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Batman by Doug Moench and Kelley Jones
Batman by Doug Moench & Kelley Jones, Vol. 2
Doug Moench and Kelley Jones continue their horror-tinged run on Batman as the Dark Knight prowls the dark side of Gotham City. An extended skirmish with Man-Bat kicks off the collection and is followed by a prickly conflict with the Spectre. Later, The Joker, the Demon Etrigan, the Penguin, and Clayface all return to unleash their own brand of hell on Gotham. Batman has always been a creature of the night, but now he's looking for a glimmer of light in the darkness.
Featuring artwork and dramatic storytelling, Batman By Doug Moench & Kelley Jones Vol. 2 is the second collection of the Batman team's best and most shocking tales! Collects Batman #536-552.
Featuring artwork and dramatic storytelling, Batman By Doug Moench & Kelley Jones Vol. 2 is the second collection of the Batman team's best and most shocking tales! Collects Batman #536-552.
432 pages, Hardcover
First published August 7, 2018
9 people are currently reading
107 people want to read
About the author
Doug Moench
2,071 books122 followersDoug Moench, is an American comic book writer notable for his Batman work and as the creator of Black Mask, Moon Knight and Deathlok. Moench has worked for DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Dark Horse Comics and many other smaller companies; he has written hundreds of issues of many different comics, and created dozens of characters, such as Moon Knight. In 1973, Moench became the de facto lead writer for the Marvel black-and-white magazine imprint Curtis Magazines. He contributed to the entire runs of Planet of the Apes, Rampaging Hulk (continuing on the title when it changed its name to The Hulk!) and Doc Savage, while also serving as a regular scribe for virtually every other Curtis title during the course of the imprint's existence. Moench is perhaps best known for his work on Batman, whose title he wrote from 1983–1986 and then again from 1992–1998. (He also wrote the companion title Detective Comics from 1983–1986.)
Moench is a frequent and longtime collaborator with comics artist Paul Gulacy. The pair are probably best known for their work on Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu, which they worked on together from 1974–1977. They also co-created Six from Sirius, Slash Maraud, and S.C.I. Spy, and have worked together on comics projects featuring Batman, Conan the Barbarian and James Bond.
Moench has frequently been paired with the artist and inker team of Kelley Jones and John Beatty on several Elseworlds Graphic Novels and a long run of the monthly Batman comic.
Moench is a frequent and longtime collaborator with comics artist Paul Gulacy. The pair are probably best known for their work on Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu, which they worked on together from 1974–1977. They also co-created Six from Sirius, Slash Maraud, and S.C.I. Spy, and have worked together on comics projects featuring Batman, Conan the Barbarian and James Bond.
Moench has frequently been paired with the artist and inker team of Kelley Jones and John Beatty on several Elseworlds Graphic Novels and a long run of the monthly Batman comic.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
September 6, 2018
The stories here are pretty awful. They're stagnant and boring. Kelley Jones's art to me has its highs and lows. Yes, he can draw fantastical, macabre monsters but his character work is outlandishly cartoony, almost caricatures. Overall, this just fell very flat for me.
March 13, 2023
Doug Moench is, without a doubt, one of my least-favorite Batman writers of all time. His dialogue is clumsy and obvious, his prose is purple and tedious, and his stories lack any spark of creativity or wit. For instance, this collection features his two-parter about a serial-killing mailman, which was a pretty banal cliché even back in the '90s.
But it turns out, none of that matters here! Because Moench's scripts are merely a loose framework for Kelley Jones to build his INCREDIBLE artwork onto. And all of Moench's weaknesses become strengths when paired with Jones' pencils.
Kelley Jones' artwork is EXTREMELY expressionistic-- conveying moods and ideas with heightened, abstracted visuals without being bound by spatial or practical concerns. He also draws heavy visual inspiration from silent film, and particularly German expressionist horror: there's a close-up shot of Robin that looks REMARKABLY like a supporting character from Nosferatu, complete with black lipstick and floppy hair.
There are things about this book that don't sit well here and there-- like a bizarre recurring subplot where Alfred becomes increasingly bitter and worried about Bruce, uh, going on dates with a woman (Vesper Fairchild, the running love interest in the book). It's just baffling to see Alfred getting upset that Bruce is getting too comfortable in a normal, healthy relationship and possibly jeopardizing his obsessive, unhealthy crime-fighting mission, rather than it being the other way around.
But aside from that little caveat, these are delightfully simple, moody stand-alone horror tales (and the occasional straightforward "superhero battles supervillain" issues, which stand out like a sore thumb), told with enough style to make up for the writer's melodramatic leanings. It's great stuff!
But it turns out, none of that matters here! Because Moench's scripts are merely a loose framework for Kelley Jones to build his INCREDIBLE artwork onto. And all of Moench's weaknesses become strengths when paired with Jones' pencils.
Kelley Jones' artwork is EXTREMELY expressionistic-- conveying moods and ideas with heightened, abstracted visuals without being bound by spatial or practical concerns. He also draws heavy visual inspiration from silent film, and particularly German expressionist horror: there's a close-up shot of Robin that looks REMARKABLY like a supporting character from Nosferatu, complete with black lipstick and floppy hair.
There are things about this book that don't sit well here and there-- like a bizarre recurring subplot where Alfred becomes increasingly bitter and worried about Bruce, uh, going on dates with a woman (Vesper Fairchild, the running love interest in the book). It's just baffling to see Alfred getting upset that Bruce is getting too comfortable in a normal, healthy relationship and possibly jeopardizing his obsessive, unhealthy crime-fighting mission, rather than it being the other way around.
But aside from that little caveat, these are delightfully simple, moody stand-alone horror tales (and the occasional straightforward "superhero battles supervillain" issues, which stand out like a sore thumb), told with enough style to make up for the writer's melodramatic leanings. It's great stuff!
Read
January 17, 2020Moench and Jones’ episodic, horror-influenced exploration of Batman’s rogues gallery continues. This run should be an automatic win for me. I love the lost art of single (or double) issue stories, I love horror, and I love Batman villains. Alas, these are 90’s comics written by Doug Moench, so they’re very bland. I must reiterate, however, that I like Kelley Jones’ art. It’s a mix between Bernie Wrightson and Norm Breyfogle. Sometimes his art is too exaggerated and cartoony, but I enjoy the aesthetic.
As I said, most stories stand on their own. There is a major plot point, though: Bruce’s romantic relationship with Vesper Fairchild. So far, it’s an unconvincing relationship, but I know it gets interesting in following runs.
As I said, most stories stand on their own. There is a major plot point, though: Bruce’s romantic relationship with Vesper Fairchild. So far, it’s an unconvincing relationship, but I know it gets interesting in following runs.
June 20, 2025
As it turns out Kelley Jones Pencils are still giving me nausea beyond the help of any Proton pump inhibitors known to human kind . That said , i am getting somewhat accustomed to the acursed art style .
Dough Moench however keeps delivering gritty , mostly-realistic stories that are fun to read with ample time to introspect and improve the character known as Batman . In between all that we get moments of philosophy and some ample moments of Bruce Wayne .
In fact were it any other artist doing any other rendition of that god-forsaken artstyle , this would have been one of my favourite batman run
Dough Moench however keeps delivering gritty , mostly-realistic stories that are fun to read with ample time to introspect and improve the character known as Batman . In between all that we get moments of philosophy and some ample moments of Bruce Wayne .
In fact were it any other artist doing any other rendition of that god-forsaken artstyle , this would have been one of my favourite batman run
May 1, 2024
3.5 stars. I felt similarly about this collection as I did the first volume. I’m still a huge fan of Jones’ art, but this era of comics as a whole was just not great, unfortunately. These weren’t horrible either at all, but just okay overall.
June 1, 2020
I love Moench's old-school, horror-tinged writing and Jones' shadowy visuals.
August 17, 2025
Batman by Doug Moench and Kelley Jones Vol. 2 continues the horror-infused Batman run by the incredible duo of Doug Moench and Kelley Jones, a collaboration that, in my opinion, is seriously underrated.
The first story is a three-issue tie-in to the Final Night event featuring the Man-Bat. I thought Moench did a great job tying the event into the Man-Bat story. There’s also a tie-in to the Genesis event, which was published in 1997. It’s an event I had no idea even existed when I first read this book, and it still remains uncollected.
This book also features other members of Batman’s rogues gallery. It brings back the Penguin to his criminal ways, includes a Clayface story that provides a good background on the various Clayfaces, and a Joker-Etrigan story that I didn’t love. Joker dabbling in the occult just didn’t work for me. Other occult characters who appear in this book include Ragman and the Spectre. I was never particularly interested in the Spectre before this, but I think the creative team did a great job capturing his essence.
What I love about this book is that it focuses on Bruce Wayne’s life, particularly his love life. This volume includes the first appearance of Vesper Fairchild, a radio personality who becomes a significant love interest for Bruce. This story also features the first appearance of Cameron Chase, whom I found really interesting. I wanted to read more about her.
Regardless of what you think of Moench’s storytelling, the highlight of this book is definitely Kelley Jones’ art. His style can be a hit or miss for some people, but I personally think it’s great. If you feel the same, I highly recommend picking up this book. Unfortunately, it’s hard to find. It usually sells for $130 and above.
Collects Batman (1940) 536-552.
My Batman Collected Editions Instagram page
The first story is a three-issue tie-in to the Final Night event featuring the Man-Bat. I thought Moench did a great job tying the event into the Man-Bat story. There’s also a tie-in to the Genesis event, which was published in 1997. It’s an event I had no idea even existed when I first read this book, and it still remains uncollected.
This book also features other members of Batman’s rogues gallery. It brings back the Penguin to his criminal ways, includes a Clayface story that provides a good background on the various Clayfaces, and a Joker-Etrigan story that I didn’t love. Joker dabbling in the occult just didn’t work for me. Other occult characters who appear in this book include Ragman and the Spectre. I was never particularly interested in the Spectre before this, but I think the creative team did a great job capturing his essence.
What I love about this book is that it focuses on Bruce Wayne’s life, particularly his love life. This volume includes the first appearance of Vesper Fairchild, a radio personality who becomes a significant love interest for Bruce. This story also features the first appearance of Cameron Chase, whom I found really interesting. I wanted to read more about her.
Regardless of what you think of Moench’s storytelling, the highlight of this book is definitely Kelley Jones’ art. His style can be a hit or miss for some people, but I personally think it’s great. If you feel the same, I highly recommend picking up this book. Unfortunately, it’s hard to find. It usually sells for $130 and above.
Collects Batman (1940) 536-552.
My Batman Collected Editions Instagram page
November 26, 2020
Wow. This was such a disappointment. I didn't expect much of this book - I it bought because of the awesome cover by Kelley Jones - but I couldn't expect how much boring it is. The stories here (and the characters) are all flat, cliché.
I liked the idea of Batman being placed into more occult setting and situations, as for example when he encounters Spectre, or as Joker conjures the Demon Etrigan. It's not something you would expect per se from a Batman comic, and with Kelley Jones on on pencils you would think the result could be exciting and at least decent. But it's not, unfortunately. Frankly, Jones' art is the only thing that made me keep reading this book. Jones really made Batman a creature of the night, the way only he could portray him. But that is the only good thing I could say about this book. I like Doug Moench's plot ideas but, in my opinion, they were very poorly executed.
Thus, two stars.
I liked the idea of Batman being placed into more occult setting and situations, as for example when he encounters Spectre, or as Joker conjures the Demon Etrigan. It's not something you would expect per se from a Batman comic, and with Kelley Jones on on pencils you would think the result could be exciting and at least decent. But it's not, unfortunately. Frankly, Jones' art is the only thing that made me keep reading this book. Jones really made Batman a creature of the night, the way only he could portray him. But that is the only good thing I could say about this book. I like Doug Moench's plot ideas but, in my opinion, they were very poorly executed.
Thus, two stars.
February 11, 2019
This large Batman collection is spotlighting the run of Doug Moench & Kelley Jones. They had a big part of Batman's stories in the 90s. Here, its an eclectic mix of old and new. Some old classic villains from Batman's rogues gallery, Penguin, Joker, Man-Bat, & Clayface with some great guest stars like Ragman, Spectre, and Etrigan. We also get the first appearances of two great female characters, Cameron Chase and Vesper Fairchild. I liked the stories overall, but Kelley Jones' art has never been my cup of tea. While his Batman can look spooky, his characters faces are so distorted it takes away from the story. Its quite jarring. The collection is a decent read but definitely a must read for Batman fans.
April 10, 2021
Covers the exact time period as Chuck Dixon's Batman: Knight Out, but remarkably different. Moench utilises many well-known villains, but in decidedly bizarre ways. For example, the Joker summons Etrigan the Demon, and spends an entire issue just talking to him and recapping Etrigan's origin. There is just so much unnecessary clunky prose and weird dialogue that it makes reading the volume quite a chore. Jones' art is as divisive as ever.
October 20, 2019
The Batman run of Moench and Jones continues in this volume. This entry features: man bat, Spectre, Joker, Penguin, and clay Face to mention a few. In tge hands of these two, you can clearly see Batman as a Gothic creature of the night.
September 2, 2018
Kelley Jones' style is best when drawing monsters and occult characters, and in this book he gets a lot of chances to do that!
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews