Batman Death Mask
Batman has been realized by a variety of creators, American and otherwise, but he has never been entirely written and drawn by a manga artist until now. Natsume, creator of Togari, was picked to put his own spin on the Batman mythos, and, despite a few stumbles, he succeeds nicely. Mostly playing with the idea of masks and their wearers, Natsume also incorporates the Japanese mythological beast oni, a demon-like creature, which acts as a bridge between the two cultures that this story straddles. Not a lot of new ground is broken here—Bruce Wayne struggles with his internal demons while fighting evil—and the ending is resolved a little too easily. But the story is still gripping and Natsume’s art fits with the horror and violence of the dark tale. It remains to be seen if this manga-size superhero comic will bring manga readers to Batman and Batman readers to manga, but it is a strong start and bodes well for other cross-cultural comics. Grades 9-12. --Snow Wildsmith