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Batman: Shadow of the Bat (Collected Editions) #2
Batman: Shadow of the Bat, Volume 2
Writer Alan Grant (DETECTIVE COMICS) continues his epic run of BATMAN: SHADOW OF THE BAT, this time joined by artists Bret Blevins (BATMAN: ZERO HOUR, HARLEY QUINN) and Norm Breyfogle (BATMAN) and others in these stories about the men and women in shadow...the shadow of the Bat in BATMAN: SHADOW OF THE BAT VOL. 2!
To many in Gotham City, Batman is a savior; to others, he is a menace who must be stopped. This includes Anarky, who escapes prison and sets out to eliminate the Dark Knight for the good of the city. The Scarecrow, though, has other plans for Batman.
When Gotham is visited by an alien parasite, a high school gym teacher becomes the city's latest protector, taking on the costumed persona of Joe Public, but there's a lot he must learn from the World's Greatest Detective. And after Batman's back is broken, he has handed the mantle of the Bat to Jean-Paul Valley, who has a very deadly approach to crime fighting. Valley's actions prompt an injured and demoralized Bruce Wayne to retrain his ravaged body and travel to England with Alfred in search of Shondra Kinsolving, the one woman who might be able to heal him.
Collects BATMAN: SHADOW OF THE BAT #13-24 and BATMAN: SHADOW OF THE BAT ANNUAL #1.
To many in Gotham City, Batman is a savior; to others, he is a menace who must be stopped. This includes Anarky, who escapes prison and sets out to eliminate the Dark Knight for the good of the city. The Scarecrow, though, has other plans for Batman.
When Gotham is visited by an alien parasite, a high school gym teacher becomes the city's latest protector, taking on the costumed persona of Joe Public, but there's a lot he must learn from the World's Greatest Detective. And after Batman's back is broken, he has handed the mantle of the Bat to Jean-Paul Valley, who has a very deadly approach to crime fighting. Valley's actions prompt an injured and demoralized Bruce Wayne to retrain his ravaged body and travel to England with Alfred in search of Shondra Kinsolving, the one woman who might be able to heal him.
Collects BATMAN: SHADOW OF THE BAT #13-24 and BATMAN: SHADOW OF THE BAT ANNUAL #1.
352 pages, Paperback
First published February 5, 1994
17 people are currently reading
71 people want to read
About the author
Alan Grant
1,712 books144 followersAlan Grant was a Scottish comic book writer known for writing Judge Dredd in 2000 AD as well as various Batman titles during the late 1980s and early 1990s. He is also the creator of the character Anarky.
Alan Grant first entered the comics industry in 1967 when he became an editor for D.C. Thomson before moving to London from Dundee in 1970 to work for IPC on various romance magazines. After going back to college and having a series of jobs, Grant found himself back in Dundee and living on Social Security. He then met John Wagner, another former D.C. Thompson editor, who was helping put together a new science fiction comic for IPC, 2000 A.D., and was unable to complete his other work. Wagner asked Grant if he could help him write the Tarzan comic he was working on; so began the Wagner/Grant writing partnership.
The pair eventually co-wrote Judge Dredd. They would work on other popular strips for the comic, including Robo-Hunter and Strontium Dog using the pseudonym T.B. Grover. Grant also worked on other people's stories, changing and adding dialogue, most notably Harry Twenty on the High Rock, written by Gerry Finley-Day. Judge Dredd would be Grant's main concern for much of the 1980s. Grant and Wagner had developed the strip into the most popular in 2000AD as well as creating lengthy epic storylines such as The Apocalypse War. Grant also wrote for other IPC comics such as the revamped Eagle.
By the late 1980s, Grant and Wagner were about to move into the American comic market. Their first title was a 12-issue miniseries called Outcasts for DC Comics. Although it wasn't a success, it paved the way for the pair to write Batman stories in Detective Comics from issue 583, largely with Norm Breyfogle on art duties across the various Batman titles Grant moved to. After a dozen issues, Wagner left Grant as sole writer. Grant was one of the main Batman writers until the late 1990s. The pair also created a four issue series for Epic Comics called The Last American. This series, as well as the Chopper storyline in Judge Dredd, is blamed for the breakup of the Wagner/Grant partnership. The pair split strips, with Wagner keeping Judge Dredd and Grant keeping Strontium Dog and Judge Anderson. Grant and Wagner continue to work together on special projects such as the Batman/Judge Dredd crossover Judgement on Gotham. During the late 1980s, Grant experienced a philosophical transformation and declared himself an anarchist. The creation of the supervillain Anarky was initially intended as a vehicle for exploring his political opinions through the comic medium. In the following years, he would continue to utilize the character in a similar fashion as his philosophy evolved.
Grant's projects at the start of the 90s included writing Detective Comics and Strontium Dog, but two projects in particular are especially notable. The first is The Bogie Man, a series co-written by Wagner which was the pair's first venture into independent publishing. The second is Lobo, a character created by Keith Giffen as a supporting character in The Omega Men. Lobo gained his own four issue mini series in 1990 which was drawn by Simon Bisley. This was a parody of the 'dark, gritty' comics of the time and proved hugely popular. After several other miniseries (all written by Grant, sometimes with Giffen as co-writer), Lobo received his own ongoing series. Grant was also writing L.E.G.I.O.N. (a Legion of Super-Heroes spin-off) and The Demon (a revival of Jack Kirby's charac
Alan Grant first entered the comics industry in 1967 when he became an editor for D.C. Thomson before moving to London from Dundee in 1970 to work for IPC on various romance magazines. After going back to college and having a series of jobs, Grant found himself back in Dundee and living on Social Security. He then met John Wagner, another former D.C. Thompson editor, who was helping put together a new science fiction comic for IPC, 2000 A.D., and was unable to complete his other work. Wagner asked Grant if he could help him write the Tarzan comic he was working on; so began the Wagner/Grant writing partnership.
The pair eventually co-wrote Judge Dredd. They would work on other popular strips for the comic, including Robo-Hunter and Strontium Dog using the pseudonym T.B. Grover. Grant also worked on other people's stories, changing and adding dialogue, most notably Harry Twenty on the High Rock, written by Gerry Finley-Day. Judge Dredd would be Grant's main concern for much of the 1980s. Grant and Wagner had developed the strip into the most popular in 2000AD as well as creating lengthy epic storylines such as The Apocalypse War. Grant also wrote for other IPC comics such as the revamped Eagle.
By the late 1980s, Grant and Wagner were about to move into the American comic market. Their first title was a 12-issue miniseries called Outcasts for DC Comics. Although it wasn't a success, it paved the way for the pair to write Batman stories in Detective Comics from issue 583, largely with Norm Breyfogle on art duties across the various Batman titles Grant moved to. After a dozen issues, Wagner left Grant as sole writer. Grant was one of the main Batman writers until the late 1990s. The pair also created a four issue series for Epic Comics called The Last American. This series, as well as the Chopper storyline in Judge Dredd, is blamed for the breakup of the Wagner/Grant partnership. The pair split strips, with Wagner keeping Judge Dredd and Grant keeping Strontium Dog and Judge Anderson. Grant and Wagner continue to work together on special projects such as the Batman/Judge Dredd crossover Judgement on Gotham. During the late 1980s, Grant experienced a philosophical transformation and declared himself an anarchist. The creation of the supervillain Anarky was initially intended as a vehicle for exploring his political opinions through the comic medium. In the following years, he would continue to utilize the character in a similar fashion as his philosophy evolved.
Grant's projects at the start of the 90s included writing Detective Comics and Strontium Dog, but two projects in particular are especially notable. The first is The Bogie Man, a series co-written by Wagner which was the pair's first venture into independent publishing. The second is Lobo, a character created by Keith Giffen as a supporting character in The Omega Men. Lobo gained his own four issue mini series in 1990 which was drawn by Simon Bisley. This was a parody of the 'dark, gritty' comics of the time and proved hugely popular. After several other miniseries (all written by Grant, sometimes with Giffen as co-writer), Lobo received his own ongoing series. Grant was also writing L.E.G.I.O.N. (a Legion of Super-Heroes spin-off) and The Demon (a revival of Jack Kirby's charac
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
September 26, 2019
This gets derailed a bit with the Bloodlines crossover and all the Knightquest stuff. The only major villain to appear in the book is Scarecrow. I did like the Vince Giarrano issues with the Tally Man. He's got a very quirky style that I kind of love. Brett Blevins is the semi regular artist on the book at this point. I find his art frustrating. Sometimes it looks very solid while others it looks like a caricature, almost like the character is wearing a Halloween mask over their head. Norm Breyfogle illustrates the first issue and his art is sorely missed throughout the book. Joe Staton is a terrible artist, at least at this time he was.
May 21, 2018
After finishing this second volume of assorted Alan Grant stories about Jean-Paul Valley/Bruce Wayne Batman, it occurred to me how his cape changes personality from artist to artist. Sometimes it is a menacing extension of the Bat. Sometimes a bit more abstract and seemingly self aware. Sometimes awkwardly jutting unnaturally in space.
That kind of represents this grouping of stories. Some awkwardly exist in word and picture ("Gotham Freaks"), and others mesh well together in tone all around ("The Tally Man"). Overall, I felt the Azrael stories worked the best. They all had a nice balance of his struggle with programmed demons while shouldering the responsibilities of being Batman. This was most evident in my favorite story, "God of Fear", where Azrael had to challenge the classic Scarecrow as he longs for godhood. Brett Blevins amazing artwork elevates this tale with his sinister and sharp faces and probably the best Scarecrow in the business. Other entries like “Joe Public" are mired down with tired superhero-vengeance plots and odd interactions.
Nonetheless, it’s a nice collection of stories that represent a particular phase of Batlore where Bruce Wayne is healing and questioning his future as Batman while Jean-Paul Valley is forcing his unrelenting Bat-Justice upon Gotham.
That kind of represents this grouping of stories. Some awkwardly exist in word and picture ("Gotham Freaks"), and others mesh well together in tone all around ("The Tally Man"). Overall, I felt the Azrael stories worked the best. They all had a nice balance of his struggle with programmed demons while shouldering the responsibilities of being Batman. This was most evident in my favorite story, "God of Fear", where Azrael had to challenge the classic Scarecrow as he longs for godhood. Brett Blevins amazing artwork elevates this tale with his sinister and sharp faces and probably the best Scarecrow in the business. Other entries like “Joe Public" are mired down with tired superhero-vengeance plots and odd interactions.
Nonetheless, it’s a nice collection of stories that represent a particular phase of Batlore where Bruce Wayne is healing and questioning his future as Batman while Jean-Paul Valley is forcing his unrelenting Bat-Justice upon Gotham.
April 3, 2023
Continuing the collection of Shadow of the Bat series from the 90's (issues 13-23 and Annual 1) sees the transition of Bruce Wayne Batman to the slowly unhinged violent Jean Paul Valley Batman after the 'KNIGHTFALL' events in the main Batman titles.
Stories borderline from good to ok, with The Hood storyline, focussing on a recuperating Bruce Wayne in England, standing out as one of the better stories. Recommended for a fun but not essential read.
Stories borderline from good to ok, with The Hood storyline, focussing on a recuperating Bruce Wayne in England, standing out as one of the better stories. Recommended for a fun but not essential read.
August 11, 2019
Another solid collection of stories with lots of tie-ins to Knightfall.
The best of these are collected as parts of the Knightfall saga. The first one is the excellent God of Fear where Bret Blevins shows his best work I've seen so far and Scarecrow his mediocre kung fu skills (the "Crane style", get it?). The other one is The Tally Man with stylish art by Vince Giarrano and the first appearance of this hitman with childhood trauma. The last one should be a part of the Knightquest chapter but was not included in the edition I've read (it still isn't in the newest one as far as I can tell). It's called simply Bruce Wayne and deals with him visiting England while crippled in search of Shondra Kinsolving. Alas, it is not all that was left out so one episode is still left to complete this plot branch of the full saga.
The best of these are collected as parts of the Knightfall saga. The first one is the excellent God of Fear where Bret Blevins shows his best work I've seen so far and Scarecrow his mediocre kung fu skills (the "Crane style", get it?). The other one is The Tally Man with stylish art by Vince Giarrano and the first appearance of this hitman with childhood trauma. The last one should be a part of the Knightquest chapter but was not included in the edition I've read (it still isn't in the newest one as far as I can tell). It's called simply Bruce Wayne and deals with him visiting England while crippled in search of Shondra Kinsolving. Alas, it is not all that was left out so one episode is still left to complete this plot branch of the full saga.
February 2, 2023
Batman: Shadow of the Bat Vol. 2 collects issues 13-23 and 1 of the DC Comics series written by Alan Grant with art by Bret Blevins, Vince Giarrano, Norm Breyfogle, Joe Stanton, and Trevor Von Eden.
Two-thirds of the book are dedicated to the Bloodlines/Knightfall storyline which, while important to modern Batman mythos, I have never really cared for. The major arc that crosses over in to the Shadow of the Bat issues is that Jean-Paul Valley (Azrael) has take. up the mantle of Batman after Bruce Wayne suffered a broken back against Bane. We see Azrael become exponentially more violent in his actions as he becomes more and more radical as Gotham’s new protector.
The arc I enjoyed the most dealt with a still injured and recovering Bruce Wayne who is trying to track down his kidnapped girlfriend in England. Bruce must come up with a disguise to explain his injuries while investigating. It still ties in to the overall Knightfall storyline, but I don’t remember it being collected in the Knightfall compendiums I read in the past. The Knightfall storyline was so long, I imagine it will continue into the next volume of Shadow of the Bat.
Two-thirds of the book are dedicated to the Bloodlines/Knightfall storyline which, while important to modern Batman mythos, I have never really cared for. The major arc that crosses over in to the Shadow of the Bat issues is that Jean-Paul Valley (Azrael) has take. up the mantle of Batman after Bruce Wayne suffered a broken back against Bane. We see Azrael become exponentially more violent in his actions as he becomes more and more radical as Gotham’s new protector.
The arc I enjoyed the most dealt with a still injured and recovering Bruce Wayne who is trying to track down his kidnapped girlfriend in England. Bruce must come up with a disguise to explain his injuries while investigating. It still ties in to the overall Knightfall storyline, but I don’t remember it being collected in the Knightfall compendiums I read in the past. The Knightfall storyline was so long, I imagine it will continue into the next volume of Shadow of the Bat.
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September 5, 2020Alan Grant's old Bat-book gets dragged into various line-wide bullshit, like an unexplained Bloodlines crossover immediately followed by the period where Azrael took over for a broken Bruce Wayne. Which, if nothing else, reminded me that they'd happened that close together – does that mean that sometimes when Tommy was mouthing off to the Bat in Hitman, it wasn't Bruce in there? There are also annoyances for which the blame can't so easily be laid elsewhere, like the Scarecrow's plot to become God of Fear, because he's outraged there are gods of so many things but none for that. You what? There are at least two, who have moons of Mars named after them, and occasionally crop up as Wonder Woman villains in this very universe. But even with such irritations, overall this is so much more satisfactory than modern Bat-books, with something of the same sensibility as the Burton films to which it's contemporary – more serious than the Adam West season, but never merely realistic. Artists like Blevins and Breyfogle bring an exaggerated sensibility and an air of dark carnival to proceedings, so that the Scarecrow, for instance, looks like some genuinely unnerving hybrid of two other Burton creations, Jack Skellington and Oogie Boogie, rather than a twat in a sack as per Nolan's effort. And elsewhere there's still room for little done-in-one pieces about, for instance, a no-mark who stumbles on Batman's secret identity (this at the point where he's still Bruce). There's also a pleasing willingness to come up with new villains, or dig deep for obscure old ones, and if the likes of the Tallyman haven't had the same longevity as other Grant creations like the Puppeteer, Scarface, or Szasz, they still contribute to a general sense of invention and abundance, as against the current tedious obsession with the sodding Joker and co. Sadly the collection does end with a three-parter which a) being set in Britain, and written by a 2000AD veteran, can't help but feel a bit Pat Mills in places and b) is part of the whole Knightquest bollocks, with a temporarily disabled Bruce trying to find his psychic healer/love interest who's been kidnapped along with Robin's sick dad and from this distance, one doesn't much like to be reminded of any of it. Even there, though, for a Green Knowe fan there is at least a lovely little Easter egg in Bruce adopting the alias Sir Hemingford Gray.
November 30, 2025
Do you want to read Batman comics from the 1990s? This trade paperback might be for you! This volume collects issues 13-24 of the series Batman: Shadow of the Bat along with Batman: The Shadow of the Bat annual 1.
Reading this with my kids they found it confusing since there’s some events in Batman comics in the 90s that need to be assumed before one understands what is going on. Many of these issues in this volume assume the Knightfall event has happened, where Batman had his back broken by Bane and Bruce Wayne is unable to fulfill his duty of being Batman. So Jean Paul Valley takes over but he struggles internally with Bruce Wayne’s code of justice especially with limiting violence and no kill. He gets more violent with the passing of time and it goes on for too long before one get to volume three where we see Bruce Wayne being able to do something about it. Overall not as good as the first volume but there’s still plots and storyline. The artwork again is not the best as other era of Batman comics.
Reading this with my kids they found it confusing since there’s some events in Batman comics in the 90s that need to be assumed before one understands what is going on. Many of these issues in this volume assume the Knightfall event has happened, where Batman had his back broken by Bane and Bruce Wayne is unable to fulfill his duty of being Batman. So Jean Paul Valley takes over but he struggles internally with Bruce Wayne’s code of justice especially with limiting violence and no kill. He gets more violent with the passing of time and it goes on for too long before one get to volume three where we see Bruce Wayne being able to do something about it. Overall not as good as the first volume but there’s still plots and storyline. The artwork again is not the best as other era of Batman comics.
May 31, 2020
Definitely don't make this one of your first forays into Batman. This series collect stories from a supplemental series from the 90s. These stories are fantastic, and the art is wonderful. Out of context, however, I can see this collection being one jarring read.
My favorite tales were the Scarecrow and Tally Man ones. I wish Tally Man would be used more. He's a forgotten villain I really have taken a liking to. The Scarecrow plot in trying to assume control over Gotham as a god of fear was neat, classic, and fun.
Can't wait to read more of this series.
My favorite tales were the Scarecrow and Tally Man ones. I wish Tally Man would be used more. He's a forgotten villain I really have taken a liking to. The Scarecrow plot in trying to assume control over Gotham as a god of fear was neat, classic, and fun.
Can't wait to read more of this series.
July 29, 2023
If you know me irl (or have been reading my reviews), it will be no surprise that my favorite story in this collection is the 3-part "The God of Fear." Scarecrow is my favorite Batman character. "The Nobody" was touching. A bum accidently discovers Batman's secret identity and tries to sell the information, only to be fatally injuried. Knowing he is going to soon die, he tries to warn Bruce Wayne that the man he told is planning to sell Batman's identity that night. It is sort of similar to the B:tAS episode "The Strange Secret of Bruce Wayne." The other stories were...strange; not necessarily bad, but I thought they were weird or left me with more questions. For example, who is the red dragon/mysterious man in "Joe Public" and does Batman ever deal with him again? The last story (in 3 parts) "Bruce Wayne: The Hood", "Bruce Wayne: A Day in the Death of an English Village", and "Bruce Wayne: Curse of the Bat" must be what was happening with Bruce during the Knightfall storyline, as he is looking for his love-interest Shondra and Tim Drake's father in England.
February 2, 2022
This is an old collection of Batman tales from the early 1990s written by Alan Grant. It seems to have taken place after Batman's back was broken by Bane and in much of the stories, Batman role was assumed by Azazel, a violent superhero. Robin and Nightwing were obviously at odds with this violent incarnation of Azazel as such tensions arose.
The artwork is horrible to say the least and is mostly drawn without much care nor skill. The only redeeming artwork is the cover art, which is excellent.
The artwork is horrible to say the least and is mostly drawn without much care nor skill. The only redeeming artwork is the cover art, which is excellent.
May 5, 2021
There are some decent stories here but this collection is all over the place. Bruce Wayne as Batman, Jean Paul Valley as Batman, and then Bruce Wayne without Batman. DC could have enhanced the presentation here with an explanatory paragraph or two to help the uninitiated understand Knightfall-era Batman and why all these stops and starts are happening. However, they chose not to and the result is a book that feels like it was produced with minimal effort.
November 7, 2024
Nostalgia can't due enough to make recommend this book. Batman veteran, Alan Grant tells a bunch of 90s Batman tales during the Knightfall time frame. Most are suspect at best and very forgettable. There is a Scarecrow tale that's good but that might be it. The introduction of Tally Man is intriguing though. The rest of the tales are okay to stay in the past. There is some classic artwork including some cool Bert Blevins work. Overall, for completists only.
August 5, 2020
Considering this collects parts of KnightFall and KnightQuest: The Crusade and KnightQuest: The Search this is a surprisingly decent collection that I probably shouldn't have put off for so long.
May 28, 2021
A strong collection of stories that's MAYBE a bit stronger than the first volume. It lags a bit on the Knightquest tie-ins, but this is Alan Grant at his best.
October 28, 2021
A few solid stories here as the title picks up strength thanks to the talents of Alan Grant. Awesome Scarecrow story, plus Nick Giarrano’s Batman is simply amazing. Also liked The Hood story.
April 29, 2023
This volume veers into Jean Paul Valley’s time as the dark knight.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews