Batman is a reasonably universal character. It’s harder to find someone who doesn’t know the alphabet than it is to find someone who doesn’t know about the Dark Knight. His origin story is also ultimately a well-told and trod story, and his morals are well-told. But what if Batman crosses that line?

Batman: Damned famously looked at that question in 2018 with the infamous first issue. Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo teamed up to ask that question with Jared K Fletcher lettering and had some real ambitious answers. Not only was a grim and dark story where the aftermath of Batman and the Joker’s final battle was examined, but it showed nudity. In this case, Batman’s own genitals were on partial display on the printed page but were censored on subsequent printings and digital releases. With such a massive hype train surrounding the book, did it hold up?

Batman: Damned takes a dark look at the character, as should be evident from the title alone. The book opens with a mortally wounded Batman desperately trying to escape an ambulance, and falling off Gotham bridge before being found by John Constantine. As Batman tries to investigate the incident, the darker side of the Justice League makes cameo appearances to help Batman. Zatanna, Deadman, Etrigan, Swamp Thing, the Spectre, and the Enchantress all make appearances at one point or another in strange guises. The story is also disjointed, flashing back to Bruce’s childhood frequently. With jumps in the story almost as if Batman is truly being tormented. Perhaps by a vengeful god, and considering the Spectre is involved, maybe he is.

The art in this collection is nothing short of staggeringly beautiful. The first pages with Batman in the ambulance are frankly stunning with panel layout and how the panel turns into the EKG readout for Batman. The characters are richly and realistically detailed, with excellent body language and expressions. It’s hard not to love this book on the art alone, honestly. The lettering is also wonderful and goes above and beyond in making the story feel larger and broader than just about Batman.  

However, the book is not without controversy. Not only was the Bat-nudity a big deal (since censored for this collection), but the book makes some strange decisions. The end of part two features a scene with Harley Quinn that goes from a brutal fight scene to an attempted rape that could be interpreted as somehow worse than the page itself. Etrigan is in the story as a hip-hop artist, which fits his rhyming scheme, but is entirely bonkers as character representation. 

The book is not for everyone. However, Batman: Damned is a beautiful look at the character and the effects that Batman’s lifestyle can take on one’s sanity. The ending of the book is one that genuinely makes the entire story up to that point demand a re-read, and it rewards the reader for paying extra attention. If you’re a Bat-fan who doesn’t mind some extra darkness and despair in their fiction, this is one you should check out.

Grade: A-