Gotham City is ripe with violence, impostor Jokerz and Guardian Bats are vying for each others throats as Gotham is plunged into chaos, is the Dark Knight to blame for all of this? or is there a mastermind behind all of this violence?
What would happen if people started impersonating the Joker and Batman and took to the streets taking the fundamentals of each character of chaos and protecting the innocent?
This is what Batman Impostors runs with, the concept is fresh take on the Batman universe and for the most part, it does the initial concept justice bar a few complaints that hurt the overall plot. The book is also setup as a gateway into Gotham City Impostors, which is a game currently in development that is set to release sometime in 2012.
Batman Impostors
Art by Scott McDaniel
The Story picks up with Jokerz causing disturbances around Gotham, regular citizens intoxicated on an altered version of Joker venom, which is non-lethal to the user. Things heat up when a fatality occurs when Police intervene, an impostor Joker takes control of the chaos and as a repercussions an impostor Batman rises up and both parties go head to head in the streets in a deadly war as riots break out in Gotham City.
Batman and the Gotham PD try to figure out who the perpetrators are even looking into their own ranks as suspicions rise of who is leading these Guardian Bats against the Jokerz.
Throughout the story, more is revealed of the impostor Joker through flashbacks of a prior incident that made him the man he is today. His fall is a tragic one that makes you feel for him, he is mentally screwed up through events that were outside of his control and by the end you see everything for what it is.Even though his actions are psychotic there is something that makes his argument valid.
The impostor Joker is a really great villain and it all comes down to is fantastic back story which is portrayed perfectly that totally sells you on this character and his motivations.
The art is by Scott McDaniel who has previously worked on Batman in the Batman Fugitive series. His style of art works well for Impostors. The exaggerated cartoon style helps to put over the maniacal Jokerz and their crazed ways as they terrorize Gotham. At times it does come over as a little too much when the Jokerz are featured and the pages are filled with and onslaught of colour. I found it worked best when there was a contrasting of styles and colour and this is evident in the scenes where Batman is confronting the Jokerz. The soft mute colours of Gotham the dark silhouette of Batman surround by purple and white figures.
The Impostor Joker looks great but he almost looks a little too much like the Joker but the signature Joker Smile never gets old.
The book as a whole has a lot going for it with a strong concept that really hasn’t been touched upon since Frank Miller’s Dark Knight Returns delved into the idea of people taking up the symbol of Batman, fighting for the greater good.
The story while simple at its essence is solid throughout and while the Jokerz vs. the Guardian Bats is interesting it is the confrontation between the Impostor Joker and Batman and how their lives intertwine that steals the show.
Upon first reading, I did enjoy this book and I still do, the scenario it places Batman in is an interesting one but after I had read it, a few questions came to mind. For one this does not fit into the current continuity. It refers to Professor PYG who is a recent villain that Dick Grayson has faced but Bruce Wayne has yet to encounter. All the while, it is written as if this is Bruce Wayne and this is obvious from the way he speaks and interacts with characters such as Jim Gordon and Alfred, he is wearing the pre Batman Inc costume.
Taking all this into account it doesn’t fit well anywhere into the current continuity, it feels like it dropped a few things to tie it in, to make it more than just a stepping stone for the game but in doing so it just makes things confusing.
The Verdict
Throughout the story, more is revealed of the impostor Joker through flashbacks of a prior incident that made him the man he is today. His fall is a tragic one that makes you feel for him, he is mentally screwed up through events that were outside of his control and by the end you see everything for what it is.Even though his actions are psychotic there is something that makes his argument valid.
The impostor Joker is a really great villain and it all comes down to is fantastic back story which is portrayed perfectly that totally sells you on this character and his motivations.
The art is by Scott McDaniel who has previously worked on Batman in the Batman Fugitive series. His style of art works well for Impostors. The exaggerated cartoon style helps to put over the maniacal Jokerz and their crazed ways as they terrorize Gotham. At times it does come over as a little too much when the Jokerz are featured and the pages are filled with and onslaught of colour. I found it worked best when there was a contrasting of styles and colour and this is evident in the scenes where Batman is confronting the Jokerz. The soft mute colours of Gotham the dark silhouette of Batman surround by purple and white figures.
The Impostor Joker looks great but he almost looks a little too much like the Joker but the signature Joker Smile never gets old.
The book as a whole has a lot going for it with a strong concept that really hasn’t been touched upon since Frank Miller’s Dark Knight Returns delved into the idea of people taking up the symbol of Batman, fighting for the greater good.
The story while simple at its essence is solid throughout and while the Jokerz vs. the Guardian Bats is interesting it is the confrontation between the Impostor Joker and Batman and how their lives intertwine that steals the show.
Upon first reading, I did enjoy this book and I still do, the scenario it places Batman in is an interesting one but after I had read it, a few questions came to mind. For one this does not fit into the current continuity. It refers to Professor PYG who is a recent villain that Dick Grayson has faced but Bruce Wayne has yet to encounter. All the while, it is written as if this is Bruce Wayne and this is obvious from the way he speaks and interacts with characters such as Jim Gordon and Alfred, he is wearing the pre Batman Inc costume.
Taking all this into account it doesn’t fit well anywhere into the current continuity, it feels like it dropped a few things to tie it in, to make it more than just a stepping stone for the game but in doing so it just makes things confusing.
The Verdict
I did enjoy this book but I don’t think it’s for everyone especially for people interested in collecting only the current continuity they will be disappointed. This is a solid stand-alone book that sheds light on an interesting subject but in trying to fit into continuity, it comes across as a mess. When you have finished reading it, and you wonder who is Batman. Then there is something wrong.
If you are interested in the upcoming Gotham City Impostors then you might want to check this out because it at least does a good job of setting up the premise for that game, making the absurd nature of the game reasonable once reading this.
The story is a fun read no doubt about it, but if you want to get the most out of it treat it as an elseword story as that is what it truly is.
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