Batman: The Book Of Shadows

Batman Post-Crisis #95

by Pat Mills, Duke Mighten (Illustrator), Debbie Gallagher

"...One must choose that victim who contains the greatest and purest force. the Holy Fool. the Hanged Man. the King of the Lonely. the Batman. Thus shall the demon Archon arise and bathe the Earth in blood." - The Book of Shadows

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Batman, Dc Comics

64 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Pat Mills, born in 1949 and nicknamed 'the godfather of British comics', is a comics writer and editor who, along with John Wagner, revitalised British boys comics in the 1970s, and has remained a leading light in British comics ever since.

His comics are notable for their violence and anti-authoritarianism. He is best known for creating 2000 AD and playing a major part in the development of Judge Dredd.

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad story, just a little confusing to muddle through. I think most Batman readers will have trouble with it since the portrayal of the Caped Crusader is not exactly the one most of us are accustomed to. He is a bit too violent and he even smiles which screams some wisecracking super hero rather than the Batman. Had potential but never quite got there.

[Shaun Stanley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Batman: The Book of Shadows is a DC Comics premium format one-shot written by Pat Mills and Debbie Gallagher, art by Duke Mighten, and colors by Digital Chameleon.

Batman does battle with a group of demons who are trying to summon a powerful being from another dimension by sacrificing innocent civilians.

The plot of the book is generically simple and pretty boring. It would have been more interesting to have some background story for these demons and a purpose other than they are just there to summon something even more powerful. The art is pretty cool with the demons having Geiger-esque neon Xenomorph designs. There are definitely scenes that take some time to decipher what is going on because each panel is just so incredibly busy. There is a lack of depth throughout the comic which makes it difficult for the reader’s eye to quickly focus on the action. I think the book’s cover is a bit deceiving. I would have guessed it would be more similar to Evil Dead or witchcraft than demons.

I wouldn’t say this comic is bad, just rather generic and doesn’t add anything new. If you find a good deal on it, go ahead and grab it for some cool art designs.

[Batman Collected Editions · Rating 4 out of 5]

Batman: The Book of Shadows is a one-shot released in prestige format in 1999. It was written by Pat Mills and Debbie Gallagher, with art by Duke Mighten. The story revolves around a group of demons attempting to summon an entity called the Bornless One. To achieve this, the demons roam Gotham and prey on the lonely. The demons genuinely believe they’re doing their victims a favor by killing them, which made me feel bad for the victims.

The plot itself is a fairly standard “summon the big bad through ritual sacrifice” setup. What makes the book stand out are the demons. I like how each one has its own distinct personality, and how they even admire one another’s technique in killing. It’s almost like competitive artists comparing styles. Meanwhile, the art, which is very chaotic, fits the tone of the story. In fact, there are panels where it is hard to tell exactly what is going on. The whole thing feels like reading a hybrid of Alien and Venom. I also like the colors used by Digital Chameleon.

It’s a fun, quick read overall, even if the ending is anticlimactic.

My Batman Collected Editions Instagram page

[Mik Cope · Rating 3 out of 5]

Digging out some old one-shots in a frantic attempt to meet my reading challenge! Well, and also to see if they stand the test of time. This was an offering by my old 'pal' (he doesn't know me, but for a while he was a very important person in my life) Peter Milligan and it's pretty out there, as is to be expected. Batman discovers a cult of corrupted cultists who worship The Bornless One / The Archon and in doing so have completely lost their humanity, going through the motions of living out their perverse fantasies while actually being empty husks animated by the corruption. It's a story about (lost) innocence and loneliness, with a lot of crazy supernatural trappings. The artwork was good - intense and somewhat surreal - but at times it did make for a confusing read as I tried to figure out what was happening in some scenes. But a solid piece of wackiness from Milligan, on the whole.

[Rizzie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this purely because the art looked cool. On that front, I suppose I got what I wanted. It did indeed look cool. Kind of a strange blend between H.R. Giger and manga art. As for the story? Not really anything worthwhile. Batman fights some weird colorful xenomorph demons, and there are tarot cards involved for some reason. That's really it. This clearly meant more to the author than to anyone who might be reading it. But hey, you could do a lot worse with a random obscure Batman comic.

[Marianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

the art is brilliant and demanding and geiger-esque but much brighter. the story is... fine. not horrible (though there sure aren't women who aren't props and/or villains in it), not impressive. just fine. there's a great batman speech about the city in a thunderstorm at the beginning! that was my favorite bit.