This was pretty good. An interesting take on Batman where Barbara Gordon, trust fund child becomes Batgirl and Gotham's heroine with Dick Grayson as her Robin. Bruce Wayne is a penniless cop after his family lost it all in the Great Depression. Sounds great, but the author really puts out a very convoluted tale of Gotham wracked by police corruption, and later drugs. You would think that is a good premise, but as I said, the plot is very convoluted at times, and at moments it seems things get wrapped up at the last rushed minute. The good things? The noir setting is very good, so if you like that genre, you may like this. The art is pretty good, adding a pulp feel to the story. And it is interesting to see how different characters such as the Riddler, the Joker (who is a woman), and others appear in the story in different ways. So, it was an "ok" read, entertaining at times, but I think the author tried to pack a bit too much. Still, worth a look for something different.

Comic is part of DC's series Elseworlds, which they describe as "heroes taken from their usual settings and put into strange times and places-- some that have existed or might have existed, and others that can't, couldn't or shouldn't exist." This comic definitely accomplishes that putting the characters we know in very different conditions. ( )

As much as I usually really enjoy the Elseworld's books, this one just didn't do much for me.
I suspect the art had a lot to do with that. I'm not a big of this style, give me the old typical comic book... ( )

An interesting spin on the Batman mythos from the Elseworlds point of view, meaning that it is not in the "true Batman's real world", as interpreted by Howard Chaykin, who always has a saucy way of getting his stories across and Dan Brereton's painted artwork. A very pretty book with attractive characters, the story could have been stretched out into at least a 12 issue series. I think this was only 4 or six issues long originally. I've always liked both Howard Chaykin and Dan Brereton so this one is a true favorite. ( )