Based on the New York Times bestselling novel by Marie Lu, this graphic novel adaptation brings to life the dark mysteries behind the gates of Arkham Asylum. Nightwalkers are terrorizing Gotham City, and 18 year-old Bruce Wayne is next on their list.
Bruce Wayne is turning 18 and inheriting his family's fortune. But on the way home from his birthday party, he makes an impulsive choice that leads him to Arkham Asylym, the infamous mental hospital. There, he meets Madeline Wallace, a brilliant killer . . . and Bruce's only hope. Madeline is the mystery Bruce must unravel, but is he convincing her to divulge her secrets, or is he feeding her the information she needs to bring Gotham City to its knees?
Bruce Wayne is proof that you don't need superpowers to be a superhero, but can he survive Madeleine's game of tense intrigue and deception?
This graphic novel adaptation from New York Times bestselling author Marie Lu and artist Christian Wildgoose is a dark, action-packed thrill ride!
[Note: Many apologies, but I'm woefully bad at checking my Goodreads emails! If you'd like to send a note/msg, please catch me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Marie_Lu . Thanks!]
I write young adult novels, and have a special love for dystopian books. Ironically, I was born in 1984. Before becoming a full-time writer, I was an Art Director at a video game company. Now I shuffle around at home and talk to myself a lot. :)
I graduated from the University of Southern California in '06 and currently live in LA, where I spend my time stuck on the freeways.
I really enjoyed this graphic novel adaptation, I enjoyed it more than the book it was based on. The art work is great and suits the story perfectly. The black, white and yellow almost animie colour scheme is awsome. It looked a lot like Batman of the Future (Batman Beyond). So much so that a young Bruce Wayne looks a like like Terry Mcginnis.
I quite like the modernisation of Batmans origin. The action and fights are done perfectly for where Bruce is in his life. I like the touches like Bruce's instant fight response (no flight in him),when put into dangerous situations. Madeleine is the perfect counter character.
I am almost tempted to see how Wonder Woman Warbringer (previewed at the end of this graphic novel) is adapted like, but I think I will wait for Cawoman Soulstealer. This comic version definitely captures Bruce's personality and traits that will make him Batman. A very enjoyable, in my opinion better then the original, adaptation.
Me gusta leer cómics para cambiar un poco y este es muy bueno. Es una adaptación gráfica de la novela de Marie Lu y está muy bien logrado. El blanco y negro es excelente y ayuda a situarte en Gotham City y en la adolescencia del joven Bruce Wayne. Se lee muy rápido y es muy entretenido.
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I like to read comics for a change and this one is very good. It's a graphic adaptation of Marie Lu's novel and it's very well done. The black and white is excellent and helps place you in Gotham City and the adolescence of young Bruce Wayne. It reads very quickly and is very entertaining.
First of all, Batman should be removed from the title and the book renamed Bruce Wayne: Nightwalker. This Bruce Wayne feels far removed from the traditional character of Bruce Wayne. He's more your typical YA hero. This is definitely a YA book at heart. It focuses way more on the romance than the action in this book. However, it's not nearly as bad in that area as the novel was. I actually liked this better than the book. Wildgoose's art brought this to life more than the novel. I enjoyed the muted color palette as well. Bruce also doesn't seem quite so lovestricken and naive in this version. While still not great, this works better as a graphic novel than prose.
Received a review copy from DC and Edelweiss. All thoughts are my own and in no way influenced by the aforementioned.
"The living heart of Gotham City . . . beating, throbbing like a drumbeat in my chest. The place my parents loved. A place worth saving. Worth protecting. A place called home." -- Bruce Wayne, page 200
With Batman: Nightwalker - though it should really be titled Bruce Wayne: Nighwalker - the DC Ink imprint finally gets it right this time, especially after I found some of the other recent offerings (featuring interpretations on teenage versions of Raven, Harley Quinn, etc.) rather lackluster. This book sort of looked / felt like it could easily fit in with the character's already-established canon.
The story opens with Bruce Wayne turning eighteen and a domestic terrorist squad, known as the 'Nightwalkers,' taking aim at Gotham City's elite. With Bruce now legally an adult and just becoming responsible for Wayne Enterprises - plus his interest in criminology, since the cold-blooded murder of his parents - he awkwardly / quickly inserts himself into the Gotham City PD's investigation via his acquaintance with a GCPD detective. In a nice change-of-pace, the seasoned detective is not Jim Gordon, but a lady appropriately named Draccon. (However, although she is sort of strict or severe - as in the term 'draconian' - she is an honest, hard-working and well-meaning cop on the case.)
With its blend of action scenes (another thing missing from some of the other DC Ink titles), the appropriate blue-shaded color scheme and illustrations, and the occasionally darker-edged crime drama with a sometimes duplicitous cast of characters - such as the intriguing Madeline 'Mads' Wallace, a sly young 'Nightwalker' apprehended early on who ingratiates herself with Bruce - this graphic novel is a fine addition to Batman's 80 (!) years of being Gotham City's foremost guardian.
Just this morning I told a fellow GR friend "I don't want to bring down the wrath of Lu's fangirls on myself yet", but now..........I changed my mind:
I am so pissed off just by looking at the book's cover. This is not my Batman.
Before you say anything about how and why I shouldn't rate a book before it even comes out, hear me out: I'd read the novel this graphic novel is supposed to be based on, and to be honest, that novel is a piece of garbage.
Okay, it looks like Marie Lu is gonna do the artwork for this graphic novel herself since I can't find any illustrator being listed as a co-author, and to be fair, Lu's illustration is indeed lovely. However, given this graphic novel's shitty source-material, I can only give this...thing 1 star.
Trust me, you can't wrap a piece of crap with beautiful wrapping and then convince me it suddenly isn't crap any more.
I had said it once and I will say it here again: if you wanted better written Batman's stories, try Frank Miller, Jeph Loeb, Grant Morrison, Alan Moore, Scott Snyder etc. The list of good Batman authors go on and on and on, and Marie Lu is definitely not among that list.
While this is cleaner than the prose novel that inspired it--the violence isn't as bloody, and there's little, if any, profanity--this graphic novel could have used some more color. I know Batman/Bruce Wayne is supposed to be The Dark Knight, but, everything being gray, black, or yellow made me feel like I was playing something on the original Game Boy instead of reading a modern comic.
Huge thank you to DC Ink for providing me with a gifted review copy in exchange for an honest review.
I was pretty excited when I was approved for this title. I’ve read a few of the other DC Ink graphic novels and enjoyed all of them so much. Batman: Nightwalker was no exception.
I went into this with no expectations since I haven’t read the novel this is based on by Marie Lu. The graphic novel did make me intrigued to read the full thing. The art work is perfect as usual. Probably one of my favorite things about these comics. Most of the graphic novel was in grey scale with the occasional yellow coloring. I loved this feature so much, and it made the pages look so pleasing.
The story follows a young Bruce Wayne before he became Batman. Of course that means that the graphic novel felt a little different than the usual vibe that’s associated with Batman. DC Ink is an imprint that’s dedicated to young adult readers so I was expecting this to be different than the usual. I did really enjoy the DC Ink releases so far. I love that there’s a new take to the stories and is something that will appeal to younger readers.
I really enjoyed the storyline and following Bruce’s life as a teenager. I finished the book in one sitting and not only because it’s a graphic novel but because the story was the kind to keep you interested. I kept guessing what was going to happen next and what the outcome could possibly be. The ending felt a little bit rushed but overall the story was really good. I loved Bruce’s character and getting to see him through a different lens.
I received an e-ARC from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. Review can be found on *Milky Way of Books*
Adapted from the acclaimed novel of the same name, the graphic novel follows the story of a teenaged Bruce as he slowly takes his first steps in becoming the crusader of Gotham. If you have read the book you are going to enjoy this one too since the art is stellar with sharp lines and very detailed features. Alfred is still amazing as both a butler and a father figure for Bruce. The growing instinct of solving crimes is also apparent as Bruce tries to untangle the thread of the Nightwalkers.
I hope that all the books in the series will get an adaptation like this one!
My parents did not approve of comic books. I wasn't allowed to read 99% of the titles on the shelf at the drug store (the only shop that sold comics in the little town I grew up in). Allowable titles were mostly Disney. Huey, Dewey and Louie are cute....and I loved all the comics I was allowed to read.... but the exciting, more mainstream characters were off limits for me. To this day, I don't really understand why. Superman, Batman and the other superheroes were fighting to save humanity, right? I guess it fell somewhere between "Violence and fighting are bad'' and "Girls don't read comic books.'' I think they were hoping I would turn into a dress-loving, girlie girl if they kept me away from what I naturally gravitated to....but it didn't work. I was always up a tree in the yard reading a book or chasing the neighbor kid with a garter snake. (In my defense, the kid was annoying.....sometimes the only way to get rid of him was to chase him with a snake.)
So......the end result....I was an adult, and married to a long-time comic book enthusiast, before I ever really delved much into comic books and superheroes. This leaves me out of many nerd debate topics on cannon, reboots, different artists, weird plot tangents, etc. I just read and enjoy. With slight rants about some of the horrible movies, I love Batman. What's not to love about a billionaire businessman who has every freaking cool gadget ever invented....plus an awesome cave lair.
My point is this -- I don't know cannon or most past plots from the comic book world -- Marvel or DC. I just love the characters, the art, and the storylines! So I jump on every graphic novel I can get my hands on that involves superheroes.....Love, love, love!
I thoroughly enjoyed Batman: Nightwalker! The storyline features a young, 18-year old Bruce Wayne who has just come into his fortune. A group of thieves is targeting wealthy residents of Gotham. The Nightwalkers start out stealing money from the wealthiest of the wealthy.....but they quickly descend into more violent actions like murder, blowing up buildings, etc. Bruce tries to talk to one of the captured Nightwalkers who sits in a cell at Arkham Asylum. She refuses to say one word to anybody, but Bruce gets to know her. He discovers that there really is only a fine line between his brand of vigilante and the Nightwalkers.....
I have never read the book this graphic novel is based on. I did however see much ranting about it online. And promptly ignored most of it. This is a young version of Bruce Wayne. He's a teen and trying to cope with the loss of his parents, coming into his wealth and figuring out what to do with himself. He's feeling a bit of angst....gets into trouble.... and ends up serving community service in Arkham of all places. And he meets someone who confuses and intrigues him. I enjoyed seeing his character develop. He makes a decision to use his drive to better the world in a positive way, rather than delving into the dark side of a more criminal element. It's a YA Batman story....with some nice tech elements (drones, robots, etc) and interesting "bad guys'' thrown in.
I enjoyed the story. The muted colors of the artwork was awesome! And I liked the message. Even superhero billionaires have to discover who they are at some point -- Batman included. I can see this version of the character as a nice update to the present.
Looking forward to the next Marie Lu graphic novel!
**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from DC Entertainment via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**
This was my first Batman graphic novel, ever, and I had so much fun with it! It showed how Bruce became Batman while also having cameos from Harvey Dent + Gordon, and it was just a quick, fun read.
Me ha parecido entretenido y creo que es un buen inicio para cosas muy guays que pueden llegar. Yo, que no suelo leer cómic, lo he disfrutado bastante.
Nos cuenta el principio de Batman, como a sus 18 años el joven Wayne ha perdido a sus padres y ve como los Nightwalkers, una nueva banda de criminales, están matando a gente rica y poderosa. Por querer ayudar a la policía, termina por tener que hacer servicios a la comunidad y es enviado a Arkham, un infame hospital psiquiátrico. Allí conocerá a Madeleine y su lucha con los Nightwalkers. La fundación de sus padres y su empresa corren peligro y nada le detendrá para protegerlas y proteger la ciudad de Gotham.
Me ha gustado mucho, se lee muy rápido, hay mucha acción y no se detiene en pausas innecesarias. Me ha dejado con ganas de saber más del joven Wayne.
I received an ARC of Batman: Nightwalker at BookExpo, this in no way impacts my rating. However, my rating is based on an unfinished and uncorrected copy, please note that the story may differ from the final book.
Batman: Nightwalker ha sido una novela gráfica que he disfrutado mucho, tanto por cómo está adaptada como por las ilustraciones. ¡Completamente recomendada para fans de los superhéroes! Reseña completa: http://fiebrelectora.blogspot.com/202...
Lately, I have been reading a lot of DC comics and loving it! I love reading graphic novels and comics and use a lot of my Hoopla loans to check out graphic novels and comics throughout the month. I usually read these in between novels or just when I want something short that I can zip through in a few hours tops. I read Batgirl last month and loved it! I also read the new Oracle comic that is coming out (later this month I believe, I will have a post up soon about that as well) and loved that one too! So naturally, I wanted to read something else in this universe and I saw this one which also happens to be written by one of my favorite authors (Marie Lu) and knew I needed to read it!
SPOILERS AHEAD
Bruce is turning 18! He is also inheriting his family fortune and graduating high school very soon. After leaving his big birthday party Bruce makes a choice when he stumbles upon an active crime scene. He decides to follow the nightwalker who is getting away from the police and use his car to flip theirs! After this risky move, Bruce faces punishment from the law and is forced to do community service through the summer at Arkham. There he will be mopping floors and doing other janitorial tasks, that is until he meets Madeline. Madeline works for the nightwalkers and Bruce is determined to crack her and learn more about this group. However, Bruce ends up learning that he is going to be a nightwalker target in the process! Can Bruce stop the nightwalkers and help save the city? What about his blooming relationship with Madeline?
I loved this comic so much! The illustrators and Marie Lu did such a great job with this story. I do not know a ton about the DC universe but I am loving learning through these comics! I also feel like it is an awesome bonus to get to read these tales when they are by some of my favorite authors. I am giving this five stars on Goodreads and definitely look forward to more DC comic titles being reviewed here in the future!
***Thank you so much to the publisher for providing an E-ARC on Netgalley!
To adapt this story into a graphic novel would take two things: stay true to the atmosphere and tell the complete story. Moore and Wildgoose accomplish both these things in stunning fashion. This is not some 80-page highly edited version of Lu’s novel… this is every twist of the plot and every facial expression of these characters in crisis. I love the depiction of Madeleine Wallace in Wildgoose’s artwork. He gets her manipulative nature perfectly.
The Nightwalkers graphic novel fleshes out Lu’s original story well. A highly entertaining read.
Vor kurzem habe ich Batman Nightwalker beendet und bin unglaublich begeistert von der Story. Nur ich finde das der Titel Bruce Wayne Nightwalker besser gepasst hätte. Denn Bruce ist gerade 18 Jahre geworden und noch nicht Batman. Ich mochte die Geschichte einfach total gerne und sie ist nicht nur was für jüngere, sondern für alle Batman Fans. Gotham wird von der Verbrecherbande, den Nightwalkers terrorisiert, und Bruce Wayne möchte natürlich helfen. Aber das läuft erstmal nicht so gut und so landet er in Arkham Asylum und muss dort Sozialstunden leisten. Es hat total viel Spaß gemacht einen jungen Bruce Wayne zu begleiten, in dem man schon viele Batman Züge erkennt. Die Story unterhält einen sehr und es gibt wirklich einige spannende Wendungen. Alle Batman Kenner werden auch das ein oder andere bekannte Gesicht wiederfinden. Ganz klare Empfehlung und auch für alle nicht Comic Leser, schaut es euch unbedingt an.
Pues he quedado gratamente sorprendida. No disfruté demasiado la novela, en su día, no sé si porque coincidió o que, simplemente, no era para mí (lo que fue toda una sorpresa, porque Marie Lu me encanta!), ¡pero la novela gráfica ha conseguido engancharme y mantenerme leyendo hasta el final! Puede que fuera por el ritmo tan trepidante, las ilustraciones tan logradas... todo, en general. Muy recomendado.
4'25 en realidad. - “Batman. Nightwalker: La novela gráfica” es una nueva aventura de Bruce Wayne, perfecta para los amantes de DC, para los amantes de los superhéroes o para cualquiera que quiera iniciarse a leer este tipo de historias. - Bruce Wayne acaba de cumplir 18 años y por lo tanto ya podrá hacer uso completo de la millonaria herencia que le dejaron tras su muerte años atrás. Sin embargo, la fiesta benéfica que se organiza para celebrarlo no sale del todo bien. Con un montón de gente que no conoce, y con otras personas que solo se interesan por su dinero, Bruce necesita salir de ahí y despejarse. Pero en Gotham un paseo nocturno no podría salir bien, porque Bruce se ve envuelto en una persecución policial con los Nightwalkers cuando su sentido de la justicia le impide seguir conduciendo por una dirección diferente. Antes de decir nada quiero contaros que yo no soy una persona que esté muy puesta en todo lo que es el mundo de los superhéroes, ni Marvel, ni DC, ni nada. De hecho, hasta hace unos meses no me han empezado a interesar este tipo de historias. Pero sin duda esta novela gráfica ha venido en el momento perfecto para mí. Estoy viendo series de DC y poder leer la historia de Batman de una forma tan dinámica como es una novela gráfica ha sido una gran experiencia. Porque siendo sincera yo no sabía nada de Batman aparte de que es de Gotham (ya os digo que nunca me han interesado los mundos de los superhéroes), así que he tenido que informarme un poco antes de traeros esta reseña. Según he leído esta historia se supone que ocurre antes de que Bruce se convierta en Batman (aunque tenga el mismo espíritu) por eso podemos considerarlo una introducción a las que serán el resto de sus aventuras. Eso para mí ha sido perfecto porque no conozco cuales son las hazañas de Batman, y también creo que es bueno para alguien que sí que lo haga para conocer más sobre sus comienzos. Esta novela gráfica es una adaptación de la novela de Marie Lu sobre Batman que se incluye en la colección de DC Icons. Que según he podido ver son las primeras novelas que se han escrito sobre los personajes de DC por lo que toda la historia es en sí nueva. Así que ese es otro plus para darle una oportunidad a esta versión de la novela de Marie Lu. Desde el principio ha sido una lectura muy fácil de leer, lo cual es en parte gracias al hecho de que sea una novela gráfica. Desde el principio me atrapó y consiguió que entrara en esta historia de superhéroes que no estoy acostumbrada a leer. Fue super fácil seguir y seguir pasando páginas, las ilustraciones se me hicieron muy fáciles de seguir y entender. Puedo decir que sentí como si estuviera viendo una película y eso creo que es una cosa muy difícil de conseguir, pero un buen indicativo de que esta novela gráfica sin duda merece la pena ser leída. - Foto del libro: https://www.instagram.com/p/CFCxJgDFJNv/
I haven't read Marie Lu's book, so I wouldn't be able to compare this novel to it. But, I still thought I should give this a go before getting to the book version. With that being said, just going by other graphic novels I've read pertaining to Batman, this one isn't near being a favorite. But, it didn't mean it wasn't good.
There was enough here to keep me entertained, even when there were other parts that didn't really make sense. One of those, had to do with Bruce's community service in Arkham Asylum. It's pretty unbelievable, especially with him so young (and not quite Batman, yet) and Arkham being one of the most dangerous places to be.
The nightwalkers though, kept me reading on. But, what was far-fetched there, was Bruce learning about them by entering an extremely troubled inmate's room (unattended, of course). That brings in Madeleine which made things interesting, but also a big part of the issue here. There was much of that going around, which kept me from really enjoying all this novel had to offer.
Like mentioned above, I did have concerns with this novel, but in a way that's also what kept drawing me in. A lot of it made for an interesting story, a new twist on Bruce Wayne and who he was as a teen (or how he could have been). I could have really done without the love aspect in all of this, as it seemed pointless (sense was completely left out). If only it was filled with just the good.
***I received this copy from DC Ink via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.***
I am pretty new to graphic novels but after reading Marie Lu's book of this story I just knew I had to read this graphic novel too. I felt the story was done well although I felt linger should have been spent on Bruce and Madeline getting to know each other. It felt more natural and realistic in the full length book. The artwork is incredible! So much detail and I loved how it brought the story to life. I look forward to reading the others in this series!
Musím se přiznat, že Batmana se mi jako knížku číst vůbec nechtělo. Anotace zněla zajímavě, recenze cajk, napsala to Marie Lu, takže průšvih by to nebyl, ale prostě jsem neměla chuť tomu věnovat hodiny svého života. A v tom přichází stejný příběh v komiksu a panejo, to je přesně ono! Zápletka není tak komplexní, aby to neutáhl grafický román, konzumuje se to rychleji, komiksové panely tomu sluší a já hned klikám, házím do košíku a čtu. Je to svižné, nemůže to začít nudit, prostě instantní zábava jak vyšitá. Byla bych klidně pro, aby se svého komiksu dočkalo víc YA knih, které mi hnijou na #toread listu.
I actually already had Batman: Nightwalker (The Graphic Novel) pre-ordered by the time I was approved for this book, so technically, my review is of the final published product, though thank you NetGalley, Marie Lu, and DC Entertainment for selecting me as one of your readers!
I had every intention of buying this book because Marie Lu is my number one favorite author! I have all of her books, including the original novelization of Batman: Nightwalker, though it is the only book of hers I haven’t yet read. When I saw the graphic novel was becoming a reality, I figured I would read that and then get back to her regular novel sometime in the future…I mean, we all know my reading list is a literal mountain.
I really enjoyed the art style. The blue color scheme really fits the mood of Batman. It was fun to see Bruce Wayne still in his teenage years, having just graduated high school and inherited his billions of dollars. We also see a young Harvy, among other characters we know from Batman’s time as the protector of Gotham City.
The Nightwalkers are a group of people (villains) dedicated to stealing money from the rich and redistributing it, since no single person should have so much money and power over others. The bigger problem is that they usually kill the money holders. And Bruce is on their list. Wanting to put an end to the Nightwalkers (or find out more), Bruce pursues one of the members only to wind up in a car crash and placed on probation at Arkham Asylum to help clean the facilities, among other work.
There he meets Madeline Wallace, one of the members of the Nightwalkers. She only speaks to him, and he begins to fall for her. There are two problems with this: Bruce can never distinguish what is truth and lie with Madeline, and a relationship between a hero and a villain can never truly work out…can it?
This graphic novel has fantastic art, a great story, and the potential for a future installment. It was also nice to see the Leigh Bordugo Wonder Woman graphic novel excerpt in the back…and the title that Sarah J. Maas’s Catwoman will likewise become a graphic novel as well! How exciting! If you can’t tell, I highly recommend this graphic novel to young readers. Fans of Batman might be a bit skeptical, but I’ve only ever read a few highly exquisite Batman comics, and this is one of them!
Una entrega más de la colección de cómics de DC que está publicando Hidra y como siempre, la edición me ha encantado, súper cuidada, con unos colores brutales y de muy buena calidad. La ilustración es súper bonita y trabajada y da gusto pasar cada página. En cuanto a la historia, me ha parecido muy entretenida y amena, aunque he de decir que ha sido el que menos me ha gustado de los tres de la colección, quizás es porque Batman nunca me ha entusiasmado. Aun así, el joven Bruce me ha gustado bastante como personaje y aunque algunos giros me los he visto venir, ha habido otros que no y la historia me ha gustado.
Como siempre, estos cómics dejan con muchas ganas de más porque prácticamente acaban donde empieza lo mejor, ya que es como el origen de estos "súperhéroes".
La próxima creo que es Wonder Woman y tengo muchas ganas de ver cómo nos la presentan en esta ocasión.
This was amazing! A fresh new take on Bruce and not a Batman origin story.
If you’re going to view this Bruce as anything other than a reimagining then you might be disappointed, but if you walk into this with a blank slate you’ll be thoroughly surprised.
The characterisations here were great. The chemistry between Madeleine and Bruce, Bruce and Alfred, Bruce and Dianne, Bruce and Richard, etc were very well done.
The art was, of course, wonderfully done. The colours really brought the story to life.
I have to say, I wish it hadn’t been so short. Perhaps the book went even more into detail, but I feel like there could’ve been even more depth and the graphic novel would’ve been better for it. I’m eager for a sequel; the plot at the end was definitely left open for it.