Batman Damned Review: 7 Ups & 2 Downs

Batman: Damned is the first from DC Comics' new line of Black Label books. These individual tales are separate from the rest of their main continuity, allowing writers to tell their own stories no matter how dark or crazy they may be. This new title comes from legendary writer Brian Azzarello and stellar artist Lee Bermejo, who previously worked on the critically acclaimed book, Joker, together. So with those two at the helm we know it's going to be good.

It doesn't seem like the two books are going to be in continuity with each other, but Batman: Damned could be seen as a spiritual sequel. The Clown Prince of Crime himself has been found murdered, and no one knows who killed him. But Batman isn't sure if he's the culprit or not, since he can't recall what happened the night before. As the night drags on he's put on a collision course with John Constantine to figure out who murdered The Joker and why.

The first issue is brutally living up to the promise of DC's Black Label books, but it isn't without it's flaws. Let's take a look.

Some mild spoilers ahead.