The “Holy human pressure cookers Batman” but darker.
“Trust nothing, suspect everything. If you want to figure out the truth, you shouldn’t just be standing here, trying to get me to talk. Go out and see color for yourself.”
― Marie Lu, Batman: Nightwalker
Before there was Batman, there was Bruce Wayne, the typical nosey teenager. Bruce Wayne, the 18 year old heir to Wayne Enterprises, does not like parties with people who only like him for his money. In his haste to leave the party, which happens to be for his 18th birthday, he runs into a police chase. Bruce decides that because his car is the only car which can catch the criminals, he must be the one to catch the criminal, which the police do not like. As punishment for interfering with the police, Wayne is given community service in Arkham Asylum. In Arkham he meets a mysertious girl, Madeleine Wallace, who is locked up with the worst of the worst. She even refuses to talk to anyone but him. Madeleine aids him in his quest to learn more about the Nightwalkers, a criminal orgianization that has recently started terrorizing Gotham’s streets and one Wallace has ties with. The Nightwalkers are a clear parallel to the League of Assassins, with a Madeleine instead of a Talia Al Gaul. I spent the entire book thinking Madeleine is Talia, and was slightly disappointed to find out otherwise.
“Fear clears the mind. Panic clouds it.”
― Marie Lu, Batman: Nightwalker
As is typical for a Marie Lu book, Batman: Nightwalker was good, but it doesn’t quite compare to Lu’s other books such as The Young Elites, Legend, or Warcross. Batman: Nightwalker is still enjoyable in the moment, but as time passes, it is forgettable. However, the clues laid for the detectives to uncover is wonderful. The twists and turns Madeleine challenges Bruce with both emotionally and as a detective are done in Lu’s typical style, which is to say, excellent. Whether Batman is a new or an old character to readers, the fast pacing and the compelling characters, makes Batman: Nightwalker a compelling read despite lacking some accuracy to the original material. For example, Bruce has no training and his parents deaths do not seem to influence him to do good, he just inherently is morally perfect as the stereotypical main character’s are.
“You have a heavy heart, for someone with everything.”
― Marie Lu, Batman: Nightwalker
Any causal Batman fan will like this book. Die hard fans would shred it. However, Lu does introduce Bruce Wayne to readers as if we don’t know him, so no prior knowledge is necessary. This book is for any fan of Marie Lu or Marrissa Mayer’s.
“Can you ever truly comprehend anything about something, or someone…unless you experience it for yourself?”
― Marie Lu, Batman: Nightwalker