Batman Nightwalker: The Graphic Novel

by Marie Lu, Stuart Moore (Adapted by), Chris Wildgoose (Illustrator)

Overview

This action-packed graphic novel based on the New York Times bestselling novel by Marie Lu transports readers to the shadowy gates of Arkham Asylum, where Gotham City's darkest mysteries reside...and now it threatens to imprison young Bruce Wayne.

This action-packed graphic novel based on the New York Times bestselling book by Marie Lu transports readers to the shadowy gates of Arkham Asylum, where Gotham City's darkest mysteries reside...and which now threatens to imprison Bruce Wayne.

A ruthless new gang of criminals known only as Nightwalkers is terrorizing Gotham and the city's elite are being taken out one by one. On the way home from his 18th birthday party, newly minted billionaire Bruce Wayne makes an impulsive choice that puts him in their crosshairs and lands him in Arkham Asylum, the once-infamous mental hospital. There he meets Madeleine Wallace, a brilliant killer...and Bruce's only hope. Madeleine is the mystery Bruce must unravel, but is he convincing her to divulge her secrets or is he feeding her the information she needs to bring Gotham City to its knees?

Adapted by Stuart Moore and illustrated by Chris Wildgoose, this graphic novel presents a thrilling new take on Batman before he donned the cape and cowl.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781401280048
Publisher:	DC Comics
Publication date:	10/01/2019
Pages:	208
Sales rank:	79,150
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Marie Lu is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Legend trilogy and The Young Elites trilogy. She graduated from the University of Southern California and jumped into the video game industry, working for Disney Interactive Studios as a Flash artist. Now a full-time writer, she spends her spare time reading, drawing, playing Assassin's Creed, and getting stuck in traffic. She lives in Los Angeles, California (see above: traffic), with one husband, one Chihuahua mix, and two Pembroke Welsh corgis.

Read an Excerpt

The blood underneath her nails bothered her.
(Continues…)

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Excerpted from "Batman: Nightwalker"
by .
Copyright © 2019 Marie Lu.
Excerpted by permission of Random House Children's Books.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Editorial Reviews

09/23/2019

This satisfactory adaptation of Lu’s eponymous novel by Eisner Award-winner Moore (Captain Ginger) presents the moral dilemmas of a young Bruce Wayne battling crime without the aid of his bat-themed costume and gadgetry. Just as Bruce turns 18 and inherits his fortune, a new gang, the “Nightwalkers,” begins to kill and steal from Gotham’s wealthiest citizens. When Bruce’s interference in a police chase ends in a car crash, he is charged with several crimes and sentenced to community service at Arkham Asylum. This rather inappropriate placement allows Lu and Moore to depict Bruce on the receiving end of objectification by the inmates, and sets up a meeting between him and Madeleine Wallace, a beautiful 18-year-old Nightwalker inmate. After a breakout from Arkham, Bruce dons a prototype armor suit to take down the baddies, adding more action sequences to the story’s early focus on interpersonal relationships. The art by Wildgoose (Batgirl) shows expressive, sharply featured characters in neon yellow-accented grayscale. While some may wonder where the batarangs and Batmobile are, readers should enjoy watching the proto-hero learn what is required to fight crime. Ages 13–17. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

With electric pacing and dynamic illustrations, [Batman: Nightwalker] is a visual delight with cinematic panache.” —Kirkus Reviews


“Bat-fans will find no shortage of hooks to grab their attention, while the central mystery is a fun cat-and-mouse game in itself.” —School Library Journal

From the Publisher

09/01/2019

Gr 7 Up—Bruce Wayne is Batman in all but name in this adaptation of Lu's YA novel. Though a self-conscious teenager at 18, he nonetheless gives chase to criminals and checks in with Lucius Fox about the WayneTech company. His daring exploits land him in community service at Arkham Asylum, where women inmates catcall him daily. Detective Draccon of the Gotham City Police keeps a watchful eye over him, including calling out his billionaire privilege. She and Bruce are on separate trails of the Nightwalkers, a group of violent activists who rob and murder the ultra-rich. An Arkham inmate, Madeleine, seems to play Bruce for a fool but also feeds him clues about the Nightwalkers' plans and makes pointed critiques of the one percent. The two share a budding romance, veiled in mind games. Fans of the Dark Knight will recognize Easter eggs aplenty, including the Draculords from DC's YA series "Gotham Academy." Other figures from Batman's storied past, such as Harvey Dent and Alfred Pennyworth, make winking contributions to the story alongside would-be rival Richard Price, generic friend Dianne, and strong-arm Arkham warden Dr. Zoe James. The artwork is almost entirely black-and-white; yellow highlights indicate danger, making action scenes pop and subtly highlighting otherwise innocuous objects. Wildgoose's illustrations adeptly depict awkward adolescent exchanges as well as tense interrogations and violent standoffs. VERDICT Bat-fans will find no shortage of hooks to grab their attention, while the central mystery is a fun cat-and-mouse game in itself.—Thomas Maluck, Richland Library, SC

School Library Journal

2019-06-23
A pre-Batman Bruce Wayne takes his first strides toward becoming the Caped Crusader.

In this graphic adaptation of the novel by the same name, 18-year-old newly minted billionaire Wayne wrestles with increasingly adult issues: how to control his newfound power in managing his deceased parents' fortune, facing the unknown once high school ends, and an intense call to defend the city he loves. When a nefarious group known as the Nightwalkers descends upon Gotham City, reigning terror upon the rich, Bruce begins his first foray into vigilantism. Unimpressed by his attempts, he is reprimanded by the GCPD and sent to work at Arkham Asylum, where he befriends enigmatic inmate Madeleine, a Nightwalker with a dark past. Like most Batman tales, the lines between good and evil are nebulous, and as Bruce struggles with issues like economic inequality, he learns he must define those boundaries himself. With electric pacing and dynamic black-and-white illustrations punctuated with bright splashes of yellow, Moore's (The Zodiac Legacy, 2017, etc.) adaptation of Lu's (Wildcard, 2018, etc.) novel is a visual delight with all the cinematic panache one would expect from the superhero franchise. Focusing upon Wayne before he fully adopted his Batman persona, this makes for a fine jumping in point for both seasoned fans and newcomers alike. Wayne presents as white, but secondary characters are ethnically diverse.

A worthy addition to the expansive Batman corpus. (Graphic fiction. 12-adult)

Kirkus Reviews