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Batman: Reptilian (2021) #1-6
Batman: Reptilian
What strikes fear into the hearts of those who terrorize Gotham? It used to be Batman�
But now something far more frightening than a mere man stalks the shadows—and it’s after Gotham’s villains. How savage must a monster be to haunt the dreams of monsters? In this collection, Batman hits the streets in search of the creature terrorizing Gotham’s underworld—and hits them hard. The Dark Knight’s search for clues will lead him to every villain in Gotham—but will he be able to reach any of them in time?
Collects Batman: Reptilian #1-6.
But now something far more frightening than a mere man stalks the shadows—and it’s after Gotham’s villains. How savage must a monster be to haunt the dreams of monsters? In this collection, Batman hits the streets in search of the creature terrorizing Gotham’s underworld—and hits them hard. The Dark Knight’s search for clues will lead him to every villain in Gotham—but will he be able to reach any of them in time?
Collects Batman: Reptilian #1-6.
144 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 31, 2022
60 people are currently reading
273 people want to read
About the author
Garth Ennis
2,534books3,093followersEnnis began his comic-writing career in 1989 with the series Troubled Souls. Appearing in the short-lived but critically-acclaimed British anthology Crisis and illustrated by McCrea, it told the story of a young, apolitical Protestant man caught up by fate in the violence of the Irish 'Troubles'. It spawned a sequel, For a Few Troubles More, a broad Belfast-based comedy featuring two supporting characters from Troubled Souls, Dougie and Ivor, who would later get their own American comics series, Dicks, from Caliber in 1997, and several follow-ups from Avatar.
Another series for Crisis was True Faith, a religious satire inspired by his schooldays, this time drawn by Warren Pleece. Ennis shortly after began to write for Crisis' parent publication, 2000 AD. He quickly graduated on to the title's flagship character, Judge Dredd, taking over from original creator John Wagner for a period of several years.
Ennis' first work on an American comic came in 1991 when he took over DC Comics's horror title Hellblazer, which he wrote until 1994, and for which he currently holds the title for most issues written. Steve Dillon became the regular artist during the second half of Ennis's run.
Ennis' landmark work to date is the 66-issue epic Preacher, which he co-created with artist Steve Dillon. Running from 1995 to 2000, it was a tale of a preacher with supernatural powers, searching (literally) for God who has abandoned his creation.
While Preacher was running, Ennis began a series set in the DC universe called Hitman. Despite being lower profile than Preacher, Hitman ran for 60 issues (plus specials) from 1996 to 2001, veering wildly from violent action to humour to an examination of male friendship under fire.
Other comic projects Ennis wrote during this time period include Goddess, Bloody Mary, Unknown Soldier, and Pride & Joy, all for DC/Vertigo, as well as origin stories for The Darkness for Image Comics and Shadowman for Valiant Comics.
After the end of Hitman, Ennis was lured to Marvel Comics with the promise from Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada that he could write The Punisher as long as he cared to. Instead of largely comical tone of these issues, he decided to make a much more serious series, re-launched under Marvel's MAX imprint.
In 2001 he briefly returned to UK comics to write the epic Helter Skelter for Judge Dredd.
Other comics Ennis has written include War Story (with various artists) for DC; The Pro for Image Comics; The Authority for Wildstorm; Just a Pilgrim for Black Bull Press, and 303, Chronicles of Wormwood (a six issue mini-series about the Antichrist), and a western comic book, Streets of Glory for Avatar Press.
In 2008 Ennis ended his five-year run on Punisher MAX to debut a new Marvel title, War Is Hell: The First Flight of the Phantom Eagle.
In June 2008, at Wizard World, Philadelphia, Ennis announced several new projects, including a metaseries of war comics called Battlefields from Dynamite made up of mini-series including Night Witches, Dear Billy and Tankies, another Chronicles of Wormwood mini-series and Crossed both at Avatar, a six-issue miniseries about Butcher (from The Boys) and a Punisher project reuniting him with artist Steve Dillon (subsequently specified to be a weekly mini-series entitled Punisher: War Zone, to be released concurrently with the film of the same name).
Taken from:
Another series for Crisis was True Faith, a religious satire inspired by his schooldays, this time drawn by Warren Pleece. Ennis shortly after began to write for Crisis' parent publication, 2000 AD. He quickly graduated on to the title's flagship character, Judge Dredd, taking over from original creator John Wagner for a period of several years.
Ennis' first work on an American comic came in 1991 when he took over DC Comics's horror title Hellblazer, which he wrote until 1994, and for which he currently holds the title for most issues written. Steve Dillon became the regular artist during the second half of Ennis's run.
Ennis' landmark work to date is the 66-issue epic Preacher, which he co-created with artist Steve Dillon. Running from 1995 to 2000, it was a tale of a preacher with supernatural powers, searching (literally) for God who has abandoned his creation.
While Preacher was running, Ennis began a series set in the DC universe called Hitman. Despite being lower profile than Preacher, Hitman ran for 60 issues (plus specials) from 1996 to 2001, veering wildly from violent action to humour to an examination of male friendship under fire.
Other comic projects Ennis wrote during this time period include Goddess, Bloody Mary, Unknown Soldier, and Pride & Joy, all for DC/Vertigo, as well as origin stories for The Darkness for Image Comics and Shadowman for Valiant Comics.
After the end of Hitman, Ennis was lured to Marvel Comics with the promise from Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada that he could write The Punisher as long as he cared to. Instead of largely comical tone of these issues, he decided to make a much more serious series, re-launched under Marvel's MAX imprint.
In 2001 he briefly returned to UK comics to write the epic Helter Skelter for Judge Dredd.
Other comics Ennis has written include War Story (with various artists) for DC; The Pro for Image Comics; The Authority for Wildstorm; Just a Pilgrim for Black Bull Press, and 303, Chronicles of Wormwood (a six issue mini-series about the Antichrist), and a western comic book, Streets of Glory for Avatar Press.
In 2008 Ennis ended his five-year run on Punisher MAX to debut a new Marvel title, War Is Hell: The First Flight of the Phantom Eagle.
In June 2008, at Wizard World, Philadelphia, Ennis announced several new projects, including a metaseries of war comics called Battlefields from Dynamite made up of mini-series including Night Witches, Dear Billy and Tankies, another Chronicles of Wormwood mini-series and Crossed both at Avatar, a six-issue miniseries about Butcher (from The Boys) and a Punisher project reuniting him with artist Steve Dillon (subsequently specified to be a weekly mini-series entitled Punisher: War Zone, to be released concurrently with the film of the same name).
Taken from:
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 162 reviews
February 20, 2024
I'm shocked at how many of you hated this.
WHAT?!
I'm over here giggling like a little girl and all excited to see what my pals thought of this one, and was completely floored. How did you not fucking love this as much as I did?
It's ok. I forgive you.
So, Garth Ennis writes Batman in the exact way that you'd think he would. Just a straight-up snarky dick who seemed to be missing the normal amount of Bruce Wane's BatCode of Honor, but I really love the Ennis' version of the Dark Knight. I mean, I laughed my ass off.
I get it. It's not everyone's brand of humor.
And this crazypants Reptilian plotline is something just completely outside any sort of Gotham Central comfort zone, but also completely something that I'd expect from the guy who wrote Preacher. The whole time I'm reading, I'm basically on a mental loop of did that just happen in a Batman comic? and I guess that's where a lot of opinions differed from mine.
I was strapped into this ride and just loving it, and everyone else was a tad sick because they'd noticed that the carny who buckled them in looked really high.
Bottom line? I'm buying this in hardback, but your personal mileage will vary.
WHAT?!
I'm over here giggling like a little girl and all excited to see what my pals thought of this one, and was completely floored. How did you not fucking love this as much as I did?
It's ok. I forgive you.
So, Garth Ennis writes Batman in the exact way that you'd think he would. Just a straight-up snarky dick who seemed to be missing the normal amount of Bruce Wane's BatCode of Honor, but I really love the Ennis' version of the Dark Knight. I mean, I laughed my ass off.
I get it. It's not everyone's brand of humor.
And this crazypants Reptilian plotline is something just completely outside any sort of Gotham Central comfort zone, but also completely something that I'd expect from the guy who wrote Preacher. The whole time I'm reading, I'm basically on a mental loop of did that just happen in a Batman comic? and I guess that's where a lot of opinions differed from mine.
I was strapped into this ride and just loving it, and everyone else was a tad sick because they'd noticed that the carny who buckled them in looked really high.
Bottom line? I'm buying this in hardback, but your personal mileage will vary.
July 20, 2022
“Joker? Whatever’s in there with you—it isn’t me.�
Oh Batman Reptilian, how my heart sings for thee. What a great fucking read. This may be the funniest Batman book I have ever read, as well as one of my favorite Batman comics in recent memory. The hardcover also thankfully brightens up the art on a bunch of the pages, which is great since it could be a little hard to see some of it in the singles. Loved this even more on reread, and I can totally see myself coming back to this book a bunch of times in the future. Ennis and Sharp have to work together again eventually because this has just about everything I love in my comics. I usually just do one or the other, but this was totally worth buying in both singles and a collected edition. For anyone interested in the print edition of this, in the back of the hardcover is a variant cover gallery, Ennis� original pitch for the series that he wrote back in 2016, and Liam Sharp’s initial concept art for the book. All a bunch of neat little extras and Sharp’s concepts show he was going to initially draw this in a different style, which just confirmed to me that the style he ended up going with in the final product was the perfect choice for it. Recommended for Garth Ennis fans or anyone who likes absurd capeshit comics.
DISCLAIMER: This spiel above was written after having read the series again in the newly released hardcover.
Original Review can be found below:
Batman Reptilian is a book you will either absolutely love or absolutely hate. I, for one, fall into the former category, as Ennis weaves a surprisingly hilarious Batman story, with artwork by Liam Sharp that is utterly jaw-dropping on every level. This is one of those stories that starts with a pretty okay first issue but just gets better and more absurd by the end. The gist is some weird, new creature is rampaging through Batman’s rogues gallery, and now Batman has to figure out what it is and what exactly it wants.
The story behind how this book came to be is even more interesting than the one in this book. Back in 2016, the Preacher show was just about to launch on AMC, and around that same time, Steve Dillon, co-creator and penciler of Preacher, was very ill and hadn’t been drawing very much as of late. Garth Ennis, other co-creator and the writer of Preacher, wanted to get Dillon a gig that would make a big splash for him in the industry and get him back to working. So he did something he probably never would have done otherwise: he pitched a Batman story. At the time, this would’ve been in continuity in the Legends of the Dark Knight anthology series, with the main draw being the creative team behind Preacher was doing a Batman book around the same time the Preacher show was premiering, which would have meant easy publicity because let’s be honest, Batman books sell. The pitch was accepted, but sadly, before any work could begin on the art, Steven Dillon passed away. Ennis, mostly doing this as a favor to get a friend back into the swing of things after he had been sick, just forgot about the script. Years later, an editor at DC, Marie Javins, pitched to Ennis that he should finish his script and have Liam Sharp, who had just wrapped on Green Lantern with Morrison, do the art. Instead of being published under Legends of the Dark Knight, which is in continuity, this revamped Reptilian would now be under Black Label, giving the creators more freedom now that it’s out of continuity, and the rest is history. Liam Sharp also has a note at the beginning, saying he would draw this book in completely his own style, as Dillon would have wanted him to. It’s a bittersweet story behind an absurd book.
Now onto the actual story. I saw an interview recently where Ennis talked about how this was one of the only superhero books that he genuinely enjoyed writing, and it shines through in the script. Little moments from Mr. Freeze getting his broken helmet fixed with “Bat-tape�, to Alfred dusting the dinosaur that’s in the Batcave, thankfully add a lot of levity to a pretty dark story. The rogues in the story are mostly played for laughs or shocks, but those moments mainly work for me because of how dry the humor is during the interactions. I also want to give Ennis praise for keeping Batman heroic here. There is a scene in this book I was just not expecting after seeing how Batman was written in Hitman. Ennis manages to keep his heroic nature, while also keeping him a mean-spirited bully in a hilarious way. I don’t like when Batman is a jackass to his allies like Robin & Alfred, but cracking a joke to Joker after he’s been skinned alive? Yeah, that’s pretty hilarious. Well to me at least.
Batman in this book is worth discussing further, as Ennis� Batman is unlike most other versions of the character, which may annoy some, but brings me much joy. Ennis writes him as this 6-foot-plus, 250-pound monster, who is a living weapon posing as a man, dressing as a giant bat to scare the shit out of anyone who crosses him. He uses his no-kill rule as a weapon, threatening others with the fear of pain to get the information he needs. It’s great to see the different ideas and tropes of the Batman mythos used in hilarious ways. Ennis also sees Batman’s rogues in a hilarious manner, viewing most of the lot as outclassed, multi-colored twerps, who couldn’t actually come close to touching the efficient machine of a man that is Batman, even on their best day. He also finds Joker to be the single most annoying character in all of comic books, which is an unfathomably based take. This all can be seen pretty clearly once you read the story, but it’s always interesting to me to see how people who didn’t grow up with superheroes write them and view them later in life. The context behind this book honestly adds so much more to the story for me, and it does help you to understand what Ennis is going for with this story.
Liam Sharp’s art is also the best it’s ever been here. I loved his Green Lantern stuff with Morrison recently, and his new digital style, while controversial with some people, just works so well for this story. He brings a moody, atmospheric look to the city that shows just how grotesque and dreary this Gotham is. I honestly think this may be my single favorite rendition of Gotham City ever. Gotham is supposed to be the city of monsters, with Batman being the worst monster of them all—well until the Reptilian of course, but that’s perfect since the art now plays into this story Ennis has set up and really helps sell you from the start on just what kind of Batman book this will be. A lot of influence from artists like Simon Bisley & Dave McKean can be seen in the art, and Sharp makes it all feel fresh and interesting, showing off his own distinct style he has managed to develop over the years. If you end up reading the book, really take the time to study all of Sharp’s pages, especially the panels that show the cityscape. He does a lot of amazing things visually that have stuck with me since I read the first issue a while back, inking and coloring his work as well, which is great since I always love it when artists ink and color their own work. I just feel like it looks more cohesive and how they truly intend the work to look. I also adored how all the rogues are drawn almost like caricatures of their normal selves since that’s exactly how Ennis sees them all. Just love everything about the art in this, and it matches the script perfectly.
The only complaint I have with this book is I think it should’ve been a three-issue series, in those magazine-sized black label books, instead of something like Superman Vs Lobo, that ended up getting them. The art would have benefited from it, and the story would’ve worked a lot better broken into three issues instead of six. A minor complaint considering the final product we got in the end though. The other thing that is obviously on my mind is what would this book have looked like if Dillon got to draw it? Even though I adore Sharp’s work, I will always wonder what Dillon’s rendition of the story would have looked like.
At the end of the day, I think this is my favorite Black Label book along with Spurrier’s Hellblazer and Harleen. I enjoyed the 90’s-ish Batman that Ennis & Sharp were going for, and will double dip and pick this up in hardcover whenever it gets collected. If you don’t take Batman or your capeshit stories in general too seriously, you’ll probably like this, and if you are just a Garth Ennis fan or his take on capeshit like I am, you’ll probably love this. If you are anyone else, well I’m sorry you wasted your time with this. One of my favorite Batman stories ever, even if it’s not for everyone.
Oh Batman Reptilian, how my heart sings for thee. What a great fucking read. This may be the funniest Batman book I have ever read, as well as one of my favorite Batman comics in recent memory. The hardcover also thankfully brightens up the art on a bunch of the pages, which is great since it could be a little hard to see some of it in the singles. Loved this even more on reread, and I can totally see myself coming back to this book a bunch of times in the future. Ennis and Sharp have to work together again eventually because this has just about everything I love in my comics. I usually just do one or the other, but this was totally worth buying in both singles and a collected edition. For anyone interested in the print edition of this, in the back of the hardcover is a variant cover gallery, Ennis� original pitch for the series that he wrote back in 2016, and Liam Sharp’s initial concept art for the book. All a bunch of neat little extras and Sharp’s concepts show he was going to initially draw this in a different style, which just confirmed to me that the style he ended up going with in the final product was the perfect choice for it. Recommended for Garth Ennis fans or anyone who likes absurd capeshit comics.
DISCLAIMER: This spiel above was written after having read the series again in the newly released hardcover.
Original Review can be found below:
Batman Reptilian is a book you will either absolutely love or absolutely hate. I, for one, fall into the former category, as Ennis weaves a surprisingly hilarious Batman story, with artwork by Liam Sharp that is utterly jaw-dropping on every level. This is one of those stories that starts with a pretty okay first issue but just gets better and more absurd by the end. The gist is some weird, new creature is rampaging through Batman’s rogues gallery, and now Batman has to figure out what it is and what exactly it wants.
The story behind how this book came to be is even more interesting than the one in this book. Back in 2016, the Preacher show was just about to launch on AMC, and around that same time, Steve Dillon, co-creator and penciler of Preacher, was very ill and hadn’t been drawing very much as of late. Garth Ennis, other co-creator and the writer of Preacher, wanted to get Dillon a gig that would make a big splash for him in the industry and get him back to working. So he did something he probably never would have done otherwise: he pitched a Batman story. At the time, this would’ve been in continuity in the Legends of the Dark Knight anthology series, with the main draw being the creative team behind Preacher was doing a Batman book around the same time the Preacher show was premiering, which would have meant easy publicity because let’s be honest, Batman books sell. The pitch was accepted, but sadly, before any work could begin on the art, Steven Dillon passed away. Ennis, mostly doing this as a favor to get a friend back into the swing of things after he had been sick, just forgot about the script. Years later, an editor at DC, Marie Javins, pitched to Ennis that he should finish his script and have Liam Sharp, who had just wrapped on Green Lantern with Morrison, do the art. Instead of being published under Legends of the Dark Knight, which is in continuity, this revamped Reptilian would now be under Black Label, giving the creators more freedom now that it’s out of continuity, and the rest is history. Liam Sharp also has a note at the beginning, saying he would draw this book in completely his own style, as Dillon would have wanted him to. It’s a bittersweet story behind an absurd book.
Now onto the actual story. I saw an interview recently where Ennis talked about how this was one of the only superhero books that he genuinely enjoyed writing, and it shines through in the script. Little moments from Mr. Freeze getting his broken helmet fixed with “Bat-tape�, to Alfred dusting the dinosaur that’s in the Batcave, thankfully add a lot of levity to a pretty dark story. The rogues in the story are mostly played for laughs or shocks, but those moments mainly work for me because of how dry the humor is during the interactions. I also want to give Ennis praise for keeping Batman heroic here. There is a scene in this book I was just not expecting after seeing how Batman was written in Hitman. Ennis manages to keep his heroic nature, while also keeping him a mean-spirited bully in a hilarious way. I don’t like when Batman is a jackass to his allies like Robin & Alfred, but cracking a joke to Joker after he’s been skinned alive? Yeah, that’s pretty hilarious. Well to me at least.
Batman in this book is worth discussing further, as Ennis� Batman is unlike most other versions of the character, which may annoy some, but brings me much joy. Ennis writes him as this 6-foot-plus, 250-pound monster, who is a living weapon posing as a man, dressing as a giant bat to scare the shit out of anyone who crosses him. He uses his no-kill rule as a weapon, threatening others with the fear of pain to get the information he needs. It’s great to see the different ideas and tropes of the Batman mythos used in hilarious ways. Ennis also sees Batman’s rogues in a hilarious manner, viewing most of the lot as outclassed, multi-colored twerps, who couldn’t actually come close to touching the efficient machine of a man that is Batman, even on their best day. He also finds Joker to be the single most annoying character in all of comic books, which is an unfathomably based take. This all can be seen pretty clearly once you read the story, but it’s always interesting to me to see how people who didn’t grow up with superheroes write them and view them later in life. The context behind this book honestly adds so much more to the story for me, and it does help you to understand what Ennis is going for with this story.
Liam Sharp’s art is also the best it’s ever been here. I loved his Green Lantern stuff with Morrison recently, and his new digital style, while controversial with some people, just works so well for this story. He brings a moody, atmospheric look to the city that shows just how grotesque and dreary this Gotham is. I honestly think this may be my single favorite rendition of Gotham City ever. Gotham is supposed to be the city of monsters, with Batman being the worst monster of them all—well until the Reptilian of course, but that’s perfect since the art now plays into this story Ennis has set up and really helps sell you from the start on just what kind of Batman book this will be. A lot of influence from artists like Simon Bisley & Dave McKean can be seen in the art, and Sharp makes it all feel fresh and interesting, showing off his own distinct style he has managed to develop over the years. If you end up reading the book, really take the time to study all of Sharp’s pages, especially the panels that show the cityscape. He does a lot of amazing things visually that have stuck with me since I read the first issue a while back, inking and coloring his work as well, which is great since I always love it when artists ink and color their own work. I just feel like it looks more cohesive and how they truly intend the work to look. I also adored how all the rogues are drawn almost like caricatures of their normal selves since that’s exactly how Ennis sees them all. Just love everything about the art in this, and it matches the script perfectly.
The only complaint I have with this book is I think it should’ve been a three-issue series, in those magazine-sized black label books, instead of something like Superman Vs Lobo, that ended up getting them. The art would have benefited from it, and the story would’ve worked a lot better broken into three issues instead of six. A minor complaint considering the final product we got in the end though. The other thing that is obviously on my mind is what would this book have looked like if Dillon got to draw it? Even though I adore Sharp’s work, I will always wonder what Dillon’s rendition of the story would have looked like.
At the end of the day, I think this is my favorite Black Label book along with Spurrier’s Hellblazer and Harleen. I enjoyed the 90’s-ish Batman that Ennis & Sharp were going for, and will double dip and pick this up in hardcover whenever it gets collected. If you don’t take Batman or your capeshit stories in general too seriously, you’ll probably like this, and if you are just a Garth Ennis fan or his take on capeshit like I am, you’ll probably love this. If you are anyone else, well I’m sorry you wasted your time with this. One of my favorite Batman stories ever, even if it’s not for everyone.
August 7, 2022
Two of my favorite creators come together to create one of the worst comic books I've ever read. I'd say seen as well, but Liam Sharp used so much black in this that I couldn't make out a third of the panels. I'm assuming it was to distract from the fact that there are almost no backgrounds. I was very excited to see Ennis write Batman since he rarely goes anywhere near superheroes unless it's to make fun of them. And a Black Label book to boot as he could cut loose? Yes, please. Instead this is what the head of Discovery should have made sure never saw the light of day instead of the movie. It's about someone brutally murdering Batman's rogues. There's a foreword saying Ennis wrote this for Steve Dillon and it's a real shame he didn't get to draw it.
Liam Sharp is using some cartoonish painted art style that is just plain fugly. It looks like Simon Bisley drawing Arkham Asylum. It's totally out of place. Everyone is drawn in caricature. And the book is so dark you can barely make out the art. Everything's static. Batman shows up after the fact in each issue and talks to a villain that's all beat up and goofy looking. It takes 6 issues for Batman to find a monster and fight it in the last issue. It's boring. It's not funny. It's just an exercise in frustration. Batman's way of defeating it is the same as Finn's in Sharknado.
This is a straight up dumpster fire. The only reason to read this is if you get your kicks out of reading awful comics like you do watching MST3K.
Liam Sharp is using some cartoonish painted art style that is just plain fugly. It looks like Simon Bisley drawing Arkham Asylum. It's totally out of place. Everyone is drawn in caricature. And the book is so dark you can barely make out the art. Everything's static. Batman shows up after the fact in each issue and talks to a villain that's all beat up and goofy looking. It takes 6 issues for Batman to find a monster and fight it in the last issue. It's boring. It's not funny. It's just an exercise in frustration. Batman's way of defeating it is the same as Finn's in Sharknado.
This is a straight up dumpster fire. The only reason to read this is if you get your kicks out of reading awful comics like you do watching MST3K.
December 10, 2021
Someone - or something - is systematically mutilating Gotham’s supervillains. But who - and why?
Garth Ennis usually only tangentially writes about superheroes in his comics, and often subversively, like in The Boys, The Punisher, Kev, etc. - they’re never the main feature. And, aside from a short run on Ghost Rider, I don’t think he’s ever written a mainstream superhero comic and has only written Batman as a side-character in books like Hitman and Section Eight.
Not that I think it’s from a lack of opportunity - I’m sure he’s been offered every superhero title under the sun by Marvel and DC over the decades he’s been writing comics - but, if we assume the things expressed by characters like Frank Castle and Billy Butcher are similar to his perspective, it’s safe to say that Ennis doesn’t think much of superheroes in general.
So it’s surprising to see Ennis finally write a Batman book, and also very disappointing, as both a fan of Ennis and Batman, to discover that Reptilian was so bad!
The only amazing thing about the book is how little story there is to this six-issue miniseries. Batman tracks down a monster, fights it, the end. That’s really all there is to it. It’s so unimaginative and insubstantial! Ennis tries for goofy humour with regards Killer Croc and a caricature of an idiotic gangster called Volkov, neither of which land, while his Batman is the chattiest I’ve read in some time, spouting a lot of bitterly smarmy dialogue.
It turns out the idea for Reptilian has been floating around for some time as Steve Dillon was originally meant to draw this until his death in 2016 scuppered plans. Liam Sharp is the artist on this book instead and, if you’ve seen his work on other DC titles like Wonder Woman Rebirth, Green Lantern and The Brave and the Bold like I have, you’ll be surprised to see how different his artwork is in this book.
Reptilian is all painted artwork and extremely dark - literally - throughout, so that it’s often hard to discern what’s going on amidst the murkiness. Some of the character designs are oddly cartoonish too, particularly Joker and Penguin, and a lot of Croc’s expressions. Like Ennis mixing in corny jokes into his violent story, the cartoonishness doesn’t sit well amongst all the darkness. The painted style is an odd choice and wasn’t to my taste, though, even if it had looked like Sharp’s usual artwork, it wouldn’t have improved the book.
Despite its top tier talent, Batman: Reptilian is a really boring, underwhelming, and instantly forgettable comic - a very poor (lack of) effort from Garth Ennis.
Garth Ennis usually only tangentially writes about superheroes in his comics, and often subversively, like in The Boys, The Punisher, Kev, etc. - they’re never the main feature. And, aside from a short run on Ghost Rider, I don’t think he’s ever written a mainstream superhero comic and has only written Batman as a side-character in books like Hitman and Section Eight.
Not that I think it’s from a lack of opportunity - I’m sure he’s been offered every superhero title under the sun by Marvel and DC over the decades he’s been writing comics - but, if we assume the things expressed by characters like Frank Castle and Billy Butcher are similar to his perspective, it’s safe to say that Ennis doesn’t think much of superheroes in general.
So it’s surprising to see Ennis finally write a Batman book, and also very disappointing, as both a fan of Ennis and Batman, to discover that Reptilian was so bad!
The only amazing thing about the book is how little story there is to this six-issue miniseries. Batman tracks down a monster, fights it, the end. That’s really all there is to it. It’s so unimaginative and insubstantial! Ennis tries for goofy humour with regards Killer Croc and a caricature of an idiotic gangster called Volkov, neither of which land, while his Batman is the chattiest I’ve read in some time, spouting a lot of bitterly smarmy dialogue.
It turns out the idea for Reptilian has been floating around for some time as Steve Dillon was originally meant to draw this until his death in 2016 scuppered plans. Liam Sharp is the artist on this book instead and, if you’ve seen his work on other DC titles like Wonder Woman Rebirth, Green Lantern and The Brave and the Bold like I have, you’ll be surprised to see how different his artwork is in this book.
Reptilian is all painted artwork and extremely dark - literally - throughout, so that it’s often hard to discern what’s going on amidst the murkiness. Some of the character designs are oddly cartoonish too, particularly Joker and Penguin, and a lot of Croc’s expressions. Like Ennis mixing in corny jokes into his violent story, the cartoonishness doesn’t sit well amongst all the darkness. The painted style is an odd choice and wasn’t to my taste, though, even if it had looked like Sharp’s usual artwork, it wouldn’t have improved the book.
Despite its top tier talent, Batman: Reptilian is a really boring, underwhelming, and instantly forgettable comic - a very poor (lack of) effort from Garth Ennis.
September 10, 2022
"This is a nightmare! . . . Oh God, why me? Why now, for cryin' out loud?" -- Killer Croc, inadvertently providing an impeccable opening quote for my review
Outside of an admittedly perfect opening scene, set on the steps of the Gotham City courthouse - in which our Dark Knight administers some deserved rough justice to a celebrity who had just escaped a few felonious assault convictions due to obvious corrupt and/or extralegal means - this graphic novel quickly spirals into a big but also thankfully brief quagmire. The artwork style was a continual muddy and unattractive mess, and the storyline - involving some sort of sewer-dwelling mutated creature (with a noggin that seems somewhat inspired by - or is it simply ripped off from? - artist R. Giger's Xenomorph creation from the Alien film series) laying waste to both the good citizens and bad criminals of Gotham - attempts horror movie shock value but succeeds in only being distasteful and rather dull. Some rare moments of dark and unexpected verbal humor from our title character occasionally liven up the dark proceedings, but otherwise this was unimpressive and unmemorable.
Outside of an admittedly perfect opening scene, set on the steps of the Gotham City courthouse - in which our Dark Knight administers some deserved rough justice to a celebrity who had just escaped a few felonious assault convictions due to obvious corrupt and/or extralegal means - this graphic novel quickly spirals into a big but also thankfully brief quagmire. The artwork style was a continual muddy and unattractive mess, and the storyline - involving some sort of sewer-dwelling mutated creature (with a noggin that seems somewhat inspired by - or is it simply ripped off from? - artist R. Giger's Xenomorph creation from the Alien film series) laying waste to both the good citizens and bad criminals of Gotham - attempts horror movie shock value but succeeds in only being distasteful and rather dull. Some rare moments of dark and unexpected verbal humor from our title character occasionally liven up the dark proceedings, but otherwise this was unimpressive and unmemorable.
February 7, 2024
Garth Ennis writes one of his loud, obnoxious, gross, and cruel takes on superheroes, giving Killer Croc an origin story and pushing the character in a new direction with some goofy shock value developments. It's almost okay but crosses the line a few too many times with a gleefully sadistic Batman, gratuitous fat shaming, and the mutilation and maiming of Batman's entire rogue's gallery in ways that either make this an Elseworlds tale or a canon story that will be quickly ignored or retconned. (This ambiguity is an issue with most of the Black Label books.)
What really sunk the book for me though was Liam Sharp abandoning his usual style for a murky and ugly Arkham Asylum morass that looks like Bill Sienkiewicz painting over Sam Kieth. Ugh. The initial concept sketches included in the back of the book looked so much better.
What really sunk the book for me though was Liam Sharp abandoning his usual style for a murky and ugly Arkham Asylum morass that looks like Bill Sienkiewicz painting over Sam Kieth. Ugh. The initial concept sketches included in the back of the book looked so much better.
February 13, 2024
As Chad had already predicted, I was quite charmed by the art. Yes, it's very Dave McKean-ish (a bit too much, probably), and the depiction of Joker is demented but not in a good way, but the whole thing had atmosphere, which feels right for a Batman story.
The writing is kind of stupid. Batman behaves like a grumpy, petulant child. Batman's rogue's gallery is reeeeaally forced into this story.. The idea about Killer Croc's origin is.. silly but could be interesting? It's just developed badly, with Batman spilling a (petulant) info dump towards the end, and it wraps up much too easily and it feels like nothing much happened.
2.5 stars?
The writing is kind of stupid. Batman behaves like a grumpy, petulant child. Batman's rogue's gallery is reeeeaally forced into this story.. The idea about Killer Croc's origin is.. silly but could be interesting? It's just developed badly, with Batman spilling a (petulant) info dump towards the end, and it wraps up much too easily and it feels like nothing much happened.
2.5 stars?
August 15, 2022
This is hilarious, but its sad at the same time! In a nutshell: If you want a grounded deep story that takes the character of waylon jones serious then ignore this book.
I am not joking.This story makes a lot of sense if you keep in mind garth ennis other works who have their fair share of sick humor.
But that's why its sad, killer crock is so much more than just a man eating reptilian and on top of that his background is just tragic but in this story as per usual the writer gets hung up with the fact that he is a "crocodile-man". Making this into a grotesque and funny read.
The artstyle does not fit that at all... don't get me wrong I love the art, hence the 3 stars but the dark brooding mood it evokes combined with this humor ...
I don't even wanna go into what happens storywise and I even less want to talk about what little left there is of waylons character to take serious!
We killer crock fans are being starved here for a well told killer croc story....
And i dont think we will get one anytime soon.
I am not joking.This story makes a lot of sense if you keep in mind garth ennis other works who have their fair share of sick humor.
But that's why its sad, killer crock is so much more than just a man eating reptilian and on top of that his background is just tragic but in this story as per usual the writer gets hung up with the fact that he is a "crocodile-man". Making this into a grotesque and funny read.
The artstyle does not fit that at all... don't get me wrong I love the art, hence the 3 stars but the dark brooding mood it evokes combined with this humor ...
I don't even wanna go into what happens storywise and I even less want to talk about what little left there is of waylons character to take serious!
We killer crock fans are being starved here for a well told killer croc story....
And i dont think we will get one anytime soon.
August 22, 2022
3.5 stars. The DC Black Label logo let’s you know this is an else world story. Unlike any Batman story I’ve ever read. Maybe that’s why this book gets thrown under the bus. 🤷🏾♂� Anyway, Batman catches up with a 2 bit criminal and presses him for info. He learns that all these villains had a big meet up. However, there was something in the air that made everyone crazy and ready to kill each other. Now whatever it was, Batman learns is on the loose. It has been going around killing or brutally maiming the people who were at this meeting. I hade some fun following Bats as he’s trying to figure out what’s going on. This creature that’s out here is an offspring of a certain villain. The book had a hidden funny vibe to it as everything that was happening was serious as hell yet, the way Batman was dealing with everything with this dry, deadpan approach like he wasn’t taking it serious was amusing to me. The art by Liam Sharp was stunning. Had some fun with this one.
February 13, 2024
I never much cared for Batman in the first place, so I'm not that fussed with Garth Ennis doing his thing on the franchise. It's an Elseworlds story anyway. Nor was I terribly attached to his Rogues' Gallery, and myself always pretty perturbed at how no one's allowed to die, so seeing the lot of them get butchered was an okay idea. I just took it as a parody.
But even then, there's just not a whole lot to work with here. Good artwork, and the monster's origin turned out pretty funny. That's about it.
But even then, there's just not a whole lot to work with here. Good artwork, and the monster's origin turned out pretty funny. That's about it.
June 10, 2022
Batman: Reptilian collects issues 1-6 of the DC Comics series written by Garth Ennis and art by Liam Sharp.
There is a beast tearing through Gotham’s underground and leaving Batman’s greatest villains torn to pieces. Batman must find the creature and stop it before it starts attacking the public.
Garth Ennis is extremely hit or miss with me and this was mostly a miss. There are some humorous parts sprinkled throughout but I felt Ennis’s unempathetic Batman who would strangely just start spitting out random trivia was utterly bizarre. The story itself gets� weird. Let’s just keep it at that. The art is at times both beautifully dark and indecipherable. There was one particular double page spread that I seriously stared at for a couple minutes trying to figure out exactly what was in the picture. I still don’t know what it was. Unless you read everything there is about Batman, I believe this is skippable.
There is a beast tearing through Gotham’s underground and leaving Batman’s greatest villains torn to pieces. Batman must find the creature and stop it before it starts attacking the public.
Garth Ennis is extremely hit or miss with me and this was mostly a miss. There are some humorous parts sprinkled throughout but I felt Ennis’s unempathetic Batman who would strangely just start spitting out random trivia was utterly bizarre. The story itself gets� weird. Let’s just keep it at that. The art is at times both beautifully dark and indecipherable. There was one particular double page spread that I seriously stared at for a couple minutes trying to figure out exactly what was in the picture. I still don’t know what it was. Unless you read everything there is about Batman, I believe this is skippable.
July 30, 2022
Unreadable. The first line is a whole boring paragraph of lawyer-speak. The dialog is clunky and awkward. And the art is murky and bad.
August 17, 2023
This self-contained GN seems to be pretty unpopular hereabouts and, though I agree it's far from perfect, it's not quite in the "Worst Comic Ever" territory either.
The art takes some getting used to but I came around to it. Hard to imagine how different it would have felt if Ennis' late long-time collaborator Steve Dillon had illustrated it instead.
Liam Sharp's painted take on the Bat Rogue's Gallery.
The art takes some getting used to but I came around to it. Hard to imagine how different it would have felt if Ennis' late long-time collaborator Steve Dillon had illustrated it instead.
Liam Sharp's painted take on the Bat Rogue's Gallery.
February 8, 2024
I would have been a bit disappointed in this book, but I did not have great expectations for this book anyway.
Someone or something is brutally targrting the Gotham underworld. Personally, I am surprised this version of Batman even cares. However, he traces it to a part of reptile origin. He will use his resources, including his underworld lacky.
The artwork was very good and fits the story perfectly. My main disappointment comes from Batman himself. Yes Bayman is a dark character, yes he uses fear as a weapon, but in this book he comes across as much of an uncaring sociopath as the criminals he us chasing or "putting into traction".
If he just protected this image to the criminals, that is one thing, but even in the moment when he is alone with his thoughts, he is the same. Even the "banter" between him and Alfred has a mean and spiteful edge to it. I have to agree with one of the criminals. This version seems to be more of a monster than those he hunts.
Someone or something is brutally targrting the Gotham underworld. Personally, I am surprised this version of Batman even cares. However, he traces it to a part of reptile origin. He will use his resources, including his underworld lacky.
The artwork was very good and fits the story perfectly. My main disappointment comes from Batman himself. Yes Bayman is a dark character, yes he uses fear as a weapon, but in this book he comes across as much of an uncaring sociopath as the criminals he us chasing or "putting into traction".
If he just protected this image to the criminals, that is one thing, but even in the moment when he is alone with his thoughts, he is the same. Even the "banter" between him and Alfred has a mean and spiteful edge to it. I have to agree with one of the criminals. This version seems to be more of a monster than those he hunts.
September 27, 2022
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You can find my review on my blog by clicking .
In his quest to rid Gotham of the villainy and treachery that pervades its streets, Batman has always hid in the shadows, striking fear into the hearts of those he encounters, forcing the intent to commit crime out of the molecules of their skins, and sending them cowering, hoping that they’ll always think twice before ever dancing with the devil. But what if there was something far more frightening, ruthless, and unpredictable hiding in the shadows than a billionaire dressed as a bat? What if this thing didn’t have human consciousness and could terrorize Gotham in unimaginable ways, leaving the criminal underworld so shaken that only a pool of blood and crippled bodies are left behind? Legendary comic book writer Garth Ennis teams up with artist Liam Sharp to deliver a bizarre six-issue DC Black Label stand-alone title starring a brand-new and terrifying threat to Batman’s rogues� gallery.
What is Batman: Reptilian? The story is set within Gotham City with Batman following the tracks left behind by a cruel and unforgiving freight train of a monster who happens to only be hunting down the villainous powerhouses of the criminal underworld, such as Penguin, Riddler, Poison Ivy, and so on. With only Alfred and a Russian thug with connections by his side, this mystery leads him to shocking crime scenes that further corroborate the sole fact he’s got: there’s a monster out there. Inquiring the streets for clues to pin down the nature of this threat but also this unstable creature’s prime motive, Batman finds himself confronting Killer Croc only to discover a shocking truth that will require him to take drastic measures in solving the world’s strangest case.
What in tarnation is this? You’d think that any idea oozing out of writer Garth Ennis’s (The Boys, Preacher, Punisher) mind would be dark, twisted, and marvelous. This time around, he indeed presents readers with a gritty, crude, and ugly tale but fails completely in all respects, whether it’s characterization, as he butchers Batman’s persona and offers an irritatingly verbose, sassy, and unamusing take on the superhero, or the narrative structure, as the mystery at the heart of this tale is the only driving force of the story and is ridiculously solved in the final issue to make the whole adventure effortlessly forgettable. The twist of this story is also an astounding disservice to Killer Croc’s character (you wouldn’t believe me even if I told you what it was), tastelessly butchering his background and nature for the sake of delivering a ludicrous, unoriginal, and dull surprise regarding the story’s mysterious main antagonist.
Although this graphic novel was originally going to be drawn by the late Steve Dillon, artist Liam Sharp dedicates his work in honour of his friend to bring about a murky and bleak artistic vision to writer Garth Ennis’s story. His style, unfortunately, is an acquired taste, at times painting (yes, the whole story is painted) some depressingly gorgeous panels, but at other times portraying characters in odd and absurd designs or with comical expressions that seem incredibly out of place. There are also some serious creative liberties taken for iconic characters, notably the Joker, who look nothing like anyone would’ve ever imagined for these characters. The reveal of the main antagonist is also enthroned through impressive artwork but doesn’t strike as a novel concept, mostly reminding readers of cult classic figures. In the end, this graphic novel is not the surprise any fan would’ve expected to get and, hopefully, isn’t the beginning of this creative team’s descent into mediocrity.
Batman: Reptilian is a phenomenal disappointment that mutilates a beloved villain’s background through a lackluster and mediocre horror mystery.
You can find my review on my blog by clicking .
In his quest to rid Gotham of the villainy and treachery that pervades its streets, Batman has always hid in the shadows, striking fear into the hearts of those he encounters, forcing the intent to commit crime out of the molecules of their skins, and sending them cowering, hoping that they’ll always think twice before ever dancing with the devil. But what if there was something far more frightening, ruthless, and unpredictable hiding in the shadows than a billionaire dressed as a bat? What if this thing didn’t have human consciousness and could terrorize Gotham in unimaginable ways, leaving the criminal underworld so shaken that only a pool of blood and crippled bodies are left behind? Legendary comic book writer Garth Ennis teams up with artist Liam Sharp to deliver a bizarre six-issue DC Black Label stand-alone title starring a brand-new and terrifying threat to Batman’s rogues� gallery.
What is Batman: Reptilian? The story is set within Gotham City with Batman following the tracks left behind by a cruel and unforgiving freight train of a monster who happens to only be hunting down the villainous powerhouses of the criminal underworld, such as Penguin, Riddler, Poison Ivy, and so on. With only Alfred and a Russian thug with connections by his side, this mystery leads him to shocking crime scenes that further corroborate the sole fact he’s got: there’s a monster out there. Inquiring the streets for clues to pin down the nature of this threat but also this unstable creature’s prime motive, Batman finds himself confronting Killer Croc only to discover a shocking truth that will require him to take drastic measures in solving the world’s strangest case.
What in tarnation is this? You’d think that any idea oozing out of writer Garth Ennis’s (The Boys, Preacher, Punisher) mind would be dark, twisted, and marvelous. This time around, he indeed presents readers with a gritty, crude, and ugly tale but fails completely in all respects, whether it’s characterization, as he butchers Batman’s persona and offers an irritatingly verbose, sassy, and unamusing take on the superhero, or the narrative structure, as the mystery at the heart of this tale is the only driving force of the story and is ridiculously solved in the final issue to make the whole adventure effortlessly forgettable. The twist of this story is also an astounding disservice to Killer Croc’s character (you wouldn’t believe me even if I told you what it was), tastelessly butchering his background and nature for the sake of delivering a ludicrous, unoriginal, and dull surprise regarding the story’s mysterious main antagonist.
Although this graphic novel was originally going to be drawn by the late Steve Dillon, artist Liam Sharp dedicates his work in honour of his friend to bring about a murky and bleak artistic vision to writer Garth Ennis’s story. His style, unfortunately, is an acquired taste, at times painting (yes, the whole story is painted) some depressingly gorgeous panels, but at other times portraying characters in odd and absurd designs or with comical expressions that seem incredibly out of place. There are also some serious creative liberties taken for iconic characters, notably the Joker, who look nothing like anyone would’ve ever imagined for these characters. The reveal of the main antagonist is also enthroned through impressive artwork but doesn’t strike as a novel concept, mostly reminding readers of cult classic figures. In the end, this graphic novel is not the surprise any fan would’ve expected to get and, hopefully, isn’t the beginning of this creative team’s descent into mediocrity.
Batman: Reptilian is a phenomenal disappointment that mutilates a beloved villain’s background through a lackluster and mediocre horror mystery.
June 22, 2022
Actually rather fun despite its pregnant gory atmosphere. Monolithic and tongue-in-cheek, Batman is that close to being hilarious. The humour is tipically Ennis- hence tipically british- so it sometimes sounds a bit odd in Bats� mouth but it’s fun either way. Alfred’s a riot too despite his few lines.
Did the story deserve to be a 6-parter though? Gosh, no! Half that, 4 tops, would have been enough.
I don’t stick with Batman’s theory on Croc’s origins and if you go to the bottom of it the main argument is a bit far-fetched if not totally dumb.
Not the Bat book of the year but totally readable/enjoyable
Liam Sharp greatly surprised me, working in a Bisley/Sienkiewicz style quite far from what he usually does. It’s colorful to say the least, deformed and caricatural- Batman is like 7 feet tall/250 pounds- but it reminded me of the glorious years of experimentations with the medium of the mid 80’s-mid 90’s. He seemed to have greatly enjoyed drawing it and I’ve enjoyed seeing it even though some readers might be put off-balance.
Did the story deserve to be a 6-parter though? Gosh, no! Half that, 4 tops, would have been enough.
I don’t stick with Batman’s theory on Croc’s origins and if you go to the bottom of it the main argument is a bit far-fetched if not totally dumb.
Not the Bat book of the year but totally readable/enjoyable
Liam Sharp greatly surprised me, working in a Bisley/Sienkiewicz style quite far from what he usually does. It’s colorful to say the least, deformed and caricatural- Batman is like 7 feet tall/250 pounds- but it reminded me of the glorious years of experimentations with the medium of the mid 80’s-mid 90’s. He seemed to have greatly enjoyed drawing it and I’ve enjoyed seeing it even though some readers might be put off-balance.
Want to read
June 22, 2022(Recommended by A.J. Anders)
November 25, 2021
Це було весело, сподіваюсь, що Еннісу дадуть ще щось написати про Бетса.
Read
February 14, 2024Usually if I think of Garth Ennis writing Batman, it's as the butt of the joke in Hitman, so I was surprised when I saw he was contributing a Batman miniseries to DC's 'prestige, mature readers' (read: thick covers; slightly gorier) Black Label imprint. Which I shouldn't have been, because Black Label seem determined to put out even more Batman titles than core DC, so at this point they must be flinging absolute shedloads of cash at any big name who isn't entirely sworn off work for hire. But you know what? Turns out Ennis does write a good Batman. Yes, he's got form on giving good bastard, but here he manages to work within Bruce's ridiculous limitations so as to make someone who is widely known not to kill genuinely menacing all the same. And menace is the mood here, Liam Sharp's dark and doomy art recalling Dave McKean's phantasmagoric Arkham Asylum, such that I couldn't at all work out how it was originally meant to work with Steve Dillon drawing, all the light and space and raised eyebrows in his work. Except that � SPOILER, I guess, though I'll avoid details � then we get the bait and switch, and what started out as an Alien riff is revealed as a body horror sex comedy, starring Killer Croc. Yes, there were already hints � an Alfred so waspish that he was rapidly passing The Servant en route to 'Suits you, sir!' But I still properly fell for it. And although the ending falls apart a bit, with Batman's characterisation wobbling and a big explodey showdown that really doesn't sit right with the style Sharp is using here, I mostly enjoyed this one. Which said, I seem to have been in the minority there among people I know, and the price of it was properly taking the piss, so if you do fancy it, maybe wait for the library or the sales.
July 28, 2022
- Anyone ever tell you you've got a really terrible laugh?
- The few who've heard it? Certainly.
- The few who've heard it? Certainly.
July 13, 2022
Good grief this was bad. A Batman who is bitter and smarmy and very out of character. Art where you have to try and squint to figure out what is going on and colour that was overly dark. It says the original artist was going to be Steve Dillon and though the story would still be dreadful at least the art would have been good.
January 11, 2023
Not sure how I feel about this one. Why do all Batman stories that involve him being a "detective" never have anything that seems to me to be detective work? He just interviews a couple people, punches someone, and case closed.
November 23, 2021
One of the dumbest and most ridiculous Batman stories I’ve ever read
June 3, 2022
This was very...different. A mystery/horror, wherein Batman investigates a creature terrorizing Gotham. When you step back after reading it, it's a fairly basic Batman tale with the core idea of revamping the origin of Killer Croc. I'll leave the rest out since it's in spoiler territory, but while initially fascinating, it only muddles his history even more and possibly removes him from the playing field completely.
Ennis' Batman has more of a sense of humor but it's a biting, insulting one. His attitude towards criminals comes off the same as a rich person who is inconvenienced by someone less fortunate. I think most Batman fans have a definitive version in their mind and Ennis' is a jarring change that doesn't come off as very heroic.
The artwork by Liam Sharp is something I've never seen from him. It isn't his normal straight pencils and inks it looks digitally painted, with inspiration possibly from Sienkiewicz, McKean and even Powell. It's intriguing and has it's own style but it is visually very dark, to where you can't always make out what is happening in the panel. There also isn't a lot of panel-panel storytelling, just snapshots of a person standing or a building; everything is very static. At a certain point it just becomes a hurdle to understand the story.
I'm waffling whether to give it 1 or 2 stars, but it left a bad taste in my mouth, despite some sparks of creativity.
Ennis' Batman has more of a sense of humor but it's a biting, insulting one. His attitude towards criminals comes off the same as a rich person who is inconvenienced by someone less fortunate. I think most Batman fans have a definitive version in their mind and Ennis' is a jarring change that doesn't come off as very heroic.
The artwork by Liam Sharp is something I've never seen from him. It isn't his normal straight pencils and inks it looks digitally painted, with inspiration possibly from Sienkiewicz, McKean and even Powell. It's intriguing and has it's own style but it is visually very dark, to where you can't always make out what is happening in the panel. There also isn't a lot of panel-panel storytelling, just snapshots of a person standing or a building; everything is very static. At a certain point it just becomes a hurdle to understand the story.
I'm waffling whether to give it 1 or 2 stars, but it left a bad taste in my mouth, despite some sparks of creativity.
March 5, 2022
V Gothamu něco ve velkém vraždí všechny důležité Batmanovi záporáky a jejich kumpány. Batman samozřejmě je tímto ihned uhranut a snaží se to vyřešit, jen nečeká do čeho se to vlastně nachomítne. Batman: Reptilian je ve svém nitru bláznivá absurdní komedie přejetá špinavým, slizkým a cynickým filtrem. Garth Ennis tu naštěstí nikoho neznásilňuje do prdele (no i když pár úchylných podtónů tu je). No a nabízí nám tu více satirickou verzi Batmana, kdy tu máte na něj více cynický pohled ve kterém vám dojde že on vlastně není taková dobrá duše a že i jeho konání místy se dá srovnat s padouchi se kterými válčí.
Co hlavně z Reptiliana dělá jeden z nejlepších ucelených Batmaních příběhů je nejen lehce jiný take na Batmana, ale naprosto nádherná a uhrančivá kresba, která i během celého volumě mění nálady a lehce i styl. Nemluvě i o právě skvělém absurdním příběhu který ve své hloubce dává vzpomenout na ujetější eskapády. Ono vlastně, to je i důvod proč tenhle komiks buď nesnášíte nebo milujete. Není to pro každýho, je to silně off-beat, je tu hromada naprosto absurdních zvratů a naprosto náhodných až bizarně komediálních scén, že tohle opravdu je pro úzkou skupinu lidí. Pokud chcete zažít Batmanův a Killer Crocův fever dream, směle do toho. Konečně si můžu u něčeho od Ennise říct: MILUJU TO!
Co hlavně z Reptiliana dělá jeden z nejlepších ucelených Batmaních příběhů je nejen lehce jiný take na Batmana, ale naprosto nádherná a uhrančivá kresba, která i během celého volumě mění nálady a lehce i styl. Nemluvě i o právě skvělém absurdním příběhu který ve své hloubce dává vzpomenout na ujetější eskapády. Ono vlastně, to je i důvod proč tenhle komiks buď nesnášíte nebo milujete. Není to pro každýho, je to silně off-beat, je tu hromada naprosto absurdních zvratů a naprosto náhodných až bizarně komediálních scén, že tohle opravdu je pro úzkou skupinu lidí. Pokud chcete zažít Batmanův a Killer Crocův fever dream, směle do toho. Konečně si můžu u něčeho od Ennise říct: MILUJU TO!
September 6, 2022
Este quadrinho me provocou sentimentos ambíguos sobre o que os autores, Garth Ennis e Liam Sharp tentaram fazer com esta minissérie/encadernado Batman: Reptiliano. A trama gira em torno de assassinatos de diversos inimigos do Batman que estavam em um encontro e tudo indica que o culpado foi o Crocodilo. E uma transformação bizarra no Crocodilo é o estopim de tudo e nos coloca a questionar quais foram as intenções dos autores com essa minissérie, principalmente depois de saber que ela foi desenvolvida pensando nos desenhos de Steve Dillon, o que acentuaria seu teor irônico, sarcástico, cáustico e nonsense. Inclusive a forma como Ennis retrata o Batman também é ambígua, não fica claro se ele está ou não zoando com o Homem-Morcego. Quando tomei conhecimento desta série achei que iria revolver sobre as lendas urbanas dos reptilianos na família real inglesa, mas não foi o caso, era algo muito mais simples. E às vezes o menos é mais. É o que acontece aqui nesta minissérie, mas que não deixa de provocar sentimentos diversos e ambíguos àqueles que têm acesso à ela.
June 1, 2022
I really enjoyed this. Garth Ennis writes Batman as you'd imagine, and I'm willing to bet it would upset a few purists. But it fits the world of this story - one that is equal parts bizarre and haunting. Thanks mostly to Liam Sharp's painted artwork. Well worth checking out.
November 27, 2021
Good story, very funny and great batman characterization and gorgeous art by liam sharp
December 6, 2021
As to be expected from Garth Ennis, there are some pretty wacky ideas and no small amount of humour here. And the painted artwork is a treat. Great stuff!
March 16, 2025
Such a strange story.
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