The only beef I have with Batman: Dark Victory is that it's a novel that relies on you having read it's predecessor (The Long Halloween) to understand what's going on. Fortunately, I have and whilst Dark Victory follows a very similar premise to Halloween (Batman, Gordon et al are on the search for a serial killer who murders on holidays), it is, in true sequel fashion, it is a continuation rather than a retread, with character motivations and plot points consequential of events that happened in the previous novel.
Like most of the prominent Batman graphic novel, Dark Victory is dark, brutal and somewhat pessimistic. You can see key influences in terms of style and dialogue that Christopher Nolan pinched for his epic Batman sequel and whilst Dark Victory is not as well known as The Long Halloween (which, in fairness, is the one where much of The Dark Knight's style came from), it's something of a shame as it is equally interesting and shocking. I didn't even mind that they introduced Robin.
I am somewhat biased towards anything in the Batman-verse but I liked Dark Victory as much as the likes of The Long Halloween, The Dark Knight Returns and The Killing Joke. Jeff Loeb and Tim Sale collaborated on yet another Batman novel called Haunted Knight and have given Catwoman her own yarn called When In Rome (set during her six month disappearance in Dark Victory) both of which I'm eager to read.
Batman is my homeboy.
4.5/5
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