the days pass, the children begin to age and develop into young men and women preparing for H.S. and while Jarvis's peers continue to grow, he begins to feel left behind. This then leads to insecurities with Jervis as he convinces his parents to take him to the doctor, and the prospect of testosterone pill treatment is proposed, but there is a risk of psychological symptoms, including hallucinations and increased aggression. Jervis's father tries to keep the lines of communication open by asking his son to consider all options and weigh the risks before taking the medication. The following day, Jervis takes his first pill and hen asks Alice if she will go to the dance with her,ahe tries to politely infer that the group will be going together, but Jervis doesn't accept her rejection. What follows is Jervis's desperate act of trying to pull Alice towards him, which alerts others and ends in a minor bully beatdown to protect Alice. Later that evening, Jervis locks himself in his room, and when his concerned parents try to check on him, they find their son ripping his hair out and a dead hamster. The Tetchs are now forced with the life-altering decision to commit their son to juvenile Arkham for treatment. Years pass, and we see an adult, Jervis, track down Alice Dee, who has become a regular homely woman and wife with three kids. When Jervis asks what happened to her, she remarks with the plan statement that she grew up as did everyone except him. Jervis returns her sentiment by killing her with an iron (Yeah, very demented).
We then cut to Bruce, who has a flashback in the form of a nightmare of his own where he is reminded of an assignment he once had for school titled "What your parents want for you?". After a brief discussion, Martha and Thomas both conclude that, above all, they want their son to find happiness and the chance to confide in the love of another. Then the nightmare takes over, and Bruce wakes in a cold sweat with the need to confront Natalie in the Batplane to share with her his true self as Batman. After a ride around Gotham, Bruce shows her the cave and shares the most intimate part of his life with her, making Natalie not only flattereddddd but pleased to know the full scope of the man she loves. The night ends with Natalie being dropped off for a performance at the Gotham Orcastra, but little does Bruce or she know that the Mad Hatter has his eyes on them (via mindcontrolleded people who bought his tracer hat from his business Krazy Hatz established all over Gotham). Mad Hatter has found his Alice and is set to put his plan in motion via a dress rehearsal, but when things don't go as planned, he orders the kidnapped victims to drown themselves.
We then skipped to a gruesome meeting between Batman and Gordon at the crime scene in the sewers where some of the bodies were carried while others met their final rest above in the harbor. G.C.P.D. exposes Krazy Hatz and promises to ID all victims, which forces Mad Hatter to act as the police and Batman close in. What follows is that Mad Hatter kidnaps Natalie before beating her to a pulp, interrogating her for the reveal of who Batman is underneath the mask, but she refuses to tell. Meanwhile, Batman rushes to trace down Natalie from across Gotham with her G.P.S. tracer showing her in danger, but he's too late as Tweedle Dee, Dum, and Hatter throw Natalia out of their flying helicopter. Natalie's cold body lies resting on the Bat-signal. Batman is devastated and charges to find the Mad Hatter at one of his bases, which leads him to Wonderland. What follows is a horrific psychedelic-induced nightmare as Batman navigates through the Mad House in a blind white rage, seeing images of Natalie's dead body along the way. Batman eventually catches up to the Mad Hatter, who has consumed a large amount of psychedelic tea and is ready to fight Batman but fails instantly against our hero, who beats him to a pulp. The fight ends in the pool of tears, and Batman throws Jervis in, turning his back. Until Alfred Implores Batman to save the Mad man by implying that he would be no better than the scum he fights. The night ends with Bruce returning to the Manor broken. Alfred asks if Bruce ment what he said about giving up being Batman, but before he can answer, the signal goes up, and Bruce leaves.
Our arc ends with a mini adventure involving Mad Hatter, Penguin, and Scarecrow, who all receive correspondence to meet in Juvenile Arkham for a business venture, which turns into the three trying to escape the Mad House while an imaginary Batman tracks them down. Our scene comes to a close with Bruce waking up from a relaxing night off, but his computer reveals the messages he sent earlier that night.
I really enjoyed this arc and have been impressed with the depth put into these remarkable plots within the Dark Knight series. The mix between the villains and our hero expressing their desires, which at times feels so intertwined, really allows for our distorted preps to be relatable and human while also providing a glimpse further into Bruce's/Batman's psychology. 8.8/10 for a well-structured and intriguing plot 🌟😁🙌. Can't wait to read the final vol in this series 😏👍💯.
This is such a wild ride down the rabbit hole and a wonderful plot pertaining to the sickness that is the MadHatter, who grew up in a seemingly normal family of tailors.
Our plot begins with the mysterious kidnapping of local Gotham citizens at local factories under the One Size Inc. Gordon and the G.C.P.D. attempt to take down a raid fail, but Batman steps in and manages to save one of the hostages but not the rest.
Bruce then returns to the Manor, where he is greeted by Natalie, who is suspicious regarding Bruce's cover story for why he is late. What follows is a major falling out over truth, and they break up.
Batman then goes to interrogate the Penguin, blaming them for the kidnappings, but Penguin neutralizes Batman's theory, and it's back to square one.
Meanwhile, Mad Hatter is putting together his set, props, and kidnapped victims to recreate the perfect day that he had with Alice Dee in middle school. Through a series of flashbacks, we learn that Alice and a group of boys all accepted Jervis into their group, protecting him from bullies. Jervis's parents take him and his guest Alice to the fair, where they have a perfect day exploring the Wonderland fun house and sitting beside the pool of tears eating fresh sugar donuts. Alice tells him that she is glad she came and that it was the most perfect day. As the days pass, the children begin to age and develop into young men and women preparing for H.S. and while Jarvis's peers continue to grow, he begins to feel left behind. This then leads to insecurities with Jervis as he convinces his parents to take him to the doctor, and the prospect of testosterone pill treatment is proposed, but there is a risk of psychological symptoms, including hallucinations and increased aggression. Jervis's father tries to keep the lines of communication open by asking his son to consider all options and weigh the risks before taking the medication. The following day, Jervis takes his first pill and hen asks Alice if she will go to the dance with her,ahe tries to politely infer that the group will be going together, but Jervis doesn't accept her rejection. What follows is Jervis's desperate act of trying to pull Alice towards him, which alerts others and ends in a minor bully beatdown to protect Alice. Later that evening, Jervis locks himself in his room, and when his concerned parents try to check on him, they find their son ripping his hair out and a dead hamster. The Tetchs are now forced with the life-altering decision to commit their son to juvenile Arkham for treatment. Years pass, and we see an adult, Jervis, track down Alice Dee, who has become a regular homely woman and wife with three kids. When Jervis asks what happened to her, she remarks with the plan statement that she grew up as did everyone except him. Jervis returns her sentiment by killing her with an iron (Yeah, very demented).
We then cut to Bruce, who has a flashback in the form of a nightmare of his own where he is reminded of an assignment he once had for school titled "What your parents want for you?". After a brief discussion, Martha and Thomas both conclude that, above all, they want their son to find happiness and the chance to confide in the love of another. Then the nightmare takes over, and Bruce wakes in a cold sweat with the need to confront Natalie in the Batplane to share with her his true self as Batman. After a ride around Gotham, Bruce shows her the cave and shares the most intimate part of his life with her, making Natalie not only flattered but pleased to know the full scope of the man she loves. The night ends with Natalie being dropped off for a performance at the Gotham Orcastra, but little does Bruce or she know that the Mad Hatter has his eyes on them (via mindcontrolleded people who bought his tracer hat from his business Krazy Hatz established all over Gotham). Mad Hatter has found his Alice and is set to put his plan in motion via a dress rehearsal, but when things don't go as planned, he orders the kidnapped victims to drown themselves.
We then skipped to a gruesome meeting between Batman and Gordon at the crime scene in the sewers where some of the bodies were carried while others met their final rest above in the harbor. G.C.P.D. exposes Krazy Hatz and promises to ID all victims, which forces Mad Hatter to act as the police and Batman close in. What follows is that Mad Hatter kidnaps Natalie before beating her to a pulp, interrogating her for the reveal of who Batman is underneath the mask, but she refuses to tell. Meanwhile, Batman rushes to trace down Natalie from across Gotham with her G.P.S. tracer showing her in danger, but he's too late as Tweedle Dee, Dum, and Hatter throw Natalia out of their flying helicopter. Natalie's cold body lies resting on the Bat-signal. Batman is devastated and charges to find the Mad Hatter at one of his bases, which leads him to Wonderland. What follows is a horrific psychedelic-induced nightmare as Batman navigates through the Mad House in a blind white rage, seeing images of Natalie's dead body along the way. Batman eventually catches up to the Mad Hatter, who has consumed a large amount of psychedelic tea and is ready to fight Batman but fails instantly against our hero, who beats him to a pulp. The fight ends in the pool of tears, and Batman throws Jervis in, turning his back. Until Alfred Implores Batman to save the Mad man by implying that he would be no better than the scum he fights. The night ends with Bruce returning to the Manor broken. Alfred asks if Bruce ment what he said about giving up being Batman, but before he can answer, the signal goes up, and Bruce leaves.
Our arc ends with a mini adventure involving Mad Hatter, Penguin, and Scarecrow, who all receive correspondence to meet in Juvenile Arkham for a business venture, which turns into the three trying to escape the Mad House while an imaginary Batman tracks them down. Our scene comes to a close with Bruce waking up from a relaxing night off but his computer reveals the messages he sent earlier that night.
I enjoyed this arc and have been impressed with the depth put into these remarkable plots within the Dark Knight series. The mix between the villains and our hero expressing their desires, which at times feels so intertwined, really allows for our distorted preps to be relatable and human while also providing a glimpse further into Bruce's/Batman's psychology. 8.8/10 for a well-structured and intriguing plot 🌟😁🙌. I can't wait to read the final volume in this series 😏👍💯. Wow, the Dark Knight series keeps getting better and better with each volume 😁🙌.
This is such a wild ride down the rabbit hole and a wonderful plot pertaining to the sickness that is the MadHatter, who grew up in a seemingly normal family of tailors.
Our plot begins with the mysterious kidnapping of local Gotham citizens at local factories under the One Size Inc. Gordon and the G.C.P.D. attempt to take down a raid fail, but Batman steps in and manages to save one of the hostages but not the rest.
Bruce then returns to the Manor, where he is greeted by Natalie, who is suspicious regarding Bruce's cover story for why he is late. What follows is a major falling out over truth, and they break up.
Batman then goes to interrogate the Penguin, blaming them for the kidnappings, but Penguin neutralizes Batman's theory, and it's back to square one.
Meanwhile, Mad Hatter is putting together his set, props, and kidnapped victims to recreate the perfect day that he had with Alice Dee in middle school. Through a series of flashbacks, we learn that Alice and a group of boys all accepted Jervis into their group, protecting him from bullies. Jervis's parents take him and his guest Alice to the fair, where they have a perfect day exploring the Wonderland fun house and sitting beside the pool of tears eating fresh sugar donuts. Alice tells him that she is glad she came and that it was the most perfect day. As the days pass, the children begin to age and develop into young men and women preparing for H.S. and while Jarvis's peers continue to grow, he begins to feel left behind. This then leads to insecurities with Jervis as he convinces his parents to take him to the doctor, and the prospect of testosterone pill treatment is proposed, but there is a risk of psychological symptoms, including hallucinations and increased aggression. Jervis's father tries to keep the lines of communication open by asking his son to consider all options and weigh the risks before taking the medication. The following day, Jervis takes his first pill and hen asks Alice if she will go to the dance with her,ahe tries to politely infer that the group will be going together, but Jervis doesn't accept her rejection. What follows is Jervis's desperate act of trying to pull Alice towards him, which alerts others and ends in a minor bully beatdown to protect Alice. Later that evening, Jervis locks himself in his room, and when his concerned parents try to check on him, they find their son ripping his hair out and a dead hamster. The Tetchs are now forced with the life-altering decision to commit their son to juvenile Arkham for treatment. Years pass, and we see an adult, Jervis, track down Alice Dee, who has become a regular homely woman and wife with three kids. When Jervis asks what happened to her, she remarks with the plan statement that she grew up as did everyone except him. Jervis returns her sentiment by killing her with an iron (Yeah, very demented).
We then cut to Bruce, who has a flashback in the form of a nightmare of his own where he is reminded of an assignment he once had for school titled "What your parents want for you?". After a brief discussion, Martha and Thomas both conclude that, above all, they want their son to find happiness and the chance to confide in the love of another. Then the nightmare takes over, and Bruce wakes in a cold sweat with the need to confront Natalie in the Batplane to share with her his true self as Batman. After a ride around Gotham, Bruce shows her the cave and shares the most intimate part of his life with her, making Natalie not only flattereddddd but pleased to know the full scope of the man she loves. The night ends with Natalie being dropped off for a performance at the Gotham Orcastra, but little does Bruce or she know that the Mad Hatter has his eyes on them (via mindcontrolleded people who bought his tracer hat from his business Krazy Hatz established all over Gotham). Mad Hatter has found his Alice and is set to put his plan in motion via a dress rehearsal, but when things don't go as planned, he orders the kidnapped victims to drown themselves.
We then skipped to a gruesome meeting between Batman and Gordon at the crime scene in the sewers where some of the bodies were carried while others met their final rest above in the harbor. G.C.P.D. exposes Krazy Hatz and promises to ID all victims, which forces Mad Hatter to act as the police and Batman close in. What follows is that Mad Hatter kidnaps Natalie before beating her to a pulp, interrogating her for the reveal of who Batman is underneath the mask, but she refuses to tell. Meanwhile, Batman rushes to trace down Natalie from across Gotham with her G.P.S. tracer showing her in danger, but he's too late as Tweedle Dee, Dum, and Hatter throw Natalia out of their flying helicopter. Natalie's cold body lies resting on the Bat-signal. Batman is devastated and charges to find the Mad Hatter at one of his bases, which leads him to Wonderland. What follows is a horrific psychedelic-induced nightmare as Batman navigates through the Mad House in a blind white rage, seeing images of Natalie's dead body along the way. Batman eventually catches up to the Mad Hatter, who has consumed a large amount of psychedelic tea and is ready to fight Batman but fails instantly against our hero, who beats him to a pulp. The fight ends in the pool of tears, and Batman throws Jervis in, turning his back. Until Alfred Implores Batman to save the Mad man by implying that he would be no better than the scum he fights. The night ends with Bruce returning to the Manor broken. Alfred asks if Bruce ment what he said about giving up being Batman, but before he can answer, the signal goes up, and Bruce leaves.
Our arc ends with a mini adventure involving Mad Hatter, Penguin, and Scarecrow, who all receive correspondence to meet in Juvenile Arkham for a business venture, which turns into the three trying to escape the Mad House while an imaginary Batman tracks them down. Our scene comes to a close with Bruce waking up from a relaxing night off, but his computer reveals the messages he sent earlier that night.
I really enjoyed this arc and have been impressed with the depth put into these remarkable plots within the Dark Knight series. The mix between the villains and our hero expressing their desires, which at times feels so intertwined, really allows for our distorted preps to be relatable and human while also providing a glimpse further into Bruce's/Batman's psychology. 8.8/10 for a well-structured and intriguing plot 🌟😁🙌. Can't wait to read the final vol in this series 😏👍💯.
March 11, 2014
Talk about a one-trick pony. Between Penguin: Pain and Prejudice, the Scarecrow-focused Dark Knight Vol. 2, and now this Mad Hatter nonsense, it's abundantly clear that what Gregg Hurwitz believes every Batman villain's origin is that they had a rough childhood. He goes back to the same dry well over and over with each of these stories, to a point where, when the final issue collected in this book featured Penguin, Scarecrow and Mad Hatter all simultaneously reliving their childhood trauma, I laughed out loud. It's absurd!
I was very hopeful at the beginning of this story. The first few issues are lighter than normal, with Hurwitz allowing Batman to actually make jokes and seem like a guy who does more than brood and scowl. The dialogue in these issues is poppy and sharp, and the introduction of a love interest for Bruce Wayne even felt like it could be a fun new wrinkle to toss in.
Then, all of that falls apart almost immediately. This woman, who we have barely met, somehow manages to convince Bruce Wayne to reveal to her that he is Batman. I'm not putting that as a spoiler because it happens almost instantly, and with absolutely no build-up or logical reasoning. Bruce is the most careful dude on the planet, and not only does he reveal who he is to a woman whose name the reader barely knows, he even drops her off at a piano concert in the Batplane. In public! Very visibly! Isn't avoiding publicly associating yourself with a vulnerable civilian Superhero Ethics 101? It's so unbelievable that he would just fully lose his mind over this relative stranger (who is not a super villain or anything, nor is that possibility ever floated out there), and the way this part of the story ends is inevitable and hacky and you can see it coming from 1000 light years away.
In addition to this, beyond the lameness of focusing on Mad Hatter's childhood as a way to explain his current behavior, the version of this trope Hurwitz explores this time is fully devoid of creativity. It serves no purpose in explaining why he's kidnapping large swaths of Gothamites. It's just texture to be like "See why this guy's messed up??"
Anyway, I have more to say, but I don't want to just shit on this ad nauseum. Suffice it to say it's not great, and the only saving grace is Ethan Van Sciver's solid artwork (which unfortunately vanishes for a couple of issues in the middle). In any case, color me "not excited about any of Hurwitz's future Bat stuff."
I was very hopeful at the beginning of this story. The first few issues are lighter than normal, with Hurwitz allowing Batman to actually make jokes and seem like a guy who does more than brood and scowl. The dialogue in these issues is poppy and sharp, and the introduction of a love interest for Bruce Wayne even felt like it could be a fun new wrinkle to toss in.
Then, all of that falls apart almost immediately. This woman, who we have barely met, somehow manages to convince Bruce Wayne to reveal to her that he is Batman. I'm not putting that as a spoiler because it happens almost instantly, and with absolutely no build-up or logical reasoning. Bruce is the most careful dude on the planet, and not only does he reveal who he is to a woman whose name the reader barely knows, he even drops her off at a piano concert in the Batplane. In public! Very visibly! Isn't avoiding publicly associating yourself with a vulnerable civilian Superhero Ethics 101? It's so unbelievable that he would just fully lose his mind over this relative stranger (who is not a super villain or anything, nor is that possibility ever floated out there), and the way this part of the story ends is inevitable and hacky and you can see it coming from 1000 light years away.
In addition to this, beyond the lameness of focusing on Mad Hatter's childhood as a way to explain his current behavior, the version of this trope Hurwitz explores this time is fully devoid of creativity. It serves no purpose in explaining why he's kidnapping large swaths of Gothamites. It's just texture to be like "See why this guy's messed up??"
Anyway, I have more to say, but I don't want to just shit on this ad nauseum. Suffice it to say it's not great, and the only saving grace is Ethan Van Sciver's solid artwork (which unfortunately vanishes for a couple of issues in the middle). In any case, color me "not excited about any of Hurwitz's future Bat stuff."
March 24, 2014
First, I will admit I haven't been following the Batman: The Dark Knight (New 52) books. I like Batman but I just do not care to have to follow several different books for one character. I will have to admit that this volume was pretty good. There are a few flaws I will grant you. The biggest flaw was the inclusion of the new love interest for Bruce Wayne, Natalya. I mean she really becomes more of a footnote in this story. The Mad hatter and he's new origin are the main driving points of this volume. Jervis Tetch aka the Mad Hatter is an intriguing villain here but sometimes he just comes off as just your average homicidal maniac. I think what saves this novel from being more than okay is the splendidly dark and eerie panels by Ethan Van Sciver. I mean if you want you Batman dark and violent this book will not disappoint. I myself prefer the Scott Snyder series but like I said this story was okay if you are a Batman Fan. The annual issue at the end was especially funny and well told.
February 24, 2014
I wasn't going to pick this book up. Having made it through the first few volumes of Bat titles in the New 52, I am trimming my acquisitions. Catwoman and Batman & Robin just weren't offering me much that I couldn't find in the other books, and Dark Knight seemed like a second version of Detective Comics. But I thought I would give this one more shot, and I am so glad I did. The main story explored Mad Hatter, a villain of whom I have never been particularly fond, but this sets up a frightening origin which spirals into sheer terror in the present day. I HAD to show my friend a few representative panels ("Can you believe they got away with this?"), and I rarely find myself doing that. After the main story finishes, the reader is treated to a spooky one-shot with visuals to rival Batwoman's J. H. Williams masterpieces. I hear this title is running its course after the next collection, and I appreciate that, but we are lucky to have this Mad Hatter story before it does.
December 25, 2013
Mild spoilers: So I've generally found this to be the weakest of the New 52 Batman lines, but Mad Hatter was a marvelous villain. His whole concept could have run cheesy or stupid; instead his history informed his present psychosis beautifully and though he was never going to present much of a physical threat to The Dark Knight, the culmination of this arc was dramatically satisfying. My only gripe is that at this juncture, no matter how likeable the woman the writers devise for Bruce, he's too much of a dysfunctional distracted, self absorbed twit for me to ever credit the idea he could get out of his own head long enough to fall in love with any woman. I only mention it, because a lot of the drama in this plot line was riding on the idea Bruce would be capable of falling in love. So... yeah. Didn't quite work.
March 29, 2014
While I liked the back story of the Mad Hatter, I found the level of violence in this one to be off-putting. I didn't bother to count the by-issue body count, but by the end, most of it feels superfluous, particularly given the death of a prominent secondary character before the final act (after they killed DOZENS of people on panel up to that point, suddenly that one's supposed to resonate?. Meh.
April 2, 2014
An improvement over the previous volume - the new origins of the Mad Hatter were far more interesting than the cliched daddy issues of Scarecrow. I am more of a fan of the artwork here as well, which told the story well and clearly. Perhaps Hurwitz needs to lighten up on the death toll. Seems to me that with all these villains killing people left, right and centre, Gotham might end up a ghost town in a matter of weeks. Besides, too much gratuitous death numbs the senses.
December 18, 2014
This volume focuses on the Mad Hatter and actually shows how pathologically dangerous this usually silly character can be. Again, the origin story is far and away the best part of the book. And again, the romance between Bruce and the pianist is the worst part - especially considering he let her in on his secret and then gives her a batplane ride to a concert without thinking about the consequences of such a conspicuous action....uh, right. All in all a decent Bat story with fabulous art.
December 23, 2015
A pretty good origin story for Mad Hatter, which made me realize he's really not a villain I've encountered much by way of origin stories for in the various Batman comics I've read. He's not a favorite but this was interesting enough. Was not a fan of most of the art in here, sadly, but it was nice to see Bruce tear things up a bit...
March 29, 2016
The artwork in this series if phenomanal. They did a good job reinventing the Mad Hatter and all in all the story was descent.
June 15, 2020
Reprints Batman: The Dark Knight #16-21 and Annual #1 (March 2013-August 2013). All across Gotham City people are disappearing and even Batman doesn’t know who is responsible. When Batman realizes it is Mad Hatter, he must find out what Jervis Tetch is planning before it is too late. Meanwhile, Bruce Wayne is debating his role as Batman after the loss of Damian and considering revealing his secret to Natalya Trusevich.
Written by Gregg Hurwitz, Batman: The Dark Knight Volume 3: Mad is a DC Comics New 52 comic book collection. Following Batman: The Dark Knight Volume 2: Cycle of Violence, the collection features art by Ethan Van Sciver and Szymon Kudranski. The collection features the “Mad” six issue storyline and the stand-alone issue Batman: The Dark Knight Annual #1 (June 2013).
The Mad Hatter has never been one of my favorite Batman characters. It always felt that in the Batman rogue gallery, he was even too goofy when compared to someone as silly as the Riddler or the Penguin. This volume sets out to make the Mad Hatter a threat.
The Mad Hatter is much more menacing. He has a hair-trigger anger inside of him and a madness that pushes his actions. The whole set-up of the Mad Hatter however is rather ridiculous and his quest for a perfect Alice is a lot of work (maybe not as much work as the Joker’s Death of the Family, but it is still a stretch). He still comes off as a second rate villain to me that in this collection is simply a combination of the Penguin and the Scarecrow.
The real odd part of this collection is Natalya Trusevich. She first appeared in Batman: The Dark Knight #10, and a few issues later, she is the love of Bruce’s life…and worth exposing his identity to. This of course doesn’t go well, and though it isn’t as arbitrary as the classic “women in refrigerator” like in Green Lantern, it is really close. It especially lacks weight in that Batman has tons of other titles, just lost Damian, and randomly loses this woman who he barely knew just to get him mad at the Mad Hatter…it is a poor construct and a cliché.
The annual is a little fun, and I’m not a big annual fan. It reads more like a short story (and if I bought it as an annual, I’d be angry I ponied up more for it), and it essentially is the equivalent of a sex offender round-up on Halloween that cities often have to get offenders off the street. Batman tricks his villains into going to the asylum to have the night off…it is fun, but not enough substance through the whole story.
Batman: The Dark Knight was one of the weaker New 52 titles. The change up of writers helped a bit, but it still isn’t very good. Batman has been worked and reworked so many times that it feels like there are multiple titles and stories that would be better than this one to read. Batman: The Dark Knight 3: Mad is followed by Batman: The Dark Knight 4: Clay which ended the series.
Written by Gregg Hurwitz, Batman: The Dark Knight Volume 3: Mad is a DC Comics New 52 comic book collection. Following Batman: The Dark Knight Volume 2: Cycle of Violence, the collection features art by Ethan Van Sciver and Szymon Kudranski. The collection features the “Mad” six issue storyline and the stand-alone issue Batman: The Dark Knight Annual #1 (June 2013).
The Mad Hatter has never been one of my favorite Batman characters. It always felt that in the Batman rogue gallery, he was even too goofy when compared to someone as silly as the Riddler or the Penguin. This volume sets out to make the Mad Hatter a threat.
The Mad Hatter is much more menacing. He has a hair-trigger anger inside of him and a madness that pushes his actions. The whole set-up of the Mad Hatter however is rather ridiculous and his quest for a perfect Alice is a lot of work (maybe not as much work as the Joker’s Death of the Family, but it is still a stretch). He still comes off as a second rate villain to me that in this collection is simply a combination of the Penguin and the Scarecrow.
The real odd part of this collection is Natalya Trusevich. She first appeared in Batman: The Dark Knight #10, and a few issues later, she is the love of Bruce’s life…and worth exposing his identity to. This of course doesn’t go well, and though it isn’t as arbitrary as the classic “women in refrigerator” like in Green Lantern, it is really close. It especially lacks weight in that Batman has tons of other titles, just lost Damian, and randomly loses this woman who he barely knew just to get him mad at the Mad Hatter…it is a poor construct and a cliché.
The annual is a little fun, and I’m not a big annual fan. It reads more like a short story (and if I bought it as an annual, I’d be angry I ponied up more for it), and it essentially is the equivalent of a sex offender round-up on Halloween that cities often have to get offenders off the street. Batman tricks his villains into going to the asylum to have the night off…it is fun, but not enough substance through the whole story.
Batman: The Dark Knight was one of the weaker New 52 titles. The change up of writers helped a bit, but it still isn’t very good. Batman has been worked and reworked so many times that it feels like there are multiple titles and stories that would be better than this one to read. Batman: The Dark Knight 3: Mad is followed by Batman: The Dark Knight 4: Clay which ended the series.
March 5, 2022
3.5
This one continues Hurwitz’s impressive streak, though it’s not quite as good as the last volume. His approach with some of Batman’s most famous villains is a captivating one, shining a light on their backstories and what made them the monsters they are. I’m including his Penguin mini-series (which may be the best of the bunch), which is also brought in by the annual.
The Mad Hatter is most definitely mad, but he didn’t come from a broken home, wasn’t twisted by maternal, nor paternal hate and abuse. His parents were loving and supportive. He had friends. He was generally happy as a kid, he was just short. Then, along comes big pharma, offering him a potential solution to his stature, which we all know is guaranteed to ruin him forever. An unfortunate accident, that twists a happy young boy into an obsessive, hallucinating psychopath. The Hatter gets a proper highlight in this volume, and wreaks real havoc on Gotham.
Batman has been putting out a lot of fires recently, and that has wrought havoc on his personal life. He struggles to maintain a relationship he desires, and Alfred worries for his well-being. The art is good too, though it’s unfortunate that Van Sciver is a distasteful human being. Kudranski’s work is grim and dramatic, and complements the tone nicely.
All well and good, and as much as I enjoyed the book, there is one, spoiler-y, glaring issue. . So yeah. While that does make for a decent story, it’s just not true to character.
Gripes aside, I’m enjoying this run and it’s exploration of popular Bat-villains. I also recommend the aforementioned Penguin mini-series, and hope the last volume can stick the landing.
This one continues Hurwitz’s impressive streak, though it’s not quite as good as the last volume. His approach with some of Batman’s most famous villains is a captivating one, shining a light on their backstories and what made them the monsters they are. I’m including his Penguin mini-series (which may be the best of the bunch), which is also brought in by the annual.
The Mad Hatter is most definitely mad, but he didn’t come from a broken home, wasn’t twisted by maternal, nor paternal hate and abuse. His parents were loving and supportive. He had friends. He was generally happy as a kid, he was just short. Then, along comes big pharma, offering him a potential solution to his stature, which we all know is guaranteed to ruin him forever. An unfortunate accident, that twists a happy young boy into an obsessive, hallucinating psychopath. The Hatter gets a proper highlight in this volume, and wreaks real havoc on Gotham.
Batman has been putting out a lot of fires recently, and that has wrought havoc on his personal life. He struggles to maintain a relationship he desires, and Alfred worries for his well-being. The art is good too, though it’s unfortunate that Van Sciver is a distasteful human being. Kudranski’s work is grim and dramatic, and complements the tone nicely.
All well and good, and as much as I enjoyed the book, there is one, spoiler-y, glaring issue. . So yeah. While that does make for a decent story, it’s just not true to character.
Gripes aside, I’m enjoying this run and it’s exploration of popular Bat-villains. I also recommend the aforementioned Penguin mini-series, and hope the last volume can stick the landing.
August 15, 2019
Czytając recenzje z "rodzimych" portali przed lekturą omawianej produkcji, miałem w głowie wizję crapu najgorszego sportu. Poprzednia historia ze Strachem na Wróble okazała się jednak czymś naprawdę dobrym, więc Hurwitz kontynuując dobrą passę, wziął się za sportretowanie innego "zwariowanego" przeciwnika Batmana, Szalonego Kapelusznika...
Jervis Tetch to prawdziwie chora na głowę osoba, ale taka, której stan jest tutaj bardzo racjonalnie wytłumaczmy. I jego postępowanie, choć okrutne i chore, też ma za sobą całkiem zrozumiałe, ludzkie potrzeby. Kapelusznikowi marzy się powrót do czasów, kiedy był szczęśliwy... Każdy z nas zapewne chciałby wracać do takich przeżyć...
Kapelusznik jednak zamierza dosłownie odtworzyć tamte wydarzenia, dlatego porywa ludzi, aby zrobili dokładną scenografię i odegrali własne role... Oczywiście masowym zaginięciami (i nie tylko... Scena z ciałami w rzecze czy ściekach zrobiła na mnie piorunujące wrażenie) musiał zainteresować się sam Batman.
Jervis jest tu zatem postacią nie tylko chorą umysłowo, ale i tragiczną. Na pewnym etapie swojego życia przestał rosnąć, przez zaburzenia hormonalne w ciele. Nie trzeba było czekać długo na reakcję dzieci w szkole, w tym to najgorsze... nękanie. Z kogoś bardzo lubianego, stał się odludkiem... W akcie rozpaczy chłopak za pozwoleniem rodziców sięga po kuracje środkami mającymi spowodować prawidłowy wzrost. Jest jeden feler. Lek jest w fazie eksperymentów i może mieć fatalne skutki uboczne, co się zresztą dzieje. Zaburzenia psychotyczne. Psychoza. Tak powstaje Kapelusznik.
Batman. Podobała mi się relacja Wayne'a z Natalyą. Gdy się z kimś na poważnie spotykasz, to w końcu ta druga osoba musi zobaczyć, że za takimi wypada coś stoi. Kapitalna scena między obojgiem kochanków na planszach stylizujących klawisze fortepianów zapada w pamięć. Potem jest w sumie lepiej. Hurwitz daje nadzieję na normalny związek, aby potem nas zaskoczyć tak, iż naprawdę przez chwilę siedziałem i patrzyłem na pewne kadry... Dobre. Choć bardzo typowe dla życia Batmana.
Ostatnią rzeczą, która wypada pochwalić jest opowiadanie z Annualu. Kapitalna historyjka, z ładną kreską. Pingwin, Strach na Wróble i Kapelusznik dostają zaproszenia od siebie w pewne miejsce, a tam się okazuje że to podpucha... Wszyscy trzej muszą walczyć o wolność i... Trzeba zobaczyć.
No dobrze, to pewnie zapytacie skąd ta trójeczka. Przede wszystkim nie podobały mi się tutaj te przeskoki w stylistyce pomiędzy zeszytami. Postacie wyglądają w pewnych momentach karykaturalnie(raczej nie zamierzenie). Sama historia poza wymienionymi elementami jest w gruncie rzeczy troszkę nudzącą sztampą. No i okładki. Są paskudne, albo mizerne.
Jervis Tetch to prawdziwie chora na głowę osoba, ale taka, której stan jest tutaj bardzo racjonalnie wytłumaczmy. I jego postępowanie, choć okrutne i chore, też ma za sobą całkiem zrozumiałe, ludzkie potrzeby. Kapelusznikowi marzy się powrót do czasów, kiedy był szczęśliwy... Każdy z nas zapewne chciałby wracać do takich przeżyć...
Kapelusznik jednak zamierza dosłownie odtworzyć tamte wydarzenia, dlatego porywa ludzi, aby zrobili dokładną scenografię i odegrali własne role... Oczywiście masowym zaginięciami (i nie tylko... Scena z ciałami w rzecze czy ściekach zrobiła na mnie piorunujące wrażenie) musiał zainteresować się sam Batman.
Jervis jest tu zatem postacią nie tylko chorą umysłowo, ale i tragiczną. Na pewnym etapie swojego życia przestał rosnąć, przez zaburzenia hormonalne w ciele. Nie trzeba było czekać długo na reakcję dzieci w szkole, w tym to najgorsze... nękanie. Z kogoś bardzo lubianego, stał się odludkiem... W akcie rozpaczy chłopak za pozwoleniem rodziców sięga po kuracje środkami mającymi spowodować prawidłowy wzrost. Jest jeden feler. Lek jest w fazie eksperymentów i może mieć fatalne skutki uboczne, co się zresztą dzieje. Zaburzenia psychotyczne. Psychoza. Tak powstaje Kapelusznik.
Batman. Podobała mi się relacja Wayne'a z Natalyą. Gdy się z kimś na poważnie spotykasz, to w końcu ta druga osoba musi zobaczyć, że za takimi wypada coś stoi. Kapitalna scena między obojgiem kochanków na planszach stylizujących klawisze fortepianów zapada w pamięć. Potem jest w sumie lepiej. Hurwitz daje nadzieję na normalny związek, aby potem nas zaskoczyć tak, iż naprawdę przez chwilę siedziałem i patrzyłem na pewne kadry... Dobre. Choć bardzo typowe dla życia Batmana.
Ostatnią rzeczą, która wypada pochwalić jest opowiadanie z Annualu. Kapitalna historyjka, z ładną kreską. Pingwin, Strach na Wróble i Kapelusznik dostają zaproszenia od siebie w pewne miejsce, a tam się okazuje że to podpucha... Wszyscy trzej muszą walczyć o wolność i... Trzeba zobaczyć.
No dobrze, to pewnie zapytacie skąd ta trójeczka. Przede wszystkim nie podobały mi się tutaj te przeskoki w stylistyce pomiędzy zeszytami. Postacie wyglądają w pewnych momentach karykaturalnie(raczej nie zamierzenie). Sama historia poza wymienionymi elementami jest w gruncie rzeczy troszkę nudzącą sztampą. No i okładki. Są paskudne, albo mizerne.
March 16, 2021
Batman: The Dark Knight: Mad picks up where the previous volume left off, collecting the next six issues (Batman: The Dark Knight #16–21) of the 2011 on-going series with Batman: The Dark Knight Annual #1.
"Touch of Crazy", "Sweet Obsession", "Devil's Bargain", "Pool of Tears", "Down, Down, Down", and "Mad" is six interconnected one-issue stories (Batman: The Dark Knight #16–21) has Bruce Wayne as Batman taking on Jervis Tetch as the Mad Hatter with Dumpson Tweed and Deever Tweed as Tweedledum and Tweedledee. It is the reintroduction of the Mad Hatter and origin story of a long-time villain in Batman's Rouges Gallery.
"Once Upon a Midnight Dreary" is a one-issue story (Batman: The Dark Knight Annual #1), which has Jervis Tetch as the Mad Hatter, Oswald Cobblepot as the Penguin, and Jonathan Crane as the Scarecrow were invited to Arkham Asylum and was tortured all night. It is later revealed that Bruce Wayne as Batman has set the trap, while he took the night off.
Gregg Hurwitz penned the entire trade paperback. For the most part, it was written rather well. Hurwitz intimately explores and recreates Jervis Tetch as the Mad Hatter for the New 52 imprint and creates a bloodier and madder, forgive the pun, Mad Hatter and his origin story. The Annual tells an amusing story of Bruce Wayne as Batman taking the night off, but in order to do so, he sets up a trap for three villains in the Mad Hatter, the Penguin, and the Scarecrow.
Ethan Van Sciver (Batman: The Dark Knight #16–18, 21) and Szymon Kudranski (Batman: The Dark Knight #19–20, Annual #1) penciled the trade paperback. For the most part, their penciling styles complemented each other rather well, as their penciling styles beautifully depicted the weaker narrative.
All in all, Batman: The Dark Knight: Mad is a good continuation to what would hopefully be a wonderful series.
"Touch of Crazy", "Sweet Obsession", "Devil's Bargain", "Pool of Tears", "Down, Down, Down", and "Mad" is six interconnected one-issue stories (Batman: The Dark Knight #16–21) has Bruce Wayne as Batman taking on Jervis Tetch as the Mad Hatter with Dumpson Tweed and Deever Tweed as Tweedledum and Tweedledee. It is the reintroduction of the Mad Hatter and origin story of a long-time villain in Batman's Rouges Gallery.
"Once Upon a Midnight Dreary" is a one-issue story (Batman: The Dark Knight Annual #1), which has Jervis Tetch as the Mad Hatter, Oswald Cobblepot as the Penguin, and Jonathan Crane as the Scarecrow were invited to Arkham Asylum and was tortured all night. It is later revealed that Bruce Wayne as Batman has set the trap, while he took the night off.
Gregg Hurwitz penned the entire trade paperback. For the most part, it was written rather well. Hurwitz intimately explores and recreates Jervis Tetch as the Mad Hatter for the New 52 imprint and creates a bloodier and madder, forgive the pun, Mad Hatter and his origin story. The Annual tells an amusing story of Bruce Wayne as Batman taking the night off, but in order to do so, he sets up a trap for three villains in the Mad Hatter, the Penguin, and the Scarecrow.
Ethan Van Sciver (Batman: The Dark Knight #16–18, 21) and Szymon Kudranski (Batman: The Dark Knight #19–20, Annual #1) penciled the trade paperback. For the most part, their penciling styles complemented each other rather well, as their penciling styles beautifully depicted the weaker narrative.
All in all, Batman: The Dark Knight: Mad is a good continuation to what would hopefully be a wonderful series.
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