Booknote: Damian: Son of Batman

Andy Kubert, Damian: Son of Batman. New York: DC Comics, 2014. ISBN: 9781401246426. 

This volume is a different tale. It tells of a future where Batman dies and Damian, who lived, takes up the cowl to carry his father's mission and legacy. However, Damian is also the son of Talia al Ghul, daughter of Ra's al Ghul. Thus Damian has some very different ideas of how crime in Gotham should be handled.

I liked the idea of this, but I did not always find the execution consistent. The story seemed a bit convoluted at times, difficult to follow. The transitions from one plot point to another were not always very good. Then we have the cat; yes, there is a talking cat (is Damian going mad?). I won't spoil, but there are a lot of details that get confusing;  you think it is one thing, turns out to be something else, often without any build up or rationale. Still, I found the art to be pretty good, and a fair reason to read this. In the end, I did find this to be an interesting alternate path to the Batman story. Bottom line it was ok.

The comic is part of DC's The New 52 series. For public libraries, I would consider this an optional purchase; if they already collect a good amount of Batman comics, they may want to add this one. For academic libraries with graphic novel collections, this is an optional title. For my library, I would get it if a patron requested it. 

I am giving it a basic 2 out of 5 stars as it was ok, but just too much of a mess to recommend it higher. This is a title that, if you must, borrow it rather than buy it. 

Disclosure note: Here is where I tell you I read this as an e-galley from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thus, we keep The Man happy.