The head of the group is fairly menacing and despicable late in the proceedings, but even still it’s obvious how the whole story is going to play out pretty early on. They may have been fleshed out more in the book, but here they’re relatively bland, and their arc is pretty predictable as well. To be frank, the group really isn’t that interesting, at least here in the graphic novel. The “Nightwalker” subtitle comes from a group of Robin Hood-like criminals who use technology and weaponry to target the rich. There are original characters that don’t have analogues in popular canon, and some familiar faces that– while welcome– serve a different role than we’re used to. It’s also kind of strange, and takes quite a few liberties with Bruce’s life. Not having read the source material, I can’t speak to how faithful the adaptation is, but I can speak to how it works as a comic. As part of the DC Ink imprint, the novel has been adapted as a graphic novel by writer Stuart Moore, artists Chris Wildgoose and Cam Smith, colorist Laura Trinder, and letterer Troy Peteri. The novel– directed at young adult readers– focused on a time in Bruce Wayne’s life that is often skipped over: his late teens.

That’s why books like Marie Lu’s Batman: Nightcrawler can be really interesting reads. And say what you want about Gotham, but it certainly stuck to its guns with the adjustments it made. Changes were made for Batman Begins, for instance, that made it work with the plot of that movie. I’m looking at you, Untold Legend of the Batman.Īnd then there are origins that are adapted to a particular medium, those that are more suited to the story being told rather than striving to be authoritative.

Others may have been attempts to shore up years of continuity that, while entertaining, are remembered more for their endearing weirdness than anything else. Some are considered “definitive” or “canonical,” like Year One and Zero Year. There have been multiple retellings of Batman’s origin over the years.

Batman by Marie Lu