  | Full Text Reviews: Booklist - 07/01/2008 Cosentino’s take on Batman, from orphaned child to self-made superhero, features crackling, atmospheric art that honors the source material while giving the story a modern sense of depth and energy. Even the page design is well conceived, merging picture-book layout and comic-book page composition into a slick, fluid style. But the question of audience looms. The story of Batman seems a peculiar choice to introduce the superhero’s mystique to young children, given the traumatic murder of his parents (covered only briefly here) and his nightmarish gallery of enemies, such as Joker and Two-Face. Exacerbating the problem is Cosentino’s penchant for showing the defeat of villains as a matter of punching them in the head rather than outsmarting them. With imagery too mature for young children and text too simple to engage older readers, this isn’t entirely successful. Readers able to appreciate Cosentino’s artistic style and verve will get the most from this awkward match of subject and audience. - Copyright 2008 Booklist. Loading...
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