Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight, Volume 5

Legends of the Dark Knight (2012)

by Aaron Lopresti (Writer/Illustrator), Doug Wagner (Writer), Marc Guggenheim (Writer)

These are dark days for the Dark Knight.

Where would the Dark Knight be if not for the monsters that prey on the very essence of innocent life? His defeats of villains like the Riddler have only helped grow his legend. But what if that's been part of Edward Nigma's plan all along? And for all of Batman's victories, could a new villain obsessed with Edgar Allan Poe be the one to finally bury him? It's up to Arkham Asylum's newest psychologist, Dr. Updin, to find out.

An all-star roster of comics' brightest talents including AARON LOPRESTI, SCOTT KOLINS, DOUG WARNER, MATTHEW DOW SMITH, MARC GUGGENHEIM, FEDERICO DALLOCCHIO, RON MARZ, CULLY HAMNER, J. TORRES, MATTHEW CLARK and more explores all these aspects of Batman in LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT VOL. 5! Collects LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT #66-68, #70-84.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Batman, Dc Comics, Crime, Superheroes, Thriller

200 pages, Paperback

First published November 10, 2015

About the author

Aaron Lopresti is an American comic book artist who has worked for Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Dark Horse Comics, CrossGen Comics and Image Comics.

Reviews

[Jayson · Rating 3 out of 5]

(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) #66
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #67
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #68
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #70
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #71
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #72
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #73
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #74
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #75
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #76

[Molly™☺ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Riddle me this. When is a Batman book not good? When it's a collection of stories that range from middle of the road to poor. That's not really a riddle, but the answer remains true. There's only one story that showed real potential, and that features the Riddler and a rather entertaining psychological game played between some unexpected characters. The Legends of the Dark Knight series ends on a little bit of a low, but it started to peter out long before this...

[Sam Quixote · Rating 1 out of 5]

Legends of the Dark Knight really has become the dumping ground for awful Batman stories. There’s nothing in this half-assed collection that’s worth reading by anyone, Batman fan or no.

This volume has a campy horror theme for no reason. There’s a terrible Frankenstein story, an even worse vampire story, some trash about a guy who burns people in revenge, and a story about an Edgar Allan Poe impersonator with a posse of Poe’s characters who want to kill Batman.

And did someone say Batman Forever callback? Hells no? Well, you’re getting one anyway! There’s a story featuring Dr Chase Meridian (Nicole Kidman’s character) who correctly psycho-analyses Batman and Riddler. That one literally put me to sleep! The book closes out with a coma-starter about how Robin and Batgirl aren’t as good as Batman - duuuhh!

This whole book is garbage from start to finish - don’t bother, and approach any Legends of the Dark Knight comic with wariness!

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

This may be the all around best volume of the current series to date. Standouts are the Matthew Dow Smith story and the Riddler story.

[Sud666 · Rating 2 out of 5]

So far this new Legends of the Dark Knight has not lived up to the standards of the original. As with any such series the quality of the work is a direct result of the stories within. The stories are mostly mediocre. Two of the stories- The Riddler story and the one with Batgirl and Robin were decent. The art on the Batgirl/Robin story was good as well.

The rest? Meh. Batman fights a vampire thing, Batman fights a Frankenstein thing, none of the stories were really that good. The art varies from meh to god-awful. Not many of these new Legends has been very good. A not that impressive collection of stories.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a decent volume.

First we had a Batman Frankenstein type story where a mad scientist tries to create a new Batman and ends up with a Frankenstein monster. Not bad, and art was pretty good too. Probably my favorite story of the volume.

Then we find Batman dealing with someone caught in a fire who can no longer feel pain and is out for revenge for a family member. Another decent one.

Riddler shows up and we see a new side of him. It was okay, but seemed out of character for the Riddler.

A new Edgar Allen Poe inspired villain shows up to challenge Batman. It sounds like a cool concept but the story really didn't work for me.

A supernatural tale featuring Batman vs. vampires, or something close to it. Not too bad, but the art wasn't the best. The art didn't seem to fit Batman very well.

Finally we see Robin and Batgirl teaming up trying to fill Batman's shoes. Decent.

Overall the book had its weak points, but I did enjoy it. Nothing you couldn't live without, but if you're a Batman fan youll probably like it.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a huge fan of the batfamily, it was so nice to see Tim, Dick, and Batgirl in this collection. I’m definitely biased when it comes to them so it was a no brainer why this is 5 stars. Also this volume has the iconic panel of Bruce and the lady at dinner where she expects him to pay because he’s the millionaire, but Bruce thought she was going to say man and was going to be disappointed. The photo is roaming the internet right now but might be buried by the time anyone reads this review🤷🏻‍♀️

[Zachary King · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fifth and final volume in the anthology series. Lot of emphasis on monsters, including a Franken-Bat, a vampire, and a man who cannot feel pain. Also has a good Riddler story and a Robin/Batgirl team-up to close the volume. I especially enjoyed the Poe-themed story and would like to see more of that character.

[Abhinav Vuppalapati · Rating 3 out of 5]

More Batman stories, again it depends on what you like it’s either a hit or a miss I thought it was alright, just short Batman stories, and the art is again very well done with setting the vibe and just in general!

[Don · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of short stories with no continuity. Some were really great, others just average. I enjoyed it but definitely not considered essential reading.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some solid Batman stories.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

very cool Batman stories.

[Kurt Vosper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gotta give this one a 5. Reasons? Excellent art. Great stories. My favourite superhero. Everything I love in a graphic novel.

[Ming · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mostly middling, but I was pleasantly surprised to find a tale set in the Batman Forever universe that was pretty good.

[M · Rating 2 out of 5]

The digital-first series Legends of of the Dark Knight hits its fifth in-print volume with this collection. Featuring a host of writers and artists, each miniature adventure places the spotlight on the world of Batman in new and different ways. First up is "I...Batman" from Aaron Lopresti, which features a Gotham-sized riff on the classic Frankenstein's monster. Obsessed with creating his own hero to fight off the injustices of the world, Doctor Norman Carver uses the tainted crime scene samples of Batman's blood to create his own freakish Dark Knight. Determined to refine the process through the actual source material, Carver and his creation abduct the Batman - only to fall prey to the same tragic ending as their inspirational material. Lopresti handles both art and story in this offering, which sadly feels uninspired and derivative. Doug Wagner and Matthew Dow Smith tag-team for the second tale, "Ashes to Ashes." A string of murders with a distinct arsonist flair forces Batman to uses his fabled detective skills to unravel the identity of Gotham's newest serial killer. What he finds is a twisted vendetta on organ donors by the horrifically scarred sole survivor of a house fire. Wagner's set-up for the mystery is adequate, but is rushed in its execution and conclusion; the nuanced art from Smith is fair, yet often works better in the posed scenes than in the action areas. The Riddler is the focus of "Herded Limits," from Marc Guggenheim and Federico Dallocchio. His frequent incarcerations at Arkham lead to the questioning of his motives by the new psychologist, Doctor Chase Meridian; she herself is torn between studying Nigma and the hidden facets of her new paramour Bruce Wayne. As she gets dangerously close to uncovering both men's secrets, Meridian becomes a pawn in a deadly game between Batman and Riddler. The psychological notes are the highlights of Guggehheim's writing chores, as he explores the dangerous object that is the mind of Edward Nigma. The textural design and facial expression art of Dallocchio pairs well with the story, creating an engaging read. A new villain obsessed with Edgar Allen Poe takes the stage in "Nevermore," from Ron Marz. Pulling his inspiration, henchmen, deathtraps, and appearance from the famous macabre writer himself, the mysterious Edgar claims to have eliminated both Batman and Catwoman. However, the silent rapping of a bat at his Arkham door soon leads to the truth behind his outlandish claim. Marz successfully uses the workings of Poe to create an engaging spin-off of the classic poem, aided by the unique talents of Cully Hamner and Derec Donovan in capturing the lunacy throughout. Scott Kolins puts together a staggered vampire tale in "Hell's Bells," which actually highlights his energetic artistic skills better than his writing. The book ends with "What Would Batman Do?" by J. Torres and Matthew Clark, which details a Batgirl/Robin team-up from the old days as both heroes must contend with Arkham escapees during Batman's absence. The clean linework from Clark is expressive and impressive, yet Torres chooses to explore the relative inexperience of the new Dynamic Duo to further extol the virtues of the Dark Knight. Overall, these new Legends are a low-calorie snack to be had in-between the more fulfilling stories of the monthly Batman titles.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another mixed bag of Batman stories, this time with an emphasis on horror and monster. Nothing really horrible or that great here, but nothing very memorable either. If you like your Batman with a touch of the macabre you might enjoy it.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mildly disappointed. The art was crap, and I like the writer. This is usually a solid comic. I'll blame dc and the editors.

[Harrison Delahunty · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is easily the best volume of the series. So at least it went out on a somewhat-high note, even though nothing here really ascends above fun junk-food comics.