by Alan Moore, et al.

The team of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbon, who combined to hit a grand slam with the now seminal graphic novel, Watchman, regrouped shortly after that and produced this examination of Batman. It's shorter, but that's the only real negative here. Moore's take on the Joker emphasizes the cruel nature of the character, and he includes a plot development here, which some of the other reviewers give away but I can't let myself do, that is shocking in how it affects characters.

When I glance at a page of Gibbon art, I'm never that interested in it. It lacks the flash and smoothness of fan-favorites like McFarlane. But it is art that works in conjunction with the text to truly propel the story, and that's what a graphic work is supposed to do.