Batman: Nightwalker

Lu (The Young Elites, 2014) continues the DC Icons series with this second installment; this time, the focus is on Bruce Wayne before he became Batman. Lu's take on the caped superhero imagines him as a restless high-school senior who happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time when he witnesses criminals escaping a crime scene and gives chase himself. Following his reckless (but ultimately successful) vigilantism, Bruce is sentenced to community service at where else? the infamous Arkham Asylum. Housed there among Gotham's roughest criminals is brilliant but troubled Madeleine, who makes Bruce question everything he thinks he knows about the nature of evil. Familiar faces will be welcome to Batman fans, but none stand out save for Madeleine. Even Bruce, from whose perspective the story is told, is somewhat bland. However, Lu excels at making action sequences come alive and feel immediate, and this latest is no exception. An action-packed thriller from one of YA's preeminent voices. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Lu's a blockbuster in her own right; when combined with this high-interest series, she's unstoppable.--Kling, Caitlin Copyright 2017 Booklist

Gr 8 Up-Bruce Wayne faces off against the Nightwalkers in this prose novel based on Batman. Bruce has just turned 18 and is now in full control of his family fortune. Graduation is around the corner, but interfering in a police matter gets him a community service sentence cleaning floors at the Arkham Asylum. There he meets the Madeleine, a member of the Nightwalkers, locked away in solitary. When Madeleine, who refuses to talk to the police, begins talking to Bruce about her gang, the police enlist his help in the investigation. Bruce is intrigued by the beautiful yet dangerous Madeleine. The Nightwalkers are taking out the city's rich and famous, and Bruce has just been added to their list. With the help of his friends, his company's technology, and a strong desire for justice, Bruce must save Gotham from the Nightwalkers. This work can be enjoyed by fans of Batman looking for more backstory as well as those unfamiliar with the Caped Crusader. The Nightwalkers, who use violence to spread their message, fit well as a villain group within the Gotham City universe. It is through his interaction with the Nightwalkers that Bruce realizes that he and his technology may be able to help the city in ways the police cannot. A fast-paced story line, action-packed fight sequences, and hi-tech gadgetry expected from any Batman story make this a fun read with wide appeal. VERDICT A first purchase for young adult collections.-Marissa Lieberman, East Orange Public Library, NJ © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Eighteen-year-old do-gooder Bruce Wayne lands in community service mopping Arkham Asylum and becomes obsessed with a young female inmate (Batman). Selina Kyle steals from Gotham City's rich and powerful, encountering other female criminal powerhouses as well as steamy Luke Fox, a.k.a. Batwing (Catwoman). These classic dark superhero tales are full of the expected action, intrigue, and tangled romance. Maas's characters are especially woke. [Review covers these DC Icons titles: Batman and Catwoman.] (c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Young Bruce Wayne has a pre-Batman adventure.Famed boy billionaire Bruce Wayne has just turned 18, officially inheriting his deceased parents' vast fortune. But Bruce doesn't have time to give his coming-of-age much thought: a gang calling itself the Nightwalkers is terrorizing the elite citizens of Gotham City, and Bruce is determined to shut them down. Bruce's antics earn him a community-service sentence in Arkham Asylum, where he cross paths with Asian-American Madeleine Wallace, an accused murderer with ties to the Nightwalkers. Madeleine remains silent when the cops are around but speaks privately to Bruce. As the two grow closer Bruce works to shine a light on the mysterious gang and perhaps get a possibly innocent Madeleine released. Lu effectively mixes familiar Batman characters and locations with the new Nightwalkers and Madeleine, avoiding overstuffing the narrative with future villains and excessive Batman foreshadowing. The trickiest aspect of any Batman narrative is getting into Bruce Wayne's head, and she doesn't miss a beat. Bruce is headstrong, haunted but not overwhelmed, and capable of improvisation, but he isn't yet the fully formed Caped Crusader. The building blocks are there, but the author doesn't rush to assemble them too quickly. Bruce's terrible, self-destructive taste in women travels from the comics to this novel, making his relationship with Madeleine suitably complex and a bit frustrating at the same time.An engaging character piece with enough Batman allusions to intrigue fans and newcomers alike. (Fantasy. 12-16) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Lu (The Young Elites, 2014) continues the DC Icons series with this second installment; this time, the focus is on Bruce Wayne before he became Batman. Lu's take on the caped superhero imagines him as a restless high-school senior who happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time when he witnesses criminals escaping a crime scene and gives chase himself. Following his reckless (but ultimately successful) vigilantism, Bruce is sentenced to community service at—where else?—the infamous Arkham Asylum. Housed there among Gotham's roughest criminals is brilliant but troubled Madeleine, who makes Bruce question everything he thinks he knows about the nature of evil. Familiar faces will be welcome to Batman fans, but none stand out save for Madeleine. Even Bruce, from whose perspective the story is told, is somewhat bland. However, Lu excels at making action sequences come alive and feel immediate, and this latest is no exception. An action-packed thriller from one of YA's preeminent voices. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Lu's a blockbuster in her own right; when combined with this high-interest series, she's unstoppable. Copyright 2017 Booklist Reviews.

Gr 8 Up—Bruce Wayne faces off against the Nightwalkers in this prose novel based on Batman. Bruce has just turned 18 and is now in full control of his family fortune. Graduation is around the corner, but interfering in a police matter gets him a community service sentence cleaning floors at the Arkham Asylum. There he meets the Madeleine, a member of the Nightwalkers, locked away in solitary. When Madeleine, who refuses to talk to the police, begins talking to Bruce about her gang, the police enlist his help in the investigation. Bruce is intrigued by the beautiful yet dangerous Madeleine. The Nightwalkers are taking out the city's rich and famous, and Bruce has just been added to their list. With the help of his friends, his company's technology, and a strong desire for justice, Bruce must save Gotham from the Nightwalkers. This work can be enjoyed by fans of Batman looking for more backstory as well as those unfamiliar with the Caped Crusader. The Nightwalkers, who use violence to spread their message, fit well as a villain group within the Gotham City universe. It is through his interaction with the Nightwalkers that Bruce realizes that he and his technology may be able to help the city in ways the police cannot. A fast-paced story line, action-packed fight sequences, and hi-tech gadgetry expected from any Batman story make this a fun read with wide appeal. VERDICT A first purchase for young adult collections.—Marissa Lieberman, East Orange Public Library, NJ