Batman and the Mad Monk

Batman: Dark Moon Rising #2

by Matt Wagner

After learning that there are more twisted faces of evil than those worn by the street criminals and mobsters of Gotham City, the young Dark Knight must counter sinister machinations and new dimensions of wickedness as he confronts the hooded Mad Monk. Original.

Genres: Comics, Batman, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics, Comic Book, Superheroes, Graphic Novels Comics

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Matt Wagner is an American comic book writer and artist. In addition to his creator-owned series' Mage and Grendel, he has also worked on comics featuring The Demon and Batman as well as such titles as Sandman Mystery Theatre and Trinity, a DC Comics limited series featuring Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman.

Reviews

[Sam Quixote · Rating 1 out of 5]

After creating a truly terrible Batman book with The Monster Men, Matt Wagner was invited back to make a sequel, The Mad Monk - because at DC you fail upwards!

This comic is garbage - ignore anyone telling you otherwise or that it’s part of Batman canon and therefore important; it’s not, it’s utter trash. The Mad Monk is Batman fighting vampires. That’s it!

It’s amazing how slow the World’s Greatest Detective is to realise who he’s up against. It was like that Simpsons Halloween Special where Kent Brockman says something like “Victims were found drained of their blood. Two teeth marks were found on their neck. This cape was found at the scene (“Dracula” is printed on it). Police are baffled.” Come on, Batman, you’re basically this dude’s most famous cosplayer! This guy’s business card(!) even says “Tepes” on it - Vlad the Impaler’s real name, the original person whom Dracula was based upon!!

While we wait for Batman to figure out he’s gotta punch Dracula, we’re irritated by Julie Madison, Bruce’s girlfriend in this book, who is super annoying and super boring. She also discovers a giant European castle that’s suddenly appeared in Gotham because that’s not stupid. Oh man, this is so bad. The story is so cheesy and dumb, and Wagner does nothing different with the vampire characters, they just want to drink blood and live forever like every stereotypical vampire.

I don’t know why it’s set in Batman’s early days except maybe, like Monster Men, the original was a Golden Age story so this is a modern-day remake of this “classic” and Wagner also wants to reference its place in Batman’s history.

Awful. The Mad Monk is maddeningly shitty. Don’t bother with any DC book that has Matt Wagner’s name on it, they’re all bad, especially this one!

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

"What the hell is wrong with this city?" -- Captain James Gordon (Gotham City PD)

Remember how Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was the darker, crazier 'black sheep'-like entry in that popular film series? Well, here's the Dark Knight book equivalent - in fact, this could've been titled Batman and the Castle of Dread with little loss of accuracy. It appears GR reviewers are divided on this volume, but I really enjoyed it after a recent glut of mediocre to merely good graphic novels.

On the heels of Batman and the Monster Men, Mad Monk kicks off with an intense Catwoman cameo during the intro scene. However, it's then full-speed ahead into the actual storyline as Batman takes on a vampirish cult - they prey on the singles' bars, and choose victims that have no siblings and are also new to the region - that has set up a clandestine operation in Gotham City. (There are also a few moments that are reminiscent of Kubrick's film Eyes Wide Shut - nothing like being trapped in a roomful of chanting, hooded-robe attired men to turn up the fear factor!) It's a nice ensemble piece, with several characters getting color-coded 'thought boxes' that provide a running narration. The horror movie vibe - lots of blood spilled in this one - was fun with the requisite action and suspense.

[Subham · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting read.

Batman and Gordon discover strange bodies which have been bitten and well the blood drunk and they think its a vampire and we follow Julie and how she is worrying about whaever is going on with her father and meeting this girl Dala who takes her to a man named Nikolai whose a Monk and has his own "Brotherhood of the eternal night" and unbeknownst to her is controlling her to get her familys money and when Bruce finds these cases are connected, he has to solve the case of the Mad monks and save Gotham and Julie. Will he be able to and what will be the fate of Julie's father, Norman? And what does it mean for Bruce and Julie by the end?

This wa such a fascinating read and I love how the author makes this another mystery and making it connected to Brruce's life and putting Julie in the middle and making it more personal and like the way he does this cult like story was really well done and sure the ending is expected but it also shows the relationship between Bruce and Julie and its interesting and well done. The art again feels retro but kinda cool for Batman and this story also gives great development for Gordon and Falcone and is a good prelude sort of to the "long halloween" and all. Its a good, fun, one and done Batman stories you can read!

[Lono · Rating 4 out of 5]

Batman and the Mad Monk is Matt Wagner’s follow up to Batman and the Monster Men . This is really a continuation of that story. Set early in Batman’s career, this one pays tribute to Year One and The Long Halloween for much of its ambience. These two books continue to bridge the gap between Batman’s war on organized crime and street thugs to his first contact with things more paranormal in nature. While Monster Men had that Frankenstein vibe, Mad Monk riffs on Dracula. It’s a little more Vlad Tepes and a little less Edward Cullen for you new-school vampire fans.



While I enjoyed Monster Men a bit more, there’s plenty for fans of old-school Bats to enjoy here. Wagner continues to use set pieces that would fit just as well into an old, pulpy Shadow story or noir adventure. Foggy rooftops, sacrilegious ceremonies, dark alleyways, and an old castle provide some of the cooler backdrops for this one. Much like Monster Men, Matt doesn’t shy away from violence in this book either. Lots of bloody action keeps the book humming along at a good pace.



Batman’s relationship with Jim Gordon continues to evolve into what it would ultimately become. Some other fun moments include an early encounter with Catwoman, an appearance by the Roman, a bit of foreshadowing about Harvey Dent’s future, and Batman kicking the hell out of bad cops, dope dealers, and cultists.



I continue to appreciate Matt’s simple art-deco style and how it takes me back to early episodes of Batman the Animated Series. It’s perfect for the tone of the book, is clean, and uncomplicated. He just fuckin rocks.

This book (along with Batman and the Monster Men) compliments both Year One and The Long Halloween nicely and I would certainly recommend both to fans of those works as nice companion pieces.

Get this review and more at:

[Sr3yas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Batman and the Mad Monk (2006)
Modern Batman #4

This is a direct sequel to Batman and Monster Men in which Hugo Strange made his appearance. Well, there is no Hugo Strange in this one, but packed with many characters and easter eggs. The main story arc revolves around an investigation on some mysterious corpses that the police found.

Why mysterious? The bodies were found with throat wide open and blood drained to the last drop!

VAMPIRES!

Nah, I'm just kidding. They wouldn't do something like tha-


OHMYGWAD, Vampires.

Annoying villain, check.
Annoying villain's annoying sidekick with an annoying accent, check.
A trap with closing walls, check.
Damsel in distress, check.
A hooded cult that chants stupid stuff,

Check.



Well, this is a pretty bad Batman story.

[Mohamed Metwally · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this story the Bat crosses paths with the a vampire from european folklore, such an unusual encounter calls for a similarly unusual ending, where the hand of fate intervenes in the end, leaving us wondering whether the Mad Monk was a real vampire or a deranged heir to a notoriously wealthy family.

The events of this book comes after the conclusion of the 'Moster Men' arc, still featuring the caracters of Louise and her troubled relationship with Bruce, her father and his psychotic fear of the Bat, that drives him to his end in the futile attempt to clear himself from any ties with the mob, Dr. Strange remains at large, but does not grant an audience here, maybe later in another arc?

MiM

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is Batman in his early years with some nods to things he learned that made him the almost perfect mortal superhero that he is today. Unfortunately, the goofy, sudden ending dropped the overall grade for me. See spoilers below.

Batman is tracking down missing people related to a possible cult that worships a vampire known as the Mad Monk. It only gets worse as his girlfriend gets captured and the Bats rushes in to save her.

Early friendship focus between Jim Gordon and Batman as well as rampant police corruption (before Gordon is running things).

Artwork and tale mostly done by Mark Wagner with some contributions by Dave Stewart and Rob Leigh.

ARTWORK PRESENTATION: B; CHARACTERS/DIALOGUE: B; BATMAN FOCUSES: B minus to B; STORY/PLOTTING: C plus to B minus; WHEN READ: mid October 2012; OVERALL GRADE: B.

SPOILERS: why wasn't Bruce Wayne's girlfriend suspicious of the cult? You go to a creepy castle with a Goth Girl and meet her leader who is pale, Slavic and dressed in strange robes. He immediately shows an interest in your father's assets and that you are the only heir. Hello! This seemed to be before she was hypnotized. If that wasn't the case they should have made it more obvious to the reader.

So Batman is about to face off against Mad Monk and the latter gets destroyed by lightning? Did Wagner run out of panels and budget or was this some type of goof ending? If the latter it didn't fit the tone of the earlier tale.

As far as nods go I liked how after Batman took claws in the chest he mused about reinforcing his costume with armor.

[Kinan Diraneyya · Rating 1 out of 5]

A needless attempt to build on top of previous volumes, which ends up blowing all over the place. The Mad Monk features another cult and some unnecessary violence in order to tell a very dull story.

The unneeded attempt to connect this story to previous volumes is extremely obvious. The first few pages feature a fight between Batman and Catwoman despite the fact that Catwoman has nothing to do with this story, and a few pages later, we see Gordan fighting some corrupt police officers and mentioning how he will deal with them the same way he dealt with Flass. The rest of the story revolves around Julie Madison (from Matt Wagner's earlier story, Batman and the Monster Men).

Some generic Batman stories offer amusing moments or clever uses of Batman as a character; this one doesn't. The bad guys are another generic cult with a leader seeking immortality, Julie is another girl who accidentally gets involved in the current story and decides to leave Bruce at the end of the story for some stupid reason, and Bruce is, as in every cheaply written story, having nightmares about the death of his parents.

There isn't even a worthy fight at the end. Batman breaks into the cult's ritual to save Julie, and every little cultist runs away. The Master Cultist gets struck by lightning, and he literally dies on his own before any actual fighting happens while the place burst in flames for absolutely no reason. At the same time, in another place, Julie's father is shot to death while attempting to kill Maron, the mafia head. Then Julie decides to leave Bruce because he caused the death of her father, somehow.

The Mad Monk concludes the Monster Men, but I would say skip both and save yourself the trouble.

[TheNeverendingTBR · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a Batman at the start of his career story.

It follows on from another story but works as a standalone.

I was surprised by this one as it had a vampire theme to it and was surprisingly violent.

It's a Batman battles a vampire cult story, and I enjoyed it a lot.

[Vinicius · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dando continuidade as histórias de inicio de carreira do Batman, Monge Louco se passa logo após Ano Um, com referencias diretas à obra de Frank Miller. Assim, a pegada mais detetivesca do personagem é mantida e bem trabalhada por Matt Wagner, bem como a pegada mais urbana do Batman, até porque nesse inicio de carreira do personagem, ainda não existiam os vilões fantasiados.

Embora a história tenha a ambientação mais urbana, o antagonista que o Batman irá enfrentar possui “um pé” no sobrenatural, pois o vilão mesmo cometendo assassinatos em nome de um culto, suas habilidades tendem a ser fantasiosas quando apresentadas ao leitor.

Desde o primeiro capitulo, acredito que houve um acerto por parte do roteirista em colocar narrações e perspectivas dos diferentes personagens da história, criando diferentes núcleos, mas que convergem para uma mesma direção. Essa técnica de roteiro utilizada por Matt Wagner deixou a história com uma vibe investigativa muito interessante, fazendo com que o leitor ficasse com vontade de ler a HQ com objetivo de chegar na conclusão do caso junto com o Batman.

Apesar de ter gostado da história, principalmente por conta dos elementos urbanos e investigativos, há algumas facilidades de roteiro e algumas questões que o Batman aborda, como sendo “solução” para enfrentar o vilão, e logo depois é deixado de lado, sem consequências ou menções a respeito. Além de que o fim de uma antagonista foi bem forçado.

Ademais, é interessante ver o relacionamento do Batman com Julie Madison, mostrando que de início, o Batman consegue ter um relacionamento (mesmo que cheio de problemas), mas depois dos acontecimentos desse encadernado, ele percebe que precisa ficar sozinha e se isola ainda mais.

De resto, destaco que foi interessante ver o Batman enfrentando um culto e sua figura líder religiosa, o que me remeteu muito a Batman O Messias, embora não tenha tanta violência e não seja tão boa a história do Bernie Wrightson.

[Jeff Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Batman and the Mad Monk” is part 2 of 2 in the “Dark Moon Rising” series. This series takes place in the early days of Batman’s career.

The villains in this book are The Mad Monk and Dala. Though I’m pretty well-read in the Batman mythos, I was unfamiliar with these two. I assumed they were new creations. The Batman Wiki told me otherwise! The Mad Monk “was the second super-villain ever fought by Batman in publication history as well as the main-antagonist of Batman's first ever two-part storyline. Along with this, the Monk's henchwoman Dala is the first female Batman villain in publication history.” Who knew?

I enjoyed this whole series and read both volumes straight through.

[Ivan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Second part of Dark moon rising and just like Monster men I am giving it 2 stars.
After Court of owls which was exciting action comic and Dark knight rising which was darker, more complex and great overall this was huge letdown.

There is nothing wrong with it's just not particularly interesting or outstanding in any way.It didn't annoy me it just failed to entertain me.

[Dr Rashmit Mishra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the 2nd part of the Dark Moon Rising story arc , which involved a newer Batman origin involving mythical elements to the story , the first book involved monster and this one included Vampires .

However what i liked about this book was the fact that the story here was much fast paced and was somehow anchored somewhat to reality and didn't completely steer to the mythical elements .

This story also saw Batman's action scene portrayed very vividly and included scenes of him actually doing detective work. Much of the story felt like it has come straight from the Batman the animated series universe . The art style was also one of the best of the time

The thing that didn't work for me however were the unnecessary revealing attire of various victims and women , however the comic book world was filled with such problem during the 90s and 80s .and the final act , the end of the main villain was very anti -climatic and the final conclusion appeared to come out rushed .

Over-all i enjoyed the book but feel the ending could have been much better

[Alayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5

Wow. Es lo único que pude pensar instantes después de terminar este cómic.
No esperaba demasiado de la historia, no porque llegara a pensar que fuera a ser mala, sino porque no creí que podría llegar a sorprenderme y gustarme de esta forma. Lo veía como un cómic más que pensaba leer por interés a cómo seguía esta vida de Batman contada por Matt Wagner.

Esta historia sería una secuela de Batman y los Hombre Monstruo, ya que retoma donde el cómic anterior finaliza –aproximadamente- y sigue la historia de los mismos personajes, esta vez bastante diferentes.
Si bien en el cómic anterior el papel de Julie no es tan importante como el de su padre, en este cobra un total protagonismo. Su padre, en cambio, cambia totalmente a partir de un sucedo ocurrido hacia el final de la historia anterior. Y Batman/Bruce sigue en la misma línea, aunque esta vez sus motivos y sus razones son mucho más personales.

De alguna forma la historia me hizo acordar a Erzsébet Báthory (la popularmente llamada condesa sangrienta). Todo el tema de la sangre, la eternidad, la tortura, el castillo, no sé… más allá de los vampiros o cualquier similitud que haya con ello, me remitió una y otra vez a esa historia real tan macabra.
A medida que avanzaba imaginaba que iba a ser una historia simple o no tan tremenda como con lo que me encontré. Cada capítulo termina de una forma muy intensa y adictiva. No podía parar de leer. Cada final me dejaba con ganas de más y más. Y todo el ambiente oscuro, siniestro y morboso que rodeaba a la historia y a la trama me volvían loca y más adicta de lo que ya venía siendo.

Sé que quizá para algunos no sea tan espectacular como lo fue para mí (puedo verlo en los ratings de goodreads), pero a mí personalmente me encantó y se lo recomendaría a cualquiera. Hacía banda que no leía cómics y de los últimos que vine leyendo en este retome de lecturas, este fue lo mejorcito.

[Doctorjimmy · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5
Λιγο κατωτερο του Monster Men. Ο Mad Monk ειναι απλα ενας βαρετος, μονοδιαστατος ας-ζησουμε-αιωνια-στο-σκοταδι-ειμαι-τοσο-γκοθικ-και-ας-δοξασουμε-τα-κλισε-των-βαμπιρ-ιστοριων χαρακτηρας. Απλα αδιαφορος οσο δεν παει. Η πλοκη βασιζεται πανω στις προσπαθειες της κλικας του να προσηλυτισουν κοσμο και να γινουν αιωνιοι και τα λοιπα μεσα απο διαφορες δολοπλοκιες. Yawn.

Ακομη χειροτερα, το ρομαντζο Julie/Bruce εχει μεινει στασιμο και δεν λεει τιποτα. Ειναι σαν το πρωτο μερος, απλα με πολυ λιγοτερο χρονο δοσμενο στη σχεση τους.

Στα συν το ατμοσφαιρικο σκιτσαρισμα/ χρωματα και η αισθηση κινδυνου που νοιωθεις σε δυο-τρεις στιγμες για τον Batman.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good follow up to the Monster Men series. Matt Wagner once again took one of the first Batman stories ever and updated it. Matt seems to have a soft spot for Golden Age Batman as you can tell this is an homage that he really enjoyed creating. I wish he'd have continued with this series as it is very entertaining.

[Himanshu Karmacharya · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is filled with uninteresting characters and a weak, predictable plot.

[Danny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great continuation of what Matt Wagner did in his previous miniseries. Gothic horror romance works best for the Bat. My only complaint were some of the panel progressions didnt make sense to the point of being plot holes (one being the walls closing in scene and Dala's final fight). However I do hope Julie Madison comes into the Batman movies one day.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

The follow-up to Batman and the Monster Men (2006) is, like its predecessor, set in the first years of the Caped Crusader's crime-fighting career.

When Gotham City's police force, led by a young Captain Gordon, find a series of bodies drained of blood, Batman's search for the serial killer leads to a cult led by a charismatic figure clad in a red monk's robe, who has targeted Bruce Wayne's girlfriend as his next victim. The story updates a 1939 original and captures the flavor of thirties pulp magazines. Wagner's bold, economical drawing style and dynamic layouts make it a tale worth retelling.

Matt Wagner is one of the most highly regarded creators in the comics business and never fails to deliver. He is perhaps best known for creating the legendary Grendel titles, many of which he wrote and/or drew. He also provided words and pictures for Batman/Grendel, Mage and Sandman Mystery Theatre. He also work is Batman/Superman/Wonder Woman: Trinity.

[Garrett · Rating 1 out of 5]

The worst Batman stories usually contain science fiction or supernatural themed elements. This book is about Batman going to a castle to defeat some crazy nutso vampire cult. Apparently it is also considered canon because it takes place just before The Man Who Laughs (why DC? Why the fuck would you do this? This should not be canon!) not only is it a rediculous Batman book, it is nothing more than a retelling of Detective Comics #32. Holy unoriginality Matt Wagner! You write 2 "original" Batman graphic novels that turn out to basically be rip offs of golden age Batman comics only less good. Not to mention he also wrote the terrible Two Face comic ("Faces") that is a ripoff of the 1932 movie "Freaks". He has no originality whatsoever when it comes to his Batman comics and might be one of the worst Batman writers ever!! I don't think I will ever read another comic of his, atleast not one that he wrote himself.

[JB · Rating 3 out of 5]

The sequel to Batman and the Monster Men.

The story continues events that happened in Batman and the Monster Men.
We see Batman's girlfriend Julie Madison get into trouble, whilst her father is becoming more and more obsessed with the Batman since his encounter with Batman in Batman and the Monster Men.

I didn't like the climax of Batman's fight with the Mad Monk, but overall I liked the story and I recommend it to anyone who wants to read the older Batman stories.

[Spencer · Rating 2 out of 5]

This follows on from Batman and the Monster Men, which was fun… this however was not. Batman investigates a series of murders where the victims have been drained of blood, which may sound pretty cool however the execution was badly handled. The story meandered to the point of being boring, the silliness was ramped up way too high and the ending just plain sucked (pun intended). Some parts were kinda cool but it was mostly disappointing.

[Logan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh, it was okay. So this is the sequel to 'Monster Men' which i reviewed previously. This carries on Bruce's relationship with Julie, the mafia and now a cultist. My main gripe was the Mad Monk, he was very uninteresting! Of course Matt Wagner continues his multiple narrators technique, which i loved about monster men, and the artwork is still great! But overall this story was very boring.

[elizabeth • paper ghosts · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a direct continuation of Batman and the Monster Men, in which things are starting to get a little weird in Gotham. The father of Julie Madison, Bruce Wayne's boring girlfriend, is sinking slower and slower into bat-induced madness, and now dead women are appearing drained of all their blood.

I have to agree with others that while these two volumes make sense in a chronological order, they feel unnecessary to the story at large. While Matt Wagner was obviously inspired by Year One, his storyline, art (outside of Batman himself), and characterization leave much to be desired. I did like the brief appearances of Harvey Dent and Catwoman, and the continued relationship between Batman and Gordon.

One moment that really stuck out for me was...Batman trying to pass the guard wolves at the castle, and violently beating one wolf against the wall until its spine cracked. It just seemed...really off and distasteful. This is a man who has a building collapsing around him, SWAT closing in, in Year One and still manages to save a cat. We all know that killing anyone or anything is something that Batman never, ever wants to do. It's just not part of his moral code. He always aims to incapacitate. It's not like it would've been difficult to give Batman something to knock it out cold with. Make it unconscious, not dead! It's totally a minor thing, but it just really rankled me.

But to be honest, there just wasn't enough originality here to make a great story. Why remake an old Batman story arc if it wasn't that good of an arc to begin with, and not try to really zhoosh it up. It's passable, entertaining enough, but not something I'm going to reread or recommend as my personal "essential" Batman.

[Riana (RianaInTheStacks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, this was different than the other Batman comics I have read so far. But mainly due to the strange Villain. Many of the themes I have seen as common to the Batman comics are also within this volume. Batman still struggles with the question of whether or not his existence causes the existence of all these increasingly psychotic villains who often, in turn, also dress in elaborate costumes. He struggles with the idea of how to manage the fear he must instill in Gotham. And he struggles with the knowledge that anyone close to him is inevitably in danger’s way.

In this particular volume, Batman and the Mad Monk, there has been a string of murder victims whose blood has been completely drained from their bodies, along with having strange teeth marks on their necks...could it be what it sounds like? Meanwhile, Madison is becoming increasingly paranoid and terrified that Batman will connect him to his darker past and seek retribution. This leaves his daughter, also Bruce’s girlfriend, Julie to seek help for her spiraling father.

I loved the allusion in this one to Dick Grayson, and the foreshadowing of the Bat Signal. Also, you gotta love Batman’s ability to get out of any situation and that certainly comes into play with some very close calls in this volume!

[Tucker Dobson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good followup to The Monster Men. Again, I love Matt Wagner's pencils.

I like how the Dark Moon Rising books depict Bruce Wayne's efforts at maintaining a relationship, and realizing that even if he could, he probably shouldn't. Yet again Julie is not fridged, and I really appreciate it. Her story is tragic though.

Speaking of, I do think I would've preferred Norman Madison's story going some different direction. What that would be? Not sure. But it felt very rushed at the end.

The villain was interesting, but his final confrontation with Batman was not very satisfying to me. Batman doesn't get out of it using his wits; nature intervenes.

The darker, gothic tone was very cool. I was very primed for it being at Halloween Horror Nights this week. I'm a sucker for when Batman drifts near the mythical.

I'm also a sucker for little teases that set up the Joker and Robin. It makes me wish Matt Wagner had continued this series.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Continuing on from Batman and the Monster Men, Mad Monk has much of the same problem: it's slow and the drama of the story is too shallow. There's one exception: Wagner really does a great job of explaining, using, and evolving the character of Julie Madison, depicting why this early girlfriend left, and why we'd love to see her in new stories.

The other high point of this story is surely the return of the Monk. Do most fans know the character? Probably not. But it's still a delightful return to Batman's earliest days.

[Ramón Nogueras Pérez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Una historia que no por convencional (se adhiere y sigue con cuidado todos los tropos del género de vampiros) está mal contada ni es menos interesante. Sin embargo el dibujo no acompaña, no sé si porque es una etapa más temprana de Matt Wagner o qué, pero hay viñetas que parecen de un fanzine más que de un cómic de primera línea. Wagner aquí escribe bastante mejor que dibuja.

En todo caso, es un añadido interesante aunque prescindible al canon de los primeros años de Batman. El Joker aún no es conocido, su amistad con Gordon es incipiente y secreta y está aprendiendo. No está mal pero tampoco es esencial.

[Layton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t like Matt Wagner’s work usually, I didn’t even like the first volume in this little duology, but I really loved this one. This isn’t surprising to me though, as it is an adaptation of my favorite Golden Age Batman story from when I was a kid. The colors and artwork for this was just beautiful, it really deserves a reprint.

4.5 stars.

[Katherine (Kat) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5 Stars

Individual issues rated below -

Batman and the Mad Monk #1: 4/5
Batman and the Mad Monk #2: 3.5/5
Batman and the Mad Monk #3: 2/5
Batman and the Mad Monk #4: 2.5/5
Batman and the Mad Monk #5: 3.5/5
Batman and the Mad Monk #6: 3.5/5