Batman: Ghosts

Batman Confidential #8

by Sam Kieth

Batman has always been Gotham’s protector, watching over the city he has sworn to keep safe. But what happens when Batman has to face a foe he can’t see? Find out in Batman: Ghosts, a classic graphic novel masterwork written and drawn by Sam Kieth (The Maxx, The Sandman).

 Homeless men and women are turning up dead all over Gotham City. The only clue the killer has left behind is a yellow powder: sulfur. Batman soon encounters the murderer and is shocked to find that it truly seems to be a monster—a shapeless creature, almost like…a ghost. Soon the man who stalks Gotham’s streets by night finds himself being stalked. Batman is haunted by the ghost, who knows things about Bruce Wayne’s past that no one (besides his trusted butler, Alfred) could possibly know. Who is this mysterious murderer, and what can Batman do to stop this intangible apparition with a penchant for killing?

 Collects Batman Confidential #40-43 and Batman/Lobo: Deadly Serious #1-2.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Batman, Dc Comics, Superheroes, Science Fiction

176 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 23, 2018

About the author

Kieth first came to prominence in 1984 as the inker of Matt Wagner's Mage, his brushwork adding fluidity and texture to the broad strokes of Wagner's early work at Comico Comics. In 1989, he drew the first five issues of writer Neil Gaiman's celebrated series The Sandman, but felt his style was unsuited to the book (specifically saying that he "felt like Jimi Hendrix in The Beatles") and left, handing over to his former inker Mike Dringenberg.

He acted as illustrator on two volumes of writer William Messner-Loebs' Epicurus the Sage and drew an Aliens miniseries for Dark Horse Comics, among other things, before creating The Maxx in 1993 for Image Comics, with, initially, writing help from Messner-Loebs. It ran for 35 issues and was adapted, with Kieth's assistance, into an animated series for MTV. Since then, as a writer-artist, he has gone on to create Friends of Maxx, Zero Girl, Four Women and Ojo.

Ojo comprises the first and My Inner Bimbo the second, in a cycle of original comic book limited series published by Oni Press. Loosely connected, the cycle will concern the intertwined lives of people with each other and sometimes with a supernatural entity known as the Mysterious Trout. Kieth has stated that other characters from The Maxx series will appear in this cycle of stories. My Inner Bimbo #1 was published in April 2006. Issue #2 was delayed past its original release date; It was finally resolicited in "Previews" in 2007 and hit the store shelves in November 2007.

DC Comics' Batman/Lobo: Deadly Serious, a two-issue prestige format mini-series that started in August 2007, was written and drawn by Kieth. This was followed by 2009's two-issue prestige format mini-series Lobo: Highway to Hell, written by Scott Ian and featuring art by Kieth.

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 1 out of 5]

Two separate Batman stories written and drawn by Sam Keith. The first was Batman: Ghosts. Homeless people are being murdered and sulfur is left behind. This whole plot is pretty much forgotten once Batman meets a blind social worker. Keith tries to turn this into some half-assed romance between the two before tacking on a resolution to the murders in an ending that makes no sense.

In the second story, Batman gets zapped into space onto a space station where women are contracting a virus that turns them into spree killers. There he meets Lobo and they teem up chasing after various women who murder hundreds. It's all pretty dumb.

Keith's art isn't for everyone. Here it wasn't for me. Keith's art and storytelling work much better when he sticks to his own properties. These Batman stories were downright awful.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 1 out of 5]

One of the worst Batman stories I've read. The Ghosts portion is unintelligible and has some pretty dated views about women. The back-up story is completely gone from my memory. I can't even say the art made up for anything - it was like a Frank Miller fever dream. Set this one on fire.

[Mike · Rating 1 out of 5]

What the fuck did I just read? I wanted to tap into some fringe Batman stuff but instead I tapped into some crap Batman stuff and my eyes and brain are bleeding I need help someone call for help I can't breathe right the darkness is co

[Mike · Rating 2 out of 5]

5 stars for the art, but Sam Kieth lost me as a storyteller and plot creator.

[Jonathan Ammon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sam Keith's art means a lot to me. I don't know of another comic book artist whose work transports me into a different world or changes my way of seeing and feeling this world. It's an emotive style that works for me. I like the kinds of stories he wants to tell, and I even like his imperfect way of executing those stories. GHOSTS works on multiple levels for me with 4-5* art and a 3-4* story. The Lobo issues feature 4* art and a 1-2* story, and it is the first time I've ever read any piece of Keith work that felt like the story was servicing fans or intended to titillate teenagers. That is probably in line with the Lobo character and Keith's art overperforms in service of bad taste. That's something that can be quite interesting but doesn't work as well after being collected with the overly sincere GHOSTS. And that is probably the right way to describe what I love about Keith's work--its sincerety.

[Artur Coelho · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sam Kieth é dono de um traço muito pessoal, que se traduz num tipo de ilustração entre o gótico e o expressionista, o que o destacou no estilo uniformizado dos comics. Como argumentista, não é tão talentoso, e as histórias deste Ghosts mostram isso. Na primeira, Batman envolve-se com uma reclusiva, mas de língua afiada, rapariga cega que o ajuda a investigar assassinatos de sem-abrigo, em que a única pista são quantidades de enxofre encontrados nas vítimas. Os fantasmas da história são os traumas que moldaram a vida destas personagens. Ainda temos direito a uma outra história, em que Batman se vê aliado a Lobo para combater um vírus alienígena. Uma história muito medíocre em termos gráficos e narrativos, cruzando duas personagens incompatíveis: o incorruptível detetive e cavaleiro das trevas, com a personagem hiper-violenta mas de lado cómico da DC

[Miles Madonna · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 the tone shift in between these two stories was fucking crazy ! i stopped after two pages of the second one, the title story was enough to make me stop reading. i liked the crazy art style and the scary ghost plot line but what the fuck was that ending!! let’s not even talk about the portrayal of disabled people in this… big yikes. do not read this one

[Patrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a terrible story necessarily, but not a great one. I admit the artwork was not for me, mostly. Which hurt my opinion of the story even more. I had high hope's, and was let down.

[Sean Goh · Rating 1 out of 5]

Overstylised art and confusing forgettable stories. Skip.

[JD Comics · Rating 2 out of 5]

Batman: Ghosts is composed of two stories written and illustrated by Sam Kieth: Ghosts and Batman/Lobo: Deadly Serious. I know Sam Kieth’s art is not for everyone, but I like his caricature-style art. It suits the stories in this book.

Batman: Ghosts is a four-issue Batman Confidential story. In this story, Batman investigates the killing of homeless people by a mysterious creature that leaves behind the stench of sulfur. This creature knows about Batman’s parents’ death and the pain it causes him. He then gets paired up with a girl named Callie. Callie is a blind girl who helps the homeless. It turns out that she also lost a loved one because of a gun.

I am not a fan of surreal stories, but I was intrigued, at first, because I wanted to see how Batman would fight something intangible. However, that feeling didn’t last long because this story is poorly written. It had one of the most absurd endings that I have ever read. I also did not like that Kieth was forcing a relationship between Batman and Callie. I know Batman and Bruce Wayne get linked to many women, but there was no chemistry between Batman and Callie. The worst part is that Batman never dealt with the creature in the end. Do you mean to tell me that Gotham City has no more homeless people because that creature is still out there? Absurd!

In the second story, Deadly Serious, an unknown individual transports Batman to a space vessel because of a plague that turns women into serial killers. Batman and Lobo are forced to team up to stop this plague.

I didn’t know when I purchased this book that it contains two stories, so I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it also collects Batman/Lobo: Deadly Serious. Again, that feeling did not last long because the story was just as bad as the first one. I had to force myself to finish this book.

In summary, Sam Kieth’s art is way better than his stories. Also, I never comment on how women are portrayed in comics because I know that the stories are a product of their time, but they were written in 2010 and 2007, respectively. Kieth’s portrayal of women as plot devices in both stories is somewhat dated. The art is great, but I do not recommend this book.

Collects Batman Confidential #40-43 and Batman/Lobo: Deadly Serious #1-2.

My Batman Collected Editions Instagram page

[Adam Stone · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you loved The Maxx from beginning to end, then this is the Batman story you've been waiting for. It has a plot. It has a character who looks like most of Sam Kieth's female protagonists (curly-haired brunette librarian with glasses, big feet and a robust bottom...but this one is blind!). It has creepy, supernatural elements that not all the characters believe in. It has a sense of justice. And it involves homelessness. It is a perfectly adequate Batman story that is easy to follow, even though it's a tad weird.

This story would be two-stars at best, if not for Sam Kieth's five star art. I enjoy his work so much that I bought the Lobo issues that are in this book back when they came out in prestige format (I'm not a Lobo fan).

I recommend this for people whose favorite Batman story is Batman: Arkham Asylum - A Serious House on Serious Earth, Sam Kieth fans, Lobo-tomites, and people who want to enjoy a Batman story more for the art than the storyline.

[David Van · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terrible. Both stories are so offensive to women and people with disabilities, I couldn't believe what I was reading at times. On top of that, the stories aren't great and the both endings are ridiculous.

[Dave · Rating 2 out of 5]

Couldn't get past the art in this one.
And the story isn't much better, IMO.

[Aaron · Rating 2 out of 5]

Both of these stories feel like unfinished ones.

[Ben Truong · Rating 2 out of 5]

Batman Confidential: Ghosts picks up where the previous trade paperback left off, collecting four issues (Batman Confidential #40–43) of the 2006 on-going series with the two-issue limited series Batman/Lobo: Deadly Serious and covers two storyline: "Ghosts" and "Deadly Serious".

"Ghosts" is a four-issue storyline (Batman Confidential #40–43) has Bruce Wayne as Batman investigating a strangely supernatural creature as it begins to kill in Gotham City. Batman tries to fight something that he even cannot touch, especially after the monster says he knows about his parents' death. It is later revealed that the monster is somehow created by the sadness of people who have been killed by guns and is targeting people who survived it.

"Deadly Serious" is a two-issue storyline (Batman/Lobo: Deadly Serious #1–2) has Bruce Wayne as Batman transported to an alien vessel by a mysterious figure and teaming up with Lobo who has transported in a similar manner. Together, they are besieged to cure a plague that has infected its inhabitants.

Sam Keith penned the entire limited series. For the most part, the premise for each story is rather interesting, but the execution of such is much to be desired. The two stories are rather distinct with little or no connection with each other and to have them into one tome seem rather perplexing. Despite this, it didn’t really make a difference if the two stories were vastly different with no connection with each, as each story individually was rather mediocre.

Doing double duty, Sam Keith also penciled the entire trade paperback. Since he was the main penciler, the artistic flow of the trade paperback flowed exceptionally well. For the most part, his penciling style is not my cup of tea – Keith has a way of making his characters caricatures akin to political cartoons found in newspapers, which is fine for political art – not a comic book.

All in all, Batman Confidential: Ghosts is a somewhat poor continuation to what is continually looking as a mediocre and uneven series.

[Courtney · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was awful in so many ways. It felt like the author was using the stories to vent a bad breakup - he uses the same design for four of the main female characters, and kills off at least three of them in varying ways (possibly all four, but there’s... a lot left unanswered about the goddess character). Apparently it’s also a design he uses in other works, which is... interesting.

Add in the female characters’ vanishing clothes, and a very creepy portrayal of a teenaged character (female, of course) and it’s a nightmare from start to finish. And not in any fun horror film way.

Even the storylines were unsatisfying in the end. Both have a similar idea - a mysterious, possibly supernatural mist taking lives. But neither story has a satisfying resolution in the end - we never find out what is going on in the first story, and as far as readers know the mist is still going around causing havoc. The second ends (possibly), but with a possibly plot hole that, given its severity, is completely bizarre that the characters just ignore it.
The mist creature that had been possessing people, is possessing Lobo. Brunette #4 gets information (from some divine message, apparently, since she seems to come up with it out of nowhere) that apparently when it transfers from Lobo to a new female victim, it will trigger a reproductive cycle, causing any women within range to be impregnated with 300-ish eggs, creating more mist monsters. Luckily, the building they’re in when Lobo is confronted and the transfer occurs is under construction. That.. doesn’t mean it’s isolated, though, so hopefully the just luck out and don’t have an infestation upcoming?

Honestly, what should be the main plot of the story is, in both cases, set aside in favour of an embarrassing and unsatisfying attempt at setting up a romance between Batman and the female character. Or characters, since technically they’re supposed to be different people (ignore the near identical character design, I guess). The romantic plot never goes anywhere, though, as both stories end up fridging the love interest. It definitely makes me wonder if someone wasn’t working through their issues with an ex although the fact that the girlfriend figure ends up dead over and over, as well as pretty much every other female character is reallydisturbing.

[Nasty Knob · Rating 3 out of 5]

The climax of the first story seems like a lazy cop-out after such an elaborate setup, but the Lobo crossover story is fun and the art is a little more crisp. The PC babies sure seem to hate this book, which is interesting because the ideas here are a little too underdeveloped and abruptly resolved to be able to make any crazy reaches in that regard. I suppose liberal arts students are running out of pop culture artifacts to write scathing term papers about, but they also don't seem to realize that no one off campus really cares about their opinions in the first place. If you've always dug Sam Keith's Maxx, and his bizarre art style in general, this is definitely a unique interpretation of the caped crusader that is worth a look. I especially enjoy the different approach he takes to designing female characters, which is a far cry from how most are typically drawn in mainstream comics (yet, is somehow still considered problematic to some feminists?). This isn't the best Batman narrative by a long shot, but it's Sam Keith and only cost me $4, so I don't regret the purchase.

[Benjamin Closier · Rating 2 out of 5]

The art is beautiful and powerful, and the deep dive into Batman/Bruce Waynes suffering from mental illness in a realistic, PTSD sense is always something Batman stories have not touched upon or brushed over as they don't know how to do it right. I am in the minority here but I think this part of the Ghost's storyline was its main attraction... besides that, the sudden blind girl love interest came out of nowhere and escalated unrealistically to the point it got confusing, and the sulfur ghost was not what I thought it should be. As others mentioned, it would have been more fitting for it to have been some sort of Scarecrow fear gas, etc, as I do not like when Batman stories delve into science fiction with no clear reasoning for something happening and the ghost in this story was not clearly explained as to how it even formed. I prefer them with only a small degree of supernatural elements with realistic, solid conclusions (well, as realistic as they can be within the Batman canon) and this one missed the mark and felt like it did not fit in the story.
But all in all, this was not as bad as other reviews make it out to be and it is actually quite touching in places, but I do agree something is lacking and the story could have been written better towards the end, however it does keep you gripped on the story and you do want to read more and see more due to the amazing art.

And as for the Lobo story... why? I suggest you don't even bother reading this one as it ruins whatever mark the Ghost's storyline may have left on you as you are immediately transported to some science fiction alien space station that has no relation to the previous story. Batman does not work in these settings and he is at his best when he is placed firmly in reality.

[Seth Isenberg · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm a fan of Sam Kieth's work on Maxx, and the art is definitely reminiscent of that work. That is pretty much all I have to say that is positive. The story from Batman: Confidential is weak, and there isn't a great resolution. Batman's dialogue seems off, as it isn't Batman talking. I could see a different writer doing a better job with the villain, the characters, the dialogue, and Batman's psychology. His chemistry with the social worker is non-existent. The second story, Batman/Lobo, is a total mess. Keith clearly doesn't understand Lobo at all (has he read any of Giffen's work?), and fails to utilize him in a way that would make sense for a miniseries featuring Lobo. In fact, it didn't really make sense as a Batman book either. Just a whole lot of meh. I liked the look that one space creature that looked like it came out of Maxx, that's about it. Skip it.

[Prateek · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Art reminded me of Batman: Arkham Asylum - A Serious House on Serious Earth although i read it a long time ago and couldn't remember it correctly,alas its not upto that standard.

Both the halves are meaningless stories,what is the sulphur ghost??i thought it was a wicked plan by scarecrow but its just it,nothing revealing about it and we never what it is.The second half is totally unimaginative,no BATMAN moments for which i read these.

We know about Batman and Gordon but apart from that the other characters who played an important part in the 2 stories(both weak in the first place) have done nothing to be remembered and absolutely no character development,I don't even know why they are there in the first place.

[Kaylee · Rating 1 out of 5]

To be honest, I would've been fine (maybe even better) if I'd never read this.
This book includes two stories written and illustrated by Sam Kieth: "Ghosts" and Batman/Lobo: "Deadly Serious." The first story is weird, and I am not a fan of this artwork. I'm also not a fan of the forced attempt at romance, and in my opinion, the ending was bad. After surviving the sulfer monster, Callie dies because she trips and falls?! The second story was also strange, but at least I could understand the plot better. I liked this artwork better, but there is a lot of ripped clothes and skin showing. There is apparently an alien parasite that only affects women and Lobo, making them behave violently. I'm not sure if I was supposed to like Astrella.

[Fernando Angeleri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me gusta mucho el arte de Sam Kieth, en esta historia nos muestra un Batman menos detective y más humano, con dudas y problemas que no resuelve a través de su mente lógica, sino con el uso de otros sentidos, ayudada por una chica especial que aparece en su vida para mostrarle que todos pueden ser héroes desde distintos ámbitos con diferentes capacidades y al final el golpe inevitable de los eventos fortuitos que a veces parecen no existir en los cómics.
La trama deja algunos huecos y la narración a veces se pierde, pero la historia final tiene un interesante resultado.

[Rylee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm only giving it three stars because the art is pretty cool. The stories were kind of trash, especially that second one. Tried way too hard to be feminist that it wasn't, or maybe he didn't try. They seemed so thrown together, like he made the art and then decided to slap on a story. I loved the art, it was so weird but it's something I haven't seen before and I thought the color choices were great. All in all, if you're into the art style, just read it like a picture book. If not? Don't waste your time.

[RND · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a bit obtuse in that I never really had a hold on what the villain was...? I just love Kieth's art, even if it's not as dynamic or inventive as usual. He basically tried to make it a Maxx book by having another potbellied social worker female character in Callie be the Julie to Bats' being a scoliosis Maxx stand-in. As for the Lobo team-up, I felt like he didn't cut loose enough with Lobo. Still, pretty art to look at if you're already into Kieth's style.

[Max Z · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first story is sad and beautiful, the second one is a little meh.

In the first one Batman investigates the hobo murders with the only clue being a smell of sulphur near the bodies. The art is gorgeous and highly stylized, Kieth is excellent. The tone of the story is somewhat Gaimanesque if I can use a word like this. It's short and to the point. The second one has Batman join forces with Lobo to catch an alien creature possessing female bodies and going on a rampage after rampage. This one is drawn very differently (arguably worse) and I have my doubts about the Lobo characterization. He doesn't behave very convincingly and in the end he feels unnecessary to the story.

[Laurel Valentine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love when Batman stories take a more serious look at the character's mental illness. I find it difficult to see Batman as cool when really he's mentally ill due to insurmountable traumas.
Stories like this are why I like reading Batman.
Note* This only accounts for the story 'BATMAN: GHOSTS'... Not that second story...

[Yosef Shapiro · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are two separate stories in the volume. The first one is called Ghosts. It is an interesting concept, Batman working with a blind girl. But, I don't like the artwork. I get it is supposed to be surreal. But, I just don't like it. The second story is a team up with Batman and Lobo. I did not expect a normal story and was not disappointed.

[Robert · Rating 1 out of 5]

The title story is terrible, awful art and intentional confusion with no resolution either. Then for some reason they throw in a Lobo tale that wasn't even published in the Confidential line, and Lobo should never be a Batman villain - he's neither grounded nor connected to Gotham. I powered through Ghosts, but Lobo...just couldn't do it.

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

I often think that Batman isn’t suited to highly stylised art, here however Sam Keith’s Ghosts is a fabulous evocative take on fear and friendship , Keith paints a rare Batman, all stringiness and sharp edges. It’s a shame the Lobo back up tale just isn’t up to the standards of Ghosts.

[mariana · Rating 2 out of 5]

(2.5) amazing art! terrible stories! i thought the grimy and overtly ugly art style fit really well with batman and gotham's overall aesthetic (except it’s depiction of a 14 yr old girl and the random stripping of the character’s clothes……..), but it was written so poorly, especially the women (and the stories were mainly about women), and there was never any real resolution (just women dying) so much potential wasted ughhhhhhhh