Batman and the Monster Men
Grade 6 Up–Bruce Wayne is in love, but trouble in Gotham gets in the way of his burgeoning relationship with Julie Madison, aspiring attorney and daughter of magnate Norman Madison. Batman's duties have multiplied in recent weeks as a series of unusually gruesome attacks have left at least one mutilated body floating in the sewer and have kept Julie waiting impatiently for Bruce. And of course, loan shark and mob boss Sal Maroni continues to wreak havoc among his clients. In cooperation with Captain Jim Gordon at Gotham PD, Batman gets the evidence he needs to discover the source of the vicious attacks–genetically mutated monsters created by renegade Professor Hugo Strange, a man with a Napoleon complex and money on loan from Sal Maroni. When Julie's father becomes entangled with Maroni, Bruce's emotional investment rises, and Batman must do everything in his power to bring down Maroni. The graphics are high quality, giving the appropriate darkness to the masked man and excellent detail to the mutated monsters. Both longtime readers and new fans of Batman will appreciate this chapter in the story.–Sarah Krygier, Solano County Library, Fairfield, CACopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.