Batman Death Mask

This is a worthy successor to Child of Dreams. The art is excellent and the story is good. The action is good and the story is a bit more mature than other Batman titles. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed Child of Dreams and who also loves manga and anime. This is another title that would do well to be converted to anime. The exploration of one of Bruce Waynes fighting styles and struggles with internal demons is nicely done. The comparison of the Batman to Oni is a great and often overlooked aspect of the Batman mythos. Highly recommended for collectors and enthusiast.

A good read but nothing more. No moments to remember but overall a good story with flashbacks into the training of the dark knight.

astonishing manga,

My grandson was very pleased with this gift.

I thought this was pretty good but a bit strange reading Batman as a manga. I liked the story much more than the illustration. This was originally published as an American 4-issue mini-series and is collected here together in a one-shot Japanese-style manga. Because of the difference in sizes the text here has been shrunk and is really just on the borderline of being too small to read for comfort(and I have perfect eyesight.) The story is pretty cool though, with the Batman chasing after a killer who is cutting the faces off of victims. The story turns paranormal and twists into a Batman-psyche sort of thing. So lots of angles and a decent enough story for a fan. Some nice new background that particularly takes a look at Bruce Wayne's teenage years studying martial arts in Japan. The illustration is not DC quality though and is what you expect from manga. The Batman is drawn well, but Bruce Wayne is the ugliest I've ever seen him!

While reading this book it was natural to make comparisons to the previous Batman manga tale Child of Dreams. They each exhibit a charming reverence for the character, due from the perspective of the writer and his characters' admiration toward him, elevating Batman to near mythic proportions, an approach that complements this story's fantasy angle. They also have adorable female leads that one can picture Bruce falling for and refreshingly aren't there to play the damsel in distress. This story does explore themes common to Batman, one the duality inherent with anyone who dons a mask, but enhanced by Japanese lore. Another theme is how a person's past can become an obsession. Ironic that we are referring to Aya, who has plenty of her own ghosts to overcome, but the inference is there for Bruce as well. The point is that we must all reconcile our problems in order to live a peaceful life. For Aya, despite its poignant climax, she is finally able to appease her demons and move on. While Batman may never be able to appease his we do see him with a healthier outlook towards his lot in life. So despite the plot's confusion, mostly due to its fantasy aspects, and the writing's forays into expository dialogue and flashbacks, it is a welcome opportunity to experience Batman through the eyes of another culture.

In anticipation of getting my hands on Batman Death Mask I reread my copy of Batman Child of Dreams the week before. Of the two, Death Mask is the weaker book.While the Manga-ka has some talent, there are some parts where he falls short. The biggest gripe I have is how he draws modern Bruce Wayne, with a permanent marking on his cheeks and chin, it's very distracting. On the writing side, some the Japanese things are really shoehorned in: Alfred serves Bruce a traditional Japanese breakfast for no good reason, and there's a Japanese shop in Gotham which Bruce Wayne stumbles on to.The overall theme of the story is very good: Overcoming the Past.I find it very stupid that that the first few pages tries to convince the reader that it's about "the mask people wear." And asks if "Bruce Wayne is the mask." Hardcore BatFans will cringe, "That got answered a long time ago!" they'll shout. So, Bruce Wayne's part in the manga is unimpressive, but the other character's plot threads are cleaver enough, I'd say. Also, the story is very quick, I can read this a lot faster than Child of Dreams, which I had to take time to chew on.Nothing's wrong with 3 out of 5. At least it's not 2 out of 5. A REAL 5 out of 5 is hard to come by. It's best hope was 4 out of 5, and he missed it by 1, so yeah.

Manga is a love-it or hate-it product, especially when it's done the Japanese way, reading from right-to-left. Many folks will find this annoying. And it is. But after a few minutes, you get used to it. And if you can do that, you'd see how great this book is.A mask that does odd things to its wearer has come to Gotham City, so of course, Batman gets involved. Unbeknownst to him, however, is he was involved 20 years ago, when he was learning his skills that allowed him to become Batman, in Japan!The story is outstanding. The artwork is very good, but as mentioned above, you either like the manga-style or you do not.This is a quality book that's different than just about any Batman story you've read, it really is excellent!One last warning: it's in black and white, and it's manga-sized, so it's not the standard 8.5 x 11 paperback.

As the other reviewers have said, this is a manga novel - so don't expect the usual sized graphic novel if you order it! So, it reads like a manga novel in that you start on the right hand page, in the top right corner and moves right to left as it goes down the page! Once you get into the swing of it (or if you are a manga fan)then this becomes second nature.The plot is suitably manga based, and deals with a malevolent figure from Bruce Waynes past reappearing in Gotham performing some truly brutal murders (not for kids). The story dips into Bruce's early days when he was travelling the world under another identity to learn martial arts from around the world, and so the backstory is mostly in Japan.The artwork is pretty basic (the manga style) and in black and white, and did absolutely nothing for me i am afraid. It was a really basic style, and Bruce Wayne did not look right in it, to me. The contrast between the simplicity of the artwork when dealing with the characters, and then the brutality of the murders added very little to the book. If anything, i didn't need to see the murders at all. So, if you like the manga style of art, you will like this - but if you have never read a manga book you may want to try and have a look before you buy this book.And although it is 190 pages long, it feels very short - very under-developed. I wasn't even sure if i liked Bruce or Batman in this book! It feels very basic to me, and a bit one dimensional, but maybe that is because i am not a huge manga fan - having said that, i loved the manga based Batman story,  Batman: Child of Dreams  which was much better than this book.This is not a book i will read over and over, and i would advise caution before buying this entry into the world of the Dark Knight. Not for me at all - but could it be for you? Batman: Child of Dreams

A little worn but still in good condition, didn’t realise it starts at the back!

quality product