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herajuno's review against another edition
2.5
What is unique about Batman 1989 is that its Bruce Wayne is not a monolith. He’s just Some Guy who struggles with balancing his need to punch Gotham’s worst into prison and a need to connect with other people - Alfred, Vicki, and later Selena Kyle - which is relatably human.
It’s why I prefer this Bruce Wayne to other incarnations of the character, but that translation of the character from screen to book is pretty flat. Vicki sees him as a lost little boy, but Batman is consistently charging headlong into mortal peril with the stated intent of dying in the act, which is…. A lot. A lot of my favorite scenes from the film were lost, and what was added was not really substantial enough to justify it.
In terms of novelizations it is not novel, but it does fine. Getting inside the Joker’s head is nice and is solidly written, and it did nix the really stupid thing where Vicki catches Bruce sleeping upside down, which I appreciate (seriously, being upside down for long periods can cause swelling in the brain, which can lead to death! I don’t care if it’s theatric, it’s ridiculous).
I’d prefer to watch the movie, and I wouldn’t recommend reading this in place of watching the movie, but it was a nice way to pass the time. It does not stand on its own, standing as it does on the shoulders of a great film, but then again, it is a really great film to be standing on.
It’s why I prefer this Bruce Wayne to other incarnations of the character, but that translation of the character from screen to book is pretty flat. Vicki sees him as a lost little boy, but Batman is consistently charging headlong into mortal peril with the stated intent of dying in the act, which is…. A lot. A lot of my favorite scenes from the film were lost, and what was added was not really substantial enough to justify it.
In terms of novelizations it is not novel, but it does fine. Getting inside the Joker’s head is nice and is solidly written, and it did nix the really stupid thing where Vicki catches Bruce sleeping upside down, which I appreciate (seriously, being upside down for long periods can cause swelling in the brain, which can lead to death! I don’t care if it’s theatric, it’s ridiculous).
I’d prefer to watch the movie, and I wouldn’t recommend reading this in place of watching the movie, but it was a nice way to pass the time. It does not stand on its own, standing as it does on the shoulders of a great film, but then again, it is a really great film to be standing on.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism, Violence, Body horror, Death of parent, Mental illness, and Murder
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