Wayne of Gotham by Tracy Hickman; page count 304

I was pleasantly surprised by this one. I was never a comic book fan. The only comic/graphic novel-type books I have ever gotten into have been manga and they are pretty darn different from the DC Batman franchise.

So you may ask yourself why I even picked up this book at all. The answer is simple: my sister. My sister is one of the biggest Batman fans out there. Her fifth birthday party was Batman-themed, and all of her school supplies for Kindergarten had Batman on them in some way. It is a love that never dies apparently. She recently purchased a house and an entire room is devoted to the Dark Knight. So when I saw this book at my neighborhood library I thought of her and picked it up.

The book toggles between an older Bruce Wayne (I think late 30s, maybe early 40s) in pursuit of the criminal behind mysterious invitations prominent Gothamites have received and the story of Bruce’s father, Thomas Wayne, adjusting to being back in Gotham after finishing medical school in 1958.

Hickman does a decent job of adding words and realism to the Batman sequences, while maintaining the neuroses of Gotham’s iconic villains. However, his writing was much better suited to the 1950s Thomas Wayne parts of the book. Then again, perhaps I was just more interested in that story line. The thoughts of the Batman/Bruce Wayne run towrd the melodramatic, but then, what can one expect from a guy who fights crime in a batsuit?

Overall, I’d recommend this title to anyone who enjoys the Nolan Batman films and wants more of the enigma in a batsuit, but is reluctant to delve into comics.