What if Batman could help an orphan in the real world? It is from this premise that Kurt Busiek and John Paul Léon build a unique work.
Batman: real hero or personal madness?
In 1968 in Boston, Massachusetts, the young Bruce Wainwright, is a fan of Batman. However, the paper hero couldn't do anything when the boy's life was shattered. Like his favorite hero, his parents are shot. However, unlike Bruce Wayne, he has no Alfred to support him. The young child falls into a deep depression that seems endless. As a teenager, he is desperate and thinks he is lost. In addition, he is followed by a man hiding in the dark. The latter seems to be helping him. Is it Batman or is Bruce going crazy?
Another pearl of the Black Label
This title is published in Urban comics' Black label collection dedicated to the most original limited series of the publisher DC comics. We already told you about Harleen in this article but there are many important titles of the comic book like V for Vendetta by Alan Moore. Although not very productive, Kurt Buziek is a major writer in the world of comics. After creating his own superhero universe in the independent series Astro City, he worked on most of the major series by leaving his mark on them – Avengers, Superman – but Batman creature of the night is definitely apart. First of all, this title has a very bumpy editorial history. Started in 2017, the four-part miniseries ended in 2019. This significant delay is explained by the recurring health problems of the screenwriter whose blood is poisoned with mercury. Alas, these successive delays have put the mini-series under the radar. Initially, it was planned as a sequel to Superman – Secret Identity that was also based on the idea of confronting a superhero with reality. In this title, which also comes out this fall, Kurt Buziek offered a bright vision of life where a man can protect the world while having a peaceful privacy. Creature of the Night, is more in line with the atmosphere of the dark tales of the hero of Gotham. The world is much more hostile. And one wonders if it is not the outside that is more disturbed than Bruce Wainwright. In every corner of the city, violence is omnipresent and this Batman spurts blood. Even at school, children bully the most vulnerable. One cannot help but imagine that this pain is like that felt by the screenwriter during a complicated period of his life.
John Paul Léon: an expressionist cartoonist
Like a film noir from the 50s, the cartoonist plays a lot on darkness. This omnipresent color in each of the boxes plunges the reader into the darkness of the story and into Bruce's torments. At the same time, highly realistic faces make every action, even the most improbable, real. This contrast between purity and realism is a marvel. We can also highlight the hyper fluid layout which, behind a fairly classic form, hides a strong reflection to serve the scenario. Mastered from start to finish by a unique creative duo, this one-volume story is a splendor. Published by Urban Comics, Batman Creature of the Night is a new black diamond that embellishes the crown of the Black Label. However, if this rare stone is dark, the scenario gradually moves towards healing. Without ever falling into self-pity. This unique title shows that one can survive trauma.
