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Batman
Batman: Hong Kong
Written by Batman scribe Doug Moench and drawn by legendary Hong Kong artist Tony Wong, this exceptional collaboration blends storytelling techniques from the East and West to create a truly unique adventure. When a serial killer begins to use a streaming video computer cam to broadcast his vicious executions, Batman must travel to Hong Kong to put an end to the brutal slayings. But when the Darknight Detective gets caught in the middle of a Cain and Abel feud between the Hong Kong police chief and the leader of the local triads, his only hope may rest in the hands of the mysterious Night Dragon, Hong Kong's native super-hero.
128 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
120 people want to read
About the author
Doug Moench
2,071 books122 followersDoug Moench, is an American comic book writer notable for his Batman work and as the creator of Black Mask, Moon Knight and Deathlok. Moench has worked for DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Dark Horse Comics and many other smaller companies; he has written hundreds of issues of many different comics, and created dozens of characters, such as Moon Knight. In 1973, Moench became the de facto lead writer for the Marvel black-and-white magazine imprint Curtis Magazines. He contributed to the entire runs of Planet of the Apes, Rampaging Hulk (continuing on the title when it changed its name to The Hulk!) and Doc Savage, while also serving as a regular scribe for virtually every other Curtis title during the course of the imprint's existence. Moench is perhaps best known for his work on Batman, whose title he wrote from 1983–1986 and then again from 1992–1998. (He also wrote the companion title Detective Comics from 1983–1986.)
Moench is a frequent and longtime collaborator with comics artist Paul Gulacy. The pair are probably best known for their work on Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu, which they worked on together from 1974–1977. They also co-created Six from Sirius, Slash Maraud, and S.C.I. Spy, and have worked together on comics projects featuring Batman, Conan the Barbarian and James Bond.
Moench has frequently been paired with the artist and inker team of Kelley Jones and John Beatty on several Elseworlds Graphic Novels and a long run of the monthly Batman comic.
Moench is a frequent and longtime collaborator with comics artist Paul Gulacy. The pair are probably best known for their work on Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu, which they worked on together from 1974–1977. They also co-created Six from Sirius, Slash Maraud, and S.C.I. Spy, and have worked together on comics projects featuring Batman, Conan the Barbarian and James Bond.
Moench has frequently been paired with the artist and inker team of Kelley Jones and John Beatty on several Elseworlds Graphic Novels and a long run of the monthly Batman comic.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
October 31, 2017
[Actual Dialouge]
Night Dragon: Call me Night-Dragon... And cover my back while I protect yours. Dragon and Bat together, Right?
Batman: Right.
[epic fight ensues where Night Dragon uses Nunchaku, Broadsword and throwing stars to subdue his enemies while Batman does his thing
After the fight]
Night Dragon: Looks like Dragon and Bat together Kick Butt.
Needless to say, they do not kick butt.
Don't trust me? Hear me out (Spoiler alert for those who care, but seriously, hear me out). A hacker stumbles upon a live web streaming where a Chinese dude is kept captive and eventually killed gruesomely using a snake.
Eventually, Gordon and Batman trace the murder to Hong Kong. Batsy packs the bag and travels to Hong Kong, only to find himself dropped into a terrible daytime opera. The Police chief of Hong Kong is a brave and honest man, but the city is controlled by a Gangster boss. And guess what? The Gangster boss and the police chief are brothers!!
Wait, It does NOT end there.
A young dude observes Batman as Batsy goes rampaging in Hong Kong and gets inspired. The young dude decides to be a vigilante himself. I mean, how hard can it be? Within a day, he somehow gets a stupid outfit and becomes THE NIGHT DRAGON.....
Side note: He is the nephew of the police chief and the gangster.
No, seriously.
And in the end, we find out that the whole thing was orchestrated by a man who was supposed to be dead... That is, the father of Night Dragon and the brother of the police chief and the gangster.
Why is he doing it? Because he thought that his brothers were behind his attempted murder.
But it was Night Dragon's mother (AKA the Villain's wife, AKA The police chief & gangster's sister-in-law) who tried to kill him.
Why? Because he is evil.
IS THERE ANYONE IN HONG KONG NOT RELATED TO THIS DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILY?
I quit.
---------------------------
PS: *insert an ironic joke about Batman's stupid cape here*
Night Dragon: Call me Night-Dragon... And cover my back while I protect yours. Dragon and Bat together, Right?
Batman: Right.
[epic fight ensues where Night Dragon uses Nunchaku, Broadsword and throwing stars to subdue his enemies while Batman does his thing
After the fight]
Night Dragon: Looks like Dragon and Bat together Kick Butt.
Needless to say, they do not kick butt.
Don't trust me? Hear me out (Spoiler alert for those who care, but seriously, hear me out). A hacker stumbles upon a live web streaming where a Chinese dude is kept captive and eventually killed gruesomely using a snake.
Eventually, Gordon and Batman trace the murder to Hong Kong. Batsy packs the bag and travels to Hong Kong, only to find himself dropped into a terrible daytime opera. The Police chief of Hong Kong is a brave and honest man, but the city is controlled by a Gangster boss. And guess what? The Gangster boss and the police chief are brothers!!
Wait, It does NOT end there.
A young dude observes Batman as Batsy goes rampaging in Hong Kong and gets inspired. The young dude decides to be a vigilante himself. I mean, how hard can it be? Within a day, he somehow gets a stupid outfit and becomes THE NIGHT DRAGON.....
Side note: He is the nephew of the police chief and the gangster.
No, seriously.
And in the end, we find out that the whole thing was orchestrated by a man who was supposed to be dead... That is, the father of Night Dragon and the brother of the police chief and the gangster.
Why is he doing it? Because he thought that his brothers were behind his attempted murder.
But it was Night Dragon's mother (AKA the Villain's wife, AKA The police chief & gangster's sister-in-law) who tried to kill him.
Why? Because he is evil.
IS THERE ANYONE IN HONG KONG NOT RELATED TO THIS DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILY?
I quit.
---------------------------
PS: *insert an ironic joke about Batman's stupid cape here*
August 2, 2017
As much as I rag on hack writers Mike Barr and Chuck Dixon, they at least wrote some good Batman comics at one point - Barr’s The Wrath and Dixon’s Bane stuff were both surprisingly great. That’s why I gave Batman: Hong Kong a shot, hoping Doug Moench - a guy who’s written a ton of Batman comics over many years all of which were stinkers - had finally gotten it right. Nope! HOW did he keep getting work?!
Generic, stale, dull, pointless and convoluted all describe the plot of this book. Someone’s killing people with poisonous snakes and broadcasting it on the internet for cash. The trail takes Batman to Hong Kong where he becomes embroiled in some nonsense involving a kid who wants to avenge his mate’s murder, sees Batman and instantly becomes a crappy superhero called Night-Dragon. Also, two brothers - one a cop, another a crook - something something, drivel, finale, the thankful fucking end.
Tony Wong’s art style is anime-esque (which is Japanese and not Chinese) and weirdly oscillates from painted pages to stark pencils for seemingly no reason. I know mangas sometimes start with beautifully painted opening pages before settling into black and white inks for the majority of the book but Wong switches it up randomly every few pages; I didn’t get what he was going for at all. Meanwhile he designs for Batman some bizarrely massive trailing extensions to his cape which just look stupid as do his unwieldy boomerang-sized Batarangs!
Awful, just awful. Doug Moench is the worst Batman writer ever and Hong Kong is just another of his bland, boring failures.
Generic, stale, dull, pointless and convoluted all describe the plot of this book. Someone’s killing people with poisonous snakes and broadcasting it on the internet for cash. The trail takes Batman to Hong Kong where he becomes embroiled in some nonsense involving a kid who wants to avenge his mate’s murder, sees Batman and instantly becomes a crappy superhero called Night-Dragon. Also, two brothers - one a cop, another a crook - something something, drivel, finale, the thankful fucking end.
Tony Wong’s art style is anime-esque (which is Japanese and not Chinese) and weirdly oscillates from painted pages to stark pencils for seemingly no reason. I know mangas sometimes start with beautifully painted opening pages before settling into black and white inks for the majority of the book but Wong switches it up randomly every few pages; I didn’t get what he was going for at all. Meanwhile he designs for Batman some bizarrely massive trailing extensions to his cape which just look stupid as do his unwieldy boomerang-sized Batarangs!
Awful, just awful. Doug Moench is the worst Batman writer ever and Hong Kong is just another of his bland, boring failures.
April 20, 2021
Everybody was kung fu fighting. It was fast as lightning. Even Batman got involved. Welcome to "Batman: Hong Kong". It was certainly a different take on the normal Batman setting and style. Written by Doug Moench and illustrated by Tony Wong, this harkens to the manga style of comics.
A hacker sees what he thinks is a snuff film. He informs Gordon who can't do anything due to lack of evidence and no body. This will set off a chain of murders that will lead Batman all the way to Hong Kong in a clash with the Triads. In Hong Kong he meets Night Dragon, a local costumed hero. Together they must try to unravel this murder/mystery before more innocents get killed.
That's the basis for the story. It isn't bad. A decent detective/crime story with a few twists in the end. Cool enough. But it is Wong's art that makes this a very cool volume. The Asian style of the art worked well for Batman, though not so much for Bruce Wayne. Of course, with that style comes the typical "Every Asian a kung fu star" mentality, so be prepared for everyone to be doing stuff that normally only Batman or Nightwing would do. But the art style is cool and different.
A nice take on Batman. Nothing great but different. The artwork stands out. A nice addition to my collection, by as with most things Doug Moench- it's really nothing to rave about. A good volume for Batman fans who seek something different with a manga-style interpretation.
A hacker sees what he thinks is a snuff film. He informs Gordon who can't do anything due to lack of evidence and no body. This will set off a chain of murders that will lead Batman all the way to Hong Kong in a clash with the Triads. In Hong Kong he meets Night Dragon, a local costumed hero. Together they must try to unravel this murder/mystery before more innocents get killed.
That's the basis for the story. It isn't bad. A decent detective/crime story with a few twists in the end. Cool enough. But it is Wong's art that makes this a very cool volume. The Asian style of the art worked well for Batman, though not so much for Bruce Wayne. Of course, with that style comes the typical "Every Asian a kung fu star" mentality, so be prepared for everyone to be doing stuff that normally only Batman or Nightwing would do. But the art style is cool and different.
A nice take on Batman. Nothing great but different. The artwork stands out. A nice addition to my collection, by as with most things Doug Moench- it's really nothing to rave about. A good volume for Batman fans who seek something different with a manga-style interpretation.
October 5, 2012
Batman travels to Hong Kong to hunt for a killer, battles with triads and becomes immersed in a blood feud.
This proved to be a big disappointment. The artwork is bright and vibrant, but also lackluster at times, with the characters looking unrealistic. (Apparently Hong Kong is populated by steroid using caucasians because no one looks the least bit Chinese and everyone is built like a gorilla.) The dialogue is simplistic and two dimensional. But the worse part of this book is the story, which had a lot of potential in the beginning, but fell flat in the end with an anti climactic ending. This was a case of unfulfilled potential and failure of expectations.
This proved to be a big disappointment. The artwork is bright and vibrant, but also lackluster at times, with the characters looking unrealistic. (Apparently Hong Kong is populated by steroid using caucasians because no one looks the least bit Chinese and everyone is built like a gorilla.) The dialogue is simplistic and two dimensional. But the worse part of this book is the story, which had a lot of potential in the beginning, but fell flat in the end with an anti climactic ending. This was a case of unfulfilled potential and failure of expectations.
September 8, 2014
Batman goes to Hong Kong to follow up on a strange murder by video chain which leads to bigger things dealing with Hong Kong triads. The artwork is done by international manga artist, Tony Wong, and the tale is by Doug Moench. I liked how they elongated Batman and gave his cape a longer spider leg look to it. There were also some interesting panels in which multiple Batman action movements were displayed.
The story was somewhat good to good depending on how much of a Batman purist you are (see spoilers below). New superhero, Night Dragon, teams up with Batman and airs all his dirty family laundry along for the ride.
ARTWORK PRESENTATION: B plus to A minus; ACTION SCENES: B plus; CHARACTERS/DIALOGUE: B minus to B; STORY/PLOTTING: B minus to B; WHEN READ: end of June 2012; OVERALL GRADE: B (higher if you are not a Batman purist like myself).
The story was somewhat good to good depending on how much of a Batman purist you are (see spoilers below). New superhero, Night Dragon, teams up with Batman and airs all his dirty family laundry along for the ride.
ARTWORK PRESENTATION: B plus to A minus; ACTION SCENES: B plus; CHARACTERS/DIALOGUE: B minus to B; STORY/PLOTTING: B minus to B; WHEN READ: end of June 2012; OVERALL GRADE: B (higher if you are not a Batman purist like myself).
May 6, 2009
Poor writing, great coloring.
November 20, 2020
Batman: Hong Kong is a graphic novel and is written by Doug Moench and illustrated by Tony Wong. West meets East as Bruce Wayne as Batman travels from the dark streets of Gotham City to the flashy world of Hong Kong on the trail of a serial killer who uses streaming video to prove his kills.
A hapless computer nerd hacks into the assassin's website, attempting to report the crime to Commissioner James Gordon. Although Gordon is initially dismissive, when the witness becomes the next victim, he realizes there was nothing fake about the report. When Gordon learns of a Hong Kong connection to the crime, Bruce Wayne as Batman comes to the rescue, traveling abroad to put an end to the spree. Discovering the identity of the murderer and his motives plunges Batman into the middle of a gang war among crime families.
The case also introduces him to Hong Kong's newest hero: The Night-Dragon, who has a very personal stake in the case's outcome. When the true mastermind is revealed, along with his plans to release a biological weapon that will devastate Hong Kong, Batman and Night-Dragon must team up and tackle an army of gangbangers without police sanction to save the city.
Batman: Hong Kong is written and constructed moderately well. This original graphic novel is an interesting experiment, trying to meld Asian and American elements that bridge the gap between comics and manga. Wong displays art that explodes off the page with an electric mix of painted and hand-drawn images. However, it is the narrative that is rather trite and rather predictable.
All in all, Batman: Hong Kong is an interesting experiment in marrying comics with manga with an execution that is much to be desired. However, it is a rather nice, albeit predicable Batman tale.
A hapless computer nerd hacks into the assassin's website, attempting to report the crime to Commissioner James Gordon. Although Gordon is initially dismissive, when the witness becomes the next victim, he realizes there was nothing fake about the report. When Gordon learns of a Hong Kong connection to the crime, Bruce Wayne as Batman comes to the rescue, traveling abroad to put an end to the spree. Discovering the identity of the murderer and his motives plunges Batman into the middle of a gang war among crime families.
The case also introduces him to Hong Kong's newest hero: The Night-Dragon, who has a very personal stake in the case's outcome. When the true mastermind is revealed, along with his plans to release a biological weapon that will devastate Hong Kong, Batman and Night-Dragon must team up and tackle an army of gangbangers without police sanction to save the city.
Batman: Hong Kong is written and constructed moderately well. This original graphic novel is an interesting experiment, trying to meld Asian and American elements that bridge the gap between comics and manga. Wong displays art that explodes off the page with an electric mix of painted and hand-drawn images. However, it is the narrative that is rather trite and rather predictable.
All in all, Batman: Hong Kong is an interesting experiment in marrying comics with manga with an execution that is much to be desired. However, it is a rather nice, albeit predicable Batman tale.
September 1, 2025
The story was threadbare, nothing interesting, and the art distracted me so much that I was pulled out of the story. The art just wasn't my thing, which would have been fine had the plot been strong enough to make up for it. It wasn't.
I think the problem was the length. This would've been fine for a limited series, but not as a graphic novel. Would've made a good TV episode, too.
Just wasn't for me. And that's okay.
I think the problem was the length. This would've been fine for a limited series, but not as a graphic novel. Would've made a good TV episode, too.
Just wasn't for me. And that's okay.
November 11, 2020
Stories ok. I really did not like the art. It is like anime/manga want to be style, but pretty bad.
May 30, 2024
Batman dan Tony Wong, dua nama yang tak perlu diperkenalkan lagi dalam arena komik di seluruh dunia. Dengan Batman merupakan adiwira yang paling terkenal sehingga kini, Tony Wong pula boleh dianggapkan bapa komik Hong Kong yang mencorakkan manhua sehingga ke hari ini.
Jadi apabila dua nama ini bergabung, adakah menjadi satu karya yang agung?
Novel grafik ini mengisahkan Batman yang menyiasat kes pembunuhan yang tersiar secara lansung dalam dark web di Gotham. Hasil penyiasatan membawanya berkelana ke Hong Kong untuk mencari dalang jenayah tersebut. Di sana, Batman bergabung tenaga dengan wira tempatan bernama Night Dragon.
Sejujurnya, stroke Tony Wong memang nampak vibe manhuanya seperti biasa. Tidaklah terikut-ikut stroke komik barat. Namun, nampak sedikit tone down berbanding manhua yang biasa dihasilkan olehnya. Mungkin kerana ketiadaan aura-aura yang memancar.
Cumanya, stroke manhua nampak tidak boleh bergabung dengan baik dengan dialog yang ditulis oleh Doug. Tiada peribahasa seperti "Jangan keranda diusung, baru bercucuran air mata" misalnya. Tiada juga efek bunyi seperti "Klong". Nampak canggung.
Keseluruhan jalan cerita bagi aku, ok-ok sahajalah.
Ada plot twist dihujung cerita yang tidak dijangka.
Keseluruhan, rating 3.5/5. Agak menghiburkan, tapi bagi peminat manhua, jadikanlah ini sebagai koleksi anda. Jarang-jarang otai manhua ni lukis adiwira barat.
Jadi apabila dua nama ini bergabung, adakah menjadi satu karya yang agung?
Novel grafik ini mengisahkan Batman yang menyiasat kes pembunuhan yang tersiar secara lansung dalam dark web di Gotham. Hasil penyiasatan membawanya berkelana ke Hong Kong untuk mencari dalang jenayah tersebut. Di sana, Batman bergabung tenaga dengan wira tempatan bernama Night Dragon.
Sejujurnya, stroke Tony Wong memang nampak vibe manhuanya seperti biasa. Tidaklah terikut-ikut stroke komik barat. Namun, nampak sedikit tone down berbanding manhua yang biasa dihasilkan olehnya. Mungkin kerana ketiadaan aura-aura yang memancar.
Cumanya, stroke manhua nampak tidak boleh bergabung dengan baik dengan dialog yang ditulis oleh Doug. Tiada peribahasa seperti "Jangan keranda diusung, baru bercucuran air mata" misalnya. Tiada juga efek bunyi seperti "Klong". Nampak canggung.
Keseluruhan jalan cerita bagi aku, ok-ok sahajalah.
Ada plot twist dihujung cerita yang tidak dijangka.
Keseluruhan, rating 3.5/5. Agak menghiburkan, tapi bagi peminat manhua, jadikanlah ini sebagai koleksi anda. Jarang-jarang otai manhua ni lukis adiwira barat.
January 31, 2017
Batman: Hong Kong looks quite wonderful - beautifully printed, extremely colourful, glossy cover/dustjacket, bound with a stylised Oriental bat symbol. The writer's and artist's CVs appear impeccable. Upon reading, it quickly dawns that the story and artwork owe more to Manga than to Batman. Said story is quite long, slightly yucky and predictable, with rather a lot of action, fight scenes aplenty, motorbikes skidding, leaping around through the air, all of which becomes tiresome fairly rapidly. If I was a Chinese teenager raised on a diet of Jet Li films, I would probably love this. However, I expected a bit more than just pretty pictures. 3/5
August 29, 2020
It has Batman in it so it earns two stars. It’s a manga batman story with none of the Batman mythos or villains. The story didn’t ever get me excited or intrigued. The arts alright if you like the style.
June 5, 2021
Batman: Hong Kong is a one-shot that was released in 2003. It was written by Doug Moench and illustrated by Tony Wong.
The story begins when a hacker accidentally discovers a snuff video in Gotham. Batman feels guilty that he was not able to save one of the victims, so he travels to Hong Kong to look for the killer. He then finds himself embroiled in a sibling rivalry between the chief of police and a triad kingpin. His presence in Hong Kong also influences a Hong Kong local to be the Night-Dragon.
This story is one of those poorly rated stories, and that poor rating is well-deserved. I was actually enjoying the story until it was revealed who was behind the killings and what his motivations were. I agree. It was absurd. Having said that, I still enjoyed the story. I did not have a hard time finishing this book because of the art and colors of Tony Wong (a.k.a. Wok Jan Lung or Wong Yuk Long). Wong is manhua artist based in Hong Kong (hence, the title), and he is regarded as the godfather of Hong Kong comics.
The unique thing about the art in this book is that the art style shifts from traditional comic art to painted art in between panels. So you have two types of art on one page. This is the first time I encountered this art style, and I did not really mind the lack of cohesion because both art styles were great. However, if you have OCD, you might not appreciate this. I personally prefer the traditional art because Wong's inks were on point (this is actually the first time I commented on the inking of a book).
My Batman Collected Editions Instagram page
The story begins when a hacker accidentally discovers a snuff video in Gotham. Batman feels guilty that he was not able to save one of the victims, so he travels to Hong Kong to look for the killer. He then finds himself embroiled in a sibling rivalry between the chief of police and a triad kingpin. His presence in Hong Kong also influences a Hong Kong local to be the Night-Dragon.
This story is one of those poorly rated stories, and that poor rating is well-deserved. I was actually enjoying the story until it was revealed who was behind the killings and what his motivations were. I agree. It was absurd. Having said that, I still enjoyed the story. I did not have a hard time finishing this book because of the art and colors of Tony Wong (a.k.a. Wok Jan Lung or Wong Yuk Long). Wong is manhua artist based in Hong Kong (hence, the title), and he is regarded as the godfather of Hong Kong comics.
The unique thing about the art in this book is that the art style shifts from traditional comic art to painted art in between panels. So you have two types of art on one page. This is the first time I encountered this art style, and I did not really mind the lack of cohesion because both art styles were great. However, if you have OCD, you might not appreciate this. I personally prefer the traditional art because Wong's inks were on point (this is actually the first time I commented on the inking of a book).
My Batman Collected Editions Instagram page
June 4, 2021
Batman berpetualang ke Hongkong dan bertemu jagoan lokal bernama Night Dragon. Berdua mereka berupaya menelusuri pelaku kriminal misterius. Ini sebuah komik yang memiliki artwork menarik khas Tony Wong, tapi jalan ceritanya cenderung biasa saja.
December 27, 2021
Ok, this has some good things, many I´d say, but it can´t be denied that many things here are a bit forced. I mean, one of the first things I thought when reading this was: "Hey dumbass, you have the murder video on your PC, just give the cops the file!!!"
The comic has an interesting art style but the writing leaves a few things to be desired. Sure, it probably isn´t supposed to be taken too seriously, but there are limits to that. Using a snake to kill someone is not a bad idea, but it is a really complicated way to kill an immobilized victim. And why on earth does Batman jump over buildings instead of using his car to reach his destination? Maybe it was to have him be slow enough for that one guy to died. Not that I cared, the way this was written, I really couldn't care for anyone up to that point. The author got the Batman Gordon dynamic right, I give him that.
One positive point: Hong Kong triad members do not know martial arts. They use clubs like everyone else here.
Speaking of Hong Kong, the new character here is a young man called Benny, with dead father (which I hoped would not turn out to be Tiger One-Eye or some other muscle guy from before). And Benny is super msucular, has a Tao symbol on his chest and two dragons on either side and when he smashes his fists together "lightning" appears. And I realized why he looks familiar. I get a Jin from Tekken vibe from him.
And did the artist confuse a bat with an octopus? The usual art style for the cape makes it look like a giant bat as stated by the text, but this one here makes it look like a bunch of tentacles are around Batman.
The back and forth between Batman and Tiger One-Eye is well done with the attempted murder and all, but Benny's thought-comments are weird and unfitting as always. It would have been better to have him be totally silent. And apart from the fact that this armor by Benny looks nothing like a dragon, or that among all the roles dragons have in chinese folklore, so far I've seen none filling the role of "weird night creature", but where on earth did Benny get this from? And not just the armor, the sword as well. The text suggested that he put this on because he was inspired by Batman but this sounds like a really flimsy explanation. Just as flimsy as Batman making such a dumb mistake as not being prepared to take out multiple enemies at once. Reeks of "because the plot says so", so Benny can come and rescue him. After all, Batman has knockout gas.
And as for Benny, apparently Tiger and Chow Ye are Benny´s uncles, which was never hinted at before, even remotely. Ironically, I wasn´t surprised at all that Gotham has a Chinatwon. I was surprised that any normal society exists there. And I felt a bit sorry for those shopw-owners there. The cops search them, the triads search them and now Batman and Nightdragon search them. Those shopowners must feel really weird.
And sadly, Benny's father is the big baddy after all, I had hoped it wouldn't be after it was stated he was dead but nope, he survived and somehow looks like this now. And for once, it was bad luck that uncovered the villains. That is unusual. And I wonder why a black dog was chosen for this. After all Lo Pao's scarve could have simply gotten stuck or pulled by some kid instead of a dog somehow becoming aware of him.
However, the author had the foresight to have the comic actually using the topic of foreign languages and places instead of just ignoring them.
Even if it was odd how this just ends with a big panell. Sure, nice visuals, but basically the story just stops.
The comic has an interesting art style but the writing leaves a few things to be desired. Sure, it probably isn´t supposed to be taken too seriously, but there are limits to that. Using a snake to kill someone is not a bad idea, but it is a really complicated way to kill an immobilized victim. And why on earth does Batman jump over buildings instead of using his car to reach his destination? Maybe it was to have him be slow enough for that one guy to died. Not that I cared, the way this was written, I really couldn't care for anyone up to that point. The author got the Batman Gordon dynamic right, I give him that.
One positive point: Hong Kong triad members do not know martial arts. They use clubs like everyone else here.
Speaking of Hong Kong, the new character here is a young man called Benny, with dead father (which I hoped would not turn out to be Tiger One-Eye or some other muscle guy from before). And Benny is super msucular, has a Tao symbol on his chest and two dragons on either side and when he smashes his fists together "lightning" appears. And I realized why he looks familiar. I get a Jin from Tekken vibe from him.
And did the artist confuse a bat with an octopus? The usual art style for the cape makes it look like a giant bat as stated by the text, but this one here makes it look like a bunch of tentacles are around Batman.
The back and forth between Batman and Tiger One-Eye is well done with the attempted murder and all, but Benny's thought-comments are weird and unfitting as always. It would have been better to have him be totally silent. And apart from the fact that this armor by Benny looks nothing like a dragon, or that among all the roles dragons have in chinese folklore, so far I've seen none filling the role of "weird night creature", but where on earth did Benny get this from? And not just the armor, the sword as well. The text suggested that he put this on because he was inspired by Batman but this sounds like a really flimsy explanation. Just as flimsy as Batman making such a dumb mistake as not being prepared to take out multiple enemies at once. Reeks of "because the plot says so", so Benny can come and rescue him. After all, Batman has knockout gas.
And as for Benny, apparently Tiger and Chow Ye are Benny´s uncles, which was never hinted at before, even remotely. Ironically, I wasn´t surprised at all that Gotham has a Chinatwon. I was surprised that any normal society exists there. And I felt a bit sorry for those shopw-owners there. The cops search them, the triads search them and now Batman and Nightdragon search them. Those shopowners must feel really weird.
And sadly, Benny's father is the big baddy after all, I had hoped it wouldn't be after it was stated he was dead but nope, he survived and somehow looks like this now. And for once, it was bad luck that uncovered the villains. That is unusual. And I wonder why a black dog was chosen for this. After all Lo Pao's scarve could have simply gotten stuck or pulled by some kid instead of a dog somehow becoming aware of him.
However, the author had the foresight to have the comic actually using the topic of foreign languages and places instead of just ignoring them.
Even if it was odd how this just ends with a big panell. Sure, nice visuals, but basically the story just stops.
May 2, 2015
Batman: Hong Kong. This comic started in Gotham than to Hong Kong. This comic wasn't the best batman book, but it was better than other batman comic books. You wouldn't catch me reading this dead. I didn't like it because it had a bad ending, and a better beginning than end. It was just like a bye bye ending. You would think he would just show up in Gotham or Hong Kong just to see how he was doing. If any of you DC comics people are reading this, I'm not an expert in super hero comics. It might how batman does his endings, but I'm not a super hero genus as I said before. The middle was better than the end and the beginning. The story in genrel was ok I guess. The reason I think the middle is good because It is more interesting to know. The comic book is about hacking. Because at the start some Radom person with good hacking skills hacks into kind of like an enter net tv show, anyway hacks into it and finds gruesome video of a person hanging upside down getting bitten by a snake alive and hours later there's a big investigation, of Circe witch involves batman. Other than that it is a good comic book.
November 8, 2013
Batman’s fight against injustice takes him to Hong Kong and he finds himself involved in a fight between the police and the triads. Drawn by a Hong Kong comic artist, it was interesting to see fights portrayed in a different, more manga-inspired art style. The story is nothing special, with Hong Kong’s version of Batman emerging perhaps the weakest element. This volume is inoffensive to read on a whim, but there is nothing so special or outstanding to make this volume particularly worth seeking out.
April 9, 2015
this was a fun read. The plot had a nice level of complexity,but the portrayal of Bruce Wayne was kind of odd. Perhaps it as a different style based on when the story was published. The art work was also kind of odd. I mean, those eyebrows were kind of extreme. Plus, it seemed that the Hong Kong characters were drawn specifically to mimic a more manga style. Despite my issues with the artwork, I still enjoyed it quite a bit.
May 21, 2010
This book appealed to me because of the involvement of Hong Kong artist Tony Wong. I remembered flipping through his Hong Kong comics when I was young, and his signature artwork is certainly evident here. Storywise, there's something here, but the execution is lacking. Good enough to read for the fusion of style, but not good enough to be anything beyond a novelty Batman story.
July 21, 2010
Great story with the debut of a new super hero. I loved the theme of Ying and Yang throughout the story. I really had hoped that the graphic novel continued for several hundred more pages but ended on a high note.
The villain was a bit predictable but that did not deter from the great story telling.
The villain was a bit predictable but that did not deter from the great story telling.
Read
August 11, 2011Douglas Moench seems to draw inspiration from John Woo's gangster flicks as he crafts a tale of triads,brotherhood and betrayal in Hong Kong's seedy underbelly.It's interesting to see Batman as drawn by veteran HK artist Tony Wong,in a uniquely Asian style. Not fantastic,but still worth checking out,even if just for the art alone.
October 8, 2011
Always fun to see Batman out of his element. Nice change of scenery. Enjoyed the blending of elements from manga and comics. Beautiful book. Tends to glorify gang activity, unusual for a batman story.
January 27, 2012
I think this graphic novel missed its mark by a mile. The manga-like art that I usually enjoy had no place in a Batman title, and you generally got a feeling that this book is intended as a launch of Night Dragon and nothing else.
August 5, 2007
A find from the local public library.
Find my short note on it here:
[http://gypsylibrarian.blogspot.com/20...]
Find my short note on it here:
[http://gypsylibrarian.blogspot.com/20...]
August 16, 2012
It was interesting to see batman out of gotham city.
January 5, 2013
I don't know what people's problem is with this book. It's got great art work and a strange, dark narrative...so it's not in Gotham!!
June 30, 2013
Fairly generic Bat story ... but a neat merging of East meets West in story and art.
July 5, 2014
Batman in Dragon Tiger Gate style. Interesting experiment with a whole bunch of wild sound effects, but characters and story are quite routine.
August 1, 2014
One of the most contrived and ridiculous batman stories ever. If you really want to know how bad it is read the other reviews. I will not waste anymore time on this nonsense.
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