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Legends of the Dark Knight (2012)
Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight, Volume 4
For years, Bruce Wayne has built up the legend of Batman, Gotham’s Dark Knight. But sometimes, a legend will write itself. Sometimes, a memory long suppressed pushes to the surface in the most painful of ways, forcing a hero to question right, wrong, and all they thought they knew of humanity. Long-time adversaries like Clayface, Element King, and Two-Face can still find new ways to push the Dark Knight to untested limits.
Sometimes, the darkness itself births the legend.
It’s tales like these from the creative minds of JOSHUA WILLIAMSON, WES CRAIG, CHARLES SOULE, DENNIS CALERO, FRANK HANNAH, MARCO TURINI, DEXTER SOY, JASON SHAWN ALEXANDER, SHANE DAVIS, BRANDON MONTCLARE, JIM KRUEGER, MIKE W. BARR, and many more that give new breadth to the Bat in BATMAN: LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT VOL. 4 (collects 100-PAGE SUPER SPECTACULAR #2-3).
Sometimes, the darkness itself births the legend.
It’s tales like these from the creative minds of JOSHUA WILLIAMSON, WES CRAIG, CHARLES SOULE, DENNIS CALERO, FRANK HANNAH, MARCO TURINI, DEXTER SOY, JASON SHAWN ALEXANDER, SHANE DAVIS, BRANDON MONTCLARE, JIM KRUEGER, MIKE W. BARR, and many more that give new breadth to the Bat in BATMAN: LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT VOL. 4 (collects 100-PAGE SUPER SPECTACULAR #2-3).
200 pages, Paperback
First published June 2, 2015
About the author
Charles Soule
1,545 books1,732 followersCharles Soule is a #1 New York Times-bestselling novelist, comics author, screenwriter, musician, and lapsed attorney. He has written some of the most prominent stories of the last decade for Marvel, DC and Lucasfilm in addition to his own work, such as his comics Curse Words, Letter 44 and Undiscovered Country, and his original novels Light of the Jedi, The Endless Vessel, The Oracle Year and Anyone. He lives in New York.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
November 29, 2024
(B) 75% | More than Satisfactory
Notes: Read in Digital First singles. Individual reviews for included stories can be found here:
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #38
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #39
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #40
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #51
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #53
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #54
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #55
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #56
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #57
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #58
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #59
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #60
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #61
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #62
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #63
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #64
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #65
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #69
Notes: Read in Digital First singles. Individual reviews for included stories can be found here:
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #38
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #39
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #40
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #51
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #53
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #54
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #55
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #56
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #57
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #58
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #59
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #60
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #61
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #62
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #63
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #64
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #65
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #69
July 9, 2015
Definitely not required reading.
Legends of the Dark Knight 4 is just a mish-mosh of Batman tales by different authors. A few are decent, some are just trippy, and a few downright suck.
But none of them are great.
I Hate it When He Does That tells how (a much too) young Bruce Wayne learns the art of fading into the shadows. He and Alfred find a girl in Thailand, help rescue her from corrupt government official, and she teaches him the Ways of the Force.
Why did Alfred ever agree to any of this bullshit? Toss that kid on a plane, and get the hell out of that cesspool!
Riddler in the Dark is a decent story by Charles Soule. Unsurprisingly, Soule has written one of the better issues.
Riddler needs Batman to help him, but just can't bring himself to ask the nice way.
The Pain Cellar is about a childhood memory of Bruce's that resurfaces, Arm Candy is about another new girlfriend, and The Notebook is about a reporter who's shadowing Bruce for the day.
All of these are written by Frank Hannah, only a few pages long, and all make one (issue?) interconnecting story arc together.
The Beautiful Ugly is a dark and depressing Two-Face story.
No redemption for you! <---That was me doing my Soup Nazi voice, btw.
Break the Mold features Clayface, with cameos from Joker & Poison Ivy. This was one of the stories that had a trippy/weird ending, and I'm still not sure how I felt about it. Was it cool, was it stupid?
No idea.
I can't believe Batman punched Ivy in her flytrap!
Elements of Crime is a throwback/nod to the early (more campy) Batman stories. It really wasn't bad, but I was glad it was only one issue.
The Echo of Pearls is an origin story.
I know! I know! I was sooo excited to read about Bruce's origin story, too!
What makes this story different from the other 90 bjillion Batman origin stories out there?
This one is told from the point of view of his CAVE.
No, I am not shitting you. Even the fucking Batcave gets to tell how little Bruce because the Dark Knight.
Hang on. I've got eyestrain from rolling them so much...
Bottom line: You don't need to read this. If you can get it from a friend or your library, go for it. But don't pay money for this one!
Recommended for hardcore Batman completionists only.
Get this review and more at:
Legends of the Dark Knight 4 is just a mish-mosh of Batman tales by different authors. A few are decent, some are just trippy, and a few downright suck.
But none of them are great.
I Hate it When He Does That tells how (a much too) young Bruce Wayne learns the art of fading into the shadows. He and Alfred find a girl in Thailand, help rescue her from corrupt government official, and she teaches him the Ways of the Force.
Why did Alfred ever agree to any of this bullshit? Toss that kid on a plane, and get the hell out of that cesspool!
Riddler in the Dark is a decent story by Charles Soule. Unsurprisingly, Soule has written one of the better issues.
Riddler needs Batman to help him, but just can't bring himself to ask the nice way.
The Pain Cellar is about a childhood memory of Bruce's that resurfaces, Arm Candy is about another new girlfriend, and The Notebook is about a reporter who's shadowing Bruce for the day.
All of these are written by Frank Hannah, only a few pages long, and all make one (issue?) interconnecting story arc together.
The Beautiful Ugly is a dark and depressing Two-Face story.
No redemption for you! <---That was me doing my Soup Nazi voice, btw.
Break the Mold features Clayface, with cameos from Joker & Poison Ivy. This was one of the stories that had a trippy/weird ending, and I'm still not sure how I felt about it. Was it cool, was it stupid?
No idea.
I can't believe Batman punched Ivy in her flytrap!
Elements of Crime is a throwback/nod to the early (more campy) Batman stories. It really wasn't bad, but I was glad it was only one issue.
The Echo of Pearls is an origin story.
I know! I know! I was sooo excited to read about Bruce's origin story, too!
What makes this story different from the other 90 bjillion Batman origin stories out there?
This one is told from the point of view of his CAVE.
No, I am not shitting you. Even the fucking Batcave gets to tell how little Bruce because the Dark Knight.
Hang on. I've got eyestrain from rolling them so much...
Bottom line: You don't need to read this. If you can get it from a friend or your library, go for it. But don't pay money for this one!
Recommended for hardcore Batman completionists only.
Get this review and more at:
October 23, 2015
I really enjoyed the first 2 stories in this book. They were top notch. The rest were a little hit and miss.
March 13, 2022
Some 4 star material, bogged down by its less impressive co-stories. It's certainly a step up from the last collection as there's nothing overly awful slipped into this one, but there's also nothing memorable once you've finished the first two. It's a mixed bag for sure, with the starting stories setting a mark that's never reached by the rest.
June 24, 2016
Legends of the Dark Knight is a series of Batman short stories taken from various points of his career and, while the series hasn’t been bad, this fourth volume is turrible!
You know how Batman disappears when people have their back turned? Well, now we’ve got an entire story about how he learned that trick - sort of. Because we don’t see him learning that trick, we just see him meeting the people who teach it to him. It’s a young Bruce/Alfred story set far away from Gotham that’s nicely drawn by Deadly Class artist Wes Craig and writer Joshua Williamson gives Alfred some nice moments, but it’s a completely pointless and quite boring comic - and that’s the best one in this collection!
Charles Soule and Dennis Calero tell the story of why the Riddler got himself arrested - the answer will bore you! Frank Hannah and a series of artists provide the longest story here where a kid that young Bruce couldn’t save from a child molester grows up to be a serial-killing child molester, murdering yet another of Bruce’s “true loves” that are introduced and killed off within a few pages. Oh the tragedy, yawn…
There’s a forgettable Two-Face story, a Clayface short that’s nicely drawn by Superman: Earth One artist Shane Davis, and Mike Barr returns to tell the worst story in this book where Batman and Tim Drake/Robin take on The Element King and Queen - good to see the guy hasn’t improved since giving us the godawful Year Two: Fear… The Reaper! And Justice writer Jim Krueger closes out the volume with some nonsense about the bats in the batcave being Bruce’s mother…!? So Krueger also hasn’t gotten better either - this is a real gathering of hacks!
Some of the stories have good art but that’s not even close to being a good enough reason to pick up this crummy book. Legends of the Dark Knight Volume 4 hasn’t got anything worthwhile to offer Batman fans - avoid!
You know how Batman disappears when people have their back turned? Well, now we’ve got an entire story about how he learned that trick - sort of. Because we don’t see him learning that trick, we just see him meeting the people who teach it to him. It’s a young Bruce/Alfred story set far away from Gotham that’s nicely drawn by Deadly Class artist Wes Craig and writer Joshua Williamson gives Alfred some nice moments, but it’s a completely pointless and quite boring comic - and that’s the best one in this collection!
Charles Soule and Dennis Calero tell the story of why the Riddler got himself arrested - the answer will bore you! Frank Hannah and a series of artists provide the longest story here where a kid that young Bruce couldn’t save from a child molester grows up to be a serial-killing child molester, murdering yet another of Bruce’s “true loves” that are introduced and killed off within a few pages. Oh the tragedy, yawn…
There’s a forgettable Two-Face story, a Clayface short that’s nicely drawn by Superman: Earth One artist Shane Davis, and Mike Barr returns to tell the worst story in this book where Batman and Tim Drake/Robin take on The Element King and Queen - good to see the guy hasn’t improved since giving us the godawful Year Two: Fear… The Reaper! And Justice writer Jim Krueger closes out the volume with some nonsense about the bats in the batcave being Bruce’s mother…!? So Krueger also hasn’t gotten better either - this is a real gathering of hacks!
Some of the stories have good art but that’s not even close to being a good enough reason to pick up this crummy book. Legends of the Dark Knight Volume 4 hasn’t got anything worthwhile to offer Batman fans - avoid!
March 20, 2021
Meh. It's not terrible.
Volume 4 of Legends of the Dark Knight has some good stories. The Clayface story and the Two-Face story were good examples. There were too many "young Bruce" (10-12 years old) stories and I find them too cutesy. As usual, the art is only good in a few of these stories. The rest is an atrocious collection of, sadly, what will be up-and-coming DC artists.
A couple of quality stories, a few bad ones and a couple of decent ones. All in all? 2 Stars. Just as an aside, can't they find some better artists? I know they are out there. Only two of these stories really have art that stands out.
So yeah..it's ok. I'm collecting the entire series, so I'll finish it out.
Volume 4 of Legends of the Dark Knight has some good stories. The Clayface story and the Two-Face story were good examples. There were too many "young Bruce" (10-12 years old) stories and I find them too cutesy. As usual, the art is only good in a few of these stories. The rest is an atrocious collection of, sadly, what will be up-and-coming DC artists.
A couple of quality stories, a few bad ones and a couple of decent ones. All in all? 2 Stars. Just as an aside, can't they find some better artists? I know they are out there. Only two of these stories really have art that stands out.
So yeah..it's ok. I'm collecting the entire series, so I'll finish it out.
May 22, 2016
Decent anthology series. Not the greatest but good.
Some of the highlights include a very dark story of Bruce Wayne's childhood when a friend of his was abducted, an above average Riddler story, and Two Face tale with some really cool art that reminded me a bit of Sam Kieth. There was an Element King story that didn't really do it for me, and some of the other stories were hit and miss. Art was decent but inconsistent.
Overall I enjoyed this one, but the stories did run hot and cold at points.
Some of the highlights include a very dark story of Bruce Wayne's childhood when a friend of his was abducted, an above average Riddler story, and Two Face tale with some really cool art that reminded me a bit of Sam Kieth. There was an Element King story that didn't really do it for me, and some of the other stories were hit and miss. Art was decent but inconsistent.
Overall I enjoyed this one, but the stories did run hot and cold at points.
May 24, 2019
Another mixed bag:
"I Hate it When he Does That" - a story about when Bruce and Alfred are traveling the world after his parents' death. Bruce learns how to "disappear" when people are talking to him. Interesting perspective for when Bruce is young and "in training".
"Riddler in the Dark" was pretty good.
The next three all tie together, where Batman completes a promise to help someone from a long time ago. It goes a long way for a not very big payoff.
"The Beautiful Ugly" details Two-Face's new direction and purpose. Too short and mirrors an episode of Batman The Animated Series (one of the later versions of the show.)
"Break the Mold" is interesting. Almost as if it is a prologue to a bigger story.
"Elements of Crime" tries to recreate the writing of the early Batman era (when he called Robin "chum".) It's simplistic, mimics the style well and with modern art, but for modern readers this will come off as very boring and a chore to get through.
"The Echo of Pearls" was the most unique and deserves most of the stars. It's written from the perspective of something completely different and never before done. Short, but by far the best one in the volume.
"I Hate it When he Does That" - a story about when Bruce and Alfred are traveling the world after his parents' death. Bruce learns how to "disappear" when people are talking to him. Interesting perspective for when Bruce is young and "in training".
"Riddler in the Dark" was pretty good.
The next three all tie together, where Batman completes a promise to help someone from a long time ago. It goes a long way for a not very big payoff.
"The Beautiful Ugly" details Two-Face's new direction and purpose. Too short and mirrors an episode of Batman The Animated Series (one of the later versions of the show.)
"Break the Mold" is interesting. Almost as if it is a prologue to a bigger story.
"Elements of Crime" tries to recreate the writing of the early Batman era (when he called Robin "chum".) It's simplistic, mimics the style well and with modern art, but for modern readers this will come off as very boring and a chore to get through.
"The Echo of Pearls" was the most unique and deserves most of the stars. It's written from the perspective of something completely different and never before done. Short, but by far the best one in the volume.
June 10, 2015
Mediocre collection of non-canon stories. Dull and derivative with art that often feels rushed. A few of the endings I couldn't even figure out exactly what happened. Not sure exactly what the point of this digital-first title is. A husk of what LOTDK was back when it was actually the best monthly coming out in comic shops starting in 89 and through the mid-90's.
November 2, 2015
A "Hit or Miss" collection from different writers and artists.
It was "Ok"....I didn't like the Clayface story-very odd ending....
They had a "Throwback" type story in the spirit of the late 60's Batman stories-with Tim Drake as Robin-it was good, but seemed to go on forever.
The other stories were "ok" as I said above. If you're a Batman fan, you could do worse..
It was "Ok"....I didn't like the Clayface story-very odd ending....
They had a "Throwback" type story in the spirit of the late 60's Batman stories-with Tim Drake as Robin-it was good, but seemed to go on forever.
The other stories were "ok" as I said above. If you're a Batman fan, you could do worse..
May 24, 2015
A great and fun collection of some of the best "Batman" stories ever written. This book series always brought fun "Batman" stories to the table, without hampering them with year long story arcs.
May 12, 2026
This is a collection of stories that were originally just offered digitally but its collected here as basically an anthology. Due to that its quality is a mixed bag. There are far more bad stories here than good ones and one terrible one. The standout was the Riddler story by Charles Soule. None were groundbreaking or overly memorable. The art was also varied. Overall, nothing vital or necessary.
January 22, 2021
Took some time to read but it was alright, some stories you learn about Batman’s character and others are fun, the art styles in these books again are one of the main reasons I read them, the supervillains also do a good job in these stories, some of their schemes are very clever and well thought through!
September 8, 2020
I love the random stories that Legends of the Dark Knight was able to deliver. In this collection, we see Batman as a Detective, a fighter, and as a boy. No spoilers, but the last story was short and was my favorite.
January 4, 2021
Now this is how a Batman volume should be. A thoroughly entertaining collection of stories each suited to an aspect of the Dark Knight be it his intelligence, upbringing, relationship with villains in Gotham.
March 2, 2017
[3 and 1/2 stars]
June 11, 2019
another group of good batman stories
July 15, 2021
Nothing really stood out, though most were okay reads. Really did not like the retro feel one.
November 1, 2022
Just awful. The only stand out story in this is (and I swear I’m not being sarcastic or ironic) told from the perspective of the Batcave.
March 21, 2017
There was one story that is easily a 5. It is from the perspective of the BatCave. It is now among the best Batman stories that I have ever read. That story alone was worth it.
March 12, 2016
The digital adventures of the Batman are once again presented in graphic novel format for this fourth collection of Legends of the Dark Knight. The wide variety of tales, writers, and artists makes these assortments a mixed bag, ranging from beautifully intriguing to downright head-scratching. The opening tale flashes back to young Bruce Wayne during his world travels. A chance encounter with a mysterious freedom fighter leads Bruce and Alfred to aid a revolution, in exchange for the girl teaching Bruce the art of vanishing in plain sight. The Riddler purposefully gets himself arrested during the second yarn, forcing Batman to uncover the truth behind the criminal's desire for incarceration. A series of one-shots are tied together by a former childhood acquaintance of Bruce's, a victim of a child predator who ends up becoming one himself. The dark and gritty art of the Two-Face tale matches the dark undertones of the madman's faux courtroom drama. Reenacting his first ever trial loss, Two-Face sets mob justice in motion against a former thief. Things are not quite what the seem when Batman tracks down Clayface, leading to a strange twist on the idea of an identity crisis. Shades of the classic Batman TV series make their way into a battle between the Dynamic Duo and the legacy of the Element King, and the book concludes with the batcave itself discussing the fated path of the Dark Knight. There is something for all types of Bat-fans in the Legends series, making this fourth collection a entertaining grab bag for eager readers.
July 23, 2015
The fourth printed volume of a digital first anthology collection of non-canon stories (Legends) around Batman universe. It serves much of a showcase of talent in comics today, and some of the stories are really interesting (Two-Face) and others not so (Clayface). A good buy for those loyal fans of the dark knight that like to read different interpretations of the character, his foes, and his city, but for comic starters or people who just want to read the best batman stories, maybe are better skipping this one.
January 2, 2016
This was much better. Started off with two great stories and then kind of petered out from there. But still, I enjoyed it. I'll end this series now on a good note.
August 23, 2020
This one is a step back up from the third volume to being as enjoyable as the first two volumes. It moves at a much faster clip and the art is more consistently good.
May 27, 2015
Great tales for when you just need some short, one issue stories.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews