Batman: Haunted Gotham Review

First off, let me just say how much I love Batman. When my husband introduced me to comics, I hadn't seen any superhero movies, read the comics or played the games. I had seen Spider-Man with Toby McGuire, and really, need I say more on how those films just didn't cut it? I finally deigned to read Batman for his sake... and I fell in love.
The darkness, the mystery, the pain and the rage! It hit me, slammed straight into my heart, into everything my nineteen-year-old little psyche romanticized. I sympathized with the boy, empathized with the man and fully supported the legend of the Batman. My husband thought it was funny how quickly I became obsessed, demanding that we watch the next movie, and yes, of COURSE he should raid his (rather impressive) comic collection for anything even referring to the Dark Knight.
My two and a half year old son has known who Batman was since he could barely walk. And he harbors his own, partially forced upon him, love for the alter ego of Bruce Wayne. I say alter ego, but really, Bruce is a farce, the cowl is an unmasking.

So, it came as a pretty big surprise when I discovered I really didn't care for the Elseworlds book, Batman: Haunted Gotham. And by "didn't care for" I mean I really, really, really wish I had never read it. I disliked the entire idea of the plot, though no offense meant to the writer Doug Moench, but despite none meant...

I understand that Haunted Gotham  is an Elseworlds book. Truly, I get it. But sorcery? Werewolves? Talking freaking skeletons? No. Just, no. For my first delve into a supernatural realm with Batman, I felt like it was a bit much, but that's probably just me. I will admit, I walked into this one eager as a puppy. The first page didn't disappoint.

Beware
All Who Enter
Haunted Gotham
Where the gates
To Heaven are
Forever Barred
Where Evil
Has declared victory
Where Hell
Brushes the earth
Where dark
Demons steal
All light

Chills, right? This was my favorite page, and my favorite part. Ignoring the annoyingly invasive speech bubble located elsewhere on the page, the art was beautifully dark. The tombstones were simple and perfect, the distant city forbidding and uninviting, untouchable. Then WHAM! An amazingly drawn, and inked (thanks to artist Kelley Jones and inker John Beatty), marker, with a gargoyle and a kneeling angel. Daniel Vozzo did very few colors, and the effect is utterly stunning. All in all, I was all set for a remarkable read.

Yeah, about that....

I cannot quite put my finger on it, but maybe it was the way Bruce Wayne inherited the Batman-dom. Actually, it could be the fact that he INHERITED the Batman-dom! That isn't something you inherit! The whole point of Batman is that he is driven by rage, and pain, and guilt, and a very unhealthy need for revenge. He needs to punish his parent's killer, he needs to find a reason to exist. Being Batman is that reason! He trains hard and fast to become who he needs to be, to embrace the fear he has that is constantly eating away at him.
It. Isn't. Handed. To Him.

Batman isn't a family tradition! It isn't a legacy to be passed down from father to son, like Thomas Wayne did after his death, through the ever faithful Alfred.

Maybe I'm ridiculous, but I feel like the crime-fighting passion that burns within Bruce wouldn't be nearly as fierce as it was in the real world of Gotham. In Haunted Gotham it's just a convenient, "Oh hey, I know I'm dead. Here's an outlet for you. Carry on both the family businesses!"
Puh-lease.

I didn't really find myself liking the Batman design either. I love the blanked out eyes. I agree with Phil Hester, who feels that Batman is less believable with blanked out eyes, and therefore, should always have them. On that, I salute you Mr. Jones. However, detracting from the awesome eyes are the ears.

Hello, are we trying to pick up Sputnik?

I almost feel like the ridiculously tall ears are going out of the way to emphasize the bat-inspiration for the Caped Crusader. I guess that's understandable to most people, but not to me. Just why? What purpose do they serve? They'd get in the way, get caught in things and just look plain ole silly. On the other hand, they DO help make an impressive shadow I suppose.

I love the artwork. I love the simplicity. I love how there is just enough detail in the panels to make it seem like everything is fully detailed and planned out to have maximum effect. But when you throw it all together, the faces, the character design, the colors of Beatty... The overall impression gives me chills in a bad way. I don't want to say it seems sloppy or poorly done, because that's not it. That would be much more simple for me, refreshingly so. There is just something about what is technically good work that throws the whole kit and kaboodle off kilter for me.

I don't know. Maybe I'm just too stuck on MY Batman to be open to an Elseworlds re-write of him. At the end of the day, I wouldn't recommend Haunted Gotham  to a friend, maybe an enemy though.