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Batman: The Dark Prince Charming #2
Batman: The Dark Prince Charming Book Two
Concluding the story begun in the critically acclaimed and sold-out first volume by European superstar artist Enrico Marini (Scorpion, Eagles of Rome). Batman hunts down The Joker in a desperate attempt to rescue the young girl who may or may not be the daughter of Bruce Wayne. But The Joker’s prisoner may be more formidable in her own right than he anticipated. And what role might Catwoman have to play in the final showdown between two sworn enemies?
70 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 20, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews
July 20, 2018
Bruce Wayne’s just discovered he has a daughter only for Joker to have kidnapped her – Batman to the rescue!
I feel the same way about Enrico Marini’s second and final part of Batman: The Dark Prince Charming as I did the first part: the artwork is outstanding, the writing and storytelling is very poor.
Marini’s painted art is gorgeous and this is one of the best-looking Batman books I’ve ever read. The designs are derivative – if you’re familiar with the Batman films, as well as the Arkham games, you’ll notice Marini’s taken a lot from those – but it still looks amazing. The Batmobile is Chris Nolan’s Tumbler, Catwoman’s running across the rooftops as always and Batman’s beating up Joker’s goons – nothing new visually yet executed so beautifully.
Joker’s characterisation was very muted – kiddified, basically. He’s barely menacing and is all lovey-dovey for his Harley-warley – the reason he kidnapped Bruce Wayne’s daughter was to get a precious gem to give to Harley? Bleurgh!
Like the art, everyone’s behaving in ways anyone familiar with Batman and his world will have seen a thousand times before. Joker uses his toxin on a guy who laughs to death, Catwoman steals the gem, she and Batman do the chasing across the rooftops thing, she comes to Batman’s aid in the end proving that she’s not totally bad. It’s such unimaginative storytelling – Batman-by-the-numbers. There’s a twist ending but I doubt this story will become canon so it’s one big meh, who cares?
If you don’t mind a simplistic, almost Saturday morning kid’s show-type story, you’ll probably enjoy Batman: The Dark Prince Charming, but I was bored pretty much the whole time. At the very least you get a book full of amazing Batman art.
I feel the same way about Enrico Marini’s second and final part of Batman: The Dark Prince Charming as I did the first part: the artwork is outstanding, the writing and storytelling is very poor.
Marini’s painted art is gorgeous and this is one of the best-looking Batman books I’ve ever read. The designs are derivative – if you’re familiar with the Batman films, as well as the Arkham games, you’ll notice Marini’s taken a lot from those – but it still looks amazing. The Batmobile is Chris Nolan’s Tumbler, Catwoman’s running across the rooftops as always and Batman’s beating up Joker’s goons – nothing new visually yet executed so beautifully.
Joker’s characterisation was very muted – kiddified, basically. He’s barely menacing and is all lovey-dovey for his Harley-warley – the reason he kidnapped Bruce Wayne’s daughter was to get a precious gem to give to Harley? Bleurgh!
Like the art, everyone’s behaving in ways anyone familiar with Batman and his world will have seen a thousand times before. Joker uses his toxin on a guy who laughs to death, Catwoman steals the gem, she and Batman do the chasing across the rooftops thing, she comes to Batman’s aid in the end proving that she’s not totally bad. It’s such unimaginative storytelling – Batman-by-the-numbers. There’s a twist ending but I doubt this story will become canon so it’s one big meh, who cares?
If you don’t mind a simplistic, almost Saturday morning kid’s show-type story, you’ll probably enjoy Batman: The Dark Prince Charming, but I was bored pretty much the whole time. At the very least you get a book full of amazing Batman art.
July 9, 2018
Yet the ending was not as silly as the rest of the story. Anyway forget the story, enjoy the art.
June 28, 2018
A nice short run featuring our beloved and tortured dark knight. This second part was focused a lot on the laughing guy who likes make-up, which can become quite tiresome after a time, so I think I enjoyed it a little less than the 1st part. There were again some good interactions with various characters of the batverse, but clearly the relationship was a Joker-Batman-Kiddo one, not something really new even if I appreciated how the Joker and the girl interacted with each other. The story wasn't overall outstanding but there were some twists and, for this short length, it was entertaining and consistent with what I'm accustomed with Batman. The art was really pleasant once again and suited well the story and events.
August 4, 2018
Slightly better but not my much.
World: The art is solid, there are a lot of pantie shots though and to be fair it is inline with this book's portrayal of women so yeah there's that. The colors are nice, the art is expressive and those splash pages are nice. The world building is basic and relies on a lot of pre-existing reader knowledge of established Batman characters so there's that. There is the nice pieces of the world, this being Elseworlds there is the woman and Alina, that's about the extent of world building.
Story: The first part of this art was kinda janky, basic and uninspired and it's the same here, we get more of the same, it feels like a two part episode filler in the middle of the season for Batman the Animated Series. It's not a bad story, it's just meh. The dialog once again is fairly clunky but is a bit better than the first book. The female characters here which I had a big issue with last book is pretty much the same here, sure there is the added spunky child but that's a cliched character too so meh. I don't know if we are getting more from this world but it certainly does leave the world open for more, which I don't think I'll be reading. The biggest issue I had with this book and the series itself was how Alina's mom was written and how they was pretty much brushed aside as if she was nothing...bad.
Characters: The established Batman characters fall into their established norms and from there we get this story. There is not a lot of development for Bruce other than Alina and his relationship with her but there's not a lot of time for that either, this is a relatively short story and 120 pages total doesn't really lend itself for deep character development, especially with this large cast. The rest of the cast is fine, Joker is Joker, Harley is Harley and Selina is Selina. Though I've said before in the first book the way the female characters are written here is casually sexist and stereotypical but yeah it bothers me. The way Alina's mother is treated and in the end get's brushed aside is pretty terrible.
Forgettable and troublesome characterization makes this one to skip.
Onward to the next book!
World: The art is solid, there are a lot of pantie shots though and to be fair it is inline with this book's portrayal of women so yeah there's that. The colors are nice, the art is expressive and those splash pages are nice. The world building is basic and relies on a lot of pre-existing reader knowledge of established Batman characters so there's that. There is the nice pieces of the world, this being Elseworlds there is the woman and Alina, that's about the extent of world building.
Story: The first part of this art was kinda janky, basic and uninspired and it's the same here, we get more of the same, it feels like a two part episode filler in the middle of the season for Batman the Animated Series. It's not a bad story, it's just meh. The dialog once again is fairly clunky but is a bit better than the first book. The female characters here which I had a big issue with last book is pretty much the same here, sure there is the added spunky child but that's a cliched character too so meh. I don't know if we are getting more from this world but it certainly does leave the world open for more, which I don't think I'll be reading. The biggest issue I had with this book and the series itself was how Alina's mom was written and how they was pretty much brushed aside as if she was nothing...bad.
Characters: The established Batman characters fall into their established norms and from there we get this story. There is not a lot of development for Bruce other than Alina and his relationship with her but there's not a lot of time for that either, this is a relatively short story and 120 pages total doesn't really lend itself for deep character development, especially with this large cast. The rest of the cast is fine, Joker is Joker, Harley is Harley and Selina is Selina. Though I've said before in the first book the way the female characters are written here is casually sexist and stereotypical but yeah it bothers me. The way Alina's mother is treated and in the end get's brushed aside is pretty terrible.
Forgettable and troublesome characterization makes this one to skip.
Onward to the next book!
December 5, 2018
Superb drawing, the story was decent without offering anything new to the batverse, just a typical bats vs. joker sequence of the thousands out there. What is interesting with the Dark Prince is this fresh european/BD aesthetic that Marini offers to the characters.
I'll repeat myself, the illustrations are top-shelf. The script lacks ingenuity. Alfred is portraited perfectly though.
I'll repeat myself, the illustrations are top-shelf. The script lacks ingenuity. Alfred is portraited perfectly though.
March 17, 2019
I could actually cut my review of vol.1 and paste it here: amazing art, boring story.
Joker's so unthreatening there's no stakes at all, Selina lazily does her stuff but who cares?, Batman easily kicks all the asses around him, Harley's so moronic and not fun you want Bat to kick her ass and get rid of it all and the kidnapped brat is designed just so you don't like her. Since the final twist hardly comes as a surprise I guess Marini messed it all up plot wise. Only the suicidal clown might have saved the day but he somehow falls short.
The art is still gorgeous though, some comfort even if small.
Joker's so unthreatening there's no stakes at all, Selina lazily does her stuff but who cares?, Batman easily kicks all the asses around him, Harley's so moronic and not fun you want Bat to kick her ass and get rid of it all and the kidnapped brat is designed just so you don't like her. Since the final twist hardly comes as a surprise I guess Marini messed it all up plot wise. Only the suicidal clown might have saved the day but he somehow falls short.
The art is still gorgeous though, some comfort even if small.
March 27, 2021
What a great storyline, great artwork, and typical Bat-fights... and Joker, my favourite DC-baddie! You can just hear a combination of voices when reading his lines... a little Jack Nicholson (Let's put a smile on that face!) and a little Heath Ledger (Why so serious?) and maybe the creepy laugh from Jared Leto's Joker!
October 8, 2018
টু মাচ ফান না হলেও সো মাচ ফান। শেষে এমন একটা ইঙ্গিতে ইতি টানল যে কি বলব। পরের পর্ব চাই-ই চাই। ৪.৫
January 27, 2019
Não sou grande fã dos comics ao estilo americano... Mas sou fã de Enrico Marini (e da sua deliciosamente folhetinesca série As Águias de Roma)...
Mais do que da história (cheia de acção e com uma reviravolta algo expectável), gostei acima de tudo dos desenhos. Apesar de uma ou outra voluptuosidade exagerada das mulheres "marinianas", as ilustrações deste autor são ricas em pormenor e a escolha da paleta de cores também é muito acertada.
Irrepreensível do ponto de vista dos desenhos, penso que vale a pena ler este livro (assim como o primeiro volume), até porque a história se desenrola sem grandes complicações e de forma lúdica.
Mais do que da história (cheia de acção e com uma reviravolta algo expectável), gostei acima de tudo dos desenhos. Apesar de uma ou outra voluptuosidade exagerada das mulheres "marinianas", as ilustrações deste autor são ricas em pormenor e a escolha da paleta de cores também é muito acertada.
Irrepreensível do ponto de vista dos desenhos, penso que vale a pena ler este livro (assim como o primeiro volume), até porque a história se desenrola sem grandes complicações e de forma lúdica.
February 29, 2020
Une bonne histoire, mais avec une fin prévisible malheureusement.
July 28, 2018
Part two of the Dark Prince charming and the comic leaves in the middle which of the two main characters is this Dark Prince charming.
The Joker wants a really expensive bit of jewelry and wants to make Wayne/Batman obtain it for him, since his little lovebird Harley Quin wants something sparkly for her birthday. To push the Bat to do his bidding he has kidnapped a girl who may or may not be Wayne's daughter.
We get a big violent showdown and once again we get a draw between the two, as usual one might say.
Visually really beautiful and the story is just too average, the visuals really pull the rating up for me.
The Joker wants a really expensive bit of jewelry and wants to make Wayne/Batman obtain it for him, since his little lovebird Harley Quin wants something sparkly for her birthday. To push the Bat to do his bidding he has kidnapped a girl who may or may not be Wayne's daughter.
We get a big violent showdown and once again we get a draw between the two, as usual one might say.
Visually really beautiful and the story is just too average, the visuals really pull the rating up for me.
June 21, 2018
Worth the wait.
Love this take on Batman and Joker. The story really isn't new, but how it's told definitely is.
Love this take on Batman and Joker. The story really isn't new, but how it's told definitely is.
April 19, 2020
Vem vamos lá a arte continua ótima não tanto quanto o primeiro volume mas mantêm...
N conheço muito o bats mas acho que ele nunca permitiria que ele fosse morto em mãos que não seria da dele, por isso achei que descaracterizou mas por outro lado gostei do estilo dele e da harley dele com o penteado, uma harley mais submissa (antes de se entender dentro de um relacionamento abusivo) porém gostei do final acho q ela teve uma evolução.
Outra coisa que me incomodou foi a sexualização exagerada das personagens femininas porém de antemão a mais jovem é uma personagem bem forte e o conhecimento até que se mostra incoerente com a idade enfim, achei um ótimo artista e com belíssimas artes cinética nas lutas mas com algumas desconstruções.Mas como história não canônico é uma ótima história de ação e mistério
N conheço muito o bats mas acho que ele nunca permitiria que ele fosse morto em mãos que não seria da dele, por isso achei que descaracterizou mas por outro lado gostei do estilo dele e da harley dele com o penteado, uma harley mais submissa (antes de se entender dentro de um relacionamento abusivo) porém gostei do final acho q ela teve uma evolução.
Outra coisa que me incomodou foi a sexualização exagerada das personagens femininas porém de antemão a mais jovem é uma personagem bem forte e o conhecimento até que se mostra incoerente com a idade enfim, achei um ótimo artista e com belíssimas artes cinética nas lutas mas com algumas desconstruções.Mas como história não canônico é uma ótima história de ação e mistério
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 7, 2021
Foi uma boa história, envolveu uma investigação com certa tensão e suspense, com participação do Coringa, Harley, Gordon, Alfred e Selina. Tem algumas pontas soltas do universo do Batman mas, no geral é uma boa história e vale a pena conferir.
Destaque para alguns elementos de comédia que são raros nas HQs do Batman dependendo o autor: a criança sequestrada tem um carisma muito bom; um capanga suicida do Coringa tem alguns diálogos de deboche e; o sarcasmo do Gordon e do Alfred tem seus momentos bons.
Destaque para alguns elementos de comédia que são raros nas HQs do Batman dependendo o autor: a criança sequestrada tem um carisma muito bom; um capanga suicida do Coringa tem alguns diálogos de deboche e; o sarcasmo do Gordon e do Alfred tem seus momentos bons.
August 21, 2018
Batman Dark Prince Charming is one od the best drawn comics about the character that I have read.
I would like to express my excitement that I've felt while reading the book, but I'm afraid that can't be done. Story is told with precision and even in moments that seem far fetched it still succeeds in capturing the reader.
I would like to express my excitement that I've felt while reading the book, but I'm afraid that can't be done. Story is told with precision and even in moments that seem far fetched it still succeeds in capturing the reader.
November 5, 2018
Actual rating: 2.5/5
The ending deserves an additional half a star.
The ending deserves an additional half a star.
February 10, 2021
Che piccolo grande gioiello è questa one shot! I disegni di Marini sono spettacolari è stato come buttarsi nei ricordi non solo della serie animata anni 90 ma mischiata a qualcosa di più, come se stessi sfogliando un film animato di alto livello. Certe tavole sono da 110 e lode ma dopotutto non stiamo parlando di bruscolini e i nomi citati nel progetto portano con sè un background di tutto rispetto.
June 18, 2020
Fun short story!
July 11, 2018
Des dessins à couper le souffle et une histoire sombre et efficace ! Voilà ce que nous propose Marini avec ce superbe dytique dont le look des personnages est au moins aussi intéressant que l'histoire. Un vrai bonheur que je recommande chaudement !
June 16, 2018
De magnifiques illustrations, un beau scénario et une fin... intrigante 😊
May 30, 2019
Gran final que no baja el listón en este segundo volumen
March 11, 2019
No segundo volume da série, vemos a história se fechando. Podemos dividir o roteiro em duas partes: na primeira, temos um Batman acuado, precisando lidar com o desespero de ver seu alter ego nas mãos do Coringa, sem poder usar toda a sua habilidade. Já a segunda parte lida com o clímax da história, com uma boa cena de ação entre o Batman e o vilão e seus capangas. Só achei que a solução para o problema foi bem anticlimática, sendo até simples se pensarmos direito. Senti que o Bruce só esteve ameaçado apenas em parte da narrativa e que seu desespero era algo mais da própria cabeça dele do que algo real mesmo. Diferentemente do primeiro volume onde o problema parece iminente e o leitor percebe que é algo realmente ameaçador, aqui isto fica muito forçado com o Batman descendo a porrada nos bandidos para descobrir o paradeiro de sua suposta filha. Kudos para o momento em que Wayne e o Coringa se sentam em um banco de lanchonete para que este possa fazer suas exigências. Ali eu senti um momento tenso e bem legal. No resto, é mais uma história legal do personagem que daqui a alguns anos eu vou esquecer (apesar de me lembrar das belas pranchas do Marini).
Gostei que o Marini deu uma "humanizada" (com muitas aspas mesmo) no Coringa. Ele tenta passar a ideia de um personagem que teve uma infância difícil e teria se transformado neste vilão mortal. Claro que há sempre uma margem de dúvida no que diz respeito ao personagem e o Marini faz isso malandramente com apenas uma única fala dele. Quero entender o que a Mulher-Gato estava fazendo ali... estava como uma ladra genérica, né? Porque mesmo como momento romântico do personagem não serviu muito (só para fazer aquela piadinha sobre mau humor dela no primeiro volume, preferia que tivesse sido com uma modelo gostosa genérica). Mas, fica a minha lembrança ao divertido anão que o Marini inseriu no bando do Coringa. Toda vez que ele aparecia eu dava altas risadas. E o que acontece com ele no final é ainda mais engraçado.
No que diz respeito à arte, esse volume é marcado por várias cenas de ação. O autor tem uma ótima noção de posicionamento corporal e sequenciamento de cenas de ação. Nada parece bizarro demais ou impossível de ser realizado por um ser humano. Mesmo as acrobacias da Arlequina não são estranhas como ficam na interpretação de alguns artistas. Tudo muito sólido. Minha cena favorita é uma sequência de duas páginas com o Batman perseguindo os bandidos. Na primeira temos uma splash page muito legal dividida em quatro quadros menores no canto mostrando pontos de vista diferente. E na segunda páginas temos uma página grane dividida em 8 quadros com cenas rápidas de pancada. A arte do Marini consegue fluir absurdamente bem seja em um quadro amplo ou em tomadas menores. O leitor fica com aquele entendimento de que cada página dele é muito bem pensada para funcionar com o roteiro. E, sem usar nenhum balão de diálogo ou onomatopeia. Cenas puras em que nossa imaginação é acionada para construir o todo.
Batman - O Príncipe Encantado das Trevas é uma boa série limitada, colocada fora da cronologia do Homem-Morcego. Apesar do roteiro simples, Marini explora facetas pouco trabalhadas do personagens. Focar mais no ser humano do que no super-herói. A arte é inigualável. Estamos falando de um dos maiores artistas europeus a trabalhar com arte pintada na Europa.
Gostei que o Marini deu uma "humanizada" (com muitas aspas mesmo) no Coringa. Ele tenta passar a ideia de um personagem que teve uma infância difícil e teria se transformado neste vilão mortal. Claro que há sempre uma margem de dúvida no que diz respeito ao personagem e o Marini faz isso malandramente com apenas uma única fala dele. Quero entender o que a Mulher-Gato estava fazendo ali... estava como uma ladra genérica, né? Porque mesmo como momento romântico do personagem não serviu muito (só para fazer aquela piadinha sobre mau humor dela no primeiro volume, preferia que tivesse sido com uma modelo gostosa genérica). Mas, fica a minha lembrança ao divertido anão que o Marini inseriu no bando do Coringa. Toda vez que ele aparecia eu dava altas risadas. E o que acontece com ele no final é ainda mais engraçado.
No que diz respeito à arte, esse volume é marcado por várias cenas de ação. O autor tem uma ótima noção de posicionamento corporal e sequenciamento de cenas de ação. Nada parece bizarro demais ou impossível de ser realizado por um ser humano. Mesmo as acrobacias da Arlequina não são estranhas como ficam na interpretação de alguns artistas. Tudo muito sólido. Minha cena favorita é uma sequência de duas páginas com o Batman perseguindo os bandidos. Na primeira temos uma splash page muito legal dividida em quatro quadros menores no canto mostrando pontos de vista diferente. E na segunda páginas temos uma página grane dividida em 8 quadros com cenas rápidas de pancada. A arte do Marini consegue fluir absurdamente bem seja em um quadro amplo ou em tomadas menores. O leitor fica com aquele entendimento de que cada página dele é muito bem pensada para funcionar com o roteiro. E, sem usar nenhum balão de diálogo ou onomatopeia. Cenas puras em que nossa imaginação é acionada para construir o todo.
Batman - O Príncipe Encantado das Trevas é uma boa série limitada, colocada fora da cronologia do Homem-Morcego. Apesar do roteiro simples, Marini explora facetas pouco trabalhadas do personagens. Focar mais no ser humano do que no super-herói. A arte é inigualável. Estamos falando de um dos maiores artistas europeus a trabalhar com arte pintada na Europa.
June 12, 2021
2.5
Disappointed.
(in Bat's voice) Filled me with rage.
The art was pretty solid. The story was fresh. We get to see the domestic side of The Batman and for once the main character is Bruce Wayne and not his bat suit. This was steadily heading toward one of my all-time-favorites until Marini killed his own poor child in the crib and how dare he. He mentioned at the begining of Book One that he was excited to write Catwoman and Hillary Quinn into this but honestly, why? They're both just randomly added to fill space every other frame and to keep the male reader happy. I get it. Both books combined are like 135 pages. Too tight for character development but Hillary was audaciously reduced to The Joker's colourful and mentally-disturbed puppy. She's just there to whine about wanting shiny things and of course fan service. Don't make me even start on The Joker. Every Batman fan out there knows that the best thing about our beloved villain is how he waltzes on a fragile balance between genius and insane. Marini knocked out that balance and just left insane; (SPOILER ALERT) after going through all of the trouble to get Hillary her blue cat diamond, he almost shot her (on purpose) because she saved a child he calimed he wasn't going to shoot and she was then knocked out of the way by Catwoman as if in a rare camaraderie between ornamental props though I believe The Cat was just minding her business and getting her stone. Why would The Joker go that distance on the span of two books if he was okay with just shooting her? Why not earlier then? It would have saved everybody's time and that poor Arab millionaire could have kept his diamond. Even a minor character managed to fill me with rage: Archie—the minion who lived—proudly declares at some point that he's suicidal but doesn't “do pills or wrist-cutting or any of that goth girl stuff” to an eight-year-old GIRL. GOTH GIRL STUFF. Being suicidal is his business but the language a character uses to express themselves reflects the writer's opinions and if that really is Marini's, I don't like what I see.
Disappointed.
(in Bat's voice) Filled me with rage.
The art was pretty solid. The story was fresh. We get to see the domestic side of The Batman and for once the main character is Bruce Wayne and not his bat suit. This was steadily heading toward one of my all-time-favorites until Marini killed his own poor child in the crib and how dare he. He mentioned at the begining of Book One that he was excited to write Catwoman and Hillary Quinn into this but honestly, why? They're both just randomly added to fill space every other frame and to keep the male reader happy. I get it. Both books combined are like 135 pages. Too tight for character development but Hillary was audaciously reduced to The Joker's colourful and mentally-disturbed puppy. She's just there to whine about wanting shiny things and of course fan service. Don't make me even start on The Joker. Every Batman fan out there knows that the best thing about our beloved villain is how he waltzes on a fragile balance between genius and insane. Marini knocked out that balance and just left insane; (SPOILER ALERT) after going through all of the trouble to get Hillary her blue cat diamond, he almost shot her (on purpose) because she saved a child he calimed he wasn't going to shoot and she was then knocked out of the way by Catwoman as if in a rare camaraderie between ornamental props though I believe The Cat was just minding her business and getting her stone. Why would The Joker go that distance on the span of two books if he was okay with just shooting her? Why not earlier then? It would have saved everybody's time and that poor Arab millionaire could have kept his diamond. Even a minor character managed to fill me with rage: Archie—the minion who lived—proudly declares at some point that he's suicidal but doesn't “do pills or wrist-cutting or any of that goth girl stuff” to an eight-year-old GIRL. GOTH GIRL STUFF. Being suicidal is his business but the language a character uses to express themselves reflects the writer's opinions and if that really is Marini's, I don't like what I see.
July 22, 2018
Writing: 4 Stars;
Characters: 5 Stars;
Plot: 4 Stars;
Entertaining: 4 Stars;
Artwork: 5 Stars;
Read Again? Yes!
Total: 4 Stars;
I discovered Marini several years ago through his “Scorpion” graphic novel which was published sequentially in my favorite magazine, “Politikin Zabavnik” (Serbian). For years afterwards I tried to find his comics in Canada, but couldn’t. Finally with this new publication, I was able to get my hands on both books.
This work is not stand alone. You should read Part 1, too. I bought the books because I love the artwork and Batman is my favorite superhero. However, I enjoyed the story, too. What I would like to see more of in these graphic novels is female characters with more substance. There is a hint of it in Cat Woman, but Marini should have given her more class. I do not see Selena as the vase throwing type. He had a chance to reinvent the character, and just left her as a sneaky temptress.
Harley was delightfully nutty. Her damaged character suits her perfectly and I love the new costume.
I love Joker’s design and the frightening darker side of Batman.
I am also grateful that the artist did not sink into deeper and darker violence of Batman. As I was drawing my own Harley for Inktober 2017, I discovered elements of the story I would have rather not known. He managed to keep the right balance of revolting insanity with charismatic humor that makes the Joker character. Though the hero is Batman, in this story Joker is the main character.
I’m looking forward to Marini’s future work.
I bought my copies at Thunderstruck store in Toronto.
Characters: 5 Stars;
Plot: 4 Stars;
Entertaining: 4 Stars;
Artwork: 5 Stars;
Read Again? Yes!
Total: 4 Stars;
I discovered Marini several years ago through his “Scorpion” graphic novel which was published sequentially in my favorite magazine, “Politikin Zabavnik” (Serbian). For years afterwards I tried to find his comics in Canada, but couldn’t. Finally with this new publication, I was able to get my hands on both books.
This work is not stand alone. You should read Part 1, too. I bought the books because I love the artwork and Batman is my favorite superhero. However, I enjoyed the story, too. What I would like to see more of in these graphic novels is female characters with more substance. There is a hint of it in Cat Woman, but Marini should have given her more class. I do not see Selena as the vase throwing type. He had a chance to reinvent the character, and just left her as a sneaky temptress.
Harley was delightfully nutty. Her damaged character suits her perfectly and I love the new costume.
I love Joker’s design and the frightening darker side of Batman.
I am also grateful that the artist did not sink into deeper and darker violence of Batman. As I was drawing my own Harley for Inktober 2017, I discovered elements of the story I would have rather not known. He managed to keep the right balance of revolting insanity with charismatic humor that makes the Joker character. Though the hero is Batman, in this story Joker is the main character.
I’m looking forward to Marini’s future work.
I bought my copies at Thunderstruck store in Toronto.
September 10, 2019
I re-read the first one so I could remember the plot when finishing up the story. On one level, there's so much about this I don't like it's almost weird to give it five stars. Batman, to me, is a kind of ascetic monk. I don't see him as a character who carouses or even drinks any more than I see Superman as a nebbishy reporter. Then, too, the Joker is given a light backstory that would fit in with the 2019 movie take.
And I'm not sure it doesn't cross a few too many lines as far as plot convenience goes. Batman's looking for the Joker, sure, but the Joker randomly and casually kills people left and right (including a pizza delivery guy who, y'know, would be really easy to track). He should be pretty easy to find, but in turns out to be Alfred who figures out where he is. And the Batman gets there a few minutes late for an appointment that the Joker had to have told Bruce Wayne about in order to get what he wanted.
Ultimately, though, I think those are details, at least in this case. Our euro-Bat gets to be a badass, a tortured soul, a romantic lead and a Romantic lead, a father figure, and so on, and this all works in the context of this story.
The art is good, the writing is fun, the production quality is aces, and the layout—while not groundbreaking or anything—is well done, getting the story across with flare and (not to repeat myself) fun.
So I wouldn't want it to be canonical Batman, but as a variant on the character, it does what it does well.
And I'm not sure it doesn't cross a few too many lines as far as plot convenience goes. Batman's looking for the Joker, sure, but the Joker randomly and casually kills people left and right (including a pizza delivery guy who, y'know, would be really easy to track). He should be pretty easy to find, but in turns out to be Alfred who figures out where he is. And the Batman gets there a few minutes late for an appointment that the Joker had to have told Bruce Wayne about in order to get what he wanted.
Ultimately, though, I think those are details, at least in this case. Our euro-Bat gets to be a badass, a tortured soul, a romantic lead and a Romantic lead, a father figure, and so on, and this all works in the context of this story.
The art is good, the writing is fun, the production quality is aces, and the layout—while not groundbreaking or anything—is well done, getting the story across with flare and (not to repeat myself) fun.
So I wouldn't want it to be canonical Batman, but as a variant on the character, it does what it does well.
May 4, 2019
Ce tome clôture le fameux diptyque de Marini, où l’on retrouve Batman vu par un auteur de bande dessinée franco-belge, adoubé par Jim Lee.
L’histoire se penche de plus près sur le Joker, qui retient en otage celle qui est annoncé par les médias être la fille de Batman. Si les doutes subsistent, notre héros de la nuit est en tout cas déterminé à la sauver des griffes du Clown Prince of Crime. On retrouve avec plaisir l’entourage hétéroclite du méchant le plus célèbre; Archie le commis dépressif, Harley Quinn toujours exubérante, et leur otage qui ne se laisse pas déstabiliser. On retrouve également Catwoman, mais dont l’intérêt est apparemment purement visuel tant l’apport scénaristique est faible, sinon inexistant. L’album se lit très facilement, mais, malgré un fil rouge intéressant et une jolie page finale, la trame possède finalement que peu de contenance scénaristique.
Si le scénario se qualifiera donc de convenable, la mise en page est quant à elle magnifique. Les scènes d’actions et le découpage sont parfaitement maitrisés, et le dessin de Marini décidément très bon. De plus, les ambiances teintées de marron sont toujours très réussies et subliment vraiment chaque page.
L’histoire se penche de plus près sur le Joker, qui retient en otage celle qui est annoncé par les médias être la fille de Batman. Si les doutes subsistent, notre héros de la nuit est en tout cas déterminé à la sauver des griffes du Clown Prince of Crime. On retrouve avec plaisir l’entourage hétéroclite du méchant le plus célèbre; Archie le commis dépressif, Harley Quinn toujours exubérante, et leur otage qui ne se laisse pas déstabiliser. On retrouve également Catwoman, mais dont l’intérêt est apparemment purement visuel tant l’apport scénaristique est faible, sinon inexistant. L’album se lit très facilement, mais, malgré un fil rouge intéressant et une jolie page finale, la trame possède finalement que peu de contenance scénaristique.
Si le scénario se qualifiera donc de convenable, la mise en page est quant à elle magnifique. Les scènes d’actions et le découpage sont parfaitement maitrisés, et le dessin de Marini décidément très bon. De plus, les ambiances teintées de marron sont toujours très réussies et subliment vraiment chaque page.
April 19, 2020
Part 2 of the "Dark Prince Charming" was a bit better than the first one: All characters and scenes and places fit much better to the story, as does Catwoman's role, which in the first part just felt forced into the story. We again start with an introductory page that this time is a flash-back, and after that it's all straight forward once more, although there is a little surprise, that I wouldn't have expected. Besides this, the plot is once more not really creative and has some logical errors (at least to me) in the motivation that the Joker has, to do what he does. Also Catwoman's behavior is not really explainable.
These weaknesses in the plot are balanced by a really wonderful artwork, that is absolutely stunning. So all in all, as with the first one, we get a book that is a bit more fun to read, and especially to watch, but nothing rather too special, and nothing you'd be reading over and over again. Which is a bit sad due to great potential that is wasted on a mediocre plot. But for a short pass-time read it's still worth a pick-up.
These weaknesses in the plot are balanced by a really wonderful artwork, that is absolutely stunning. So all in all, as with the first one, we get a book that is a bit more fun to read, and especially to watch, but nothing rather too special, and nothing you'd be reading over and over again. Which is a bit sad due to great potential that is wasted on a mediocre plot. But for a short pass-time read it's still worth a pick-up.
July 4, 2018
Είναι σαφές ότι αν κάτι κλέβει την παράσταση και στα δύο τεύχη του Dark Prince Charming αυτό είναι το σχέδιο του Enrico Marini (Les aigles de Rome, Le Scoprion, Rapaces), ο οποίος μεταφέρει τον Batman στον δικό του ευρωπαϊκό κόσμο, χωρίς να τον κουνάει ούτε χιλιοστό απ’ τη Gotham. Αντίθετα τη Gotham την απολαμβάνουμε σε εξαιρετικά σκοτεινά δισέλιδα, που αντιπαραβάλλονται φανταστικά με τα πιο ανοιχτά και πολύχρωμα σχέδια του στρατοπέδου του Joker και της συμμορίας του.
Δυστυχώς όμως το επίπεδο της ποιότητας και της καινοτομίας -για ιστορία Batman– του σχεδίου του Marini δεν είναι ισάξιο με την συγγραφή του σεναρίου της ιστορίας, το οποίο χωρίς να είναι κακό ή βαρετό, παραμένει σε μέτρια επίπεδα, χωρίς ιδιαίτερες εκπλήξεις, συγκινήσεις ή αξιοσημείωτες προσθήκες στο μύθο του World’s Greatest Detective. Μάλιστα ίσως το πιο αδύνατο σημείο όλου του comic ίσως είναι η αποτύπωση των γυναικείων χαρακτήρων (κυρίως της Catwoman και της Harley Quinn), οι οποίες εμφανίζονται σε λίγα καρέ να έχουν κάποιο χρήσιμο ρόλο στην υπόθεση, ενώ σε αξιοσημείωτα πολλά καρέ εμφανίζονται ως υστερικές -ημίγυμνες πολλές φορές- συντρόφισσες των Batman και Joker, που τους γκρινιάζουν ή τους ζητάνε επίμονα χάρες και δώρα. Σίγουρα δεν αξίζει μια τέτοια αντιμετώπιση σε ηρωίδες που μπορείς να αξιοποιήσεις με εξαιρετικά δημιουργικού τρόπους για να αναπτύξεις τον χαρακτήρα τους, όπως αποδεικνύει όλο αυτό τον καιρό ο Tom King στο run του δικού του Batman.
Κριτική στο Smassing Culture
Δυστυχώς όμως το επίπεδο της ποιότητας και της καινοτομίας -για ιστορία Batman– του σχεδίου του Marini δεν είναι ισάξιο με την συγγραφή του σεναρίου της ιστορίας, το οποίο χωρίς να είναι κακό ή βαρετό, παραμένει σε μέτρια επίπεδα, χωρίς ιδιαίτερες εκπλήξεις, συγκινήσεις ή αξιοσημείωτες προσθήκες στο μύθο του World’s Greatest Detective. Μάλιστα ίσως το πιο αδύνατο σημείο όλου του comic ίσως είναι η αποτύπωση των γυναικείων χαρακτήρων (κυρίως της Catwoman και της Harley Quinn), οι οποίες εμφανίζονται σε λίγα καρέ να έχουν κάποιο χρήσιμο ρόλο στην υπόθεση, ενώ σε αξιοσημείωτα πολλά καρέ εμφανίζονται ως υστερικές -ημίγυμνες πολλές φορές- συντρόφισσες των Batman και Joker, που τους γκρινιάζουν ή τους ζητάνε επίμονα χάρες και δώρα. Σίγουρα δεν αξίζει μια τέτοια αντιμετώπιση σε ηρωίδες που μπορείς να αξιοποιήσεις με εξαιρετικά δημιουργικού τρόπους για να αναπτύξεις τον χαρακτήρα τους, όπως αποδεικνύει όλο αυτό τον καιρό ο Tom King στο run του δικού του Batman.
Κριτική στο Smassing Culture
December 9, 2018
Nous y voilà pour cette deuxième partie, d'abord l'évolution par rapport au dernier tome c'est évidente , l'histoire est un peu plus sombre et les personnages ont certains moments très forts, sans parler du final (Je vais rien dire pour que ça ne soit pas un grand SPOILER) mais il a été Ingénieux.
De toute façon et je l'avais déjà remarqué pour le premier tome , ça reste une histoire assez simple, mais je répète encore une fois pas mauvaise, au contraire est très agréable.
Les dessins encore une merveille , point fort pour la couverture avec cette image géante du Joker qui va parfaitement avec la première où on avait Batman.
La couleur et les images incroyables font la meilleure partie de ce comic et seulement pour ça il vaut réellement la peine de le lire/ acheter, n'hésitez pas .
Bref un comic à posséder et profiter au maximum!.
De toute façon et je l'avais déjà remarqué pour le premier tome , ça reste une histoire assez simple, mais je répète encore une fois pas mauvaise, au contraire est très agréable.
Les dessins encore une merveille , point fort pour la couverture avec cette image géante du Joker qui va parfaitement avec la première où on avait Batman.
La couleur et les images incroyables font la meilleure partie de ce comic et seulement pour ça il vaut réellement la peine de le lire/ acheter, n'hésitez pas .
Bref un comic à posséder et profiter au maximum!.
March 24, 2019
Les il·lustracions són excepcionals, com la portada, i també l'estil i l'espectacularitat. Però considero que la història és molt simple i té molts forats (no faré spoilers concrets). Estil noir que no acaba d'enganxar ni trobar gaire bé la tensió o el misteri. Si es fa una història d'aquest gènere, ha d'estar elaborada i no pot caure en simplicitats o manca d'originalitat. És entretinguda, això sí, però res més.
També passa el mateix en la en la primera entrega dels còmics. Ara bé, val molt la pena llegir-lo per com està il·lustrat, es gaudeix moltíssim en aquest sentit.
També passa el mateix en la en la primera entrega dels còmics. Ara bé, val molt la pena llegir-lo per com està il·lustrat, es gaudeix moltíssim en aquest sentit.
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