Batman: Broken City New Edition

Batman Post-Crisis #142

by Brian Azzarello, Eduardo Risso (Illustrator)

BATMAN: BROKEN CITY offers a profound examination of the Dark Knight Detective and the grim metropolis he protects. While hunting the murderer of a small boys parents, Batman embarks on a journey of self-discovery that forces him to reflect on his life and the choices he has made. But when the Dark Knight becomes caught up in his own investigation and ruminations, he suddenly falls prey to a deadly new pair of killers that has been stalking him. A gritty, introspective tale, this noir-flavored book features appearances by the Joker, the Penguin, Killer Croc and Scarface.

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

145 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Brian Azzarello (born in Cleveland, Ohio) is an American comic book writer. He came to prominence with 100 Bullets, published by DC Comics' mature-audience imprint Vertigo. He and Argentine artist Eduardo Risso, with whom Azzarello first worked on Jonny Double, won the 2001 Eisner Award for Best Serialized Story for 100 Bullets #15–18: "Hang Up on the Hang Low".

Azzarello has written for Batman ("Broken City", art by Risso; "Batman/Deathblow: After the Fire", art by Lee Bermejo, Tim Bradstreet, & Mick Gray) and Superman ("For Tomorrow", art by Jim Lee).

In 2005, Azzarello began a new creator-owned series, the western Loveless, with artist Marcelo Frusin.

As of 2007, Azzarello is married to fellow comic-book writer and illustrator Jill Thompson.

information taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Az...

Reviews

[Jayson · Rating 3 out of 5]

(B+) 78% | Good
Notes: It has an Elseworlds feel, with Batman as a hardboiled P.I. in a noir world of bloody jaws, busted teeth and heavy rain.

[Molly™☺ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Incredibly dull with a one note portrayal of Batman that strips the hero of having any identity other than ‘my parents died’. Yes, that’s a big part of Bruce’s character, however, there’s more to the Dark Knight that is never explored here. Most egregious is the inner monologue that absolutely drags. It doesn’t feel like a familiar Batman, but more like a badly executed Elseworlds creation. With a plethora of good Batman stories out there, this is one that can be skipped.

[Sam Quixote · Rating 2 out of 5]

I first read this 5 or 6 years ago and had subsequently forgotten the story - the one thing I remembered was that it wasn’t that great. I read this again last week and found that I was right the first time - it really wasn’t good at all - but that in just a week I’d forgotten most of the story. “Broken City” is just a really, really forgettable Batman book. I couldn’t tell you specifically what it’s about - something about a child witnessing the murder of his parents (just like Bruce!) which of course makes the case personal to Batman.

We run through a roster of Batman villains - Ventriloquist/Scarface, Killer Croc, Joker, Penguin, blah blah blah - who make faces, shoot guns, get interrogated by Bats and generally do what they usually do before they hustle off and Batman broods in shadows, monologuing some tedious nonsense about whatever. And then it’s solved, somehow. The pages run out, so I guess Batman gets the person, solves the case. Ho hum, onto the next adventure.

Brian Azzarello teams up with his 100 bullets co-creator and artist Eduardo Risso who contributes maybe the best thing about the book which is the art. Even if in some scenes he makes Batman look super-beefy so he resembles Bane more than Batman, the art is what sticks out the most. The fearful white eyes in a totally shadowed face is a striking visual.

I wouldn’t recommend this as a good Batman book, nor would I say this is even among Azzarello’s best. He’s done better work elsewhere for DC in “Joker” and “Lex Luthor: Man of Steel” both with artist Lee Bermejo. Azzarello and Risso would years later re-team to write a fantastic Batman story in DC’s crappy Flashpoint Event where Batman’s origins are reimagined - what if Bruce Wayne was killed by Joe Chill? Would there still be a Batman and Joker and what would Gotham be like? That Batman story was literally the only good thing about Flashpoint. Check out that instead of “Broken City” which is just plain dreariness from start to finish.

[Subham · Rating 3 out of 5]

This felt weird lol.

So the story is some guy named "Angel Lupo" committing the murder of a kids parents and well that hits something in Batman because duh and he is on the hunt for this guy and in the process seeing he murdered his sister too and its crazy as Batman is hunting him and he goes up against Killer croc (whose re-design here after Hush is bad lol) and also Penguin and somehow Scarface and Ventriloquist are also involved and then we see the twist of what happens with Angel and Ventriloquist and it becomes even more insane when we see who really hunted the boys parents and what it does to Batman... also cameo by Joker I guess?

Umm yeah not the greatest Batman story, an average one maybe. I am being generous giving it 3 stars because the story is fast paced and flows nice and also I am not a big fan of the art but its easy on the eyes, some re-designs like I mentioned were weird. I guess a simpleton story with no real big villain here other than Ventriloquist and showing a md twisted love story and family and insane childhoods and all and the mad world that is Gotham!

Good for a one-time read I will say.

[James DeSantis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Brian Azzarello is always a gamble for me. I didn't love his Joker, Enjoyed his Luthor, liked half of his superman, and now we get to Batman. Is it worth checking out?

So Batman Broken City is taking bruce, putting him in a batsuit, and making him be a detective. But it's more like "hard-boil" type detective. It feels really out of character. However, I always let myself try new takes so I thought of this as a elseworld. A different Batman. And I was seeing if that would work. After a kid witness the death of his parents, similar to our hero, Batman goes around the city finding out what happened. You run through various villains but none are really memorable. By the very end we get the truth about what went down but did it nail it? Did it work?

Good: I like some of the art. Especially the sewer scene or the scene with the flashbacks. I also thought some of the dialog was good. Batman speaks the entire thing, and while it's out of place, works. It does start to wear thin at the end but for the start it's interesting.

Bad: I really didn't like the overall story. The plot was kind of boring, the villains not scary, the end result kind of messy, and Batman being so different didn't click with me. The also "edgyness" of it kind of made me roll my eyes, reminding me of"Joker".

Overall this was a okay batman story but I'll probably forget all about it. It tried to be something different, and for that I'll give it credit, but for me it just didn't cut it. A 2/5.

[Sophia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection started off really strong however, as I got to the fourth or fifth issue things started to get confusing.
There was a plot where I don't think it was explained properly or expressed well enough for me to totally understand it. I will say, there were many little things that surprised and intrigued me.
Overall, a well done comic with powerful imagery and a very interesting (when it wasn't confusing) story line.

[OmniBen · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Zero spoiler review) 4.5/5
Oh my god, the best Batman story I've read in a helluva long time and one of my all time favourites. Why is this not in absolute edition? Eduardo Risso's sublimely unique artwork practically demands an oversized collection. Hell, I'd take a deluxe edition even.
DC seems hellbent on two things: Burning their company to the ground.
And not releasing anything Batman related from before the new 52. It seems their collected edition department forgot that DC didn't start in 2011. But enough about that company and more about this amazing story. Written around the time when Azarello and Risso were rising high with all of that big dick 100 Bullets energy (one of my all time faves), this is Batman, and Gotham, exactly as I want them. Dark, dirty and a little bit depraved. This street level tale, without a hint of any higher stakes beyond Batman trying to solve the murder of a mobsters sister. No Morrison psychological chicanery. No Tom King levels of subversion and character destruction. Just Batman wiping the floor with Gotham's seedy underbelly, and with some scintillating dialogue, and even a hint of innuendo thrown in for good measure. And when you top it all off with Risso's absolutely gorgeous visuals, you have a package that would make even your most experienced porn star green with envy. After reading the three Morrison omnibus, the two Snyder's and the Tomasi omni's, all of which were massively underwhelming, this is the breath of fresh air both the Bat and I sorely needed. Outsanding. 4.5/5


OmniBen.

[Ill D · Rating 2 out of 5]

Despite the raw talent and aged experience at the disposal of the famed Azzarello and Risso duo, their take on the Batman mythos never quite ends up finding anything resembling a solid footing in Broken City. Much like the shifted ground, implicit in the very title, of the ever distraught city of Gotham, without a firm starting point to launch off from, all shades of the good and of course the bad, inextricably devolve toward the ugly as a murky and dangerously unbalanced premise unstructures anything that would germinated forth from it unto an incohesive abyss. Most curiously, instead of an explosive propellant boosted forth by the duo’s contemporaneous work on their famed 100 Bullets series, it would seem that this side project evidently got the short end of the shaft as the author-illustrator combo focused their creative energies elsewhere with little little leftover to work with here.

With a tinge of personal disappointment here, there really isn’t much I can add to the voluminously accompanying reviews here on GR. Yes, Broken City is mediocre. Yes, it is ultimately unmemorable. But its inherent faults lie less with application of talent per se, but rather from a lack of proper pre-planning that well evidences itself through the entire series.

For all the raw talent here, its a real let down to see it applied so poorly. Just as the pictures can fetch a pleased eye once in a while when divorced from the work story within, so to can glimpses of written wit and other scenes of depicted creativity beg for something so much greater than the mere sum of the parts should have produced for creative team and us readers alike. As such, no matter what artistic success have been executed here here (the reduplication of Wayne’s origin story is most notable here) find themselves enshrouded by sequences of outright failure and unintended harmatia.

All the more damning is that contrary to the strictly amoral, hyper-violent, and virile essences of 100 Bullets, which comprehensively and ultimately paved the way toward its creative world building, the Batman formula, actually ends up as something of a creative straitjacket for the artistic team here. Unable to bring their penchant for unabashed bloodletting, at best we can only get mere shades… thin emanations by way of noir tinged verbosity that bring us close but, ultimately shy away from the brutality Batman’s very character is intrinsically incapable of.

Without a doubt these underlying strictures even find themselves curiously at odds with internal references from relatively recent Batman history. Under keen and experienced eyes, nods toward (no matter how positively creative) Miller’s blasphemies of 86’s Dark Knight Returns, are mere glimpses here, instead of properly modulated samples. This artistic sin of creative omission is again damnably on display when more obvious homages, that can barely be veiled, from Miller’s far more famous and infinitely more well received Sin City, remain unpolished simulcrum, nothing more than holographic re-doings whose essences remain illusory and unavailable for re-use here.

Just like the palpable potential that clearly could have been, the straw that could not be used to even mildly bruise the camels back is the same mental roadblock that allowed the met Buddha in the road to remain unslain. Unable to slay the sacred cow (let alone modulate), the mismatch between an enormously creative team that has always favored the blood-spattered and the vermicous vice, and an adamantium clad character essence that has remained traditionally steadfast to its (now ancient) values and veneer, becomes redolently painful after page after page thinly veils its barely contained contradictions.

Perhaps most damning is that the creative jack-hammer Azzarello and Risso could have well-applied to Batman’s eternal values, could’ve been just the creative destruction we could very well use now to understand out turbulent times.

[Scott · Rating 2 out of 5]

Broken City starts fairly strong, with the film noir atmosphere and Batman's P.I.-like first-person narration, involving a missing person investigation. A lot of the initial confrontations - the Fat Man and Little Boy scene, for one - were good. However, the latter half began to plod along (the inclusion of Scarface as one of the villains also took it down a notch - just a personal preference, but he's not my favorite) and my initial interest was muted by the time of the conclusion.

[Hachi ◇♡◇ · Rating 2 out of 5]

**English down below**

"Batman: Broken City" es una obra que, lamentablemente, no logró cumplir con mis expectativas como amante de Batman. A pesar de que Batman es mi superhéroe favorito y siempre estoy ansiosa por sumergirme en nuevas aventuras de Gotham City, este cómic me dejó con una sensación de aburrimiento y falta de innovación.

El principal problema que encuentro en esta historia es el argumento que gira en torno a la tragedia de los padres de Bruce Wayne. Si bien este tema es fundamental en la identidad de Batman, en "Broken City" parece haberse vuelto repetitivo y carente de frescura. Esperaba un enfoque más original y estimulante que pudiera arrojar nueva luz sobre el personaje, pero en su lugar, me encontré con una narrativa que no logró sorprenderme.

La trama en sí misma, aunque tenía el potencial para ser intrigante, en su mayoría carecía de emoción y giros argumentales impactantes. La historia se desarrolla de manera predecible, y los momentos que deberían haber sido impactantes cayeron en la monotonía.

A pesar de mis críticas, es importante recordar que los gustos varían de persona a persona, y lo que no funcionó para mí podría agradar a otros lectores. Como fan de Batman, siempre estoy dispuesta a explorar nuevas historias en su universo, incluso si esta en particular no cumplió mis expectativas. Sin embargo, "Batman: Broken City" es un cómic que difícilmente recomendaría a otros fanáticos ávidos de nuevas y emocionantes aventuras del Caballero de la Noche.

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

"Batman: Broken City" is a work that, unfortunately, did not meet my expectations as a Batman enthusiast. Despite Batman being my favorite superhero, I found this comic to be rather dull and lacking in innovation.

The main issue I have with this story is the recurring theme of Bruce Wayne's parents' tragedy. While this theme is pivotal to Batman's identity, in "Broken City," it seems to have become repetitive and lacking in freshness. I was hoping for a more original and stimulating approach that could shed new light on the character, but instead, I encountered a narrative that failed to surprise me.

The plot itself, though it had the potential to be intriguing, mostly lacked excitement and impactful plot twists. The story unfolded predictably, and the moments that should have been shocking fell into monotony.

Despite my criticisms, it's important to remember that tastes vary from person to person, and what didn't work for me might appeal to other readers. As a Batman fan, I'm always eager to explore new stories in his universe, even if this one, in particular, didn't meet my expectations. However, "Batman: Broken City" is a comic that I would be hard-pressed to recommend to other avid fans seeking fresh and exciting adventures of the Dark Knight.

[Lashaan Balasingam · Rating 3 out of 5]

You can find my review on my blog by clicking here.

The city within which you’re born can have immeasurable effects on who you become in your life. As you evolve within this ecosystem that you rarely control, it brings forth a series of uncontrollable circumstances and obstacles, leaving you at its mercy as you try to figure out what kind of person you will grow to become. Sometimes, it’s never a silky and smooth road but a devastating and troubling journey, leaving behind a series of unforgettable scars and forging within those who dare remain resilient a psychological strength that one can only fancy in their wildest dreams. From the award-winning creative team behind 100 Bullets, writer Brian Azzarello and artist Eduardo Risso team up for a story arc collecting Batman #620-625 to deliver their tense and dramatic take on Gotham City and its grasp on its residents.

What is Batman: Broken Cities about? The death of a girl in a Gotham landfill brings Batman to investigate this case to apprehend the murderer before more victims fall to this unknown predator. As he scopes out the dark and ominous streets of this merciless city he has made home, the realization that another child is left kneeling in the blood of his murdered parents surges terrible memories from the depths of his own mind, bringing him to wonder what the city has become, and what he has turned into. While clues are scarce, Batman has to peruse the isles using nothing more than his own detective skills to figure out who the suspects are, sending him down a treacherous trail filled with villainous figures who most certainly have nothing to gain from helping the very person who wants to send them to Arkham.

Written with a hard-boiled detective story’s edge, this mystery sends Batman on an introspective journey where he both reflects on what the city does to the people who inhabit it and what it has turned him into as its Caped Crusader. From Killer Croc to the Joker, Batman finds himself face to face with numerous archenemies who all want a piece of him but none willing to give him what he needs to catch the killer. Tinged in dark humour, embracing a one-dimensional portrayal of the Dark Knight, and plunged into a world of bland characters, writer Brian Azzarello barely achieves an original and poignant narrative and largely bets on artist Eduardo Risso’s unique artistic style to capture a shadowy, sketchy, and sinister world where nothing can be taken at face value.

Heavily focused on shadows, a dusk-centric colour pallet, and a gritty focus on darker emotions and physical traits, artist Eduardo Risso strives within Batman’s world as he brings out his iconic impressionistic art. The overindulgent approach of a fist-first inclined Dark Knight through writer Brian Azzarello’s unimpressive characterization of Batman does give Risso plenty of room to fully portray the bluntness and bloodiness of numerous of his encounters but highlights very little of the character’s motley of strengths. The hyper-sexualized depiction of the few women in the story, women who bring nothing more to the story than neglectful visual stimulation, also works against the story, a story that loses itself in its slow pace, tedious investigation, and ineffective finale. While there might be an interesting premise to work within beneath the unimpressive execution, it all lies in the dust, hidden away behind a writer’s tired reinvention of Batman’s lore.

Batman: Broken Cities is a forgettable grim noir exploring the dark recesses of Gotham City’s underbelly and the Dark Knight’s diverse rogues’ gallery.

[Albert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Angel Lupo is a small time hood looking to break it big. To do so he aligns himself with a new power in Gotham’s Underworld, only Angel isn’t doing as well as he thought and the due is calling. Then Angel’s sister Elizabeth is found dead and partially eaten. Only one killer has that MO and Batman knows who that is.

But why was Elizabeth targeted and worse, why does it seem like the one who ordered the murder was her own brother Angel. Killer Croc may have done the deed but Batman wanted the man who ordered Elizabeth’s death. He questions Angel’s girl Margo and follows her to where Angel is hiding. Angel jumps out the window and runs down an alley carjacking the first vehicle he comes across. Batman chases him to the end of the alley where he finds Angel gone, but left kneeling in a pool of blood is a young boy, hovering over the bodies of his murdered parents.

The city of Gotham has shifted even darker for the Batman. The image of the young boy bringing back his own tragedy. Lupo may have ordered his sister’s own death but he was responsible for the death of the couple and the orphaning of the young boy. Batman will need to go through Croc, the Ventriloquist and the Penguin as well as newcomers Fatman and Little Boy. But he will find Angel Lupo and he will get justice for the little boy. The justice he never got for the murder of his own parents.

Brian Azzarello has written an awesome little story in this six issue arc, Batman 620 – 625, as gritty and dark as any Batman story you may come across. There is an incredible noir sense running through the telling of Broken City, as introspective of Gotham as it is of Batman himself. The hunt for Lupo and the inner workings of Gotham’s underworld almost falls second to the self evaluation Batman begins to do of himself. This is not usual with most Batman stories. Normally Batman is sure and steadfast in his sense of right and his place in Gotham. With the death of the parents of the boy, Batman is shaken.

Eduardo Risso’s artwork sets the stage well, painting a portrait of Gotham as seedy and dirty as it was portrayed in the original Tim Burton Batman. Without the comic relief of the Joker and over the top antics any Tim Burton film. No, this is Gotham, Bladerunner style. It works. It works really, really well. Readers looking for lighter fare will not find it here. Azzarello did not write your normal comic book story. He wrote a mystery where the hero is as flawed as the criminal and the answers are not what you want them to be. There is blood and heartbreak and loss. Batman beats criminals into submission. That line he will not cross is vague here and in his hunt for Lupo he crosses and crosses.

Missing from this short arc are many of the major players of the Batman multi-verse. Yes there is the Penguin for a few short appearances and a cameo by the Joker at the end. But overall it is Batman and Croc and the Ventriloquist. There is no Robin, no Jim Gordon, no Batgirl, no Alfred.

Just Gotham. Just Batman. And the ghosts that haunt them both.

“…Nothing . I saw the same thing I always see when I look into the Joker’s eyes…nothing. And nothing was something I recognized. Something that brought me back to where it all started. Where it all ended. The rain had washed the blood and chalk off the street. Like it always does, leaving just an indelible memory…of a man and a woman. A mother and father…and a boy left alone…”

[Katherine (Kat) · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5
Yawn.

[William Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is nothing I like better than a good Batman story. Except maybe the song "Suspicious Minds" by Elvis Presley. Neither of those statements is meant to be a joke.

What we have here is Brian Azzarello, newly crowned King of Noir (stealing that title from Frank Miller because of Miller's sharp decline quality of Sin City books and Azzarello's brilliant 100 Bullets title) doing what he does best- writing black-as-night noir in a graphic novel medium.

What we have is Azzarello using a typical detective novel setup here something ala Raymond Chandler, only using an even meaner main character, making Batman into the dark knight he should always be. So I guess it really is more akin to an Andrew Vachss novel than anything else. It's a very tried and true 50's pulp formula. A murder that must be solved, gathering information from low-life scum, red herrings, new muscle moving into town, and a minimum of police involvement. Everythign you could ask for. Wait, did I forget to mention all the bloody knuckles and broken noses? Yeah, now there's everything you could ever ask for. In any book.

What Azzarello brings to the Batman book is the same thing that Frank Miller brought to it when he wrote The Dark Knight Returns- something dark, something to be frightened of, something sinister. And this makes Batman an easier read than the campy, brightly colored clown some other writer's want to turn him into. Because it makes him serious. It makes him a threat. It makes him real. And that's what we want. We want our Batman wading through sewers, fighting Killer Croc, and muscling his way into places he can't use his detective capabilities to enter.

When we couple all of these things with Eduardo Risso's amazingly stylistic artwork that is nothing less than perfect fro Batman, we get something that is as close to godlike as we can hope for a Batman book. Eduardo Risso's art looks like what you'd expect Klaus Janson's inks would look like if you took away Frank Miller's pencils in The Dark Knight and added a little Kelley Jones. It adds to the pitch black mood of the book, the dour and unrelenting pace of the panels and of Batman himself.

The only problem I found with it all, was the flashback work to Bruce Wayne's parents murder. I found little to no connection to that event, and we all already know why Batman does what he does, so it seemed like a very unecessary part of what would have been a 5 star book without them.

Now if only someone over there at DC could get him to write Green Arrow, steal him over to Marvel to write Daredevil, and start on another Vertigo book, I'd be the happiest fan in the world.

[Gavin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yawn. What's the point of this one really? Anytime someone trots out more than 1-2 of the Rogues Gallery, it's probably a bad sign that there's not much weight to the story. Especially when Scarface is one of those...
I've now read 2 Batman stories by Azzarello, and neither one has me interested in reading another. I'm still going to try 100 Bullets, but I hope that series is a lot better than this. The art is good in some places, when it focuses on the darkness and shadows, but in other places looks like Batman is on 'roids. Also did like the inclusion of Crispus Allen instead of Gordon.

Skip it unless you're a completist of Batman works. Even then, skim. I finished this earlier today and I'm already completely uninterested in remembering it.

[Kaitlin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Actual rating: 2.5*

I enjoyed the noir aspect of it well enough, but it's a relatively forgettable story. Might be worth reading if your favorite villain is Scarface.

[Tony Laplume · Rating 5 out of 5]

Somehow I’m always underestimating Brian Azzarello. Maybe it’s because most of the time I’m playing catch-up on his work. He’s always just past the radar I’ve been using to choose what’s worth reading at the time. Back in 2004, that occurred at a time I was just getting back into comics after about a five year break. I saw the covers for his “Broken City” arc, and while they stood out, I wasn��t in the market to experiment, so I passed, but I never forgot. Last year on Batman Day I finally bought this collection, and now I got around to reading it. And it was worth the wait.

Part Dark Knight Returns, part Long Halloween, “Broken City” is Azzarello and Eduardo Risso turning their magic tandem into the sequel to The Dark Knight four years early. (And to think, I was never interested in Joker since it looked like the art was a shameless grab from the movie.) Very late in the story, for only a few pages, Batman has a confrontation with the Joker that lands as no other story, other than Heath Ledger and Christopher Nolan’s version, ever has. And it unlocks the whole story around it. Like Tom King’s later comics, “Broken City” is a psychological profile that both leans into and away from the expected. It’s more complex than it seems, in large part because it’s clear Azzarello had the whole story in mind rather than piecing it together one chapter at a time. It’s a rare collection that reads seamlessly. If you want to read it from the vantage point of the classic cartoon, you’ll also find the one really good Scarface story, and perhaps the last classic take on Killer Croc.

So it’s essential reading. For just six issues (it’s the connective tissue from Gotham Central to the regular Batman comics, too, with Crispus Allen stepping into the Commissioner Gordon role) it’s a definitive take on Batman, the way Azzarello spends twice as long on Superman, and four times as long with Wonder Woman (the rare writer with credits like that on the whole trinity; I think only Grant Morrison can say the same, although King was just announced to reach that mark, too), a nice tidy package.

[Ryan Stewart · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is probably my second favorite Azzarello Batman story. There's a lot to like here, including stunning art that pairs perfectly with the grizzled noir, oldschool feel of the story. And while I like the story, I don't think it quite sticks the landing. But the ride is fun and it's sure pretty to look at.

[doowopapocalypse · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, brooding Batman Noir. I'm not always a fan of Risso's work but he uses his talents to great effect here.

[Stano Várady · Rating 5 out of 5]

Batman meets Sin City and it is excellent, hard boiled experience.

[Jefferson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great noir detective story with a lot of interesting twists and turns, complemented by some terrific artwork.

[Panos · Rating 4 out of 5]

BATMAN:BROKEN CITY (4/5)

Have you ever wondered what Batman thinks of Gotham City? Surely, the opinion of a man who lost his childhood to that wretched hellhole of a place and afterwards spent every waking moment of his life preparing himself to be its sole protector is of interest.

Brian Azarello attempts to answer that question as he explores Batman's relation with Gotham City in this six-part story arc, first published in Batman issues 620-625. Paired with artist Eduardo Risso, Azarello offers his view on one of the most popular and influential comic book characters ever created.

A horrendous crime shakes Gotham's society of apathy and challenges Batman's world-famous detective skills. The prime suspect however proves to be quite elusive, escaping the Dark Knight's grip and sending him over a long and arduous hunt through Gotham's underworld. Meanwhile, crime bosses all over town put obstacles in Batman's way as they seem to have personal interests in seeing him fail.

An elaborate mystery that remains thrilling and engaging till the very end. Rather slow pace that perfectly matches the story as we watch Batman becoming more and more desperate and frustrated while the mystery deepens and his suspect is nowhere to be found. The story is masterfully scripted, dark and moody with several puns and inside jokes that make it all the more enjoyable to read.

What is most fascinating however is the way Batman uses Gotham as he tries to locate one man. Interestingly enough, the Dark Knight is completely alone in this story. Not a single member of his extended Bat-family is present to help and even Bruce Wayne's buttler Alfred is absent. The police department has a new Comissioner since Jim Gordon retired, leaving Batman without the help and support of Gotham Central, his only remaining connection to it being a cynical detective named Allen.

Batman becomes more and more obsessed with cracking the case as the days go by. He explicits how well he controls Gotham as he easily forces its entire underworld to search for the suspect. He is acting like Gotham is his turf, knowing the right people to press for information. He freezes all of Gotham's criminal operations, crippling several mob bosses in the process, all for tracking down one man.

Meanwhile, through inner monologues, he damns the very city he is fighting to save, pointing out how its misleading appearance fools people into visiting and even staying here. In more than one case, he seems perfectly aware that his crusade for justice is doomed to fail, admitting that Gotham may be beyond saving.

Risso has proven over the years that he works well with Azarello. This case is no exception to the rule. His grim art effectively backs up this grandiose story, remaining extremely detailed and very beautiful to look at. I would say he surpasses himself, if perfection wasn't what he always does.

[Daria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Broken city has AMAZING narration and imagery, as well as gorgeous art. On that scale, it is at the very top of Batman works. Honestly, if you're not familiar with Batman stuff, this could even be a nice introduction to it. Not too long and not too complicated, not involving the entire gallery of Batman villains to confuse you (which so many people seem to think is a necessity to have in "beginners" Batman stories). The last 2 issues specifically I think were amazing, hitting close to home with narrative work that genuinely impressed me.
However, it's just. The same basic Batman story again. I feel like for the past 3 collections I've just been reading and rereading the same story. I AM BORED. Please just let Batman do anything else than have the same character evolution and inner dialogue every single time.

[Eddie B. · Rating 2 out of 5]

By now I'm quite sure I HATE Brian Azzarello, But here I've met a new favorite artist; Eduardo Risso. His style is an amazing blend of Andy Kubert, Frank Miller, Tim Sale & Mike Mignola! Yet this amazing pencil work wouldn't have reached those heights without the brilliant coloring by Patricia Mulvihill.
The art of this volume deserves 5 stars, but Azzarello, as usual, ruined it all for me.

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little too heavy on the noir dialogue. Comes across as silly.

[Chaitra · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this right after Hush. To clarify, I might have actually liked this a whole lot more had I read it at any other time. But, Broken City does some of the same things Hush does, to much less purpose. Which is to say, several villains make an appearance. For not much reason.

It starts with a body. Doesn't it always. A woman, who was killed apparently, by her own brother. Her brother is a small time crook, trying to make it big, and apparently has conned some very bad people. Everyone is after him. And at one point, Bats becomes personally involved, as opposed to being only half-heartedly beating up various suspects, I suppose, because Angel (the crook) seems to have killed a child's parents in an alley while trying to make a getaway. He has left the little one alone, just like Batman's own beginnings. Now he wants justice for the child. (The resolution of this particular story is so much like Hush as well).

Anyway, it's a very noir-ish story, which I would have probably liked had I read it at a different time. If I could ignore the fact that it has Scarface in it, maybe. I wish that dummy would die in a fire. The art by Eduardo Risso is what I appreciated most, because it's closer to Frank Miller's Batman than to Jeph Loeb's. Dark, and very shadow-y, and it suited the mood of the book very well.

[Ramón Nogueras Pérez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cada vez estoy más convencido de que las historias de Batman que más me gustan son, casi sin excepción, las menos súperheroicas, las que son más novela negra. Y esta es más negra que el sobaco de un grillo, porque si algo sabe hacer Azzarello es escribir novelas negras.

Batman persigue al Cocodrilo (una versión sin superpoderes, un asesino caníbal) porque cree que ha asesinado a una chica que apareció en un basurero. Pero resulta que no. Y resulta que quien Batman pensaba que ordenaba el asesinato tampoco fue. Y hay nuevos jugadores en Gotham. Y en mitad de una persecución alguien mata a los padres de un niño frente a él, dejándolo sólo, como le pasó a él. ¿Tiene algo que ver con esto? ¿O es otro crimen más? Un giro y otro y otro y una capa y otra y otra hasta el final.

Es una historia humana, con motivaciones humanas, miseria y amor a partes iguales. La parte gráfica le hace completa justicia y se devora de una sentada.

Completamente recomendable.

[Richard Guion · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really dark noir take on Batman. The illustrations by Risso all take place in dark alleys, dark buildings, with lush shadows. It was a bit of a jarring change to read this when it was published, after Jim Lee’s artwork in Batman Hush. Risso’s artwork is entirely different but just as enjoyable if you can adjust to his noir style. The writing of the mystery is actually very good, with an ending that is complete but not exactly spelled out. Azzarello and Risso continuously play the echoes of the murder of Bruce Wayne’s parents, which is overdone in most comics but here is hauntingly tragic. The edition I read also had the three part Flashpoint Batman series, where Thomas Wayne is Batman, that was very dark and yet pretty good as well.

[Sebastien · Rating 4 out of 5]

I missed you both Azzarello and Risso ,it felt like I was in the 100 bullet s universe again.I even think I saw agent graves face on a pages. If you like 100 bullets and since city then this Batman story is for you. Risso's Batman is awesome,joker too and not to forget the dark and rainy Gotmam.Now I need to see more joker drawn by Risso.

It felt connected to Gotham central as well but with Batman at the center of the story.
This is a must read for any Azzarello's fan.

[Cyborg]

On my 100 Bullets frenzy, I checked this out of the library. The art was good but I admit I had to look up what actually happened, plot-wise, on Wikipedia. Sometimes Azzarello's clever writing is too clever for me.