Holy Komikku, Batman

While going through the box of new comics at my CB store last Thursday, I noticed a Batman comic that had the cover art on the back cover. That of course made me curious, so I grabbed it out the wooden box and gave it a look. Upon opening Batman: Death Mask, I saw that it was created in manga style, so it read back to front, and right to left. I was a little reluctant to purchase it, having never been into manga, but when I saw a diagram on the front (back) cover, explaining how to read the comic, I decided to take it home.

I'm really glad I did. The comic is a creation of Yoshinori Natsume, who does the story and the art. 

How often does that happen?

The comic is presented in black and white, which usually doesn't appeal to me, but it works with his art style. The story is fun and poses the question: Is Batman the mask for Bruce Wayne, or is Bruce Wayne the mask for Batman?

It includes some great illos of masks, a two-page spread of Mr. Freeze, Poison Ivy, The Joker, The Penguin, and the gang we love to hate, a faceless murder victim, and a bamboo forest in the middle of Gotham City.

Natsume has really made a splash with his debut in American comics, and I'm definitely putting this four-issue series on my sub list.