I am a Batman reader of the 70s and early 80s, so I never read these tales when they first came out. I was too busy learning to be an adult during this period. Now that I read them for the first time, I do so with relish, and I am not disappointed by it. This volume is among the best in this Legends series. Norman Broyfogle certainly deserves to be among the great Batman artists (Neal Adams, Jim Aparo, and Marshall Rogers). His style is very close to Rogers'. Batman on the rooftops, swinging between buildings, his shadow - all drawn in an impressionistic style. In addition, his panels are action-packed. I appreciate the various layouts he uses to energize the story. Adrianne Roy does the coloring for Broyfogle, and I think he matches well his artwork.
I know this is an art-oriented tome, but I can't help mentioning the writing contributions of John Wagner and Allan Grant. If Broyfogle is a proper successor to Marshall Rogers, Wagner and Grant follow the tradition of Denny O'Neil and Steve Englehart. Their stories are as moody as those from the seventies, and even grittier and darker. They also create villains that rival the traditional villain lineup that readers often associate with the Batman: the Ventriloquist, the Ratcatcher, and Cornelius Stirk. In fact, these villains are bloodier than the League of Assassins, the Joker, etc. The stories are characterized by being action-packed, darker, and full of pulp. Batman's persona follows the footsteps of Englehart in the seventies and adds to it: "You!" I like it every time Batman says that in these stories. The writing is also high quality. The writers often use different techniques or points of view, switching from third person to first person, and also telling the story from the villain's point of view. My favorite story - I think it was outstanding - was the Night People where there are various stories taking place at the same time in different places, but at the end they are all connected. The voice of a disc jockey serves as a thread that keeps all the stories together. Clever technique. In addition to this, readers can see some social problems pervasive during the late eighties: the influence of cocaine and ecstasy in drug culture, and the growth of homelessness. There is even a cameo of Ronald Reagan in "Sole Survivor" (not a good story, in my opinion).
In sum, this is another great volume for this series and a must-buy for a Batman fan.
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More like Legends of the Dark Knight: Norm Breyfogle Vol. 1 (Detective Comics (1937-2011))
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Reviews with images
The earliest work of Norm Breyfogle for DC.
Coming at a hefty five hundred pages, this is Norm Breyfogle's first foray into the DC comics and his art is now synonymous with the late 80s Batman. You can see how the art in the first issues is not yet polished but the talent already shows. There's no overarching metaplot that we are now used to, but the stories are all simple good fun and the last one is excellent. In this story arc contained in four issues different Clayfaces all work together to take Batman down and Looker from the Outsiders makes a cameo appearance. Basil Karlo is excellent as a Hollywood cinema villain. You can see how the artist starts to experiment with the panels in some pages, where the framing lines are not drawn but the individual pictures all merge together instead and it looks truly amazing. All action is great and dynamic, with a single picture often containing multiple hits, punches, dodges and maybe a line of dialogue here and there, all fitting into a neat progression when your brain unpacks it. The only thing that is missing for me is the coloring. It's still the simplistic coloring of the 80s, where the night sky is often light purple and walls are commonly yellow.
Top reviews from other countries
Century77
Norm Breyfogle is one of my favorite Batman artists
Reviewed in Canada on February 13, 2017
Exile_001
Dynamic art, a Batman masterclass
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 12, 2015
