One of the list relics of a bygone era is the comic book adaptation timed to the release of a film. Yes, there are still comics based on movies, but used to be you could go into a drug store or gas station and pick up a bonafide issue of, like, a James Bond movie, or a full graphic novel retelling of a comic book film.
The Caped Crusader was no stranger to these adaptations, with every theatrically released film between 1989 and 2005 getting a comic tie-in, and even a few straight-to-video movies too. As I am wont to do, and because I had almost every single one of these on my shelf anyway, I decided to take a look back at each of these Batman film adaptations. Check out the highs, the lows, the surprises, and the stupid arbitrary scoring system I made up just to make myself laugh.
Batman
The great-granddaddy of all Batman film adaptations, the comic based on 1989’s landmark Batman continues to be the gold standard by which all of the books in this post are measured, for better and for worse.
There is a lot of good here, no doubt. Great, even. The creative team alone is almost unfairly stacked: Dennis O’Neil, Jerry Ordway, Steve Oliff, and John Costanza. Legends all in their respective fields, and they definitely bring their A-game here. It follows the film pretty closely, with a few deviations here and there that keep the reading experience fresh and, in some cases, being even better than the movie. It has a definite sense of style and personality too, opening with a brilliant splash page that makes it clear that we are “watching” a movie.
Of all the live-action adaptations, Batman has the most straightforward story, because it’s effectively the origin of the Joker and Batman’s attempts to stop him. I’m not going to pretend that the film’s script is airtight and perfect, because it really isn’t, but the comic does a great job of taking everything that works in the movie and making for an entertaining read. I believe O’Neil worked from a later script, if not the final draft, because there are a few minor changes that don’t affect the overall narrative. One of those changes I think is actually better than what made it to the final film, which might be considered heresy to some: in the opening sequence with the two muggers, Batman doesn’t say “I’m Batman.” Instead, the thug he’s intimidating tells Batman “you don’t own the night”, to which Batman replies “Tell your friends. Tell all your friends. I am the night.”
Keaton’s ad lib (so it goes) is iconic, sure. The original line, though? That is Batman.
Ordway and Oliff illustrate the heck out of the proceedings too, nailing most of the character likenesses and translating memorable scenes pretty well. Sometimes the sequential art actually enhances a scene, like in the fateful showdown in the Axis Chemical factory when Batman escapes the police. In the movie he throws a smoke pellet to the ground and just kind of disappears, where in the comic he has both hands held above his head, flicks pellets from between each of his thumbs and forefingers, and grapples away in the confusion. On film this scene works as well as it could, given the limitations of the Batsuit, but on the page Batman can move just as Batman should.
There are other times where the sequential storytelling feels a bit rushed, though, which is a problem that plagues most of these adaptations. With just around 60 pages to work with, the leaner plot of Batman means that there’s less fat to trim, but the dramatic pacing on film makes some of the scenes play out better when acted versus when they’re illustrated. In the comic, the scene where Napier first sees his reconstructed face is comical, while in the film Jack Nicholson’s line delivery over the sinister score makes it borderline terrifying. Similarly, the showdown on the courthouse steps where Joker murders Vinnie Ricorso in broad daylight doesn’t carry the same weight on the printed page as it does on film, especially when it comes to Michael Keaton’s wordless performance when he realizes who the Joker actually is.
Really, most of the baggage with this adaptation probably comes from how familiar you are with the movie, which I’d bet for most of us is “very.” It’s easy to follow and a very quick, entertaining read, serving as a nice supplement to the film. It has enough of its own personality that it’s worth reading as a comic by itself, though in the end you’ll probably just end up wanting to watch the movie when you’re finished.
Comic score: 7/10
Adaptation score: 8/10
Final thoughts: Solid writing and fantastic art make for a great adaptation, and a pretty good comic to boot. It improves on the film in some areas, falls short in others, yet ultimately serves as a great companion piece to the movie. Seven out of nine grants for Knox.
Batman Returns
For Batman’s sophomore big screen outing (for the modern day, at least), writer Denny O’Neil and letterer John Costanza return (haHAA) and are joined this time by Steve Erwin, José Luis García López, and Tom McGraw, meaning Batman Returns should look just as good as Batman. It’s not quite the same level as Ordway and Oliff, but it’s still a pretty good looking comic.
Gone are the pretensions of this being a movie, as we just dive right into the story from the first page this time around. I kind of miss that conceit, as it made the first adaptation all that much more charming, but it’s not a huge loss. This change is also kind of indicative of the adaptation as a whole, though, because right from the start it becomes clear that this is not going to pull events from the film exactly as they occurred, which makes for a more interesting reading experience.
The broad strokes are the same: the Cobblepots have a child who is clearly not a typical human baby, and to rid themselves of him they drop his bassinet off a bridge, where it floats off in the icy waters. The film plays up the more macabre, almost farcical propriety of the couple, however, where the comic doesn’t even show us their faces. This is neither to the comic’s benefit nor its detriment, just an observation about the minor changes made when translating this story between mediums.
I’m not sure if the changes in dialogue and pacing were due to O’Neil working with an earlier draft of the shooting script, making adjustments on his own, or some combination of both. Generally it works just fine, as the story beats play out exactly the same as in the film, it’s just some of the individual scenes honestly bring more to certain characters. Penguin especially is a bit quippier here than in the film, where he was blunt and crass. I honestly found him funnier in the comic, as he makes some attempt at legitimacy and class in his mayoral campaign. Chip Shreck too gets a bit more here than in the movie, with one small scene after Selina Kyle falls from Max Shreck’s office shows that Chip is just as conniving and ruthless as his father.
With more characters and a more involved story than the previous book, that means that more material has to be worked through in the same number of pages. Returns never feels overstuffed, like some of the later adaptations will, though the pacing is pretty breathless and fast. That makes this a quick read, to be sure, although it could be too quick. Some of the best scenes in the movie are where characters are sitting in silence, reacting to events around them, so skipping over those moments takes away some of the appeal of this story.
That, in turn, brings an even harsher truth about the film to light: it’s not really a Batman movie. Batman is in it and does some cool stuff, but it’s much more about Catwoman and Penguin. This isn’t exactly a revelation, as it’s a complaint that’s been leveraged toward the film since it came out. Being able to flip through the story yourself, though, it becomes pretty clear that Batman may have returned, but he’s not exactly the star.
Comic score: 6/10
Adaptation score: 6/10
Final thoughts: A solid enough comic, this adapts the source material without directly translating it, often for the better. These books are already showing signs of becoming overstuffed, however, and despite being more “pristine” than the film in some of its dialogue, it’s lacking the strange wackiness that makes the movie so memorable. Five out of six bowls of vichyssoise.
Batman Forever
Now here’s an adaptation I know for sure worked from a different draft of the script, or more accurately, another cut of the film. The comic opens with a scene that’s nowhere to be found in the final cut of the film, with Arkham doctors and security discovering that Two-Face has escaped from his cell. We then see Bruce Wayne in Wayne Enterprises as he meets Edward Nygma– which occurs later than this in the movie– only to be called away by the Batsignal.
For that reason alone, the comic adaptation of Batman Forever is a really interesting read, because this isn’t the only difference in flow and pacing between the shooting script and the end product that made it to the big screen. Denny O’Neil returns to write the script, bringing back a bit of cinematic flair by opening the story with a bit of the “screenplay” hovering in the night sky over Arkham. Much as I love Batman Forever on a personal level, the pacing of the final film is a bit weird, and nothing ever really makes Two-Face seem like anything other than Joker-lite. Including the original opening scene in the comic definitely makes the character more threatening and sinister, and overall more interesting.
Aside from slight restructuring, there aren’t any other scenes here that weren’t in the film, so it plays out pretty much the exact same way: Batman becomes a point of interest for Dr. Chase Meridian, Dick Grayson loses his parents and tries to find his way before ultimately becoming Robin, Edward Nygma doesn’t take rejection well and moonlights as the devious Riddler, and Two-Face… does bad stuff.
Yeah, his motivations really aren’t any clearer here, unfortunately.
It’s still a pretty entertaining read, with a lot less camp than the movie. Michael Dutkiewicz’s pencils are heavily inked by Scott Hanna, using lots of shading and outright shadows to give the comic a darker, moodier palette than the film. That’s not to say it’s bland or ugly, as the late, great Adrienne Roy’s colors still make scenes pop. Some of Dutkiewicz’s figure work is a little stiff at times, like when Dick Grayson discovers the Batcave. Rather than using feats of acrobatic prowess like in the film, he just kind of… walks in the door and trips.
There are some really striking sequences elsewhere, though, where the whole creative team work together to deliver some powerful visuals. The use of facial expressions and lack of dialogue when the Graysons are killed is genuinely haunting stuff, and the use of yellows, reds, and oranges as Batman emerges from the fiery underground trap set by Two-Face is stunning.
It isn’t perfect, as the story is still a bit sloppy, and with so many characters the pacing can feel almost too fast at points. Still, it’s an interesting look at what might have been, and hopefully, what we could someday see in a director’s cut.
Comic score: 7/10
Adaptation score: 8/10
Final thoughts: The adaptation that has seen the biggest departure from the final cut of the film, often for the better. It’s still a comic based on a movie that doesn’t have the strongest story, though toning down the camp and keeping the original opening makes for a more dramatic narrative. Eight out of eleven vaults of boiling acid.
Batman & Robin
Look. I don’t hate this movie, and I never have. Even recognizing that it’s beyond campy, poorly-acted, and has production design that’s like two steps up from a fast good play place, I’ve always been able to enjoy its earnest silliness on some level. It is not good, and I will not defend it, other than to say that it’s a fun watch in the right frame of mind.
Somehow, Denny O’Neil almost makes this good, even with the same lines from the script used on the printed page. It’s wild, because most of the dialogue is taken, verbatim, from the movie, yet some of the lines carry a lot more dramatic heft when read. That just goes to show you that tone, inflection, and overall delivery can change the way a line is interpreted, to the point that even some of Freeze’s ice puns feel genuinely threatening.
Fear not, though: Robin says “gorilla my dreams” after Poison Ivy doffs her gorilla disguise, so it knows what it’s about.
Crazily enough, it’s a great looking comic too. Considering Batman & Robin is far and away the brightest, most comic booky looking movie in the franchise, that probably made translating the visual aesthetic to the comics medium a much easier fit than in some of the other adaptations. Under the pencil of Rodolfo Damaggio, the inks of Bill Sienkiewicz, and the colors of Pat Garrahy, the much-maligned rubber suits from the film actually look genuinely great on the page. There are shots of Clooney’s Batman in here that are just great Batman images period, such as when he dives headfirst into Freeze’s armored truck to take the villain down. Robin’s costume also looks fantastic, the plain white eyes of his mask adding a sense of heroism and maturity that was missing from the film.
It might be the most visually interesting of the books so far too, with Damaggio using some great layouts and perspective shots to lead the reader’s eye across each page. Fight scenes that were awkward in the film have a real sense of dynamism and danger here, and there are some really dramatic shots of different characters throughout. Previous adaptations tended to stick to a multipanel layout on each page, so as much story could be fit into the book as possible. Here, there are several pages that use long vertical panels, three-quarter splashes, and other interesting layout choices that really move the story along.
Considering the comic opens with director Joel Schumacher calling “action!” as Batman and Robin run up the steps in front of a green-screened background, you’d think this would match the campiness of the film. While it’s by no means dark or what have you, it reads better as a pure comic story than many of the other books in this article, which is… I mean, I’m as shocked as you are, but maybe I shouldn’t be.
Comic score: 8/10
Adaptation score: 8/10
Final thoughts: Practically nailing a campy, tongue-in-cheek tone, this works well as an adaptation of the movie and a comic book story. It looks great, reads surprisingly well, and adapts a much-maligned movie into something that is borderline great. Nine out of twelve icicle bombs.
Batman Begins
With a runtime of almost 2 1/2 hours, director Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins has the most content to try and decompress for a 60-ish page adaptation, and because of that it’s the one that suffers the most. While the comic follows the plot of the film pretty faithfully, hitting all the major story and action beats, it tries to do so much in so little time that the pacing is almost unforgivably fast.
Scott Beatty– who is a great writer, evidenced in his work with Chuck Dixon on the Robin, Nightwing, and (especially) Batgirl Year One miniseries alone– has the almost thankless task of taking the dense script (arguably the weakest part of Batman Begins) and condensing it down to half the amount of pages needed to properly tell this story. It’s faithful, sure, hardly deviating from the source material, and Jared K. Fletcher’s unobtrusive lettering helps the dialogue flow really well. Huge moments from the film that still pack a punch to this day are either glossed over to the point they lose their impact, though, or are excised altogether. The dockyard fight where Batman makes his first appearance goes by so quickly that the moment where he growls “I’m Batman” to Falcone barely registers, jumping immediately to the crime boss strapped to a spotlight to make a proto-Batsignal over the course of just two panels. And you know the “swear to me!” shakedown of Flass, one of the coolest, most frightening, and Batmaniest moments in the entire trilogy? Nowhere to be seen.
Which means no falafel vendor either. Tragic.
This isn’t entirely the fault of the writing, though. The script itself isn’t bad, from an adaptation standpoint, and it could have been served well with some great art. To that end, Kilian Plunkett, Serge LaPointe, and Jose Villarrubia’s work is… fine. Nothing more. There are some really cool sequences and individual panels, like the opening page that mimics the film with bats creating the logo, Bruce throwing a Batarang in the Batcave, and Batman jumping down the stairwell at Arkham Asylum. Not being remarkably familiar with Plunkett’s work, I’m not sure if the layout choices are indicative of his general style, but they’re relatively static and perfunctory, so the comic lacks much in the way of visual flair. The character likenesses to their respective actors aren’t too shabby, I’ll give him that, and he makes the Batsuit look a little sleeker than it does on film. There really just isn’t anything dynamically interesting with the line work, though, and the coloring is kind of flat and drab. Considering the movie is beautifully shot by the great Wally Pfister, “flat” and “drab” are not words you would want or expect from something meant to evoke the look of Batman Begins.
Even if the adaptation falls short, the graphic novel has other previously published comic stories included, which is awesome. In addition to cool pinups from Ruben Cocopio and Bill Sienkiewicz, the collection has “The Man Who Falls” from Secret Origins of the World’s Greatest Super-Heroes, and the issues Detective Comics #757, Batman #604, and Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #168. Anything associated with a comic book movie that encourages actually reading comic books is A-Ok in my book.
As a bonus, the DVD had a sort of original mini-comic story as part of its interactive menus, which you can read through here. One DVD set also came with a mini comic that included three stories: “The Man Who Falls” yet again, “The Bat-Man: The Case of the Chemical Syndicate” from Detective Comics #27, and The Long Halloween #1. I have had this set and mini comic since 2005, and don’t ever plan on getting rid of it.
Comic score: 5/10
Adaptation score: 6/10
Final thoughts: An unfortunate example of relative faithfulness not meaning guaranteed excellence, this sticks to the film in broad strokes yet loses its soul. It does too little with too much, though including more comics in the collection was a stroke of genius. Three out of five Water Main Guys.
The Dark Knight Prologue
The Dark Knight is one of my absolute favorite films of all time. I don’t know how many times I’ve seen it, and I love it more every time I watch it. It’s one of those movies that I know practically backwards and forwards, so I like to think I’d be pretty quick to pick up on inaccuracies in a summary or, I don’t know, a comic adaptation.
This adaptation of the film’s legendary prologue, sad to say, has quite a few inaccuracies.
Looking at the credits for this mini comic, I was taken slightly aback, because I do not recognize any of these names: James Peaty, Steve Scott, Nathan Massengill, Alex Bleyaert, Nick Napolitano.
Okay, Napolitano sounds familiar, but that’s it. And yeah, I know that a creative team doesn’t have to be “known” to put in good work, but not knowing anyone involved with the story didn’t fill me with confidence.
In broad strokes, it’s an okay adaptation. It hits all the major bits of the opening few minutes of the film, with a ban robbery perpetrated by the Joker ending with the Clown Prince of Crime driving off with the mob’s money. You’ve got the other masked robbers, the bank manager played by the always great William Fichtner, and a pretty solid pace through the visual storytelling and layouts.
Peaty pulls the script almost entirely from the film’s screenplay, with only the smallest of tweaks here and there. The main problem I had was that some of the lines were misattributed to the wrong member of the heist crew. This wouldn’t be so bad, but the clown who speaks these incorrect (for him) lines is the Joker himself. The entire point of this scene in the film– and even with the body language in Scott’s penciling– is that the Joker has been among the bank robbers the entire time, staying silent and not drawing attention to himself. Even if the scene otherwise plays out on the page like it does in the film, these lettering mistakes cause confusion for people who aren’t intimately familiar with the film, and frustration with those who are.
It’s still illustrated and colored pretty well, with the Joker’s reveal appropriately chilling. The booklet’s design work from Carmela Romano is really cool too, and there’s a great pinup of Ledger’s Joker in the middle. Considering you can find the Batman Begins Blu-Ray set this comic came with super cheap, the sweet mini poster centerfold makes it worth getting alone.
Comic score: 7/10
Adaptation score: 6/10
Final thoughts: Good design and strong art are held back by some writing gaffes. It’s really faithful, though, relatively inexpensive, and will make you want to watch the movie. Five out of seven Bruce Waynes dismantling a shotgun without breaking stride.
The Dark Knight Rises Prologue
This adaptation is also only available as part of a specific Blu-Ray set, and it goes one further by being part of the packaging itself. That means you have to decide if you want to display it with you movies or comics, which will surely keep most of us up at night.
Also, you will not believe me when I tell you the creative team behind this.
Joshua Williamson.
Jorge Jiménez.
Alejandro Sanchez.
Wes Abbott.
Insanity.
They do a pretty good job with the material too, especially compared with the previous prologue adaptation. Even in their early work, Jiménez and Sanchez prove to be a brilliant team, as the visual storytelling is strong, if a bit basic. Williamson and Abbott pull dialogue from the movie almost verbatim, though the way they pace the story between panels is fairly commendable.
The main problem is that so much of the impact of the prologue comes from sound design and subtle movements, particularly from Tom Hardy’s Bane. Take the moment when the CIA agent pulls the hood off his head, with his face mask slowly coming into view. Or his slow head turn and glare a few moments later, when he looks toward Pavel as the doctor leads and insists he didn’t give up any information. While they’re represented on the page, you don’t get the real impact of those scenes because the storytelling on film can’t truly be translated to the page.
At 25 pages, every second of the prologue is able to be adapted, and even if it isn’t perfect it’s pretty good for what it is. Unlike The Dark Knight’s short adaptation, this actually made me wonder how this team would have adapted the whole film.
Comic score: 7/10
Adaptation score: 9/10
Final thoughts: Better than it could have been, with a surprisingly competent creative team. Kind of wanted more. Seven out of eight “Robin” John Blakes.
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
Look, this is a comic adaptation of one of the best– some would argue the best– cinematic Batman films of all time. It’s written by Kelley Puckett, illustrated by the late, brilliant Mike Parobeck, inked by Rick Burchett, colored by Rick Taylor, and lettered by Tim Harkins. They would have to try and make this anything less than stellar, let alone mediocre or terrible. Thankfully, they didn’t, so it isn’t. This is perfection, through and through.
If you’re here, you know this movie, so I probably don’t need to go over the plot. Needless to say, Puckett adapts Alan Burnett, Paul Dini, Martin Pasko, and Michael Reaves’ story without flaw or blemish, taking us along for the ride as Batman tries to figure out who the mysterious costumed figure is who is taking out Gotham mob bosses, and what ties they could have to his early life. It’s a tale of revenge, corruption, lost love, and heartbreak, and it still hits home whether you’re watching the movie or reading it in comic form.
It’s Parobeck’s pencils that are the real star, though. At first glance his style is kind of exaggerated, with long body shapes and rounded, bulbous faces. In lesser hands a style like this could look silly, but Parobeck was a brilliant cartoonist who made every single line matter. There wasn’t a single wasted detail in any of his pages, whether he’s making your heart break alongside a downcast Bruce Wayne or terrifying you with the Joker’s mad-eyed grin. In other The Batman Adventures comics, Parobeck drew some of my favorite Batman pages of all time, making good use of panel layouts and a lack of dialogue to let the art tell the story. He and Burchett, Taylor, and Harkins take a less is more approach, with simple, clear lines and colors helping to tell an already great story for a different medium. This is the best of the best.
Or at least the first best of the best, for now.
Comic score: 10/10
Adaptation score: 10/10
Final thoughts: Absolute perfection, with one of the best creative teams on any of these books. I don’t know what better I can say other than this makes me love the movie even more, and makes me want to read more from these creators. Ten out of ten dense long-chain polymers.
Batman/Mr. Freeze: SubZero
What we have here is a comic adaptation from a great creative team (Kelley Puckett, Joe Staton, Terry Beatty, Rick Taylor, and Tim Harkins), linked to a terrific comic series (Batman & Robin Adventures), based off a pretty good movie (Batman/Mr. Freeze: SubZero). Its main– perhaps only, really– disadvantage is that it isn’t based on a truly great film, even though SubZero is plenty solid and immensely watchable to this day.
The adaptation does everything it should too, and is successful in that regard. Given that the film is pretty tight with a straightforward story, there isn’t anything that really needs to be added to fill out more pages, or cut out to hit a set page count either. I haven’t seen the movie nearly as many times as I have others in this piece, so I wouldn’t be able to say if some dialogue has been changed or excised, but Puckett’s script is strong regardless. It looks great too, with Staton’s style reminding me a bit of Mike Parobeck, and Taylor’s colors nailing the palette of the animated series.
So, yeah, it’s good. Better than good. Very good. But really, if you have the movies Mask of the Phantasm and SubZero sitting next to each other on a shelf, which one are you going to pick to watch? The same goes for the comic adaptations, where very good just isn’t quite good enough.
Comic score: 7/10
Adaptation score: 8/10
Final thoughts: Faithful and straightforward, with terrific art, its main drawback is something it can’t really help: it’s in the shadow of a truly legendary piece of Batman’s history. Still, it does the job well, and is more than worth tracking down to read. Eleven out of thirteen polar bear companions.
Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker
This is a story I’ve had a complicated relationship with over the years. It’s very well told, and the movie has a well-deserved reputation as one of the best Batman films out there, animated or not. It’s incredibly bleak and bordering on mean-spirited, though, doubling down on the depressing future in store for Bruce Wayne and his adopted family.
It’s one of those stories that I respect and appreciate more than I actually enjoy, because what happens to Tim Drake is not in any way entertaining.
That said, the comic adaptation of Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker is as competently made as the film, and makes the subject matter a little easier to digest and process.
Just a bit.
Like SubZero, I haven’t watched this movie nearly as much as the others, mainly because it’s so heavy. So, I’m not sure exactly how faithful it is to the film’s script, though I do know it’s more in line with the edited version where Joker’s doom comes at his own hand, and offscreen.
It’s also a remarkably text-heavy book, with lots of dialogue and conversations, so it isn’t a super quick read. That’s not a bad thing at all, as you get your money’s worth with a “full meal” of a strong story, supported by some strong art too. The visuals aren’t as intense during the flashbacks, which also makes them easier to get through, but that also means that those scenes don’t land as hard either. It’s a trade off that May have been necessary, or may have just been the result of Vincenzo’s style, I’m not sure.
If you’ve never read it, your best bet will be DC Universe Infinite, as the floppy never goes for less than like eighty bucks on eBay. That’s steep for a great book that you’ll probably only want to read once.
Comic score: 7/10
Adaptation score: 8/10
Final thoughts: Does its job by adapting a tough story and doing it well. It’s near impossible to find a physical copy at an affordable price, and inexplicably wasn’t included in the recent Batman Beyond: The Animated Series Classics Compendium, so points off for that. Five out of eight mind control neck patches.
Batman & Superman Adventures: World’s Finest
Saving the other best for last, we come to the comic adaptation of The Batman/Superman Movie: World’s Finest. There was a time where this was the Batman movie I had watched more than any other, as I recorded it on VHS when it originally aired as a Superman: The Animated Series three-parter and wore that tape out. There’s a chance that I might have seen other films more than this one at this point, but to this day I still think it’s stellar Batman and Superman content, and their best onscreen team-up by far.
And the comic adaptation is no different, perfectly translating the film to print. It’s kind of strange, because the comic really doesn’t offer anything that isn’t present in the movie, as it’s a pretty 1:1 adaptation. The film’s script is so tight and perfectly paced that it doesn’t matter, though, as adding extra lines or scenes would feel extraneous, and removing anything would take away from the story. There’s not an ounce of fat on the screenplay, so writer Paul Dini mostly just needs to ensure that it flows like a comic, not a sequence of storyboards.
The wisest choice he makes is in not treating the ends of each episode as an act break, which helps keep the story moving forward. In the best way, you don’t even notice where one “part” in the movie ends and the next begins with the way to comic moves, helping this stand on its own as a book.
Like the Mask of the Phantasm adaptation, Joe Staton’s pencils, Terry Beatty’s inks, and Linda Medley’s colors evoke the spirit and style of the animated movie without directly aping the designs. Staton’s characters are a bit more rounded and “rubbery” than their onscreen counterparts, which allows the comic to have its own sense of movement and dynamism in character moments and action scenes alike. The sequential art works with the writing to capture the sense of humor of the movie too, because this story is really very funny. Be it dry jabs between Clark, Bruce, and Lois, punctuated by Albert DeGuzman’s perfectly placed word ballons, or the always hilarious scene where Harley and Mercy fight in the background as Joker and Luthor discuss business, the comic can do what the movie does in its own way.
Comic score: 10/10
Adaptation score: 10/10
Final thoughts: Perfect from beginning to end, this works as a great adaptation, a standalone comic, and a terrific story for both Batman and Superman. I found this at a used bookstore for something like three bucks several years ago, and never have I made a faster purchase. Fifteen out of fifteen cheese sandwiches.
What’s your favorite Batman film comic adaptation? Do you wish they would do these again, or has the time passed? Sound off in the comments below, dear readers.
