Batman: Nine Lives

    (DC, 2002)
™ and ©2002 DC Comics

Batman was a frightening, brooding avenger. The Dark Knight’s ominous shadow was an echo of late 30s and early 40s film noir cinema. In this 128-page work— printed in a sideways format— writer Dean Motter and artist Michael Lark take Batman back to his earliest roots. Although it’s an Elseworlds tale, venturing beyond DC continuity, Nine Lives is an accurate reflection of the classic Detective Comics style: an atmospheric, gritty crime drama loaded with mystery. Batman is a vigilante named “The Bat-Man” who is investigating the death of a lover, Selina Kyle. Richard Grayson, originally Robin in regular continuity, is a detective in this parallel universe helping to crack the case before another body is found.

— Michael Sutton
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