The DC Universe by Neil Gaiman

by Neil Gaiman

Timeless tales of the world's greatest heroes from the legendary creator of THE SANDMAN and AMERICAN GODS are collected in DC UNIVERSE BY NEIL GAIMAN.

What evil is so powerful that it can melt the Man of Steel--and extinguish the Green Lantern's light? How did Poison Ivy's power first take root--and where did the Riddler find his calling? Who killed the Batman--and will the legend of the Dark Knight ever really end?

The answers to all these questions and more are revealed in THE DC UNIVERSE BY NEIL GAIMAN, collecting for the first time in a single volume eight of the award-winning author's celebrated stories of superheroics!

Illustrated by a host of comics' top talents--including Andy Kubert, Mark Buckingham, Simon Bisley, Michael Allred, John Totleben, Matt Wagner, Kevin Nowlan and Jim Aparo--THE DC UNIVERSE BY NEIL GAIMAN features all-star adventures from the pages of SECRET ORIGINS, BATMAN BLACK AND WHITE, SOLO and WEDNESDAY COMICS, as well as the never-before-reprinted graphic novel GREEN LANTERN/SUPERMAN: LEGEND OF THE GREEN FLAME and the complete saga of BATMAN: WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE CAPED CRUSADER? Plus, afterwords from the author and a special sketchbook section from Andy Kubert.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics, Batman, Superheroes, Comic Book, Fiction

224 pages, Paperback

First published July 26, 2016

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all if you start reading this and get a feeling of deja vu, that's because this is Batman:Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? on steroids. All of the Batman related content except the Penguin and Two-Face origins by Alan Grant and Mark Verheiden respectively are in there. These two stories were included "to preserve the integrity of the original narrative". There's also some nice afterwords by Gaiman giving you a behind the scenes look at some of the stories.

Pavane from Secret Origins #36 - art by Mark Buckingham
A so-so Poison Ivy origin story. Buckingham hadn't found his signature style yet. His art looks like the house Vertigo style of the time with lots of shading.

Secret Origins Special #1 - art by Mike Hoffman, Sam Keith, Bernie Mireault & Pat Broderick
Origins for Penguin, Riddler and Two-Face with a framing sequence by Gaiman. Gaiman's take on the Riddler was trippy and original. The Penguin and Two-face stories are kind of generic and have been retconned many times over at this point.

A Black and White World from Batman Black and White #2 - art by Simon Bisley
One of my favorite stories in the collection. Batman and Joker are reimagined as if they were actors waiting for their scenes on the pages of a Batman comic. Definitely has that Gaiman originality to it.

Green Lantern / Superman: Legend of the Green Flame scrapped story from Action Comics Weekly - art by Eddie Campbell, Mike Allred, Mark Buckingham, John Totleben, Matt Wagner, Eric Shanower, Jim Aparo, Kevin Nowlan and Jason Little
Back in the 80's Action Comics was a weekly anthology featuring all the characters to appear in the story. This was supposed to be the swan song for the title because it was shifting into a Superman book post Crisis, but it was scrapped for editorial reasons. Honestly, it's weird. The characters feel shoehorned into the story. Ultimately, it's just not very good. But it is filled with A-list art.

On the Stairs from Solo #8 - art by Teddy Kristiansen
A little Deadman story where he helps a recently deceased girl pass on to the other side.

Metamorpho, the Element Man from Wednesday Comics - art by Mike Allred
This is quite terrible. It's a series of a one page serialized story that was originally printed in a treasury sized comic. Reducing the art down makes it really difficult to read with small panels and even smaller lettering. And the story was not good in the first place. I'd peruse Allred's art and skip the story, there's some inventive pages here.

Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? from Batman #686 & Detective Comics #853 - art by Andy Kubert
Batman gets the Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? treatment as Gaiman gets to end Batman's story before the New 52 reboot. I like the message here, that Batman will always end and be reborn as each new creative team puts its spin on the Caped Crusader.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

"You're done now, Bruce, this time. You can stop fighting now . . . It's over . . . Let it go . . . It's time for you to say goodnight." -- the spirit of Martha Wayne to son Bruce 'Batman' Wayne in the finale

Story collection of varying quality with Gaiman as the primary author and obviously featuring a cast of DC characters. The two best tales - the sly "A Black and White World" (Batman and Joker are actually stars of a TV series, and they're depicted chatting between scenes in their studio's 'green room') and the simply outstanding and eulogical "Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?" - I had previously read in different books. The remaining stories - including a lackluster Superman / Green Lantern team-up and one focusing on Batman's primary villains - were forgettable.

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

I see this as almost an alternate reality artifact wherein Neil Gaiman was a fairly decent comic book superhero writer laboring in the shadow of Alan Moore instead of the major fantasy writer he showed himself to be through Sandman and his subsequent novels. Thank goodness this material is just a footnote and not the road taken.

[Guilherme Smee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gosto muito de quase tudo que Neil Gaiman escreve, mas realmente no Universo DC e também no Universo Marvel, dos super-heróis tradicionais, está a exceção à minha regra. Este encadernado em capa dura, Universo DC por Neil Gaiman, é uma prova disso. A genialidade de Gaiman passa longe dessas produções, muito, eu imagino, por interferências editoriais. Para começar temos a origem de alguns vilões do Batman que, curiosamente neste encadernado são incluídas histórias de origem que não tem o toque de Gaiman nela. Paninadas. Temos a história sem pé e nem cabeça do enterro do Batman, temos uma histórinha divertidinha do Metamorfo para Wednesday Comics, em formato reduzido aqui. Uma história do Desafiador, mais em estilo Vertigo. Para mim, o destaque da edição é a história A Chama Verde, num encontro entre Superman e Lanterna Verde, que no Brasil foi publicada em duas partes numas edições perdidas da revista Wizmania. Mas todas essas histórias presentes aqui passam bem longe de tudo que Gaiman é capaz e da sua genialidade em desenvolver personagens e universos.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a collection, 3.5/5.

I bought this because it's basically the collected Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?, but with other of Gaiman's works attached. If it was this alone it's a 4~5/5.

The Batman-related short stories were okay. A Black & White World is probably my favorite. Ivy's post-Crisis origin retelling in Secret Origins #36 was a treat, since I've never read anything on Ivy's backstory. The others are OK but forgettable. But great jumpin' Hera what the hell was the Metamorpho story. It's like they added those just to make the book thicker. Would've been a solid 4/5 if it weren't for that atrocity.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

They're not all winners, but they're all interesting, and some are all-time classics.

[Riju Ganguly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Neil Gaiman's storytelling requires no elaboration. It's in a class of its own. In this collection we have works penned by him, brought to life by some great work and some work that's not so great.
There were several stories here that really didn’t work for me. Some stories left me deeply dissatisfied. But overall, they made the reading an experience that one's unlikely to forget anytime soon.
Recommended.

[Cale · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd read some but not all of these pieces, which make for a pretty disparate collection of comics written by Gaiman. The earlier pieces haven't aged particularly well, although there is still a sense of Gaiman's voice (all the more palpable when compared to the other writers whose sections are included due to the nature of the piece - the Riddler origin story definitely feels in a class above). There's also a very strange Green Lantern/Superman story that goes to some weird places. And there are the Sunday Comics issues of Metamorpho that are okay, but include one fantastic spread that makes up for the quirky tone of the title.
But the highlight of the collection is Gaiman's 'Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?' which is a fantastic distillation of what makes Batman the character so timeless, and still chokes me up a bit when I read it. As a way to bookend an era, it works well, and it actually remains as timely now as when it was written.
So you've got some very good pieces, a couple of middling pieces, and a couple that just have not aged well at all. It's perfect for fans of Gaiman, but I don't think it would convert people into his fans - as an entry point it just doesn't quite suit that purpose. Better to give them Coraline, or Stardust, or Sandman Vol. 1.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much of the material here has already been more effectively collected in “Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?” In that one, Gaiman does a nice job tying old and campy to new and dark.

So what’s new in this book?

1. The Secret Origins Special is included in its entirety, including two chapters not written by Gaiman. In the other book, only Gaiman’s work was included.

2. A Green Lantern / Superman metaphysical romp through the higher planes that is more satisfying with other characters (like Swamp Thing). The hell art in DC is always pleasing, and the artist had fun portraying Superman as if on a crucifix while staring into hell.

3. A short melancholy vignette with Deadman.

4. A weird pulpy serialized story about Metamorpho, The Element Man.

Is it worth picking up?

If you have neither book – picking this one up would eliminate the need to pick up “Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?” – but then again, there’s not much in this one that feels essential. If you already have “Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?” then it’s not worth setting down another yuppie food stamp for a smidgen more.

[Nate]

First off, five of the seven stories from this book can be found in Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader. It feels redundant as a result, but it’s nice to have all Gaiman’s DC short stories collected chronologically in one place. Taken together, the stories leave a great impression.

“Whatever Happened” is surely the highlight. It’s one of the best Batman stories I’ve ever read. So very human, and a lovely “ending” for Batman. Others, especially the first few, fall flat, but glimmers of greatness present themselves. I really like Gaiman’s Batman Black and White entry where Batman and the Joker are depicted as actors in a comic book. The Deadman short is another winner. I'm not a fan of the Metamorpho story with Mike Allred. It was serialized in one-page installments, and feels very crammed. Allred’s art shines, and it’s cool to see Gaiman flex his madcap muscles, but the story is just bad.

Still, this is a solid collection with frequently excellent storytelling. “Whatever Happened” is a must-read, and most of the other stories are worth checking out, too.

[Vail Chester · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating collection of stories penned by Neil Gaiman.
A TON of fun & unique styles to meet the weird & delightful prose of Gaiman; some hit, some don't.
Most impactful, and strangely nonsensical as far as timelines go, is his "Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?" two-parter...felt almost "The Good Place" finale-ish...

[Sebastian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cóż... Mam problem z tym albumem. Większość tych historii jest... Nijakie, nudne, bez polotu. Ale pojawiają się dwie historie, z których jedna jest wciągająca, ale druga... "Co się stało z zamaskowanym krzyżowcem?" jest wyśmienita, i właściwie nawet tylko dla tej historii warto sięgnąć po album.

[Justin Labelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? is the standout here.
Gaiman's two parter provides a thought provoking, cyclical look at the man behind the mask.
As the story progresses and a plethora of villains step up to a coffin to provide their personal experience in regards to the death of 'The Batman', there arises an interesting discussion on the roles or possibilities of fate and free will in the superhero universe.
The butler point of view is an amazing and original interpretation of what these stories could actually be about, the various episodes found in Batman's life presented as a sort of mass masquerade for a deluded rich kid.
The various stories range from good to great, with the sole exception being WEDNESDAY COMICS #1-12, which I didn't bother reading through...

[Gabriell Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hodně různorodý mix příběhů. Po slabém začátku, kde vynikne snad jenom černobílá jednohubka, přijde hodně povedená hříčka s Metamorphem a celou knížku uzavře brilantní "Whatever happened to the caped crusader?". Čistě kvůli poslednímu jmenovanému tenhle výběr stojí za přečtení, ať už jste nebo nejste Gaimanův fanoušek. Minimálně zjistíte, že Neil cpe nadpřirozeno kam jenom to jde a i takového Supermana pošle na návštěvu do pekla.

Mohlo by se vám líbit, pokud:
- máte rádi Gaimana z jeho jiných projektů a chcete zjistit, jakou stopu po sobě zanechat v DC světě
- jste nečetli "Whatever happened to the caped crusader?" jinde
- jste někdy chtěli vidět Supermana (byť na krátké návštěvě) v pekle

Spíš vás zklame, pokud:
- nemáte rádi povídkové knížky s nevyrovnanou kvalitou
- nepotřebujete vidět, jak se Gaiman popral s korporátními zakázkami
- čekáte dalšího Sandmana/Nikdykde/Americké Bohy

[Kevin Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read some reviews, I know some people are critical that this collected edition offers little added value over the deluxe edition of Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?. But, I appreciate that the "DC Universe by" series collects all the odds and ends by superstar creators in one place. DC Universe: The Stories of Alan Moore is a masterpiece of inspired weirdness that Gaiman doesn't quite live up to, but who can?

Gaiman is doubly in Moore's shadow, since the central story of this collection, Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?, was conceived as a companion piece to Moore's classic Superman story, Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? Gaiman was tasked with doing for Batman what Moore did for Superman just before his major post-Crisis reboot--crafting a swan song for all the past eras of the character that honors and embraces the character's rich history and mythology.

Gaiman's take is smart, avoiding direct parallels to Moore's work and finding, as he says in the afterword, a way to end the character that would work just as well decades from now. Plus, in true Gaiman fashion, he makes it a story about stories--with villains and heroes alike gathering to tell tales of how Batman died--and embraces a karmic vision of the afterlife that just makes sense when it comes to superheroes.

Andy Kubert's art does a lot of the heavy lifting in terms of the homage the story pays to past incarnations of Batman. As Gaiman explains it, rather than imitating Dick Sprang, Jerry Robinson, Neal Adams, etc., Kubert approaches the imagery as if the great Batman artists of the past were all trying to imitate him, which gives the art an incredible cohesion while still paying homage to the past.

The most interesting and moving story in the collection is not a Batman story at all, but one featuring Superman and Green Lantern battling the supernatural in a sort of proto-Justice League Dark story. Gaiman credits the idea of Superman in hell to Moore, as well, but it's pulled off so beautifully with Superman paralyzed with emotion (much as he was in Moore's other classic Superman story, For the Man Who Has Everything) and weeping as he floats through hell, aware of everyone's cries and powerless to help (even coming to understand that, on a deeper level, they don't want his help because they're only there because they believe they deserve to suffer). It's a powerful moment that shows Superman's true vulnerability in a way that only fellow Brits like Moore and Grant Morrison have really explored.

Admittedly, I'm something of a Gaiman completist, but for me the 12-page Metamorpho story (a love letter to the Silver Age that is ironically the least Gaiman-esque story in the book) is nearly worth the price of admission on its own. At the very least, it means I can ditch my yellowed and bulky Wednesday Comics broadsheets, since I never picked up the Wednesday Comics collection.

All in all, the stories, as one would expect from Gaiman, are thoughtful pieces born of affection for the characters that bring richness, depth and weight to a once silly medium that has now blossomed into a modern-day mythology.

[Alex Sarll]

Various bits and bobs, (almost?) all of which I've read before, in which a writer not commonly associated with the superhero mainstream gives starring roles, as against their Sandman cameos, to the likes of Superman, Batman and Green Lantern. Oh, OK, and Deadman and Metamorpho too, who are more his usual beat*. But as he says, it's pure chance and currents of continuity that he didn't do lots more stuff like this at the time. Leading one to wonder, if he had, would there have been no Sandman? Fewer novels? How different would his career look, and how different would comics look, and the make-up of the comics audience? Would the Internet still be obsessed with slashing Michael Sheen and David Tennant? Would Michael Sheen? I'd love to read the Green Lantern run for which Gaiman had ideas never realised in our world, but on balance, I think I'm glad we got what we did. Maybe that's another small reminder that this is not, after all, the darkest timeline. Which said, it's noticeable how many of these stories hinge on a harking back to an earlier, more carefree age of DC comics, lamenting how dark things have gotten – a sentiment which also animates the presiding writer of 21st century DC, Geoff Johns. Except that Gaiman gets that complaint across with yearning, wit and an updated sense of Silver Age whimsy, as against profligate character dismemberment, dumbfuck 'if you liked the Speed Force, you'll love the Sage Force!' brand extensions, and godawful Watchmen sequels.

*Of course, since I started writing this I've seen that what with the strange days in which we live, alongside Detective Chimp even these two also-rans have now graced multiplex screens, just like Spider-Ham and Groot have become stars over at the other firm.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. A collection of some of Gaiman's DC comics. The quest to finish reading Gaiman in 2017 continues.

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

La primera historia es un corto que entra en la mente de un hombre siendo controlado por Poison Ivy. Se cuenta en un estilo noir y cuenta con secuencias muy parecidas a lo que Alan Moore ha hecho. La historia es prácticamente perfecta. Mi único problema es el orden de las burbujas de diálogo que a veces tuve que leer varias veces para averiguar el orden correcto en la narrativa.

Luego tenemos una antología que explora los orígenes de algunos villanos de Batman. Cada una conectada con la otra a través de otra historia donde se cuentan a través de entrevistas. La primera fue un plato mixto. Escrita por Alan Grant. El origen del pingüino fue interesante, tanto los diálogos como la trama en sí mientras Batman persigue el rastro del pingüino con sus habilidades detectivescas. El diseño es donde el plato se pone extraño. Ya que las secuencias están bien implementadas y la iconografía es impactante. Pero las imágenes en muchas escenas de acción carecen de dinamismo.

La siguiente es el "origen" del Acertijo. Volvemos a Gaiman. Una historia que mira con ojos nostálgicos a las viejas historias de los sesenta y lo divertida que eran. En esta el trabajo de paneles se mezclaba con los dibujos de una forma que vale la pena leerlo varias veces. Muy divertida solo por el monólogo del Acertijo, pero los dibujos lo elevan a un nivel digno de estudio.

La de Harvey Dent fue la más lenta. Mucho tiempo para preparación y mucho diálogo que me resultó aburrido. Los dibujos eran buenos pero nada que me llame la atención como los anteriores.

Black and White World fue un viaje interesante hacia la cuarta pared. El dibujo fue increíble. La sola idea sería perfecta para una serie larga fuera del universo de DC. Aunque yo lo hubiera hecho de manera que cuando se esté"filmando"el cómic, este a color para mostrar una diferencia entre la realidad y la ficción.

Green Lantern/Superman: Legend of the Green Flame es una excelente historia que comienza muy personal y va creciendo en escala. Hay muchísimas ideas creativas, particularmente la de Superman en el infierno que fue la que más me llamó la atención. Esto hace comprender lo bien que Alan Moore (a quien se le ocurrió la idea) y Neil Gaiman, comprenden a Superman como personaje.

El uso de diferentes artistas le da una dimensión que siempre quise explorar en mis propios trabajos desde que leí Superman: American Alien por primera vez. Cada estilo encaja perfectamente de acuerdo a que tal cruda o limpia la trama torne. Un trabajo de primera.

El diseño de On the Stairs me pareció particularmente atractivo. Esas líneas caóticas que crean una imagen anatómicamente incorrecta pero el ojo puede distinguir como humano. El sobrio y desgastado coloreado le da un toque onírico que ayuda a ponerse en ambiente para el tipo de historia que está contando. Muchas veces he visto como esta, no es muy original, pero lo importante es el viaje. Y esto me llevó a placenteros lugares de mi psicología.

El cambio, Metamorpho toma un giro más aventurero y clásico. El dibujo de Allred se parece mucho al de Jack Kirby, y eso lo cementa más como tal. Fue la historia más ridícula de todas, esto dicho en el sentido más positivo posible. Desde el diálogo hasta el juego de paneles. Un cuento experimental que cansaría rápido si fuera algo serializado. Pero me reí bastante y no me arrepiento de leer esa diminuta rotulación.


¿Cómo escribir la muerte de un símbolo? La respuesta es obvia, haciéndola simbólica. Whatever happened to the Caped Crusader no es solo una de las mejores historias de Batman que jamás he leido, sino también una carta de amor y una tesis explicando al personaje y lo comprime a su concepto más simple. Esta historia me hizo sentir mucho, particularmente por cada personaje y cada interacción que tuvieron, el Acertijo me confundió, el Guasón me hizo reír y Alfred me hizo compadecerlo por tanto que se preocupa por Batman. Estoy seguro que muchas personas hasta el dia de hoy dicen que Batman es un asesino cuando es necesario, en esta pieza explican por que estan equivocados. Después de lo melancólico que me hizo sentir Superman en Green Lantern/Superman: Legend of the Green Flame, pensé que sería imposible crear algo al mismo nivel. Por historias como esta y muchas otras, es que no puedo dejar de amar Superhéroes y lo que representan. Si de verdad eres fan de Batman, esta historia debe guardarse en tu haber físico y mental eternamente.

[Yoshiro · Rating 4 out of 5]

POPKulturowy Kociołek:
Uniwersum DC według Neila Gaimana jak zostało już wspomniane, to zbiorcze wydanie ośmiu krótkich historii, w których słynny autor Sandmana reinterpretuje ikoniczne postacie DC Comics. Pod twardą oprawą wydania Deluxe czekają na nas: Green Lantern, Batman, Superman, Poison Ivy, Pingwin, Człowiek zagadka i kilka innych dobrze znanych postaci. Album zawiera między innymi pełen przedruk Secret Origins Special #1, historię Green Lantern/Superman: Legenda o zielonym płomieniu, Batman: Co stało się z zamaskowanym krzyżowcem i kilka innych rozdziałów kierowanych do fanów DC.

Album oferuje ciekawe spojrzenie na znanych superbohaterów i złoczyńców, łącząc w sobie elementy fantasy, horroru i psychologii. Na kolejnych jego stronach Gaiman snuje różnorodne superbohaterskie wątki, bawiąc się konwencją i stawiając przed czytelnikiem pytania o istotę człowieczeństwa, granice moralności, naturę władzy czy gotowość przekraczania pewnych granic w pozornie słusznej sprawie.

Nie brakuje tu również mrocznych i metafizycznych treści tak bardzo charakterystycznych dla twórczości Gaimana. Zaskakująco dobrze pasują one do superbohaterskiej konwencji, nadając krótkim rozdziałom intrygującego wyglądu. Autor zręcznie balansuje tu bowiem pomiędzy akcją a refleksją, serwując czytelnikowi komiksową adrenalinę oraz skłaniając go do pewnych głębszych przemyśleń.

Nie wszystko jest tu jednak idealne, tak jak można byłoby się spodziewać po dziele Gaimana. Czytając kolejne historie trudno nie odnieść wrażenia, że coś blokowało jego nietuzinkowy umysł, nie pozwalając mu w pełni rozwinąć artystycznych skrzydeł. Na pewno wpływ na to miała ograniczona ilość stron opowieści. Najbardziej widać to w przypadku rozdziału Batman: Co stało się z zamaskowanym krzyżowcem, gdzie twórca starał się upchać na każdej stronie maksymalną ilość treści i emocji, co niestety nie pozwoliło scenariuszowi należycie wybrzmieć i zachwycić czytelnika....

https://popkulturowykociolek.pl/uniwe...

[Zac · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was all pretty good without anything being outstanding. I picked this up for cheap without knowing much about it and I’m glad I did because it serves as a decent accompaniment to Midnight Days, which focussed on Gaiman's Vertigo-related output, while this consisted entirely of superhero tales. There are a few origin stories at the beginning that were originally released in ‘89 and may be trying to reconcile the pre- and post- Crisis continuities. I never really mind these as summaries of what a character is about. There is a short story from an issue of one of the Batman Black & White anthologies that I hadn’t read, and the art in those is always pretty stunning (Simon Bisley is responsible here).

The 2 longer stories in this collection include a previously unpublished Green Lantern / Superman tale. The story is a bit of a mess with several characters introduced for the sake of it but Gaiman explains in the afterword that he was trying to tie up a number of threads for the end of Action Comics Weekly. What is really great about this is the art, with a number of top artists getting a few pages each, and the highlights being the work of John Totleben, Kevin Nowlan, Eric Shanower/Arthur Adams, and a double-page splash by Mark Buckingham. Honestly the book may be worth it just for Totleben’s heavily stippled Superman.

The other 2-parter collected here is ‘Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?’. Andy Kubert’s art depicts Batman and his enemies in their many versions across history. It’s good, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to pick up these issues normally, so this collected edition is the perfect way to have access to these.

Like the ‘DC Universe by Alan Moore’, this is a good collection for fans of the author with the added bonus of including a previous unpublished story. Gaiman always has a ton of good ideas and I never feel like he’s dialling it in, especially during this early part of his career when he is still proving himself.

[Drake Zappa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an extraordinary collection of stories.
It starts with what is probably the weakest of the bunch, but it's still brilliant. It's essentially a poison ivy story that showcases the way she operates but also why she does so. An interesting look at the character.
Next we get a story that could honestly be a movie, it's about a group of reporters that come to Gotham to expose the batman and his villains. It shows Gaimans interesting take on two face, penguin and riddler, with the riddler in particular being an enjoyable meta rant about the change in tone of superhero stories. Then we see two short comics about batman and joker waiting in the green room for their comic book production and a look at the day to day duties of deadman, the deadman story in particular hitting the feels a bit. Then we see a brilliantly classic superman/green lantern story that plays around with continuity a bit and has some nice little references sprinkled about followed by an amazing metamorpho project that seems very meta and nostalgia heavy with some amazing art to accompany it. It ends with whatever happened to the caped crusader? Which is an amazing study of Batman as a character and concept.
Neil Gaiman brings his own particular brand of flavour to these stories. This collection is brilliant and I highly recommend it.

[Bart - Komiksy · Rating 5 out of 5]

„Uniwersum DC według Neila Gaimana” to komiks, który zaskakuje świeżym spojrzeniem na dobrze znane wszystkim postacie (Batman, Joker, Superman i wiele innych…) jak również na mniej popularne postaci ze świata DC (Element Man, Dead Man) oferując przy tym naprawdę świetną rozrywkę. Gaiman mistrzowsko bawi się konwencjami, łącząc mroczne elementy z humorem, co sprawia, że lektura jest naprawdę angażująca. Oczywiście strona graficzna prezentuje się równie znakomicie za sprawą całej masy artystów zaangażowanych w tworzenie tego zbioru.

Najbardziej spodobały mi się dwie historie – „Czarno-biały świat”, ukazująca Batmana i Jokera w groteskowy sposób jako aktorów odgrywających swoje role, oraz „Co się stało z zamaskowanym krzyżowcem?”, w której Batman zyskuje niezwykle intrygujący, niemal filozoficzny wymiar.

Warto też zwrócić uwagę na „Metamorpho. Element Man”, którą przepełnia absurdalny humor, zarówno w treści jak i w samych rysunkach. Całość to niezwykła podróż przez różne oblicza Uniwersum DC, w której Gaiman udowadnia, że nawet najbardziej znane postacie mogą zostać przedstawione w zupełnie nowym świetle.

[Gumbo Ya-ya · Rating 3 out of 5]

This sort of collection is always going to be highly variable in quality, when it comes to the individual stories it contains. And while there are definitely some 2 star offerings in here that mar their 4-5 star brethren by their very proximity, the thread of metafictive commentary on the tropes of super-hero comics that is woven through all these pieces, along with the historical sampling of Gaiman's pet themes and fascinations, the pre-echoes of some of the most charming elements of his later work, serves to elevate the collection as a whole to something whose value is more than a mere numerical average of its constituent parts.

Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader is probably worth it on its own, and some of the other stories have some lovely clever Gaiman moments in them, but I can't help but feel that the target reader of this collection is really someone who is both a Gaiman fan and a DC universe enthusiast; simply liking Gaiman's later work no guarantee that you will find something here that you can love.

[Krzysztof Grabowski · Rating 3 out of 5]

Zbiór wszelakich prac legendy branży w uniwersum DC, które oferuje nam kilka krótszych opowiastek plus dwie dłuższe, aczkolwiek nie wszystkie były warte uwagi. Przekrój postaci jest tutaj dosyć różnorodny, aczkolwiek sam album nie jest jakoś zbytnio obszerny.

Począwszy od bardziej znanych figur, jak Green Lantern, Batman, Superman, Poison Ivy, Pingwin czy Riddler, po Dead Mana, Element Mana/Metamorpho. Historia z tą ostatnią postacią jest najbardziej abstrakcyjna. Mamy tu też małe wariacje na temat wspomnianych złoczyńców, poznając ich Secret Origin.

Najfajniejsza okazała się historia o Batmanie, a raczej jego pogrzebie. Nie wiadomo, kto doprowadził do tej sytuacji, ale występy gościnne postaci, które wypowiadają się ku pamięci bohatera są fajne. I to w zasadzie tyle plusów. Reszta opowiadań jest co najwyżej średnia, żmudna/nudna. Nie tego się spodziewałem po tym zbiorku, ale najwyraźniej nie wszystko czego dotknie się Gaiman to złoto (tym bardziej w świetle prasowych doniesień, które pokazują drugą twarz twórcy...).

[Pablo Molina Cortés · Rating 4 out of 5]

Neil Gaiman es un gran contador de historias. No solo tiene la habilidad para desarrollar personajes atractivos y enigmáticos, sino que tiene un toque especial en su narrativa, donde siempre existe una sutil capa surrealista que lo engancha a uno en la lectura.
Con esta introducción, lo que Gaiman puede hacer con el Universo DC sólo se puede resumir en una frase: sentarse y disfrutar.
Es cierto que hay algunas historias de esta compilación que son más potentes que otras, las épocas también se van reflejando en cada guión y los dibujantes aportan muchísimo en cada capítulo.
Disfruté, sobretodo, la historia en blanco y negro de Batman y Joker, con su naturaleza de metacomic. Me pareció refrescante.
Me sorprendió la aventura de Linterna Verde y Superman, sobretodo la parte del infierno, me hizo cambiar el concepto que tenía sobre el Hombre de Acero.
Y finalmente amé el capítulo final "Whatever happened to the caped crusader?", fue un delicioso descubrimiento!

[Melissa Dsouza · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of stories that brings together a variety of Gaiman's DC work including the classic "Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?" which in my opinion is one of his best and a fantastic Batman story!

All these stories are set in the Gotham realm and dwell on the fictionality of Batman's world and present new explorations of well-known characters, especially Gotham’s main villains: The Riddler, Penguin and Two-Face.

Some of my favorite stories from this book were “Pavane” which is an example of Gaiman’s best character works as he offers a new perspective on the life of Poison Ivy and “A Black and White World,” spotlighting the struggle between Batman and The Joker - only this time, they're re-cast as actors starring in a film-like, comic book production! This is good stuff. There are some really great moments in these pages, the artwork is just brilliant!

Fans of Gaiman and Batman will surely enjoy this one!

[Dr K P Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not a massive DC fan, so although I've read a few Batmans before that's not my departure point. I hugely enjoyed this due to Gaiman's almost iconoclastic approach to the Batman - reducing him to a bit part player in some renditions or killing him off or debunking the whole thing in "Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader".

I also enjoyed his take on Superman who also partaken in a (very) near death experience.

The quality of art mostly matches the quality of Story. There are a couple of experiments that don't quite work but there are many frames that you could happily frame and hang.

Have to recommend it to all so a full "Holy five stars Batman!"

[Elin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a compilation of the DC comics written by Gaiman. I am a Marvel girl at heart, but I've always had a soft spot for Batman simply because his universe is so damned detailed. I love it. So out of the stories in this compilation my favourite has to be the final one Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader, but I also really enjoyed the Penguin origin story and the little tidbit called A Black and White World where they pretend that the Batman and the Joker are just characters played by people and they're complaining about the daily grind while acting out their scenes. That was a pretty neat spin that I really liked.

[Keith Moser · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked this up after seeing it in my local comic shop—I'd say I'm a fan of Neil Gaiman and I had no idea he ventured into comics beyond his Sandman series (which I think I read in its entirety years ago but definitely want to reread now).

This is a very strange collection of stories that seem to have originally come out from 1989 to 2009. Some are definitely better than others.

"Pavane" is a short, 15-page origin story of Poison Ivy told through the eyes of an agent interviewing (and falling in love with) her. The art is simple and I'm not a huge fan, but I never knew much about Poison Ivy (never even saw Uma Thurman's version in Batman & Robin; just a few episodes of the Animated Series she was in) so this was kind of a fun story.

"Secret Origins Special #1" is a collection of four stories (some not written by Gaiman) that tell the story of a documentary crew coming to Gotham to interview some of the major villains. "Original Sins" gives some of the simple set up for the other three. "The Killing Peck" (written by Sam Kieth is a Penguin origin story told by one of his henchmen. "When is a Door: The Secret Origin of The Riddler" is written by Gaiman and shows the crew interviewing one Edward Nigma—seems he's upset that the villains have been getting more and more violent (but his riddles suck). Mark Verheiden wraps up the story with "Untitled" [retroactively titled "Two-Face"] showing the film crew interviewing the ex-Mrs. Harvey Dent. They are all disappointed they couldn't get the Joker, but [spoiler?] he makes a tiny cameo in the end.

"A Black and White World" is a meta story (with some really gritty, ugly artwork) showing "behind the scenes" of Batman & Joker waiting for their comic book scenes to be filmed/drawn? It's clever and kind of fun seeing the two of them sit around the craft service table running lines for their scene (but the art is so ugly).

"Legend of the Green Flame" is a longer one-shot that had been delayed over a decade due to some miscommunication behind the scenes (the afterword tells how DC decided to change the rules of Superman's world by eliminating the great number of people who knew his secret identity—since this story opens with Hal Jordan meeting Clark Kent to discuss his woes, it had to be shelved). I don't know much of the Green Lantern mythos, but there's some green lantern that Hal tries to open with his ring, and all hell breaks loose—quite literally. The two actually visit Hell, and Superman almost goes crazy sensing all the pain and torture, knowing he's unable to help anyone. In the end (someone I had to look up to find out was) the Phantom Stranger helps the two of them escape the Green Flame's trap and things get better for the two of them.

"On the Stairs" features a guy I'd never heard of—Deadman. He meets a girl on the stairs and tells how he possesses other creatures and the whole thing felt like a very Neil Gaiman story.

"Metamorpho: The Element Man" is a 12-page story that apparently was published one page at a time in Wednesday Comics. It's kind of annoying having the story recapped at the top of every page, but the overall story of trying to find the Star of Atlantis in a maze hidden underneath Antarctica is pretty fun. I'd never heard of Element Man, or any of his crew, but it seems like a pretty fun possibility for stories. There's some nice artwork, especially the two-page table of elements on pages 8 & 9 (even if the writing here is kind of hokey and even misidentifies the chemical Ne as Nitrogen instead of Neon—editors of Element Man, you had ONE JOB!)

Finally, the book ends with another one-off, "Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader" which apparently was commissioned as a sort of final episode of one line of Batman stories, making way for a new line to start. I don't want to discuss the plot too much, but if you can read this 65-page story (on its own or part of this Deluxe Edition) do it! If you've ever read any of the old Batman comics you'll probably recognize the changing styles (from Bob Kane to Dick Sprang to Jim Aparo)—and while I wasn't able to name these styles (thank you Afterword & Sketch Book), I understood what Gaiman and artist Andy Kubert were going for and I loved it. This story is apparently kind of like another crossroads between story lines, Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? which I've already downloaded on my library's e-reader. Any book that makes me want to read something else (this also reminded me of Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns) has got to be good, right? There are definitely a few clunkers here, but overall I'm glad I read this because they saved the best for last!

[Chris W · Rating 4 out of 5]

A small but great collection. There is an absolutely excellent Poison Ivy tale. A decent superman green lantern short story. A decent love letter to the 50s/60s and Adam west era of batman in the middle and the grand finale with "Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?" Which is a love letter to the past incarnations and stories of batman and his rogues gallery. If you have read older batman comics then you will definitely appreciate the visual and dialogue references that Gaiman includes in his rendition. A solid and good collection that's best suited for Batman fans.