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Batman: The Caped Crusader
Batman: The Caped Crusader, Vol. 3: The Penguin Affair
A new collection featuring the legendary 1990s Batman epics "Dark Knight, Dark City" and more.
This new collection of 1990s Batman stories takes the Dark Knight behind the Iron Curtain to battle the mysterious Demon. Then, the Penguin exploits a disfigured genius for his latest evil scheme, but Batman helps turn his tech skills to the side of good. The Joker goes on a new killing spree--but is it really the Clown Prince of Crime, or is this a case of a copycat killer? And the Riddler returns in the three-part story "Dark Knight, Dark City."
Collects Batman #445-454, Detective Comics #615 and Batman Annual #14.
This new collection of 1990s Batman stories takes the Dark Knight behind the Iron Curtain to battle the mysterious Demon. Then, the Penguin exploits a disfigured genius for his latest evil scheme, but Batman helps turn his tech skills to the side of good. The Joker goes on a new killing spree--but is it really the Clown Prince of Crime, or is this a case of a copycat killer? And the Riddler returns in the three-part story "Dark Knight, Dark City."
Collects Batman #445-454, Detective Comics #615 and Batman Annual #14.
328 pages, Paperback
First published September 24, 2019
26 people are currently reading
139 people want to read
About the author
Marv Wolfman
2,304 books304 followersMarvin A. "Marv" Wolfman is an award-winning American comic book writer. He is best known for lengthy runs on The Tomb of Dracula, creating Blade for Marvel Comics, and The New Teen Titans for DC Comics.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
July 20, 2021
These collections from the early 90's have been great. All of Batman's big guns are represented here, Joker, Penguin, Two Face, The Riddler, along with the KGBeast's protege, the NKVDemon (see what Wolfman did there?). Harold makes his first appearance in the Penguin story. He later becomes Batman's tech support throughout the 90's. The Riddler story, Dark Knight, Dark City, is one of the classic Batman stories of the 90's. It's also the debut of Barbatos, later used so well by Grant Morrison and Scott Snyder.
July 16, 2023
This was a really enjoyable collection that focused on a protege of the KGBeast (which was just okay) and other great stories of villains in The Penguin, The Joker, Two-Face, and The Riddler. There is a definite tonal shift during this time period to a more darker side of comics and I’m enjoying it so far!
November 16, 2021
The Batman run of Marv Wolfman and Jim Aparo continues in Batman: The Caped Crusader, Vol. 3. For me, this is probably the best The Caped Crusader volume so far because it contains a lot of good stories. I have been really impressed with Marv Wolfman’s writing, and I think these stories are underrated.
In the first story, Batman goes to Russia to face the comrade of KGBeast, NKVDemon. The second story, The Penguin Affair, is a good Penguin story, which was never collected before. In this story, Penguin takes advantage of the brilliance of Harold Allnut. When I read Batman: Knightfall, I had no idea who Harold (the hunchback in the Batcave) was. This story contains the first modern age appearance of Harold. The Caped Crusader usually collects only Batman stories, but I am glad DC decided to include the Detective Comics issue of The Penguin Affair in this volume (Detective Comics #615).
The Joker story was interesting because it makes reference to Batman: The Killing Joke and Batman: A Death in the Family. Alan Moore did not intend The Killing Joke to be canon, but this story brings it into continuity (I guess we can settle the debate now. Batman did not kill the Joker in that story). In this story, the Joker is still recovering from the injuries that he sustained in A Death in the Family, while Batman and Commissioner Gordon are still trying to recover from what happened in A Death in the Family and The Killing Joke, respectively.
This book also collects a great Two-Face story (Batman Annual #14), which is a Two-Face origin story. This story is probably my favorite Two-face story. I think this story can co-exist with Batman: The Long Halloween. It shows that Two-Face is not solely the product of the acid thrown at Harvey Dent's face. That even before that incident, Harvey was already unhinged. Lastly, this book collects Peter Milligan's Dark Knight, Dark City Riddler story. I will not review this story in this post because I will review my Batman: Dark Knight, Dark City book next.
The Penguin, Joker, Two-Face, and Riddler all in one book; what more could you ask for?
My Batman Collected Editions Instagram page
In the first story, Batman goes to Russia to face the comrade of KGBeast, NKVDemon. The second story, The Penguin Affair, is a good Penguin story, which was never collected before. In this story, Penguin takes advantage of the brilliance of Harold Allnut. When I read Batman: Knightfall, I had no idea who Harold (the hunchback in the Batcave) was. This story contains the first modern age appearance of Harold. The Caped Crusader usually collects only Batman stories, but I am glad DC decided to include the Detective Comics issue of The Penguin Affair in this volume (Detective Comics #615).
The Joker story was interesting because it makes reference to Batman: The Killing Joke and Batman: A Death in the Family. Alan Moore did not intend The Killing Joke to be canon, but this story brings it into continuity (I guess we can settle the debate now. Batman did not kill the Joker in that story). In this story, the Joker is still recovering from the injuries that he sustained in A Death in the Family, while Batman and Commissioner Gordon are still trying to recover from what happened in A Death in the Family and The Killing Joke, respectively.
This book also collects a great Two-Face story (Batman Annual #14), which is a Two-Face origin story. This story is probably my favorite Two-face story. I think this story can co-exist with Batman: The Long Halloween. It shows that Two-Face is not solely the product of the acid thrown at Harvey Dent's face. That even before that incident, Harvey was already unhinged. Lastly, this book collects Peter Milligan's Dark Knight, Dark City Riddler story. I will not review this story in this post because I will review my Batman: Dark Knight, Dark City book next.
The Penguin, Joker, Two-Face, and Riddler all in one book; what more could you ask for?
My Batman Collected Editions Instagram page
December 24, 2019
Batman goes to Russia, fights the Penguin, and runs the Riddler’s latest gauntlet. Plus the shocking origin of Two-Face! Great classic Batman tales.
August 18, 2023
We've definitely reached the dark age.
Not perfect, but a mostly very solid collection of must-read Batman stories. To start things off, there's a sequel arc to KGBeast. The KGBeast's protege has made his appearance, and he's not going to make the same mistakes as his mentor. The second is The Penguin Affair, a story that introduces Harold, a key character in the Knightfall event. The third is two issues that detail the return of the Joker after Death in the Family. The fourth is Batman Annual #14, a retelling of Two-Face's origins that The Long Halloween was no doubt heavily inspired by. The final story is the famous Dark Knight, Dark City.
The first story about NKVDemon is forgettable. I love the Bolland covers, but that's really the only notable part of these stories. They just seem like a strange interruption to our regularly scheduled program. Batman is also a little out of character here, even wishing for the death of the Demon and using the cops as an excuse to get him killed without getting his hands dirty. 3 stars.
The Penguin Affair is something that I think Penguin fans would love. My introduction to the penguin was Danny DeVito in Batman Returns, which I loved before I knew the first thing about Batman. Since then, and even now, I haven't found a single Penguin story I enjoy in any medium. I was always waiting for the Penguin episodes of B:TAS to be over, and this is no different. It's not bad, I guess? I just find the Penguin an extremely boring character most of the time, and I usually hate his dialogue. 2.5-3 stars for this. If you know any good Penguin stories, please recommend them!
Wildcard, the third story, was solid! It's a little strange, too. Joker's characterization is COMPLETELY different because after getting severely wounded in DotF, he's questioning everything about himself. He's lost the joke. I'd say it's a 3.5 since it's kind of a strange story but definitely very important.
Batman Annual #14 is INCREDIBLE. I have a deep love for Two-Face, and The Long Halloween is probably my all-time favorite comic book. This is definitely a big part of what inspired Loeb, as it's a more in-depth version of the two-face origin shown in TLH. The best you can possibly get out of the dark age. The art and dialogue are reminiscent of Year One. 5 stars! Hope to one day own this annual.
Dark Knight, Dark City is very hard to rate. This is without a doubt the darkest story in this collection and probably the darkest one I've read to date, even considering modern interest in a darker Batman. This is mostly because of it involves dogs and babies getting hurt by the hand of a demon. This story is important because it introduces Barbathos, but if not for that, I don't think I'd like it. A little too edgy for my taste (the tracheotomy was upsetting) although there's a very very sweet moment at the end where Batman plans to visit one of the babies he saved. What I love about it is that despite the dark tone of the whole book, it reminds us that Batman is still a symbol of hope... and he even says he may smile a bit, and I find that incredibly wholesome. 3.5 just because it's FASCINATING, has incredible art, even better Mignola covers, and is pretty unforgettable.
Another amazing collection. I love that these issues are collected like this and I can't wait to read more.
Not perfect, but a mostly very solid collection of must-read Batman stories. To start things off, there's a sequel arc to KGBeast. The KGBeast's protege has made his appearance, and he's not going to make the same mistakes as his mentor. The second is The Penguin Affair, a story that introduces Harold, a key character in the Knightfall event. The third is two issues that detail the return of the Joker after Death in the Family. The fourth is Batman Annual #14, a retelling of Two-Face's origins that The Long Halloween was no doubt heavily inspired by. The final story is the famous Dark Knight, Dark City.
The first story about NKVDemon is forgettable. I love the Bolland covers, but that's really the only notable part of these stories. They just seem like a strange interruption to our regularly scheduled program. Batman is also a little out of character here, even wishing for the death of the Demon and using the cops as an excuse to get him killed without getting his hands dirty. 3 stars.
The Penguin Affair is something that I think Penguin fans would love. My introduction to the penguin was Danny DeVito in Batman Returns, which I loved before I knew the first thing about Batman. Since then, and even now, I haven't found a single Penguin story I enjoy in any medium. I was always waiting for the Penguin episodes of B:TAS to be over, and this is no different. It's not bad, I guess? I just find the Penguin an extremely boring character most of the time, and I usually hate his dialogue. 2.5-3 stars for this. If you know any good Penguin stories, please recommend them!
Wildcard, the third story, was solid! It's a little strange, too. Joker's characterization is COMPLETELY different because after getting severely wounded in DotF, he's questioning everything about himself. He's lost the joke. I'd say it's a 3.5 since it's kind of a strange story but definitely very important.
Batman Annual #14 is INCREDIBLE. I have a deep love for Two-Face, and The Long Halloween is probably my all-time favorite comic book. This is definitely a big part of what inspired Loeb, as it's a more in-depth version of the two-face origin shown in TLH. The best you can possibly get out of the dark age. The art and dialogue are reminiscent of Year One. 5 stars! Hope to one day own this annual.
Dark Knight, Dark City is very hard to rate. This is without a doubt the darkest story in this collection and probably the darkest one I've read to date, even considering modern interest in a darker Batman. This is mostly because of it involves dogs and babies getting hurt by the hand of a demon. This story is important because it introduces Barbathos, but if not for that, I don't think I'd like it. A little too edgy for my taste (the tracheotomy was upsetting) although there's a very very sweet moment at the end where Batman plans to visit one of the babies he saved. What I love about it is that despite the dark tone of the whole book, it reminds us that Batman is still a symbol of hope... and he even says he may smile a bit, and I find that incredibly wholesome. 3.5 just because it's FASCINATING, has incredible art, even better Mignola covers, and is pretty unforgettable.
Another amazing collection. I love that these issues are collected like this and I can't wait to read more.
February 7, 2023
A mixed bag -
Like a lot of these comics from this era, the quality of the writing varies from story to story. The first two storylines, about the successor to the KGBeast and a plot to kidnap a soap opera star by the penguin, are rather goofy and dated. The next revolves around the return of the joker after the events of the killing joke and a death in the family, but it doesn’t have any of the same stakes or impact of those stories, and undersells the threat of the joker.
But the next two stories - an annual detailing the post-crisis origins of Two-Face (Which partially inspire but are also mostly retconned by The Long Halloween), and a bizarre storyline called dark knight, dark city about the riddler attempting to summon a demon through human sacrifice, are excellent. Dark, weird, and more layered than most of the villain of the week stories from this era up to this point, they’re a great indicator of the darker, more serialized 90s era to come.
Like a lot of these comics from this era, the quality of the writing varies from story to story. The first two storylines, about the successor to the KGBeast and a plot to kidnap a soap opera star by the penguin, are rather goofy and dated. The next revolves around the return of the joker after the events of the killing joke and a death in the family, but it doesn’t have any of the same stakes or impact of those stories, and undersells the threat of the joker.
But the next two stories - an annual detailing the post-crisis origins of Two-Face (Which partially inspire but are also mostly retconned by The Long Halloween), and a bizarre storyline called dark knight, dark city about the riddler attempting to summon a demon through human sacrifice, are excellent. Dark, weird, and more layered than most of the villain of the week stories from this era up to this point, they’re a great indicator of the darker, more serialized 90s era to come.
January 11, 2021
There's really nothing in this that I would recommend. It serves as a clear example of the shift from classic Batman to the dark comics from the 90s when the 3 M's (Morrison, Moore and Miller) came in and decided every comic needed more murder and women as sacrificial lambs.
I'm not a fan of Wolfman's writing. I thought maybe it was just the really shitty way he wrote Cyborg and Garfield being a little creep that consistently hit on women. The more I read of his work, the more I realize it's just him. The dialogue is always just a bit... fucky. This book has lines like "Get a face, ugly!" and Tim saying "The guy looks like a jerk or something. Is he really that dangerous?" They're just awkward.
Vicki Vale continues to be a character I don't like. She's just the worst. Every interaction with Bruce appears to be her pressuring him into agreeing to dates with her and then getting mad when he doesn't seem as engaged as she wants him to be. I question how good she is at her job as a reporter with her complete inability to read a room.
The Killing Joke storyline happened in the middle of this book (not in the book per say, but timeline wise). I'd forgotten that the Joker not only paralyzed Babs, but took pictures of her naked body to send to Gordon. My hatred for that storyline aside - this was a period of time where humiliating and dehumanizing things like that happened to female characters solely so we could see the pain it caused the men in their lives. As if that isn't shitty enough, this book features Gordon talking over Babs when she says she's adjusted to life in the chair and she feels just as capable, if not better than she was before. And he's being an asshole telling her she's clearly not - because he knows better than Babs apparently. So, Gordon comes across as a dick.
There's nothing I loved here. Wolfman's clunky writing, a penguin storyline that went on for WAY too long, barely any presence of Tim (who, while not my favorite, is the reason I chose to read this).
The Riddler was a criminal who had an MO, a way of doing things but in this book, he's just a mindless killer.
It's sad to read the end of an era this way but, here it is. As compiled, there's nothing here that I'd recommend reading.
I'm not a fan of Wolfman's writing. I thought maybe it was just the really shitty way he wrote Cyborg and Garfield being a little creep that consistently hit on women. The more I read of his work, the more I realize it's just him. The dialogue is always just a bit... fucky. This book has lines like "Get a face, ugly!" and Tim saying "The guy looks like a jerk or something. Is he really that dangerous?" They're just awkward.
Vicki Vale continues to be a character I don't like. She's just the worst. Every interaction with Bruce appears to be her pressuring him into agreeing to dates with her and then getting mad when he doesn't seem as engaged as she wants him to be. I question how good she is at her job as a reporter with her complete inability to read a room.
The Killing Joke storyline happened in the middle of this book (not in the book per say, but timeline wise). I'd forgotten that the Joker not only paralyzed Babs, but took pictures of her naked body to send to Gordon. My hatred for that storyline aside - this was a period of time where humiliating and dehumanizing things like that happened to female characters solely so we could see the pain it caused the men in their lives. As if that isn't shitty enough, this book features Gordon talking over Babs when she says she's adjusted to life in the chair and she feels just as capable, if not better than she was before. And he's being an asshole telling her she's clearly not - because he knows better than Babs apparently. So, Gordon comes across as a dick.
There's nothing I loved here. Wolfman's clunky writing, a penguin storyline that went on for WAY too long, barely any presence of Tim (who, while not my favorite, is the reason I chose to read this).
The Riddler was a criminal who had an MO, a way of doing things but in this book, he's just a mindless killer.
It's sad to read the end of an era this way but, here it is. As compiled, there's nothing here that I'd recommend reading.
December 31, 2021
These early 90s tales mostly from Marv Wolfman and Jim Aparo don't hold up very well. We get an uninspired tale in Russia where Batman acts completely out of character. There is also a decent new villain created to only be killed. There is also a disappointing Riddler arc. Overall, there is some classic art but the book is dated and forgettable.
November 5, 2025
How did this go so downhill from Vol. 1 and Vol. 2? I didn't really enjoy any of the stories. Some of the art was incredible. This just felt like a waste of good characters.
January 23, 2024
This actually took me a while to finish granted how big it is but my god what a great collection this was and truly had a great time reading it!!
Here we see Batman fight against the NKV demon in the start and we see he was a protege of KGBeast who Batman had defeated in an earlier arc and then Bruce travelling to Russia was so kinda awesome and this comic came out during the cold war era so its neat in that regards and also Vicki vale was fun but what I liked here was how this story showed Bruce being a good guy and taking this villain down regardless of political affiliation and the comic has a great message of unity and all and is of very much influenced by its time so take that as you will.
The next story is vs Penguin as he is now controlling birds and using that to propagate all sorts of crime be it stealing or harassing this soap opera actress and we see his obsession with her and kidnapping her and how Batman stops him there and we see the introduction of Harold of sorts, the guy who made Batman's computer in the batcave and so there is a story with him and it also shows how Penguin just uses people and throws them away and that is a good contrast to Batman whose anything but.
There is another great story where a corporate sleazy guy named Curtis takes the identity of Joker and we see the real Joker going through some identity crisis and I like how its tied to "the killing joke" story and well how it plays out here and the involvement of Gordon here makes the story so much more thrilling with him having PTSD and there are a couple of moments where he is like considering going off the books lets say and how it all ties together is awesome with Batman in the centre of it, so yeah it has lots of story going on and themes and all and identity and a good Joker story too.
There is another one vs Two-face and we get to see his origin again and mind you this was before "the long halloween" which sort of became his definitive origin but we see how the villain emerged and all and the psyche problems Harvey had and yeah its good too, and you get to see Bruce and Harvey work together and it does make Two-face a complicated villain.
The last story is "Dark knight, Dark city" which is that famous Barbatos story that introduced him and we see Batman vs riddler here and how the villain is sort of becoming more deadly and unhinged and how he is sort of making him fight weird forces and things and it all reveals him to be the new priest, and while we don't see barbatos physically, its more the idea of it being the decay of the city aka Gotham itself and how it is manifested in every brick and stone and very metaphorical but its fun to see Batman vs Nygma in that context and how he saves this woman who was originally sacrificed there and its very much a psychological thriller in some regards so yeah.. but its a hallmark Batman story!
SO yeah a collection with lots of great Batman stories and him taking on his classic villains and going through a gauntlet of them really and so yeah you will have a fun time reading it!!
Here we see Batman fight against the NKV demon in the start and we see he was a protege of KGBeast who Batman had defeated in an earlier arc and then Bruce travelling to Russia was so kinda awesome and this comic came out during the cold war era so its neat in that regards and also Vicki vale was fun but what I liked here was how this story showed Bruce being a good guy and taking this villain down regardless of political affiliation and the comic has a great message of unity and all and is of very much influenced by its time so take that as you will.
The next story is vs Penguin as he is now controlling birds and using that to propagate all sorts of crime be it stealing or harassing this soap opera actress and we see his obsession with her and kidnapping her and how Batman stops him there and we see the introduction of Harold of sorts, the guy who made Batman's computer in the batcave and so there is a story with him and it also shows how Penguin just uses people and throws them away and that is a good contrast to Batman whose anything but.
There is another great story where a corporate sleazy guy named Curtis takes the identity of Joker and we see the real Joker going through some identity crisis and I like how its tied to "the killing joke" story and well how it plays out here and the involvement of Gordon here makes the story so much more thrilling with him having PTSD and there are a couple of moments where he is like considering going off the books lets say and how it all ties together is awesome with Batman in the centre of it, so yeah it has lots of story going on and themes and all and identity and a good Joker story too.
There is another one vs Two-face and we get to see his origin again and mind you this was before "the long halloween" which sort of became his definitive origin but we see how the villain emerged and all and the psyche problems Harvey had and yeah its good too, and you get to see Bruce and Harvey work together and it does make Two-face a complicated villain.
The last story is "Dark knight, Dark city" which is that famous Barbatos story that introduced him and we see Batman vs riddler here and how the villain is sort of becoming more deadly and unhinged and how he is sort of making him fight weird forces and things and it all reveals him to be the new priest, and while we don't see barbatos physically, its more the idea of it being the decay of the city aka Gotham itself and how it is manifested in every brick and stone and very metaphorical but its fun to see Batman vs Nygma in that context and how he saves this woman who was originally sacrificed there and its very much a psychological thriller in some regards so yeah.. but its a hallmark Batman story!
SO yeah a collection with lots of great Batman stories and him taking on his classic villains and going through a gauntlet of them really and so yeah you will have a fun time reading it!!
August 12, 2025
Having read the first two volume of Batman: The Caped Crusader which are trade paperbacks that collects older issues of Batman from the 1980s my kids and I continued with the third volume that collects Batman issues 445-454, 615 and Batman Annual 14. In volume three it is no longer Batman from the 80s but now the early 1990s. This was another excellent collection of stories that we enjoyed.
The first story involves Batman having to go to communist Russia to combat a supervillain name NKVDemon. This story is covered in issues 445-447. I really enjoyed this story, you see it reflect the times of the Cold War era and it also picks up from a previous story where there was a villain name KGBeast who came to the US to try to kill important individuals in order to spark a nuclear war. NKVDemon is a protégé of KGBeast and the story parallel KGBeat story in that the villain is a trained secret operative out to kill important people but this time the villain is not targeting Americans but “traitors” Soviets. Its up to Batman to try to stop him. I thought it was funny this protégé has the name of “NKVDemon” when NKVD as a secret police came before the KGB that took up its place. Other than that historical bit, everything else in the story was in my opinion flawless. Next is a three-issues story about the Penguin and him taking advantage of someone who was brilliant but unable to speak and is socially awkward to use his invention of being able to control birds. Penguin is up to no good with this technology and it is Penguin’s pride that would be his undoing. Following that is a story involving Joker and is situated after the classic story of The Killing Joke where Joker returns after not going on his criminal enterprise for a while. There’s other stories in this book but the final one I want to highlight is the story that involves the origin of Two-Face that was pretty good.
Do I recommend this? Yes. It is fun and entertaining and one sees the times in these stories as well for those who like that kind of stuff.
The first story involves Batman having to go to communist Russia to combat a supervillain name NKVDemon. This story is covered in issues 445-447. I really enjoyed this story, you see it reflect the times of the Cold War era and it also picks up from a previous story where there was a villain name KGBeast who came to the US to try to kill important individuals in order to spark a nuclear war. NKVDemon is a protégé of KGBeast and the story parallel KGBeat story in that the villain is a trained secret operative out to kill important people but this time the villain is not targeting Americans but “traitors” Soviets. Its up to Batman to try to stop him. I thought it was funny this protégé has the name of “NKVDemon” when NKVD as a secret police came before the KGB that took up its place. Other than that historical bit, everything else in the story was in my opinion flawless. Next is a three-issues story about the Penguin and him taking advantage of someone who was brilliant but unable to speak and is socially awkward to use his invention of being able to control birds. Penguin is up to no good with this technology and it is Penguin’s pride that would be his undoing. Following that is a story involving Joker and is situated after the classic story of The Killing Joke where Joker returns after not going on his criminal enterprise for a while. There’s other stories in this book but the final one I want to highlight is the story that involves the origin of Two-Face that was pretty good.
Do I recommend this? Yes. It is fun and entertaining and one sees the times in these stories as well for those who like that kind of stuff.
Read
September 20, 2023great collection of batman comics
starts with a sequel to the KGBeast as bats fights against a hardline ML who wants to kill gorbachev and bring the soviet union to its former leninist glory. very silly. a plus
then there's the penguin affair. bird themed mayhem abounds. i like this penguin characterization. he's a smart and shrewd underworld criminal, who could almost get away with it, but is to egotistical, needs to be there himself despite being physically ill equipped to be carrying out all this crime.
then there's the two part return of the joker. someone else pretends to be the joker and commits crimes, but its off. very very creepy. joker has been down in the dumps after killing jason todd, healing from his injuries in the ensuing battle. he's lost the joke until some other pretend-joker starts making bad puns and ill-taste gags. someones gotta be the real comedian here!
the 1990 annual is about two-face, always a great villain and insight into batman's history. great art there too. kinda stuff i've seen before with harvey dent, but a very well done version of it.
this collection ends with Dark Knight, Dark City which makes the riddler bloodthirsty and finds gotham haunted by a demon other than batman - or maybe they are one and the same. ends up positing that Batman was pre-ordained by some demon who has been trapped in the city for centuries. but its not overt. glad to know this story gets adapted/referenced in grant morrison's run later on.
starts with a sequel to the KGBeast as bats fights against a hardline ML who wants to kill gorbachev and bring the soviet union to its former leninist glory. very silly. a plus
then there's the penguin affair. bird themed mayhem abounds. i like this penguin characterization. he's a smart and shrewd underworld criminal, who could almost get away with it, but is to egotistical, needs to be there himself despite being physically ill equipped to be carrying out all this crime.
then there's the two part return of the joker. someone else pretends to be the joker and commits crimes, but its off. very very creepy. joker has been down in the dumps after killing jason todd, healing from his injuries in the ensuing battle. he's lost the joke until some other pretend-joker starts making bad puns and ill-taste gags. someones gotta be the real comedian here!
the 1990 annual is about two-face, always a great villain and insight into batman's history. great art there too. kinda stuff i've seen before with harvey dent, but a very well done version of it.
this collection ends with Dark Knight, Dark City which makes the riddler bloodthirsty and finds gotham haunted by a demon other than batman - or maybe they are one and the same. ends up positing that Batman was pre-ordained by some demon who has been trapped in the city for centuries. but its not overt. glad to know this story gets adapted/referenced in grant morrison's run later on.
August 12, 2025
The Wolfman storylines which lead this collection are serviceable if not a bit dry and on-the-nose. The first being a reversal of Starlin's KGBeast storyline, now focused on the NKVDemon and while it is still a tad hokey it makes some passable commentary on the end of the Cold War. The "Penguin Affair" that follows is just pure camp and not the type I particularly enjoy, even if it still has some fun moments like Cobblepot being obsessed with a TV actress whose character's last name is 'Heron'.
However, after that we get a really good revision of Two Face's origin in Helfer's annual. I really like the reinterpretation of Harvey harboring a personality disorder that's bubbling beneath the surface, which just gets exaggerated when his transformative accident occurs.
The last bit of the collection contains the Milligan story "Dark Knight, Dark City" which develops an occult narrative around Riddler leading the bat on a wild, violent goose chase with a mysterious connection to an eighteenth century attempt to summon a demon in what would later become Gotham. The plotting was quite good here and I really liked the turn exposing why Riddler executed said goose chase, but I did find Milligan's prose a bit much at times with his ample use of repetition ("A thing of the night. He moves like a thing of the night"). Art throughout this collection is really solid with both Aparo and Dwyer bringing really nice pen shading and distinctive aesthetics.
However, after that we get a really good revision of Two Face's origin in Helfer's annual. I really like the reinterpretation of Harvey harboring a personality disorder that's bubbling beneath the surface, which just gets exaggerated when his transformative accident occurs.
The last bit of the collection contains the Milligan story "Dark Knight, Dark City" which develops an occult narrative around Riddler leading the bat on a wild, violent goose chase with a mysterious connection to an eighteenth century attempt to summon a demon in what would later become Gotham. The plotting was quite good here and I really liked the turn exposing why Riddler executed said goose chase, but I did find Milligan's prose a bit much at times with his ample use of repetition ("A thing of the night. He moves like a thing of the night"). Art throughout this collection is really solid with both Aparo and Dwyer bringing really nice pen shading and distinctive aesthetics.
May 31, 2023
While previous volumes introduced some new antagonists, this one leans into some old classics, featuring the Penguin, the Joker, Two-Face, and the Riddler. Though the writers lean on classic characters, some of the stories feature off-kilter stories about; the Joker battles a wealthy businessman masquerading as him to manipulate the markets, for example, and the Riddler gets tied up with occultists summoning a demon! We also get another take on Two-Face's beginnings, and the Penguin wreaks havoc on Gotham weaponizing birds just like Hitchcock's famous movie. Good stories, bolstered by the fantastic work, especially by legends Jim Aparo and Norm Breyfogle.
May 6, 2024
Lots of panels in this era of books show Batman cruising past hookers and not busting them. I guess Batman recognizes that prostitution is a crime in Gotham, but he's sex positive? Or doesn't believe in punishing sex workers for their crimes?
Batman is kind of a mystery. Maybe that works for him. If you don't really know which crimes are going to end up with your jaw broken, maybe you're inclined to stay clean. "I mean, I don't THINK he's going to crush me from above with a kick after diving off a roof because I skipped out on the check at a restaurant...but maybe I should just go ahead and pay anyway."
Batman is kind of a mystery. Maybe that works for him. If you don't really know which crimes are going to end up with your jaw broken, maybe you're inclined to stay clean. "I mean, I don't THINK he's going to crush me from above with a kick after diving off a roof because I skipped out on the check at a restaurant...but maybe I should just go ahead and pay anyway."
January 22, 2021
The colours may be bright, but make no mistake, this collection is pretty grim, with a ridiculously high body count. I guess my gripe would be that many of the deaths are treated very casually - the Penguin's scheme shuts down Gotham, causing a plane to crash (presumably killing all onboard), decimating the entire city (who knows how many died in car crashes, etc.)... and in the end, he's just tied up and squawking, with the Batman nary batting an eyelid. I'm quite a fan of the Peter Milligan arc that closes the volume, though.
August 13, 2022
2.5 stars
This started out with some decent storylines in the earlier issues but then it got really, really weird... From Penguin lusting over a television star who plays a villainess named Heron to Joker having an identity crisis and I would be remiss to not mention the Riddler going off the book to become an occultist!
Perhaps the writers were trying to go in new directions but I don't think the creative choices they made really had the desired effect. Reinvention done poorly is just as bad, if not worse, than sticking with how things stand.
This started out with some decent storylines in the earlier issues but then it got really, really weird... From Penguin lusting over a television star who plays a villainess named Heron to Joker having an identity crisis and I would be remiss to not mention the Riddler going off the book to become an occultist!
Perhaps the writers were trying to go in new directions but I don't think the creative choices they made really had the desired effect. Reinvention done poorly is just as bad, if not worse, than sticking with how things stand.
September 2, 2020
More tales from the late 80's/early 90's. We meet NKVDemon, the psychotic protege of the KGBeast; the Penguin returns as do the Joker and the Riddler. Definitely some darker times for the Caped Crusader.
May 28, 2022
So I'm not actually a very big fan of when Bats goes supernatural/occult. I prefer the mob bosses and the mad scientists and plain ol super villains. So the final act of this one threw me a bit. But the rest was great. I'm really enjoying this series and can't wait to read the rest of it.
November 17, 2021
Lots of good stuff in here. Milligan and Dwyer’s “Dark Knight, Dark City” and Helfer and Sprouse’s “The Eye Of the Beholder” are especially top-notch.
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