Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Batman... Scarecrow... does anything more need to be said?

Some guys are Jokers fans. Most, I suspect are Catwoman aficionados of course. There might even be a few who like that Ventriloquist fellow. Me, I love tales when my favorite superhero faces off against Prof. Jonathan Crane AKA the Scarecrow. And when I found this novel--Batman: Fear Itself--my heart shrieked with joy.

Half of the author team behind Batman: Fear Itself is Michael Reaves, who wrote the Shattered World, one of my favorite books I should rave about on GuysLitWire another day. He also received an Emmy Award for his work on the Batman animated television series, probably the best cartoon ever made. I dare you to refute that. The other guy, Steven-Elliot Altman penned something called Zen in the Art of Slaying Vampires, so you know he has a kick-ass mentality. Which meant that Batman and Scarecrow are in good hands.

So, the novel...

... a runaway train with a driver terrified.
... a horror novelist who's books truly do fill readers with terror.
... an annoying journalist who's trouble.

Classic Batman elements. I'm not giving any spoilers that the main villain is the Scarecrow... the very title clinches that. But here we have a very realistic novelization of the comic book, with plenty of Bruce Wayne (I have to admit, I really do like it when we see the other "half" of Batman). There are plenty of thrills, chills and genuine danger for the characters, which the authors plot out in detail.

So, for once, you can put down the graphic novel and lift up into your parents face a mass market paperback and let them know you're reading some literature! Err, well, at least, the closest Batman comes to that...

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