What do you think?
Rate this book
Batman: Vampire #1-3
Batman Vampire
This volume collects the dark tales originally presented in BATMAN/DRACULA: RED RAIN, BATMAN: BLOODSTORM and BATMAN: CRIMSON MIST, written by Doug Moench with macabre art by Kelley Jones.
The legendary horror known as Dracula has descended upon Gotham City — and he's brought his deadly children of the night with him. Now, it's up to Batman to stop the Lord of the Undead's assault on his city — but after being bitten by Dracula, Batman himself joins the ranks of the undead. Will Batman be an even greater threat to the citizens of Gotham City than Dracula?
TALES OF THE MULTIVERSE is a new series of titles collecting stories of familiar heroes reimagined in startling ways.
The legendary horror known as Dracula has descended upon Gotham City — and he's brought his deadly children of the night with him. Now, it's up to Batman to stop the Lord of the Undead's assault on his city — but after being bitten by Dracula, Batman himself joins the ranks of the undead. Will Batman be an even greater threat to the citizens of Gotham City than Dracula?
TALES OF THE MULTIVERSE is a new series of titles collecting stories of familiar heroes reimagined in startling ways.
296 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 1999
About the author
Doug Moench
2,055 books109 followersDoug Moench, is an American comic book writer notable for his Batman work and as the creator of Black Mask, Moon Knight and Deathlok. Moench has worked for DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Dark Horse Comics and many other smaller companies; he has written hundreds of issues of many different comics, and created dozens of characters, such as Moon Knight. In 1973, Moench became the de facto lead writer for the Marvel black-and-white magazine imprint Curtis Magazines. He contributed to the entire runs of Planet of the Apes, Rampaging Hulk (continuing on the title when it changed its name to The Hulk!) and Doc Savage, while also serving as a regular scribe for virtually every other Curtis title during the course of the imprint's existence. Moench is perhaps best known for his work on Batman, whose title he wrote from 1983–1986 and then again from 1992–1998. (He also wrote the companion title Detective Comics from 1983–1986.)
Moench is a frequent and longtime collaborator with comics artist Paul Gulacy. The pair are probably best known for their work on Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu, which they worked on together from 1974–1977. They also co-created Six from Sirius, Slash Maraud, and S.C.I. Spy, and have worked together on comics projects featuring Batman, Conan the Barbarian and James Bond.
Moench has frequently been paired with the artist and inker team of Kelley Jones and John Beatty on several Elseworlds Graphic Novels and a long run of the monthly Batman comic.
Moench is a frequent and longtime collaborator with comics artist Paul Gulacy. The pair are probably best known for their work on Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu, which they worked on together from 1974–1977. They also co-created Six from Sirius, Slash Maraud, and S.C.I. Spy, and have worked together on comics projects featuring Batman, Conan the Barbarian and James Bond.
Moench has frequently been paired with the artist and inker team of Kelley Jones and John Beatty on several Elseworlds Graphic Novels and a long run of the monthly Batman comic.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 133 reviews
April 17, 2019
DC's done a bit of a bait and switch here. This was previously published as Batman: Vampire. It's a trilogy of Elseworlds stories where Batman becomes a vampire. This should be fantastic. Batman fights Dracula, then becomes a vampire himself. But the writing is awful. Kelley Jones's art is horrendous. Batman has about 30 ribs. Everyone looks as if they are in a funhouse mirror. The women are all ridiculously large-breasted with misshapen boobs. They look like they had plastic surgery gone wrong. Stay far, far away from these Elseworlds stories and read volumes 1 and 3 instead. They are great.
March 9, 2009
The art is, to my mind, some of the worst ever, and completely distracts from any value that the story itself may have. It was a chore to finish.
March 30, 2020
Nice collection of one of the more disturbing but interesting Batman Elseworlds stories. While I was not a fan of the art the story was exceptionally well written. Very recommended
November 8, 2016
This collections is Doug Moench's revisiting Batman as a vampire, from BATMAN & DRACULA: RED RAIN, BATMAN: BLOODSTORM and BATMAN: CRIMSON MIST. This is a much darker take on Batman and a tragic one, the art is very dated to the 1990s now, but the gothic color scheme and lettering is effective. The story arch is bleak but comes to a definitive end.
April 14, 2024
*** Content warning: Mature themes, graphic violence, nudity. ***
When your favorite comic character dresses like a bat, works during the dark hours, stays in the shadows and instills the ever-living fear of death onto criminal scum, it's only a while before you begin to draw parallels between them and another of pop culture's iconic characters, who share many of the traits, but inhabit moreover of a neutral evil compared to the Lawful Good (maybe Lawful Neutral) of your favorite muse.
So many jokes are being made about Count Batman, or the Bat Vampire, it would not be a surprise if there are stories featuring both of them facing off; or him being an actual f***ing Vampire. What surprised me was that it took me this long to come across the story.
I had previously encountered a similar character in the DC animated movie 'Justice League: Gods and Monsters' but seeing as how that character was not the Bruce Wayne Batman, doesn't really count.
Seeing as how this story is set in the same time period as the Batman: Knightfall trilogy, the visual aesthetic choices make sense. As are the hyper visualized, hypersexualized characters (especially female ones). Hence the warning for Graphic content.
The story, unfolding in three arcs, is set in a parallel canon, and sees the caped crusader facing off against the OG vampire himself, as well as his army of undead. You'd think that much like the 2005 animated movie Batman vs Dracula, this would involve Bats overcoming insurmountable odds to defeat the vampire progenitor using his wits and perseverance, saving the day yet again.
Well, he does, sort of. Only to be infected himself and slowly find himself turning into the very evil he sought to destroy. Now wrestling with his newly acquired undead state, as well as the insatiable thirst for life blood that comes with it, the Dark knight must contend with the criminal elements of the city, while at the same time battle the ever-strengthening primal evil that has taken root within himself.
Things take a turn from bad to worse, as towards the end, he has transformed into an awesome looking bat monstrosity, barely keeping his sanity, after having sacrificed his morality and crossing the one-line Batman wouldn't be caught dead crossing. Well, he did, die I mean, so technically this doesn't count, maybe?
With their greatest protector turning into the greatest threat to their very existence, his former allies and enemies must contend with a new Batman, one who is not averse to crossing the lines.
As the series winds up to its conclusion, it poses an interesting moral paradigm to many of the questions surrounding Batman's code of no killing. Having resorted to killing the vilest of his villains to satiate his thirst, starting with the Joker, Bats quickly runs the gauntlet of his rogues gallery, draining them dry.
All the while operating under the justification that, if he needs to kill and consume someone, it might as well be the criminal elements. But, with the worst of them already out of the way, and his thirst showing no sign of abating, he begins turning to the more and more mundane offenders. Eventually he is willing to consider the possibility of preying on the lowest level offenders, and after that even innocents.
This draws a parallel to a similar discussion that Superman had with the flash in the Injustice comics by Tom Taylor. Although there the discussion was more focused on creating a 'perfect utopia' leading to a crimeless society. How far should one go in the pursuit of justice? At what point should petty crimes and misdemeanors be treated harshly as serious irredeemable ones to achieve 'true peace'.
Vampire Bats goes through the same conundrum, but for widely different motives. One aspect that I loved about the character is that, even while he succumbs to his baser undead instincts, his mind and intellect are still sharp. He knows, at some point, he had become a menace greater than even the Joker. Even while outwardly, he combats against his opponents, inwardly, what remains of the Dark knight, is fighting against his very being, willing to end his existence for the greater good.
He does in the end, but only after taking everyone, including his foster father, and closest ally with him. The ending is quite somber and harrowing, yet at the same time cathartic and final.
Another aspect that drew me to the story is the Shakespearean prose. Much like Hamlet or Macbeth devolving into madness and cursing the world and their own ineptitude for their current predicament, Batman delivers inner monologues and soliloquies like a stage actor, adding to the tragedy of this version of the character. Reading it while visualizing the character descent, adds a certain poetic flair and gravitas to the story.
So, I would definitely recommend it as an entertaining, yet poignant Batman story, featuring some of the classic elements which made the character such a conflicting yet intriguing leading man to follow.
When your favorite comic character dresses like a bat, works during the dark hours, stays in the shadows and instills the ever-living fear of death onto criminal scum, it's only a while before you begin to draw parallels between them and another of pop culture's iconic characters, who share many of the traits, but inhabit moreover of a neutral evil compared to the Lawful Good (maybe Lawful Neutral) of your favorite muse.
So many jokes are being made about Count Batman, or the Bat Vampire, it would not be a surprise if there are stories featuring both of them facing off; or him being an actual f***ing Vampire. What surprised me was that it took me this long to come across the story.
I had previously encountered a similar character in the DC animated movie 'Justice League: Gods and Monsters' but seeing as how that character was not the Bruce Wayne Batman, doesn't really count.
Seeing as how this story is set in the same time period as the Batman: Knightfall trilogy, the visual aesthetic choices make sense. As are the hyper visualized, hypersexualized characters (especially female ones). Hence the warning for Graphic content.
The story, unfolding in three arcs, is set in a parallel canon, and sees the caped crusader facing off against the OG vampire himself, as well as his army of undead. You'd think that much like the 2005 animated movie Batman vs Dracula, this would involve Bats overcoming insurmountable odds to defeat the vampire progenitor using his wits and perseverance, saving the day yet again.
Well, he does, sort of. Only to be infected himself and slowly find himself turning into the very evil he sought to destroy. Now wrestling with his newly acquired undead state, as well as the insatiable thirst for life blood that comes with it, the Dark knight must contend with the criminal elements of the city, while at the same time battle the ever-strengthening primal evil that has taken root within himself.
Things take a turn from bad to worse, as towards the end, he has transformed into an awesome looking bat monstrosity, barely keeping his sanity, after having sacrificed his morality and crossing the one-line Batman wouldn't be caught dead crossing. Well, he did, die I mean, so technically this doesn't count, maybe?
With their greatest protector turning into the greatest threat to their very existence, his former allies and enemies must contend with a new Batman, one who is not averse to crossing the lines.
As the series winds up to its conclusion, it poses an interesting moral paradigm to many of the questions surrounding Batman's code of no killing. Having resorted to killing the vilest of his villains to satiate his thirst, starting with the Joker, Bats quickly runs the gauntlet of his rogues gallery, draining them dry.
All the while operating under the justification that, if he needs to kill and consume someone, it might as well be the criminal elements. But, with the worst of them already out of the way, and his thirst showing no sign of abating, he begins turning to the more and more mundane offenders. Eventually he is willing to consider the possibility of preying on the lowest level offenders, and after that even innocents.
This draws a parallel to a similar discussion that Superman had with the flash in the Injustice comics by Tom Taylor. Although there the discussion was more focused on creating a 'perfect utopia' leading to a crimeless society. How far should one go in the pursuit of justice? At what point should petty crimes and misdemeanors be treated harshly as serious irredeemable ones to achieve 'true peace'.
Vampire Bats goes through the same conundrum, but for widely different motives. One aspect that I loved about the character is that, even while he succumbs to his baser undead instincts, his mind and intellect are still sharp. He knows, at some point, he had become a menace greater than even the Joker. Even while outwardly, he combats against his opponents, inwardly, what remains of the Dark knight, is fighting against his very being, willing to end his existence for the greater good.
He does in the end, but only after taking everyone, including his foster father, and closest ally with him. The ending is quite somber and harrowing, yet at the same time cathartic and final.
Another aspect that drew me to the story is the Shakespearean prose. Much like Hamlet or Macbeth devolving into madness and cursing the world and their own ineptitude for their current predicament, Batman delivers inner monologues and soliloquies like a stage actor, adding to the tragedy of this version of the character. Reading it while visualizing the character descent, adds a certain poetic flair and gravitas to the story.
So, I would definitely recommend it as an entertaining, yet poignant Batman story, featuring some of the classic elements which made the character such a conflicting yet intriguing leading man to follow.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 13, 2021
Jesus. Fucking. Christ. On. A. Stick!
De mult n-am mai citit ceva atât de violent și de sângeros, cu grafică atât de stilizată, și totul descinde în cea mai faină concluzie ever!
Ăsta e un MUST READ!
De mult n-am mai citit ceva atât de violent și de sângeros, cu grafică atât de stilizată, și totul descinde în cea mai faină concluzie ever!
Ăsta e un MUST READ!
January 15, 2017
Collecting Batman & Dracula: Red Rain (4 stars), Batman: Bloodstorm (4 stars), and Batman: Crimson Mist (3 stars), this is one book you can really sink your teeth into!
One of the more interesting (and disturbing!) Elseworlds tales DC Comics ever published, the collected Batman: Vampire may not be for everybody, but if I could enjoy it, I believe anyone can. The writing is consistently good, but I think the real 'draw' here is Kelley Jones' art. The weakest part of the trilogy was Crimson Mist, with all the Bat-villains, the bloodshed, the be-headings, etc., but it did have a fitting (and logical) ending.
One of the more interesting (and disturbing!) Elseworlds tales DC Comics ever published, the collected Batman: Vampire may not be for everybody, but if I could enjoy it, I believe anyone can. The writing is consistently good, but I think the real 'draw' here is Kelley Jones' art. The weakest part of the trilogy was Crimson Mist, with all the Bat-villains, the bloodshed, the be-headings, etc., but it did have a fitting (and logical) ending.
April 8, 2018
Eh, I was excited by the idea of this book, but didn't end up enjoying too much about it. These Elseworld Collections DC is doing are a great idea, and this one having three Elseworld stories set in the same world seemed like a good place to pick one up, but there just wasn't too much for me.
I would have liked to see more of Batman fighting vampires before he becomes one himself. I guess the point of the story WAS that he becomes a vampire, but I just wasn't feeling it.
I would say don't pick this up unless you are really a fan of gothic horror, or vampires. I don't know if I would really tell someone interested in the Elseworlds series to start here.
I would have liked to see more of Batman fighting vampires before he becomes one himself. I guess the point of the story WAS that he becomes a vampire, but I just wasn't feeling it.
I would say don't pick this up unless you are really a fan of gothic horror, or vampires. I don't know if I would really tell someone interested in the Elseworlds series to start here.
April 19, 2020
Collected here are the three "Elseworld" comic series of Batman vs. Dracula, then vs. the Joker (plus vampires) and then the worst of the DC baddies before he himself is finally laid to rest. It is a very different view of the Batman universe, one where Batman is not only a tortured soul but also a lost man who gives in to the evil within his veins. The first book vs. Dracula was interesting, the subsequent stories of a vampiric "batman" were dragged out way too much to try and prove the point of his slow and painful fall into the abyss.
It could have been better, but it also could have just stopped with the first one and I would have been all good with it.
It could have been better, but it also could have just stopped with the first one and I would have been all good with it.
March 24, 2019
The vampire batman stories are not definitely not your usual batman stories!
October 12, 2023
In the midst of the 90s comic book boom after ‘The Death of Superman’, the main names of the two biggest editorials were either submitting themselves to death itself, or simply, changes in their physical stability, that is, a considerable harm was done to them, and someone else will have to take the mantle of the former hero, this allowing writers and artists to constant toying of the brands without the necessity of restarting everything, while offering readers a new set of stories, with different and familiar characters to keep things “fresh”. But, on the other hand, there was an alternative that, in my own opinion, was actually better, and far more interesting than the main editorial plan. Enter DC’s Elseworlds; a collection of stories centered on DC’s household names being put into unconventional situations (for comic book standards) not necessarily belonging to the regular series, placing them in an alternative reality where the current regular continuity doesn’t needed to be respected, or even followed, in fact, it could be set in any time period, any moment in the character’s history, in order to be its own thing completely.
Here’s when Batman VS Dracula comes to function. With the creative team of Doug Moench (the creator of ‘Moon Knight’ for Marvel), and artist Kelley Jones, this second volume delivers the ultimate showdown between Batman, and the forces of darkness, incarnated in the shape of blood-sucking vampires, rampaging through the streets of a condemned Gotham, commanded by no other than Dracula himself.
Mounch had already demonstrated a specific talent with the supernatural aspect of the superhero genre, with his involvement in series such as ‘Werewolf by Night’, or ‘Moon Knight’, and he previously worked on the Batman series as well, so the character wasn’t new territory for him to explore, but the show stealer in this situation is Kelley Jones as the responsible for the title’s pencils.
The whole collection consists of three mega issues, each one narrating a different chapter of the vampire invasion through Gotham. The first one is ‘Batman & Dracula: Red Rain’, where the vampire leader arrives at Gotham, provoking chaos, and mayhem in the lower parts of the city, attacking innocents and turning them into the undead. Batman investigates and reaches the conclusion that the creatures are real, and not only that, but he might also be suffering the vampire curse himself, thanks to a mysterious vampire woman named Tanya, who’s on a quest to put an end to Dracula’s deeds. The second issue is titled ‘Bloodstorm’ where Batman already defeated Dracula, but there’s still an infestation of vampires in Gotham, this time, led by Joker himself, who is using his brand-new vampire army to take down the members of the underworld. The third and final issue is ‘Crimson Mist’, where Batman comes back after killing the Joker, corrupting his own moral code, and succumbing to the vampire curse for good, and now, he rises from the death in order to put an end to Gotham’s worst nightmare: the Batman rogue’s gallery, one by one.
It seems the idea of Batman fighting vampires should’ve been exploited in the past- prior to this comic’s release, at least-, but for some reason, it wasn’t until ‘Red Rain’ where the ships finally sailed. As I said, Moench and Jones’ duo works in all the right places; Moench understands the basics of vampire folklore, and his ability to move the story in the best direction is evidently, especially in ‘Bloodstorm’, once we’ve learned that Joker is pulling the vampire’s strings, targeting the crime underbosses to take over. But adding Jones’ art to the mix only improves the situation; Jones has an affinity for the macabre, the gothic and obscure. In a way, he’s perhaps the artist with the creepiest Batman ever put on paper, adding vampires to the catalogue only makes him exploit his visual talents for the best, since this is one of the goriest Batman comic books I’ve ever read. The graphic violence, and sadistic content displayed seems off the charts, with all the twisted imagery, and odd visuals that resemble pulp-magazines, and classic horror comic strips from the 1950s, Jones gives the perfect identity to this terrifying title. His style appears to take strong references from other veteran names, such as Wrightson, or even Mignola, but always putting his own signature to each frame and design.
As for the script, Moench could’ve simply crafted an average “superhero vs monster” type of story, with Batman just fighting hordes of undead with a no-brainer depth. Fortunately, the story explores the familiar corners of the Batman classic code: is it crossing the line the moment you start to put down vampires? Isn’t that murder as well? How long can the hero maintain himself pure until the temptation wins? All these questions are explored throughout the length of the three mega-issues, with Moench’s prose which almost resembles a certain Stoker-like style of narrative, which works as a delight the darker the story goes. Also, the this is one of the better takes on Alfred I’ve read in comics, and he’s troubled once his Master is being corrupted by the curse, so that adds plenty to the character’s persona.
If I am to complain about a single aspect in this, it could be the rush feeling I got from ‘Crimson Mist’, once Batman is resurrected, and starts taking down one of his main villains at a time, it feels that Moench only wanted to move the story forward without considering the type of climax he’d eventually deliver in the final pages. Also, there are unexplained aspects of the lore from the vampires that aren’t well explained, for example, in ‘Bloodstorm’, Batman acquires a sudden ally, which is a well-known character from his own series; this character is bitten by one of the main vampires in the story, and the kind of powers that character develops variates from your average vampire-reasoning. Also, that character out of nowhere has the power to ease Batman’s thirst, again, without that much of a convincing explanation. I understand why that particular character was in here, I mean, it would’ve been strange if not, but I feel there was a void in the script’s justifications.
Other than that, this is exactly what I was hoping for. I’ve heard about this title for quite some time, and I never got the chance to read it until now, and the results are just as good as I thought; frightening, astonishingly illustrated, committed to its own story, and downright a hell of a good time from start to finish.
Here’s when Batman VS Dracula comes to function. With the creative team of Doug Moench (the creator of ‘Moon Knight’ for Marvel), and artist Kelley Jones, this second volume delivers the ultimate showdown between Batman, and the forces of darkness, incarnated in the shape of blood-sucking vampires, rampaging through the streets of a condemned Gotham, commanded by no other than Dracula himself.
Mounch had already demonstrated a specific talent with the supernatural aspect of the superhero genre, with his involvement in series such as ‘Werewolf by Night’, or ‘Moon Knight’, and he previously worked on the Batman series as well, so the character wasn’t new territory for him to explore, but the show stealer in this situation is Kelley Jones as the responsible for the title’s pencils.
The whole collection consists of three mega issues, each one narrating a different chapter of the vampire invasion through Gotham. The first one is ‘Batman & Dracula: Red Rain’, where the vampire leader arrives at Gotham, provoking chaos, and mayhem in the lower parts of the city, attacking innocents and turning them into the undead. Batman investigates and reaches the conclusion that the creatures are real, and not only that, but he might also be suffering the vampire curse himself, thanks to a mysterious vampire woman named Tanya, who’s on a quest to put an end to Dracula’s deeds. The second issue is titled ‘Bloodstorm’ where Batman already defeated Dracula, but there’s still an infestation of vampires in Gotham, this time, led by Joker himself, who is using his brand-new vampire army to take down the members of the underworld. The third and final issue is ‘Crimson Mist’, where Batman comes back after killing the Joker, corrupting his own moral code, and succumbing to the vampire curse for good, and now, he rises from the death in order to put an end to Gotham’s worst nightmare: the Batman rogue’s gallery, one by one.
It seems the idea of Batman fighting vampires should’ve been exploited in the past- prior to this comic’s release, at least-, but for some reason, it wasn’t until ‘Red Rain’ where the ships finally sailed. As I said, Moench and Jones’ duo works in all the right places; Moench understands the basics of vampire folklore, and his ability to move the story in the best direction is evidently, especially in ‘Bloodstorm’, once we’ve learned that Joker is pulling the vampire’s strings, targeting the crime underbosses to take over. But adding Jones’ art to the mix only improves the situation; Jones has an affinity for the macabre, the gothic and obscure. In a way, he’s perhaps the artist with the creepiest Batman ever put on paper, adding vampires to the catalogue only makes him exploit his visual talents for the best, since this is one of the goriest Batman comic books I’ve ever read. The graphic violence, and sadistic content displayed seems off the charts, with all the twisted imagery, and odd visuals that resemble pulp-magazines, and classic horror comic strips from the 1950s, Jones gives the perfect identity to this terrifying title. His style appears to take strong references from other veteran names, such as Wrightson, or even Mignola, but always putting his own signature to each frame and design.
As for the script, Moench could’ve simply crafted an average “superhero vs monster” type of story, with Batman just fighting hordes of undead with a no-brainer depth. Fortunately, the story explores the familiar corners of the Batman classic code: is it crossing the line the moment you start to put down vampires? Isn’t that murder as well? How long can the hero maintain himself pure until the temptation wins? All these questions are explored throughout the length of the three mega-issues, with Moench’s prose which almost resembles a certain Stoker-like style of narrative, which works as a delight the darker the story goes. Also, the this is one of the better takes on Alfred I’ve read in comics, and he’s troubled once his Master is being corrupted by the curse, so that adds plenty to the character’s persona.
If I am to complain about a single aspect in this, it could be the rush feeling I got from ‘Crimson Mist’, once Batman is resurrected, and starts taking down one of his main villains at a time, it feels that Moench only wanted to move the story forward without considering the type of climax he’d eventually deliver in the final pages. Also, there are unexplained aspects of the lore from the vampires that aren’t well explained, for example, in ‘Bloodstorm’, Batman acquires a sudden ally, which is a well-known character from his own series; this character is bitten by one of the main vampires in the story, and the kind of powers that character develops variates from your average vampire-reasoning. Also, that character out of nowhere has the power to ease Batman’s thirst, again, without that much of a convincing explanation. I understand why that particular character was in here, I mean, it would’ve been strange if not, but I feel there was a void in the script’s justifications.
Other than that, this is exactly what I was hoping for. I’ve heard about this title for quite some time, and I never got the chance to read it until now, and the results are just as good as I thought; frightening, astonishingly illustrated, committed to its own story, and downright a hell of a good time from start to finish.
November 11, 2012
Close to greatness. Jones's art has its impressionistic, visceral moments but hasn't dated well. His faces are uneven to say the least (Alfred goes from a gaunt old man to what appears to be a human chipmunk) and no female character is spared from undignified poses, even in death.* The contrast-heavy inks in the third volume goes a long way toward rectifying some of these issues but by then the story's on its way out.
Monech fares better. The plot is suitably tortured and bleak, and takes a few nice twists. Batman's narration and the unhurried pace weave a deeply gothic atmosphere. Shame about the art, then.
* Let us not spare the scene where Selina Kyle flees the undead via running water, and comes out the other side mysteriously stripped to her underwear and writhing like a pole dancer. Good stuff!
Monech fares better. The plot is suitably tortured and bleak, and takes a few nice twists. Batman's narration and the unhurried pace weave a deeply gothic atmosphere. Shame about the art, then.
* Let us not spare the scene where Selina Kyle flees the undead via running water, and comes out the other side mysteriously stripped to her underwear and writhing like a pole dancer. Good stuff!
October 7, 2022
Red Rain is a really fun Batman vs Dracula book, and then it just escalates from there, Bloodstorm adding in Joker and focusing more on Batman's moral code. Crimson Mist is the grand finale and indulges in the concept of a vampire Batman that has a natural need to kill and drink blood.
I loved the artwork, Kelley Jones is one of my all time favorite horror comic artists and there are so many stunning pages throughout all three volumes. The late 90s digital coloring in Crimson Mist adds in a weird cartoony feel but it doesn't entirely ruin the mood.
You can tell that Doug Moench is someone who's been writing Batman for over a decade at that point. It knows the characters and knows just how to twist them to fit with this world.
I got their 2009 Batman Unseen miniseries shortly after it came out and I loved it and have read it several times since. It took me way too long to read this, their more famous collaboration, but it definitely made me want to read all their other books.
I loved the artwork, Kelley Jones is one of my all time favorite horror comic artists and there are so many stunning pages throughout all three volumes. The late 90s digital coloring in Crimson Mist adds in a weird cartoony feel but it doesn't entirely ruin the mood.
You can tell that Doug Moench is someone who's been writing Batman for over a decade at that point. It knows the characters and knows just how to twist them to fit with this world.
I got their 2009 Batman Unseen miniseries shortly after it came out and I loved it and have read it several times since. It took me way too long to read this, their more famous collaboration, but it definitely made me want to read all their other books.
September 19, 2020
Sarò sincero: prima di leggerlo, pensavo che sarebbe stata una mezza cagata, perché l'idea dei vampiri a Gotham mi sembrava stupida. Ma in giro ne parlano bene, quindi mi sono fidato.
E ho fatto bene, perché sono tre storie davvero belle!
Tre avventure appassionanti, cupe e drammatiche. Il modo con cui sono state uniti il mito dei vampiri con l'universo di Batman, è brillante: in queste storie c'è il meglio che si può avere da storie di vampiri e il meglio che si può avere da storie di Batman.
Storie coinvolgenti e inquietanti, e i disegni di Kelley Jones (ed anche i colori, direi) sono semplicemente perfetti, per questo tipo di atmosfere.
Forse la terza storia è la meno riuscita, come trama, ma compensa con grandi scene dal forte impatto emotivo.
E ho fatto bene, perché sono tre storie davvero belle!
Tre avventure appassionanti, cupe e drammatiche. Il modo con cui sono state uniti il mito dei vampiri con l'universo di Batman, è brillante: in queste storie c'è il meglio che si può avere da storie di vampiri e il meglio che si può avere da storie di Batman.
Storie coinvolgenti e inquietanti, e i disegni di Kelley Jones (ed anche i colori, direi) sono semplicemente perfetti, per questo tipo di atmosfere.
Forse la terza storia è la meno riuscita, come trama, ma compensa con grandi scene dal forte impatto emotivo.
June 17, 2020
I'd say the main positive of this collection is that vampire Batman has a pretty good design, at least in the first two parts. The story went on far too long for what the concept required. Other than the design of a few characters the art is pretty bad, with several panels verging on unintentionally hilarious.
February 3, 2018
Read for TLP.
I'm so mad this book exists.
I'm so mad this book exists.
December 31, 2018
I read these individualy. I really enjoyed the stories.
October 6, 2018
Batman: Vampire is a collection of three Elseworlds imprint. Written by Doug Moench and pencilled by Kelley Jones. It deals with Batman’s encounter with Count Dracula and the effects that his vampirism to Gotham City. This trade paperback collects the three Elseworld stories, Batman and Dracula: Red Rain, Batman: Bloodstorm, and Batman: Crimson Mist.
This trilogy takes place where vampires are not only real, but also that Count Dracula exists. In Red Rain, we have Batman encountered Count Dracula. In order to defeat Dracula, he partially transforms himself in order stand toe to toe with Dracula, while keeping his humanity. However, Batman's victory was a Pyrrhic one – while he won the day, Batman became a vampire.
In Bloodstorm, we have Batman not only deal with his vampirism, but the last remnants of Dracula's coven, which have been under control of the Joker. In Crimson Mist, Batman was revived in order to save Gotham City once again, but succumbs to his vampirism and needed to be taken out, by those who love him and knew that he did not want to become what he always fought against – a murderer.
Doug Moench penned the entire series and for the most part, it was written extremely well. It combined the Gothic natures of Batman and Dracula very well and felt like an old Universal Picture and Hammer Film Production. Conceived as a one-shot, Red Rain, because so popular that two more one-shot sequels had been approved. It had the creepy and dark sensation that those films generated rather well.
Kelley Jones penciled the entire trade paperback and because he was the main penciler, the artistic flow of the trade paperback flowed exceptionally well. For the most part, I rather liked his penciling as it extenuated the text extremely well. The creepy, dark, and Gothic atmosphere that the text demanded was wonderfully created.
All in all, Batman: Vampire is a wonderful collection of Batman one-shots that had to deal with Count Dracula, vampires, and vampirism. They were written and constructed rather well and it was equally effective and successful in mixing the worlds of Batman, Dracula, and old Universal Picture and Hammer Film Production horror films rather well.
This trilogy takes place where vampires are not only real, but also that Count Dracula exists. In Red Rain, we have Batman encountered Count Dracula. In order to defeat Dracula, he partially transforms himself in order stand toe to toe with Dracula, while keeping his humanity. However, Batman's victory was a Pyrrhic one – while he won the day, Batman became a vampire.
In Bloodstorm, we have Batman not only deal with his vampirism, but the last remnants of Dracula's coven, which have been under control of the Joker. In Crimson Mist, Batman was revived in order to save Gotham City once again, but succumbs to his vampirism and needed to be taken out, by those who love him and knew that he did not want to become what he always fought against – a murderer.
Doug Moench penned the entire series and for the most part, it was written extremely well. It combined the Gothic natures of Batman and Dracula very well and felt like an old Universal Picture and Hammer Film Production. Conceived as a one-shot, Red Rain, because so popular that two more one-shot sequels had been approved. It had the creepy and dark sensation that those films generated rather well.
Kelley Jones penciled the entire trade paperback and because he was the main penciler, the artistic flow of the trade paperback flowed exceptionally well. For the most part, I rather liked his penciling as it extenuated the text extremely well. The creepy, dark, and Gothic atmosphere that the text demanded was wonderfully created.
All in all, Batman: Vampire is a wonderful collection of Batman one-shots that had to deal with Count Dracula, vampires, and vampirism. They were written and constructed rather well and it was equally effective and successful in mixing the worlds of Batman, Dracula, and old Universal Picture and Hammer Film Production horror films rather well.
February 1, 2020
This series, in which Batman fights Dracula, becomes a vampire himself, and goes crazy, has absolutely no business being good. And yet, Moench approaches the material with such an even-keeled, character-centered, gothic flare that it not only works, it's actually great. I mean, don't get me wrong, it's still a pretty wild, over-the-top story. But I found myself gleefully reading what could've been classic Elseworlds bullshit.
A huge star of this collection is Kelley Jones. Jones's exaggerated, dark, horrifying depictions of Batman and his rogues gallery would feel completely out of place in any other book, and yet here they shine. He's a master of the grotesque, drawing even his human characters as slightly alien masses of flesh and bone and sinew, really bringing the horror to life on the page.
Also, I don't often compliment letterers (a problem, to be sure), but Todd Klein has outdone himself here. The distinctive scripting style he uses makes this feel like a Victorian nightmare scrawled on parchment, despite the fact that this is set in what seems to be the modern day (well, the early 90s, when this was written).
All in all, the storytelling is solid, as well. The first chapter, "Red Rain," is by far the best. This was the original idea Moench pitched, and was never intended to have sequels. As such, he really goes all out here with the story of Batman facing down Dracula. It's a page-turning adventure, and I wondered how he was going to top it in the following two chapters.
And, well, he doesn't. But by no means are the final two chapters "bad." They just don't quite live up to the quality of the first story. But, I still commend Moench for writing two stories that logically take this idea to its furthest conclusion, while finding fun and unique ways to incorporate Catwoman, Joker, and other Bat-Villains into this weird world. His dialogue and tone are consistent throughout (minus some very cringey dialogue for Two-Face in the final chapter), and the fact that each story is about Batman's own tortured psyche, rather than simply "big crazy plots," keeps the story centered.
So, surprising even myself, I fully recommend this. It seems particularly good for a Halloween read.
A huge star of this collection is Kelley Jones. Jones's exaggerated, dark, horrifying depictions of Batman and his rogues gallery would feel completely out of place in any other book, and yet here they shine. He's a master of the grotesque, drawing even his human characters as slightly alien masses of flesh and bone and sinew, really bringing the horror to life on the page.
Also, I don't often compliment letterers (a problem, to be sure), but Todd Klein has outdone himself here. The distinctive scripting style he uses makes this feel like a Victorian nightmare scrawled on parchment, despite the fact that this is set in what seems to be the modern day (well, the early 90s, when this was written).
All in all, the storytelling is solid, as well. The first chapter, "Red Rain," is by far the best. This was the original idea Moench pitched, and was never intended to have sequels. As such, he really goes all out here with the story of Batman facing down Dracula. It's a page-turning adventure, and I wondered how he was going to top it in the following two chapters.
And, well, he doesn't. But by no means are the final two chapters "bad." They just don't quite live up to the quality of the first story. But, I still commend Moench for writing two stories that logically take this idea to its furthest conclusion, while finding fun and unique ways to incorporate Catwoman, Joker, and other Bat-Villains into this weird world. His dialogue and tone are consistent throughout (minus some very cringey dialogue for Two-Face in the final chapter), and the fact that each story is about Batman's own tortured psyche, rather than simply "big crazy plots," keeps the story centered.
So, surprising even myself, I fully recommend this. It seems particularly good for a Halloween read.
May 31, 2020
The gritty and dark style of the art is cool.
It very much lives in the negative space, which is very hard to pull off.
Some of it is brilliant, awesomely gothic in style and certain panels look amazing.
Unfortunately, the it's also wildly inconsistent. On one page, Alfred is slim and pointy-chinned and on the next one he's suddenly broad-faced with jowls.
Batman misses his entire jaw for a panel.
The colouring person forgets that Jim Gordon has a moustache in one panel and in another, forgets that Two-face's ruined face is supposed to be a different colour to the other half. Then the artist seems to forget that Two-face is supposed to be different on each side of his face.
So slobby.
The artist has apparently never seen blood in real life and especially how it flows and smears, just like there are some really odd body shapes around this comic.
Batman's cape is confusingly huge (enormous) too, while it looks good some of the time, it looks weird most of the time.
Eventually Batman becomes an evil vampire, but he looks entirely different to Dracula, for some reason. He looks a bit like a corpse, but oddly enough, a corpse with ribs sticking out and *still* retaining a six-pack? Absolutely ridiculous.
The plot is atrocious. Didn't expect anything else, but I was really hoping.
Of course, Selina Kyle gets bitten as well, but for unexplained reasons, she becomes a weird sort of were-cat. Even though she was bitten by a vampire.
The comic is filled with nonsensical stuff like that and really needed more of a clearly established and defined rule set for how exactly the vampires work, how they turn people and how they die.
Batman, super genius and very well educated, has to be taught by some old lady that silver is bad for werewolves and the entire Dracula myth - maybe I'm all off here, but a man dressed as a bat and preying on superstition, well, I assumed he'd know of Stoker's Dracula.
Weird half-naked ladies are introduced without any real point. She's a short love interest for Batman, but it's so weak and it doesn't come off the pages well.
All in all a terrible waste of time. The only redemption is the sometimes-gorgeous artwork, but it's just as terrible at times as it is good at other times.
Just stay away from it, is my recommendation.
It very much lives in the negative space, which is very hard to pull off.
Some of it is brilliant, awesomely gothic in style and certain panels look amazing.
Unfortunately, the it's also wildly inconsistent. On one page, Alfred is slim and pointy-chinned and on the next one he's suddenly broad-faced with jowls.
Batman misses his entire jaw for a panel.
The colouring person forgets that Jim Gordon has a moustache in one panel and in another, forgets that Two-face's ruined face is supposed to be a different colour to the other half. Then the artist seems to forget that Two-face is supposed to be different on each side of his face.
So slobby.
The artist has apparently never seen blood in real life and especially how it flows and smears, just like there are some really odd body shapes around this comic.
Batman's cape is confusingly huge (enormous) too, while it looks good some of the time, it looks weird most of the time.
Eventually Batman becomes an evil vampire, but he looks entirely different to Dracula, for some reason. He looks a bit like a corpse, but oddly enough, a corpse with ribs sticking out and *still* retaining a six-pack? Absolutely ridiculous.
The plot is atrocious. Didn't expect anything else, but I was really hoping.
Of course, Selina Kyle gets bitten as well, but for unexplained reasons, she becomes a weird sort of were-cat. Even though she was bitten by a vampire.
The comic is filled with nonsensical stuff like that and really needed more of a clearly established and defined rule set for how exactly the vampires work, how they turn people and how they die.
Batman, super genius and very well educated, has to be taught by some old lady that silver is bad for werewolves and the entire Dracula myth - maybe I'm all off here, but a man dressed as a bat and preying on superstition, well, I assumed he'd know of Stoker's Dracula.
Weird half-naked ladies are introduced without any real point. She's a short love interest for Batman, but it's so weak and it doesn't come off the pages well.
All in all a terrible waste of time. The only redemption is the sometimes-gorgeous artwork, but it's just as terrible at times as it is good at other times.
Just stay away from it, is my recommendation.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 5, 2012
Firstly I would like to say that ever since vampires became the new Justin Bieber of the entertainment industry and you could not go more than 5 seconds with out either hearing about Twighlight, or some other new moronic emo teen fantasy butt glitter, that I pretty much have grown to despise all things vampire. However my deep abiding love for dark and bloody Batman comics made it impossible for me to pass this one up and I am more than pleased to have Batman: Vampire now in my vast and ever growing collection.
Batman:Vampire is a Other World Story that takes place out side of the Batman universe that we all know and while this story carries with it manny of the same aspects it is vastly different from that Batman world you know. Vampire takes place in what appears to be a 1940-1950's gotham during what seems like Batman's earlier years in his war on crime. In this grim tale Batman investigates the brutal serial murders of Gotham's homeless found bloodless with slashed throats in the streets. Obsessed with finding the killer, and plagued with all to real dreams of a mysterious woman coming to him in his bed through red mist Batman begins to fit the pieces of a nightmare that his logical scientific mind refuses to believe exists until it is all to late, Vampires are real and they and no one is safe. In order for Batman to stop a global genocide he must destroy everything hes known and truly become the symbol of his cause, he must become a monster to defeat the greatest evil hes ever known, but at what cost?
Batman:Vampire is a Other World Story that takes place out side of the Batman universe that we all know and while this story carries with it manny of the same aspects it is vastly different from that Batman world you know. Vampire takes place in what appears to be a 1940-1950's gotham during what seems like Batman's earlier years in his war on crime. In this grim tale Batman investigates the brutal serial murders of Gotham's homeless found bloodless with slashed throats in the streets. Obsessed with finding the killer, and plagued with all to real dreams of a mysterious woman coming to him in his bed through red mist Batman begins to fit the pieces of a nightmare that his logical scientific mind refuses to believe exists until it is all to late, Vampires are real and they and no one is safe. In order for Batman to stop a global genocide he must destroy everything hes known and truly become the symbol of his cause, he must become a monster to defeat the greatest evil hes ever known, but at what cost?
December 23, 2018
Maybe my favourite comic of all time now. The trilogy is well plotted, and the art just gets weirder and grosser and better as it goes on, and the lettering is so delicious. Batman’s inner-monologues toward the end verge on the melodramatic, but there’s real suffering there, and compared to newer comics, his speeches are nowhere near silly, and in fact, the dialogue in all three sections is sharp and odd and great to read. A really great pace, no weird loose ends, and a perfectly contained story that doesn’t need to be time-travel reversed or multiverse’d into something new or blah blah blah. I can’t believe how many great self-contained titles DC seems to have out, nor can I believe how cheap they are in digital format compared to anything I’ve purchased from Marvel or Dark Horse from their similar apps. If DC wants to compete with Disney-powered Marvel films, they should be adapting things like this into films, not trying to compete with an unsustainable hyperextended expanding universe like that of the MCU. It takes that Disney-engine to make a Star Wars film a year viable, and it takes a Disney-engine to give enough juice to cobble together bad superhero elements to make something watchable like the Avengers. DC: mine your incredible back catalogue like this to tell great stories, and don’t waste your time mimicking Marvel.
April 25, 2019
Betmen mene ne radi inače nešto posebno, ali ovde Betmen nije toliki smetenjak kao i obično. Kad ga Drakula prekrsti po vratu, prenese na njega finu dozu svoga zverstva, pa ovom izrastu krila, nabreknu mišice i naravno zubi. Morališe on tu i tamo i dalje, ali žeđ nadvladava, pa kad krene da čupa grkljane redom, eto zabave. Napokon oni njegovi mikimaus vilani, koji me tek nerviraju, dobijaju zasluženi tretman. E sad dežurne kukumavke imaju primedbe na crtež da je zastareo i "over the top", pa "vidi kolke su Betmenu uši", ali ja kažem - jok! Da se razumemo, voli i baba Džima Lija, sinko, međutim oldskul crtež Keli Džonsa, pod očiglednim uticajem velikog tate za horor Bernija Rajtsona, je prava stvar za ovakvu palp gotik horor priču. Groteskne face, velke sise i dupeta, mrak, krvopljus - top! A velike uši Betmen ima da može bolje čuje.
Jedino onaj Betmenov unutrašnji glas - de ga napisaše pisanim slovima (kako kod nas tako i kod amerikanca) i to nekim slepačkim rukopisom - namuči se.
Jedino onaj Betmenov unutrašnji glas - de ga napisaše pisanim slovima (kako kod nas tako i kod amerikanca) i to nekim slepačkim rukopisom - namuči se.
November 7, 2019
This has become my favourite Batman book. i love the Dark Knight returns and Batman year one, but as a fan of the Caped Crusader and of horror, this book delivered on so many levels.
The book does nothing to expand the Batman Mythos, as it is a stand along, else world tale, but I think the Dark Knight lends himself very well to the theme and setting. I've always loved the Batman stories set away from the reusable villains, because it forced the comic to commit and this commits whole heartedly.
Kelley Jone's art has always been hit and miss for me, but he does a great job in this book, making everything look dark and grotesque. Granted, it's not for everyone, especially if you like standard shapes and forms. This book borders on abstract sometimes.
I like Vampires too and the blood thirsty ghouls in this book look great and proper creepy. All in all, a great read and a much loved addition to my humble Batman collection of books.
The book does nothing to expand the Batman Mythos, as it is a stand along, else world tale, but I think the Dark Knight lends himself very well to the theme and setting. I've always loved the Batman stories set away from the reusable villains, because it forced the comic to commit and this commits whole heartedly.
Kelley Jone's art has always been hit and miss for me, but he does a great job in this book, making everything look dark and grotesque. Granted, it's not for everyone, especially if you like standard shapes and forms. This book borders on abstract sometimes.
I like Vampires too and the blood thirsty ghouls in this book look great and proper creepy. All in all, a great read and a much loved addition to my humble Batman collection of books.
February 14, 2021
Prica iz multiverzuma znači da mogu da totalno izmene priču što su vala bas i uradili. U pitanju je horor priča o Betmen i njegovom sukobu sa drakulom bar na početku posle se to širi na Dzokera i sve ostale zlikovce. Sveska ima skoro 300 stranica. Zao mi je sto nisam čitao ovako nesto kao klinac pošto bi bilo bas strasno ovako je samo dobro. Betmen se u ovoj priči pretvara u Vampira i nekako se kontroliše dok ne popije Dzokerovu krv onda poludi i počinje da ubija sve živo na prvom mestu kriminalce ali sa tendencijom da počne da ubija i nevine. Nešto što je totalno drugačije od klasičnog Betmena i zato sam uživao čitajući ovo delo. Pogotovo je kraj sveske dramatican! Preporuka!
April 21, 2022
Cominciato il 20 aprile 2021 per la prima volta e poi abbandonato. Ci ho riprovato a gennaio 2022.
E dopo lunga e penosa malattia sono riuscita a finirlo.
Per prima cosa il disegno: brutto! Ci sono muscoli sul corpo di Batman che non credo esistano in realtà.
La storia. Il primo capitolo non mi è dispiaciuto. Il secondo così, così. Il terzo non finiva più. Luuuungo. Noioso... Con Batman che pensa e pensa e pensa e parla tra sé e sé.
Sorry, Maciek, forse Batman in versione a fumetti non fa proprio per me.
E dopo lunga e penosa malattia sono riuscita a finirlo.
Per prima cosa il disegno: brutto! Ci sono muscoli sul corpo di Batman che non credo esistano in realtà.
La storia. Il primo capitolo non mi è dispiaciuto. Il secondo così, così. Il terzo non finiva più. Luuuungo. Noioso... Con Batman che pensa e pensa e pensa e parla tra sé e sé.
Sorry, Maciek, forse Batman in versione a fumetti non fa proprio per me.
July 13, 2017
I love this concept of batman being a vampire and fighting vampires. I like this elsewhere story a lot and the art is decent, sometimes the art style looks weird like close ups of Alfred's face and there is a point where cat-woman falls into a river and her clothes melt off? But if you want to see Batman at his most brutal you should probably pick up this volume because it has all 3 of the vampire Batman tales. ~Ashley
October 13, 2016
Tavole bellissime, pittoriche, quasi grottesche. Una storia che richiama i canoni horror d'altri tempi, dal Nosferatu al Dracula di Stoker, dove è l'atmosfera a fare da padrona regalandoci qualche brivido lungo la schiena e qualche riflessione sul concetto di umanità e di mostro.
La consiglio anche ai non amanti degli elseworld e/o dei vampiri in generale: credetemi, vi stupirà.
La consiglio anche ai non amanti degli elseworld e/o dei vampiri in generale: credetemi, vi stupirà.
February 6, 2011
I liked bits and pieces, but I mostly found the dialogue trying to hard to pass as deep and dark. Also I couldn't truly understand half of what was written for the internal dialogue of Batman; I felt like I was prying into some Goth kids wet dream in their diary.
December 23, 2019
The same team who did Batman: Dark Joker - The Wild bring us this trilogy with a slightly better reputation.
It works better as an Elseworlds story than that one because it basically takes the established lore as a starting point and then goes wild, continuity be damned, instead of creating a whole new mythology from the ground up. In fact, I’d like it better if it was closer to canon - if Catwoman is her usual self BEFORE her transformation, if Two Face is already himself...There’s lots of little touches to suggest this isn’t the normal universe too. Didn’t need them. Just do the normal Batman universe, then throw Dracula and vampires into the mix and go crazy.
That’s mostly what they did anyway - in Red Rain, Batman takes on Drac and his army of vampires in Gotham. He has help from “good” vampires and a blood substitute serum...so yes this is very similar to Marvel’s Tomb of Dracula comic. Near the end he becomes a vampire himself, even sprouting big bat wings. Throughout, due to a weather phenomena, it appears to rain blood.
In Bloodstorm, some remaining vampires are being picked off by Batman, still vampiric himself. The Joker takes up the mantle of their leader (never becoming one himself) and begins a takeover of the city. Batman begins to lose control, the desire to take blood growing (he’s using a serum he got in Red Rain, that is less effective by the night) until ultimately succumbing in the Joker’s lair and drinking his enemy’s blood. As per his request, the even more monstrous vampire Batman is killed by Alfred and Gordon.
In Crimson Mist, a plague of monstrous crooks from Batman’s rogue gallery (some of are either vampires themselves, or newly emboldened in Batman’s absence for worse behaviour) haunts the city. Desperate, Gordon yanks the stake and Batman is resurrected, more monstrous than ever before. Now, he hunts down all the villains, drinks their blood and does the city the concession of decapitating them so they don’t become vampire competition. Heads are lined up outside Blackgate as a warning. It’s Batman on Hellish crack as he just about aims his bloodlust as “bad” people and terrifies the underground. Eventually, Gordon and Alfred decide to take on Batman themselves. The art is laziest here - in both this and Bloodlust I can spot movie stills as basis for panels (oh, Joker is Lon Chaney in London After Midnight, oh, Penguin is Vincent Price). But they still generally look good.
Overall, a really fun set of Batman stories that go in a pretty out there direction. The cursive script was sometimes hard to read but I liked it!
It works better as an Elseworlds story than that one because it basically takes the established lore as a starting point and then goes wild, continuity be damned, instead of creating a whole new mythology from the ground up. In fact, I’d like it better if it was closer to canon - if Catwoman is her usual self BEFORE her transformation, if Two Face is already himself...There’s lots of little touches to suggest this isn’t the normal universe too. Didn’t need them. Just do the normal Batman universe, then throw Dracula and vampires into the mix and go crazy.
That’s mostly what they did anyway - in Red Rain, Batman takes on Drac and his army of vampires in Gotham. He has help from “good” vampires and a blood substitute serum...so yes this is very similar to Marvel’s Tomb of Dracula comic. Near the end he becomes a vampire himself, even sprouting big bat wings. Throughout, due to a weather phenomena, it appears to rain blood.
In Bloodstorm, some remaining vampires are being picked off by Batman, still vampiric himself. The Joker takes up the mantle of their leader (never becoming one himself) and begins a takeover of the city. Batman begins to lose control, the desire to take blood growing (he’s using a serum he got in Red Rain, that is less effective by the night) until ultimately succumbing in the Joker’s lair and drinking his enemy’s blood. As per his request, the even more monstrous vampire Batman is killed by Alfred and Gordon.
In Crimson Mist, a plague of monstrous crooks from Batman’s rogue gallery (some of are either vampires themselves, or newly emboldened in Batman’s absence for worse behaviour) haunts the city. Desperate, Gordon yanks the stake and Batman is resurrected, more monstrous than ever before. Now, he hunts down all the villains, drinks their blood and does the city the concession of decapitating them so they don’t become vampire competition. Heads are lined up outside Blackgate as a warning. It’s Batman on Hellish crack as he just about aims his bloodlust as “bad” people and terrifies the underground. Eventually, Gordon and Alfred decide to take on Batman themselves. The art is laziest here - in both this and Bloodlust I can spot movie stills as basis for panels (oh, Joker is Lon Chaney in London After Midnight, oh, Penguin is Vincent Price). But they still generally look good.
Overall, a really fun set of Batman stories that go in a pretty out there direction. The cursive script was sometimes hard to read but I liked it!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 133 reviews