Elseworlds: Batman Vol. 2

by Doug Moench, Kelley Jones (illustrator), P. Craig Russell (illustrator)

Genres: Comics, Dc Comics

288 pages, Paperback

Published October 8, 2024

About the author

Doug Moench, is an American comic book writer notable for his Batman work and as the creator of Black Mask, Moon Knight and Deathlok. Moench has worked for DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Dark Horse Comics and many other smaller companies; he has written hundreds of issues of many different comics, and created dozens of characters, such as Moon Knight. In 1973, Moench became the de facto lead writer for the Marvel black-and-white magazine imprint Curtis Magazines. He contributed to the entire runs of Planet of the Apes, Rampaging Hulk (continuing on the title when it changed its name to The Hulk!) and Doc Savage, while also serving as a regular scribe for virtually every other Curtis title during the course of the imprint's existence. Moench is perhaps best known for his work on Batman, whose title he wrote from 1983–1986 and then again from 1992–1998. (He also wrote the companion title Detective Comics from 1983–1986.)

Moench is a frequent and longtime collaborator with comics artist Paul Gulacy. The pair are probably best known for their work on Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu, which they worked on together from 1974–1977. They also co-created Six from Sirius, Slash Maraud, and S.C.I. Spy, and have worked together on comics projects featuring Batman, Conan the Barbarian and James Bond.

Moench has frequently been paired with the artist and inker team of Kelley Jones and John Beatty on several Elseworlds Graphic Novels and a long run of the monthly Batman comic.

Reviews

[James Harley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! Dark and violent, bit cheesy and funny in plot progression points but only adds to the charm. Super fun

[Sebastian Lauterbach · Rating 3 out of 5]

Batman becomes a vampire. A tragedy in three acts.

This collection features three oversized stories, all made by the same creative team and they tell a continuing story. As such, this particular collection is one giant Elseworlds story, as opposed to a bunch of unrelated ones, as seen in previous volumes.

All three stories use textboxes in cursive lettering. It's a pain to read; shame on the letterer.

Red Rain: Batman vs Dracula. The way Batman becomes a vampire is cheesy and weird as heck. I dislike the artwork and the story drags on too long, for there's nothing interesting here beyond this obvious battle. -> Mediocre

Bloodstorm: Batman is now a vampire and fights both crime and temptation. Why Selina helps with the latter is beyond my understanding, but her presence in the story does complement the action well. The artwork is a bit better and the story has a natural conclusion. -> Ok

Crimson Mist: But then there's a third chapter in the story. The premise feels like a cash grab, but the story works surprisingly well, with Batman as the villain. Its tone is much darker and some panels are quite extreme and not for the faint of heart. The very last panel made me laugh for how ridiculous it is. -> Great, but also very bizarre

All in all, these stories are worth reading, yet they also feel like an accident I couldn't tun my eyes away from. It's a fine line between a great story and a repulsive one and this volume doesn't quite stick the landing.

[Mikey Gallegos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read. Book is split into 3 stories, starts and ends strong but falters in the middle.

First we follow Batman taking on the looming vampire threat taking over Gotham, led by Dracula himself. It is overall what you’d expect in a confrontation between Batman and Dracula and does not overstay it’s welcome.

The second story takes place right after the events of the first with Batman containing his desire for blood while the Joker takes over the city with what was left of Dracula’s army. This story is interesting, especially when Catwomen starts to get involved, but not as good as the first and third as at times it can be pretty melodramatic.

The third story is a full vampiric embrace by Batman as his bloodlust drives him to take out his rouges gallery one by one with no one to stop him. The third story has the most fun with the concept of Batman being a vampire with the addition of Batman struggling on keeping his moral obligation as the city’s protector. The constant battle within Batman of if he will cross the line and attack innocent people kept me reading on!

One last note is that Kelly Jones’ comic book art here is a sweet treat and based on this book alone he is one of my top Batman artists. See for yourself throughout the panels!

[RJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, well, one star deducted right off the bat for committing the cardinal sin of narration boxes with cursive lettering. Another star off because the third entry, Crimson Mist, is kind of bad and feels a little phones in. The first two entries, Red Rain and Blood Storm, are pretty good!

[Bj Shea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really liked the first two stories… the third not so much