Review: Batman/The Shadow: The Murder Geniuses

Quick Summary

Pros: The collection shines a unique light on Batman’s development, particularly in how it was inspired by the Shadow’s existence. Parts of the narrative are fun and exciting. The artwork is unique and remains positive for most of the read.

Cons: The narrative is not that appealing in the first half of the book.

Overall: This comic provides some great commentary on Batman as a character but doesn’t tell the most compelling story. The majority of the collection focuses on turning the Shadow’s real-world influence on Batman’s real-world creation into a part of DC continuity. This process for this provides moments of fun but, in general, ends up being a bit unappealing. In the end, this is a collection for readers interested in seeing some unique metacommentary, not readers looking for the best Batman story out there.

Story

Batman/The Shadow, by Scott Snyder and Steve Orlando, does something unique but doesn’t exactly do it in the most engaging way. The biggest draw here comes from the way it explores the real-world relationship between Batman and the Shadow. It acknowledges that the Shadow had a big impact on the creation of Batman but that Batman, as a character, has grown tremendously since that time. These metatextual elements are worked directly into the story, in a way that is interesting to see play out. Unfortunately, the book’s overall narrative isn’t that exciting and the action is never too compelling. This weakens the overall reading experience and leaves it only worthwhile to readers who are thoroughly intrigued by the concepts surrounding the Batman/Shadow relationship.

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The main storyline in Batman/The Shadow is a bit mixed. In some places, the story is interesting, as it builds up a mystery with serious consequences. This comes to a head in the collection’s conclusion, which gets highly creative in the use of mystical powers and alternate dimensions.

However, in other places, the narrative is bogged down by explanations about mysterious aspects of the Shadow’s character. These less exciting passages are juxtaposed against dramatic clashes of action, like the one that takes place underneath Gotham, but the action is never developed enough to feel like anything more than a cheap show of force. For the most part, the collection, particularly its first half, leaves plenty to be desired.

Where Batman/The Shadow succeeds is in its examination of Batman, much of which is viewed through the lens of the Shadow’s influence. Most fans are aware that Batman was, at minimum, inspired by the Shadow, especially near the beginning of Batman’s publication history. The narrative here weaves the Shadow’s influence directly into Batman’s life. This is handled rather well and works as a thematic way to represent real-world inspiration.

Batman/The Shadow then takes this inspiration and shows how it has developed over the years. It suggests that Batman grew from a vengeance-driven detective, only caring about taking down criminals, into something even more. Batman’s development of a family and his preference for reform over punishment show that he has moved beyond the pulp stories that inspired his creation. Seeing all of this play out and witnessing the Shadow realize all of it makes for a satisfying reading experience.

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Art

The artwork in Batman/The Shadow is almost entirely positive. Riley Rossmo’s visuals look bold and different, allowing this collection to define itself as something unique. The page structures further this and give the book a satisfying flow that helps develop action and suspense. Rossmo’s artwork also easily accommodates the strange forces that constantly surround the Shadow and the Stag, allowing both of these characters to feel as otherworldly as the text calls for them to feel. In general, the visuals here look good and are an asset to the collection as a whole.

The only gripe I had with Rossmo’s artwork is that it occasionally leaves faces looking blank and unresponsive. This does not happen often, but when it does it can mildly disrupt the read.

Continuity

Batman/The Shadow: The Murder Geniuses is a standalone story that takes place at some point during the Rebirth era of DC Comics.

This story mostly stands on its own. However, it is somewhat continued in The Shadow/Batman.

This volume also makes references to other comic books, detailed below:

• Harry Vincent’s reference to a suicide attempt is a direct reference to Shadow Magazine #1, the first Shadow story.
• The breaking of Batman’s back, from the Batman: Knightfall arc, is mentioned.