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Batman: Crimson Mist review

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It’s Halloween, so what better time is there to read some spoooOOOoooky Batman
stories? And really, when else should you read about a guy who dresses up like a
vampire bat and then literally becomes one?

Such is the concept behind the second Elseworlds: Batman volume. Collecting the
Batman/Dracula trilogy of Red Rain, Bloodstorm, and Crimson Mist, this volume
sees Batman take on Dracula himself only to slowly turn into as much of a threat as
the legendary vampire. The bloody trilogy comes from legendary team Doug
Moench and Kelley Jones and, since the first installment’s original publication in
1991, has become one of the most popular tales in the Elseworlds stable.

Just in time for Halloween, we’re looking at the final chapter, Crimson Mist. The
insanity reaches a fever pitch, and Alfred and Gordon have to channel their inner
Van Helsings to make things right. Buckle in for one last spoooooky ride.

If you want a Batman comic with higher stakes…this definitely has more
stakes. I won’t say they are higher. But there are lots of stakes.

-Andrew Asberry

Crimson Mist

I can’t believe I’m saying this: this story where Batman becomes a vampire is
getting a little too silly.

Seriously, Crimson Mist here is absolutely bananas. Nowhere is that more evident
than in the character designs for Batman’s rogues: Scarecrow runs around with
dude’s thumbs stitched into his costume, Killer Croc is straight up naked, and the
Riddler has a question mark stitched into his face and his torso. It is absolutely
silly, completely ridiculous and the best kind of bonkers.

The story, while not as engrossing as Bloodstorm, is still pretty interesting: crime is
running rampant on the streets of Gotham, so Alfred and Gordon make the decision
to “un-stake” Batman so he can clean up the streets.

It works too well.

Now a fully-fledged member of the undead, Batman has to slake his thirst for blood
and goes waaaaaay overboard in how he dispatches criminals.

And their heads.

From their bodies.

A+ use of a monocle.

Credit where it’s due: Kelley Jones is the perfect artist for this book. I’m not a huge
fan of his style, but his exaggerated angles, surplus ribs/vertebrae, and almost
cartoonish violence fits right in with the insanity of Moench’s story. Really, I can’t
imagine someone like Jason Fabok or Lee Weeks working on this book; while their
styles may be more refined and more technically pleasing, Jones just knows how to
illustrate grotesqueries like nobody’s business. For that, I give him props.

Taking the lingering threads of Red Rain and Bloodstorm, Moench has taken this
story to its logical conclusion. Batman has become the villain of his own story, and
only the faintest shreds of his former humanity keep him from preying on the
innocent. He knows the time will come when he can no longer control himself,
though, so before he is too far gone he tasks Alfred and Gordon with taking him
down permanently. So, this is pretty much Pennyworth and Gordon: Vampire
Hunters. Frankly, I’d read a whole series of that.

Interesting ideas aside, it’s just so over-the-top violent that I can’t take it seriously.
On a visceral level, it’s morbidly entertaining to see Batman just let loose and go
nuts all over the scum of the streets. It’s about as far removed from anything I
would normally want as a Batman fan, but this isn’t supposed to be taken as
canon. This is simply some guys saying “hey, what if Batman became a vampire?”
and following that idea all the way through.

Crimson Mist is a fun read, but it’s kind of trashy. I mean, Batman describes his
mist form as “traveling as moist, sticky mist bearing thirst and bringing
vengeance.” It’s so delightfully insane that you can’t help being entertained. And
really, that’s what this is: entertaining. I wouldn’t say it’s good, and it becomes a
bit too much even for a story about a guy dressed like Dracula becoming Dracula,
but it’s never, ever boring.

Bonus features: A fairly interesting intro from Eric Van Lustbader, wherein he
quotes Prince quite heavily. Besides that, nada.

Value: The collection can be found on Amazon for less than twenty bucks, but I’d
still say get it at a discount.

Overall: The weakest of the three stories, Crimson Mist is simultaneously too silly
and too gruesome to be taken seriously. I did love some of the ideas explored and
can at least appreciate how insane it gets, but after the surprisingly balanced
Bloodstorm this just goes too far off the rails. Still, read together these three
stories are a pretty cohesive unit, and if you like Batman and vampires and want an
annual Halloween read you can’t really go wrong.

SCORE: 5/10

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Morse • 4 years ago ⚑ −

you know this book is going to be terrifying when batman's leg has a face of it's own
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Ash Singh • 4 years ago − ⚑

Read all 3 of them. They were cool. I enjoyed them. Had a lot of scary stuff.
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