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Batman: Gotham Knight novelisation by Louise Simonson
01/07/2008 . Source: Geoff Willmetts 
pub: Titan/DC comics. 278 page paperback. Price: £ 6.99 (UK). ISBN: 978-1-84576-0473-7. Buy Batman: Gotham Knight in the USA - or Buy Batman: Gotham Knight in the UK  check out website: www.titanbooks.com
The most apparent thing reading this novelisation of the animation film 'Batman: Gotham Knight' is that it is based after the Christopher Nolan directed film of two years back and probably prior to the new film coming out this year. The screenplay was concocted by five writers from a single story by a sixth writer even before Louise Simonson got her hands on it.
Since I haven't seen the film, all I can really do is go by the contents of the book. Any extra detail to the animated plot to flesh out the page count hopefully coming from Simonson herself.
If I have to confess to any niggle then its to do with product placement or rather creator name placement where many of the significant artists who've ever worked on the Batman comics keep turning up as street or building names. Nothing against that in itself. It's nice to see these people remembered and used to dimensionalise Gotham City but it makes it feel to much placement rather than as a surprise homage.
Anyway, onto the story. Batman is still doing what he does best with help from butler Alfred Pennyworth and inventor Lucius Fox giving valuable support and equipment. There are still scores of Arkham Asylum inmates loose since Jonathan Crane aka the Scarecrow let them out. Batman tackles them as they raise their heads about the city skyline causing trouble as well as dealing with the more regular felons like the Mafia and even members of the Russian version. Good thing his batsuit is high-tech these days or he'd never survive the assaults on his person.
Batman also faces three major foes this time around although oddly, two of them, Killer Croc and Deadshot, don't really get under that much of a spotlight until the last third of the book. Instead, more emphasis is placed on psycho inventor Jacob Feely aka the Man in Black which surely must have the least imaginative derivative non de plume in Batman's adversaries file. Saying that, the other two do make up for it and I wouldn't want to be the one tracking Killer Croc in the Gotham City sewer system.
In many respects, this book is really about the life Batman leads and how the villains don't wait in line to commit crimes or take pot-shots at him. As Batman he deals with a lot of the low-lifes and as Bruce Wayne encounters those who are much higher up the food chain but equally nasty. Somewhere in this mix, there is Lieutenant James Gordon and his specialised detective force often picking up the pieces after Batman has been there first. Its interesting to note that Simonson covers the aspect as to whether the Batman is a vigilante or a concerned citizen crime-fighter going for the latter. I have to confess that there is a very fine line between the two labels which I hope is explored with other DC characters.
This book is actually a very good read even if you haven't seen the animation film like me or need it to fill in the details if you have. I've been trying to avoid giving away too much of the plot because its so integrated. As the reader you'll see things long before the Batman does and end up seeing how he figures things out. Batman is suspicious of many people but also knows he needs to provide firm evidence to the police if there is to be any conviction. Solid entertainment.
GF Willmetts
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