BATMAN AND THE MAD MONK
Art and story by Matt Wagner

I have a bad habit of judging books by their covers. That’s why I have such a shitty comic-book collection, which includes such titles as “US 1,” “Jemm, Son of Saturn,” and something called “Obnoxio the Clown Vs. the X-Men.” So, learning from past experience, I snatched up “Batman and the Mad Monk” the second I saw the cover. Though, this time I got lucky.

The six-issue mini-series, by Matt Wagner, has some of the best covers I’ve seen in a long time. Inspired by classic Batman stories and 1930s movie serials, “Batman and the Mad Monk” is the second part of Wagner’s “Dark Moon Rising” series, which began with “Batman and the Monster Men.” The new series, which has been collected in a trade paperback (available April 18), takes place during the “Batman: Year One” era and nicely captures the style of the Frank Miller - Dave Mazzucchelli book, though it lacks some of its predecessor’s grittiness (but we’re talking Frank Miller here). In the story, Bats is on the trail of the Mad Monk, a mysterious villain in a red hood and robe who likes to kidnap young ladies and drain them of their blood. Meanwhile, Captain Gordon fights police corruption and begins to cement his burgeoning relationship with the Bat-Man. It’s based on a 1939 “Detective Comics” story called “Batman Versus the Vampire.”

It’s a worthwhile story. Nothing mind-blowing here. The comic’s real treat is Wagner’s art. It’s like a Fleischer Superman cartoon in comic form, full of retro coolness. If you’re a Batman fan or a fan of movie serials, definitely check this one out.