The very idea of the Batman can be synonymous with one of a vampire, but in ways, a werewolf too. Both come out in the night – both operate on an idea of rage. Both are, in ways, an expression of a man’s true nature – Batman is who Bruce Wayne truly is, and similarly, a werewolf is a man stripped to their most primal desires.
It’s the similarities between these two beings that make the premise of Batman: Full Moon so interesting to me. I mean, the idea of Batman fighting a Werewolf on a very base level is already super cool, but thinking about the parallels between the two as well as the differences, on top of having Zatanna and Constantine in the mix, bringing the Dark Knight into a realm he doesn’t necessarily vibe with absolutely rocks.
The creative team involved is also pretty great! I haven’t read much of Rodney Barnes’ stuff, but I keep hearing good things about Killadelphia, so that’s a book I’m excited to check out soon. Stevan Subic, on the other hand, is an artist I’ve grown familiar with thanks to Riddler: Year One and the recent Penguin maxiseries.
Subic’s art is perfect for this book.
There’s a real element to how he approaches horror, how much he’s willing to leave in silhouette, shrouded by the dark, to let the readers imagine what lies underneath that really exudes confidence, but further than that, really shows off why he’s the only artist that could’ve tackled this book. There’s a very deliberate framing of both Batman and the Werewolf throughout this book, where we almost always see them in the dark, and whenever Batman is thrust into the light, it’s to remind the reader of the key difference – that Batman still has humanity to cling onto that the werewolf does not.
Barnes’ writing is phenomenal here. I really dig how he paces the book, but also how the narration frames the whole thing since it’s from the perspective of the werewolf himself, Christian Talbot. I also really like how Barnes writes Batman, as a man who believes in science rather than the occult, while contrasting that through Zatanna and Constantine. The romance between Bruce and Zatanna also feels very real for two superheroes; building on the drama that Paul Dini explored in his Detective Comics run that makes me unable to not root for them.
Releasing this in October was a great idea, but I can’t help but wonder if it would’ve been better to just do it as a Halloween graphic novel instead. Yet, Batman: Full Moon is really good, and something you should definitely check out if you’re looking for a horror offering from DC Comics this year!
