Writer: Warren Ellis
Artists: John Cassaday, David Baron
Publisher: DC/Wildstorm
When you read a comic like this, you have to leave your continuity brain at the door. This book is a lark, albeit a very expensive lark. Ellis and company provide a fun romp through Batman continuity from the twisted and confused perspective of the Planetary cast. It came across as a straightforward one-shot that should appeal to both Batman and Planetary fans.
But I also enjoyed the book as a non-comics homage. It is clear that Ellis is a fan of Jim Jarmusch's 1991 film of the same name (Night on Earth), as the plotting of the comic follows along the premise of the film (the book tells one tale from the perspective of different Batmans/different earths, while the film is about five different stories in five different taxis in five different cities).
My suggestion to leave the continuity brain behind is because when a story efforts to combine so many different worlds, while still entertaining and humorous, there's no way the continuity is going to be seamless. And because good storytelling instead of stable continuity is the focus of this work, it's because of this approach that it succeeds.
Artistically I was astounded and pleased at how well Cassaday aped many eras of Batman (both inside and outside the comic book).
What did you think of this book?
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