GRAPHIC NOVEL
Batman
Turning Points

Authors: Greg Rucka, Ed Brubaker and Chuck Dixon
Artists: Steve Lieber, Joe Giella, Dick Giordano and others
Titan Books
RRP: £9.99, US $14.99
ISBN-13: 978 1 84576 563 7
ISBN-10: 1 84576 563 X
Available 24 August 2007


Gotham City is a hard town with the same problems as any other - multiplied by a factor of a hundred. Its streets and alleys are filled with misfits, psychotics and even monsters hiding in the shadows. Early in his career, the city's first protector, Batman, tests the limits of his crime-fighting skills against these threats. Seeking to prove himself to a suspicious police force, he extends a hand of friendship to Gotham's top cop, James Gordon. As these defenders of justice tentatively come together to protect the city they love, each has to overcome mutual doubt and personal tragedy...

Turning Points explores the relationship between Batman and Commissioner Gordon, and how it has developed through the years, from Batman's early days through sidekicks and even a broken back.

Gotham City is plagued with crime and corruption in places high and low, but one man has taken a stand against evil of all forms: the dark avenger known as Batman. This time-spanning tale covers the history of Batman's relationship with his closest friend, Gotham cop Jim Gordon. From Year One to the modern day, taking in the debut of Robin, the attempted murder of Barbara Gordon and Batman's would-be replacement, the crazed Azrael.

While it's not essential that you are up to speed on your Batman history, it certainly helps to enhance your enjoyment of this collection. For example, if you are unaware of who Azrael is and that he has temporarily taken over looking after Gotham after Bane broke the real Batman's back, then one of the segments in this collection may not make a great deal of sense.

But, on the whole, this is a collection that can be read by all Batman fans - however well they know the Dark Knight's timeline. It was especially surprising (and a welcome surprise at that) to see that this collection concludes on a feel good story. How many Batman stories can you say that about?

A great collection of writers and artists are gathered here to pay tribute to one of the oddest relationships in the comic industry. And they do a magnificent job too.

Pete Boomer

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