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| Batman: Lovers and Madmen (Batman (DC Comics Hardcover)) | 
| Authors: Michael Green, Denys Cowan, John Floyd
Publisher: DC Comics
Category: Book
List Price: $24.99
Buy New: $8.74
You Save: $16.25 (65%)
New (17) from $8.74
Avg. Customer Rating:  7 reviews
Sales Rank: 103086
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 144
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 10.4 x 6.9 x 0.5
ISBN: 1401216838
Dewey Decimal Number: 741.5973
EAN: 9781401216832
ASIN: 1401216838
Publication Date: April 2, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
| Showing reviews 6-7 of 7 | | « PREV | | |
 Not THAT bad... April 25, 2008
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
I loved "The Killing Joke." Let's just get that out of the way.
I had already heard many bad reviews about this title when I saw it on the shelf at Borders. My curiosity got the better of me, and I bought it. And I actually liked it. Maybe it's because my expectations were low. Maybe I have bad taste, although that seems unlikely. The aforementioned "The Killing Joke", "Batman: Year One", "The Long Halloween", etc. are all favorites of mine. Anyway, I liked "Lovers and Madmen." Here's why:
1. The origin of the Joker here is, to me, more "real." I loved "Batman Begins." I know I will love the upcoming sequel, "The Dark Knight." The reason these movies work so well is because, as the director himself stated, they are created in a "realistic fashion." As I read L & MM, I felt that same kind of "heightened reality". The Joker's origin felt more REAL. It really drew on the idea that Batman is responsible for the Joker's existence, far beyond the traditional "Oops...I accidentally dropped a failed comedian into acid."
2. The Batman is portrayed as a real man who makes mistakes and then has to reconcile them. Batman ordering a hit was a surprise to me. But I wasn't offended over it, mostly because of how this knee-jerk decision affected the Batman. And by the end of the story, when faced with the same choice, he makes the right decision. Over the course of the story, he GROWS into the Batman we all know. I loved it. Again, it's more REAL.
The only thing I didn't particularly care for in this story was the depiction of Gordon in his relationship to Batman. There is this resentment that Gordon seems to have for Batman... Anyway, this story is far from perfect, but it's actually not a bad read. As much as I loved "The Killing Joke," I really appreciated this new origin for the Joker. I actually prefer it.
 New origin for the Joker April 18, 2008
6 out of 8 found this review helpful
As someone who is not a big fan of the Killing Joke and its' "one bad day" rationale for the creation of the Joker, I was open minded to and eager for this project when it was first announced. At the outset we are shown Batman in the early stages of his career, learning his trade via physical and mental preparation along with on the job training. On the opposite side, we are introduced to a career criminal named Jack, a guy who has lost his joie de vivre, his raison d'etre, and is currently a man with a death wish, drifting aimlessly and willingly towards that inevitable moment. One fateful evening, the two cross paths, when just the sight of this mysterious and "ridiculous" looking vigilante rebirths and subsequently propells him on to a series of vicious crimes whose sole motivation is to frustrate and harass this masked man. At this point in the proceedings the story is clicking, with his new beginnings being both logical and intriguing. Unfortunately things take a dramatic downturn midway through it when Batman, who by this time is at such an inexplicable loss over what to do about this new and different type of criminal, does the unthinkable. He phones a gangster and sanctions a hit! What?! What in the world was writer Michael Green thinking? His portrayal of Batman as an incompetent, dumbfounded, self pitying semi-loser is truly painful to read. He doesn't appear to like the character much, or at the very least respect him. His writing in general is inconsistent and at times awkward; his forced and misguided attempts at witticisms are more absurd than acerbic. "I expected to run into monstrous men, not monsters". The second half of the book continues its' descent into decompressed silliness involving inanities such as bunnies on the moon. If this was supposed to illustrate the zaniness of the Joker, it failed miserably, and just further derailed what was an auspicious beginning. Add to this Denys Cowan's flat out horrendous artwork, and the end result is a regrettable mess, a squandered opportunity. All of you fans of the Killing Joke, rest peacefully. This tale will be quickly forgotten, and deservedly so.
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