Book Review: Batman: His Greatest Adventures by K. Puckett et al.

Batman: His Greatest Adventures written by Kelley Puckett, Ty Templeton, Bill Mathney, and Hilary J. Bader; art by Rick Burchett, Ty Templeton, Christopher Jones, Terry Beatty, Mike Parobeck, Craig Rossuea, and Rob Leigh

Six stories, mostly from the 1990s, are told in this volume. Batman faces off against The Penguin, The Joker, The Riddler, Catwoman, and other assorted rogues (though the two cover villains, Two-Face and Poison Ivy, are not in the book at all). The stories follow the classic Batman model where he solves a mystery crafted by the bad guy and comes out one step (or punch) ahead. The art style is clearly inspired by Batman: The Animated Series, though occasional differences are distracting (who thinks Catwoman with gigantic ears looks good?). I appreciated that the story telling and art are kid-friendly without being dumbed down or boring. Batman does make a good noir character, but he doesn't always have to be bloody, dark, and bitter.

Recommended, but don't be fooled by the title. These are not Batman's greatest adventures but they are good ones.