BATMAN: EGO AND OTHER TAILS

> Review by michael hoffert jr.

A “You Are Now Leaving Gotham City” sign, a shadowy figure, a crime spree, and a monolithic art-deco bridge open this brilliant book by master comic book storyteller Darwyn Cooke. Collecting Cooke’s work on one of the most iconic figures in pop culture history, Batman: Ego and Other Tails is one-part gripping stories, one-part pure artistic beauty. The first story, one of Cooke’s earliest comic book works, tells the tale of a criminal who commits suicide in front of the Batman out of fear of the Joker’s wrath, and the psychological ramifications that event has on the Dark Knight. Part history, part character exploration, Ego encapsulates everything that has made the 76-year-old character iconic and relevant. Following that is a story featuring Catwoman in a criminal heist story that feels like it stepped right out of the pages of Donald E. Westlake. It’s fast, witty, smart, and sexy, all wrapped up in the bow that is Cooke’s pencils and inks. After that is a wonderful cherry on top, with four short stories either written, illustrated, or both, by Cooke that range from a bouncy, fun Batman/Catwoman romance story to a heart-breaking and brutal story of failure and the struggle for forgiveness. Cooke’s art styles evoke both the classic and modern, telling Batman stories that will captivate any reader, whether you grew up with the 1990’s cartoon, are a fan of Christopher Nolan’s film trilogy, or everything in between.