AUTHOR: BRIAN AZZARELLO | ARTIST: LEE BERMEJO | PUBLISHER: DC BLACK LABEL | FORMAT: HARDCOVER | RELEASE DATE: SEPTEMBER 10TH
DC Black Label is DC Comics’ latest attempt to clearly mark their more adult comics. This has been something that’s been sorely lacking in recent years, with some DC books mistaking ‘dark and sombre’ for adult. Batman: Damned was the first comic to come under this new imprint, and the results are highly varied and quite entertaining.
This tale opens with Batman in an ambulance after surviving a fight with the Joker. Batman’s clownish nemesis is dead, we are told, yet Batman cannot recall if he is responsible for the killing blow. It’s also sort of unclear if Batman himself is alive, dead, trapped in some hellish limbo or what have you. The notion is broadly that this doesn’t matter; apparently, life as Batman is its own sort of hell.
We quickly dip into supernatural horror, and writer Brian Azzarello runs through the shopping list of DC’s supernatural characters. He then remixes some of Batman’s greatest adventures and this makes things a bit predictable. John Constantine turns up, in a more ‘weasel-like’ and less sympathetic role than normal. He serves in part as the story’s narrator and deliverer of exposition, giving Batman someone to grunt at. Lee Bermejo’s art is gorgeous throughout, and much of the storytelling seems focused on taking us from one beautifully set scene to another. Bermejo’s take on characters such as Zatanna, The Enchantress, and Swamp Thing are particularly lovely, making the whole experience worth it simply for the pretty pictures.
The main plot covers Bruce Wayne’s reasons for being Batman and the way he tortures himself over various decisions. Alas, Azzarello’s need to squeeze in every scary monster from Who’s Who in the DC Universe rather robs Batman of any real pathos. This is a book in which amazing talents have come together to produce something that isn’t as good as the sum of its parts. For example, letterer Jared Fletcher clearly brings his a-game throughout the book, conveying the misery of various characters clearly and understandably. Yet it fails to have an impact because the story itself is murky and uninspired.
In case you’re wondering, yes, Batman: Damned is the comic that initially had a panel where you could see Batman’s penis. No, you can’t see that in this collected volume. (Nor did the BatDong add anything to the story.) This is a book that will become another one of the pantheon of ‘classic Batman’ stories, but perhaps for all the wrong reasons.
It’s a gorgeous looking book, and yet the story is jarring and just a little dull. Batman: Damned is trying to repeat the same surreal yet dark vibe of titles such as Grant Morrison’s Arkham Asylum or Alan Moore’s Killing Joke, but all it does is make you yearn for those better books.
