Somebody Else's Nimrod

Bruce Wayne: Murderer. This is a 250-page-plus trade paperback chronicling the events that cascade from the discovery of one of Bruce Wayne's ex-girlfriends murdered in Wayne Manor, threatening not only Wayne's destruction, but the overthrow of his entire crime-fighting organization. Now, while I'm fond of the animated Justice League Batman in my own way, I'm not exactly one of the Bat-obsessed folk. Vigilantes, the self-conscious "dark knights," tend to bore me; I'm more drawn to those struggling to stay on the side of right and respect for law, precisely because there's more struggle, more dynamism. (The self-righteousness of a Punisher makes Superman look like Peter Parker.) However, I picked up this volume for some research and for a little escapism in a rough week, and I wasn't disappointed.

This TPB is an easy entry point for the intelligent adult who hasn't read much DC. Except for dealing with a few of the secondary characters on the margins of the story, it's surprisingly easy to follow for someone, like me, who's never had a relationship with the comics canon. The art also manages to avoid the painful comics cliches which adult comics readers always have to strain to read past, and in some places is strikingly beautiful or evocative.

Because the plotline was spread over multiple titles, the story ends up being satisfyingly balanced, as the various members of the Batfamily pursue their own distinctive ways of investigating the story--as well as their own distinctive doubts--while Bruce is slowly ground down under the brutalities of prison and the media circus. Each character's flaws figure prominently into events, especially those of Batman himself. The featured original character could be a Mary Sue, but is redeemed by her own reactions to what happens, as well as her awkward placement with respect to the rest of Batman's people; her extraordinary admission into the inner sanctum is not a function of her superhuman wonderfulness, but rather a sign of the stresses on the organization that nearly tear it apart once Bruce is arrested. The mystery is genuinely difficult, despite its being exceptionally unlikely, from a meta-perspective, that Bruce could actually be guilty. The story works to a disturbing conclusion that seems foreordained once it comes, even if you know that the nature of the comics means matters can't rest there.

In short, taken as a sort of standalone Batman graphic novel, Bruce Wayne: Murderer?, draws you effectively into its world and keeps you engaged while you're there. It's definitely worth picking up by the adult who's no longer a comics geek per se, but knows that the medium can still support a good story.