Return to the world of Tim Burton’s Batman movies with John Jackson Miller’s Batman: Resurrection. Set between 1989’s Batman and 1992’s Batman Returns, Batman: Resurrection explores a previously unseen chapter of the Dark Knight’s life. What happened in Gotham City after the Joker’s Smylex attack? Whatever became of those infected by the Joker’s chemical warfare? And what powers might try to control the future of Gotham City? These questions form the heart of Batman: Resurrection, and they’re questions Miller proves eager to answer. Batman: Resurrection delivers a love letter to the Tim Burton Batman movies and an enthralling Batman story in its own right, filled with enough easter eggs and world-building to satisfy even the most fanatic of the Dark Knight’s fans.
A Strange and Dramatic Affair
A power vacuum engulfs Gotham City’s criminal underworld in the months following the Joker’s death. With every major gang vying for control of the city’s resources, Batman’s up to his neck holding the city together. But when a mysterious villain appears, bearing the hallmarks of exposure to the Joker’s chemical weapon, Smylex, it appears the past isn’t quite done with Gotham. For Batman, it’s a race against time as he searches for answers to this unsettling Smylex outbreak. But help may come from the strangest of places and at the most unexpected of times. It’s a case unlike any the Dark Knight’s faced before, and the fate of Gotham rests squarely on his shoulders. John Jackson Miller’s Batman: Resurrection slots perfectly in between Batman and Batman Returns, offering a story that bridges the gap between the two Burton films while telling its own, enthralling story.
At the heart of any good Batman story rests a mystery worthy of the world’s greatest detective, and Batman Resurrection‘s mystery reaches right into the depths of the comics. To go into any real specifics risks ruining half the fun of the book, but it’s pretty easy to see where Miller’s taking the story as it unfolds – and that sense of realization is where a lot of the book’s joy comes from. Resurrection‘s plot feels a bit more streamlined than either of Burton’s films felt, but the mystery itself slots in nicely alongside the Joker’s chaos or the Penguin’s horror and captures much of Burton’s whimsy. And while Batman as a character doesn’t quite translate to the written page as well as his mysteries do, Miller manages to craft a page-turn of a story – even if it takes some time for things to really get moving.
Something Old, Something New
If 1989’s Batman was a mob movie and 1992’s Batman Returns was a gothic horror, then Batman: Resurrection offers a melodramatic romp straight into the supernatural. It never fails to feel like another entry in the Burtonverse Batman movies, but it also feels quintessentially new. What Miller does exceedingly well here is simultaneously tie the two Batman movies together in a way the movies themselves failed to do while pushing the Burtonverse into exciting new directions. Here, readers witness the beginnings of Max Shreck’s quest to control Gotham, the evolution of Batman’s relationship with the city’s government, the aftermath of the Joker’s parade of destruction, and the devolution of Bruce Wayne’s relationship with Vicki Vale – all things merely hinted at in the two Burton movies but more fully explored in Resurrection.
But Miller’s work isn’t just another case of piecemeal connective tissue, no. Batman: Resurrection pushes the Burtonverse into exciting new directions. Miller mines Batman’s extensive gallery of rogues, bringing in a pair of fan-favorite baddies for the Dark Knight to face off against – while still giving them backstories that feel perfectly at home in the world of Burton’s movies. Put simply, this is the world of Michael Keaton’s Batman exactly as you remember it, but also wholly rejuvenated and palpably alive. Don’t go into Batman: Resurrection expecting any strikingly new revelations about Michael Keaton’s Batman. Instead, expect something more along the lines of Batman Returns – an immensely creative and experimental showcase of some of the Dark Knight’s most famous villains with a healthy dose of Batman fun sprinkled in.
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, John Jackson Miller’s Batman: Resurrection offers readers a welcome, familiar return to the world of Tim Burton’s Batman movies. The central mystery is pretty strong, tying together some of the Dark Knight’s more supernatural elements with Burton’s slightly more grounded sensibilities. Miller’s prose perfectly recaptures the atmosphere of the Burton Batman movies, even if his depiction of the Dark Knight himself doesn’t feel quite as electric as Keaton’s onscreen portrayal does. And, above all, it’s just a really solid Batman story. It’s easy to imagine sitting down in a movie theater in, say, 1991 and watching this exact story play out on the big screen. The book’s final pages promise more stories set in the Burtonverse, and if they’re anything like Resurrection, Batman fans are in for an absolute treat.
Batman Resurrection is available now in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook from Random House Worlds.
Disclaimer: A review copy of Batman: Resurrection was provided by the publisher. All opinions are the honest reactions of the author.
John Jackson Miller's "Batman: Resurrection" offers a deliciously gothic return to the Tim Burton Batman movies. Miller immediately captures the atmosphere of Burton's movies while also exploring some of the Dark Knight's more fantastical villains. A gripping page-turner of the best variety, and a welcome addition to any Batman lover's shelf.
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GVN Rating 8
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