Batman Adventures: Dangerous Dames and Demons (Batman (Graphic Novels))

Paul Dini

ISBN 10: 1563899736 ISBN 13: 9781563899737

Publisher: Dc Comics, 2003

Synopsis

Collects Batman comics including "Batman: Mad Love" which chronicles the history of the Joker's minion Harleen Quinzel, from their initial meeting in Arkham Asylum where she is a psychology intern to her rebirth as Harley.

About this title

Reviews

Dini and Timm, creators of the Batman Adventures TV series, bring together previously published comics in this boffo book with classic comic book style. They take Batman back to his roots with a series of playful stories pitting real villains against good, old-fashioned heroes, with all of the action playing out in a magnificently gloomy Gotham City landscape. Batman wears black, the villains are in technicolor and Timm's lines are marvelously muscular. Short episodes feature villains such as Roxy Rocket, airborne jewel thief; Poison Ivy, mistress of confounding toxins; and Arnold Wexler, a reluctantly villainous ventriloquist. The Scarecrow, a college professor gone wrong, tortures his victims with mind games, while Clayface disguises himself while waiting to sit on Santa's lap at the department store. One longer episode involves demons attempting to take over the world (the theft of a magical tablet hidden in the cornerstone of a Gotham City building draws Batman's attention). The somewhat recent trend of exposing Batman's motivations and tortured past is absent here; the only character who comes in for extended analysis is Harley Quinn, the Joker's frustrated lover. Her story, "Mad Love," is the book's best, creating an entire history of romance and psychiatry for the Joker, a well as an inspired trap for Batman that's nearly the end of the Caped Crusader (the story won both the Eisner and Harvey Awards for Best Single Issue). Junior high readers and adults alike will find these tales satisfying.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Gr. 6-12. Dini was the lead writer of the popular Batman Adventures animated TV series, which combined the noirish mood of the character's early years with a contemporary stylishness and a humor that contrasts with the grim approach of Batman's other appearances. That vision of the Caped Crusader comprises the comic-book stories collected in this volume. The book's centerpiece is an award-winning story of the villainous Joker's comely psychiatrist, Harley Quinn, a character created for the TV series, who donned a harlequin costume to become his girlfriend and partner in crime. Despite their cartoony visual style, these tales are better plotted than most of the "serious" Batman titles, and they may appeal to teens more than the darker stories. In any case, the stories effectively show how malleable an iconic character like Batman can be. Gordon Flagg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Dc Comics
• Publication date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1563899736
• ISBN 13: 9781563899737
• Binding: Comic
• Illustrator: Bruce Timm
• Number of pages: 192