| Title | : | Batman: Shaman |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1563890836 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781563890833 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 136 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 1989 |
Batman: Shaman Reviews
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Batman: Shaman (1989)
Modern Batman #2❝ Be the Mask ❞
*"Am I stll high?"*
This is a very odd batman story that showcases all the crazy cheesiness of 80s adventure movies with a supernatural undertone. The first chapter of five-part story arc takes place even before Frank Miller's Year one and rest happens soon after Year one.
Before Batman was kicking ass of super aliens and immortal villains.. Before he had a batmobile and utility belt full of gizmos.. Before he became the most dangerous man on Earth... He was just a dude wearing a mask, roaming around in his city with his butler looking for clues. That side of Batman is equally important as the one he is now.
In this arc, Batman deals with the mysterious ritual killings and drug problems in Gotham streets. He is unpolished, not always able to save people around him and criminals don't talk to him unless he really persuades them.
That's a lot of talk, Bats! Well, nowadays he just grunts at criminals.
I enjoyed story's combination of supernatural and spirituality as well as the journey Bruce Wayne embarks to truly become the mask he dons.
3.5 Stars -
This is Bruce in his younger Batman days he's been off travelling to Alaska heard a Shaman tell him a bat story and he's like shit that reminds me i'm Batman gotta go. Back home he's like Alfred where's my fucking tights i got shit to solve. Young Bruce is so adorably optimistic he has no idea of the storm coming his way, and it's just a story that really focuses on Bruce doing some detective work about a Batmask and dragging Alfred into it.
Since it's the early days there's no batcave, there's no batmobile so Alfred is driving Batman around and waiting on the street corners until Bruce is done roughing up some junkies, and i mean ya gotta feel for Alfred he doesn't half put up with some shit.
Also Batman with his secret disguises like when did that stop? Dressed as some hobo shoe cleaner this time. Bring back Bruce disguises 2k16.
Overall it's a pretty decent read and i really liked the artwork too, and it's well worth picking up for a bit of Early Bruce and the always under appreciated Alfred. -
If you are reading this; ignore all the other reviewers. They are complete shit. I am not sure if they are Grant Morrison enthusiasts or just read the book when it first came out, and are finally reviewing it, or what their deal is. They are wrong on just about everything that I've read from them.
First, somebody said that this took place before Year One? Uh.. no. There's nothing that indicates that. In fact, quite the contrary. It even refers back to an event that happens in Year One (the night he saved a hooker, punched Selina, and then crashed a cop car after being shot by the police).
Secondly, this negates the other authors claim that Denny O'Neil is "retelling" the origin of Batman. He isn't. Batman had already established himself. The beginning of this takes place in a YOUNG Bruce Wayne's life. Nothing indicates this as an origin story. Rather, this looks more to be a bridge-the-gap story from when Bruce Wayne is an absolute beginner to a complete expert. This is further evident by the fact that Bruce already had a costume and a name "Batman". There may have been one indication that it was some sort of "retelling," when Bruce tells Alfred, "it's ready." But there is no other indication, and it all the evidence leans toward an coming of age Batman.
Thirdly, someone wrote that it was more drama than mystery. This is partly true because there was a lot of drama. However, there wasn't more drama than mystery, though. This is a much better story BECAUSE Bruce is becoming a better detective. Denny O'Neil is not stupid. There are many instances in this book that indicate mystery and detective like things. It's a lot more than I can say for many popular Batman titles.
Fourthly, somebody wrote that the art was just okay. In my opinion, the art was fan-fucking-tastic. I loved the art. I thought it was brilliant. However, if you don't think that's the case, may I just say you are then unimpressed with much art during the 80's because this was not too different. I simply just really enjoy 80's artwork in general. This wasn't some crazy changes, but it was still great.
All in all, this is a great book. I highly recommend it. The people telling you to avoid it? Well, maybe its their reviews that you should avoid because they clearly lack reading comprehension and give shit reviews. -
Published 1998 as the collected edition of Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #1–5. The story spans several years, beginning with Bruce Wayne studying criminology with a bounty hunter in wilds of Alaska. His encounter with a Native American shaman sets off a chain of events that extends into the early years of the Batman.
The main mystery is well developed, although slightly masked by the sub-plot of mysticism -- I nearly forgot that Batman needed to discover the several issues. This is a good retrospective of a young and developing Batman. -
One of the earliest crime fighting adventures of Batman. Here he's young, inexperienced, and often feeling in self doubt, which he overcomes as the story progresses.
Decent art and an interesting plot, with just the right blend of suspense and mysticism, makes this book an enjoyable read. -
Not at all what I expected, but turned out pretty damn good.
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If you haven't noticed from my reading tendencies as of late, I'm on a bit of a Batman kick.
I read ALOT of late 90's, 2000's, and current Batman stories. But I missed a lot of the late 80's, early 90's, besides Knightfall. So I'm glad to finally read some of these on my Infinite app and man oh man, Batman Shaman is a great one to land on.
After reading The Question Omnibus it is NO question that Dennis O'Neil was a DAMN fine writer. He had a way with giving us realistic dialogue in a time where that wasn't always the case. A deep look into Batman's view points and why he does what he does in the early years. A Almost year one story but I think the cult like villains, more detective feel than expected, and a inexperience Batman really helped this title out. It's also the artist, who fucking NAILED Batman's feel and look. Some amazing shots in here that I want as posters.
Overall, besides a a little bit of a weaker ending than I wanted, this is a DAMN fine Batman story. A 4.5 out of 5. -
3.5 stars.
Some notes I made while reading Batman: Shaman:
-Bruce Wayne is still a badass and killing inadvertently.
-Bruce beat up prostitute, Selena Kyle.
-Leave it to Bruce to take a woman home (to make his playboy image look legit) and then just drop her off. Poor girl thought she was gonna get laid.
-The use of color and lighting was great. Faces, not so much. Everyone looked middle-aged.
-The comics I’ve read from the 80s have been written pretty badly, but Dennis O’Neil did well here. Alfred’s dialogue was quite funny.
-This didn’t suffer from bloated dialogue, so I actually enjoyed it. -
Underrated Batman story, written by the legendary Denny O'Neill.
The kind of down to earth, simple stories that made Batman as big as he is today. Events stories like RIP will come and go, stand alone stories like this one is what makes Batman interesting. -
Batman: Shaman is a pretty decent graphic novel that follows on from Year One, it deals with Bruce becoming the batman and what it means to him. The story is a bit cheesy but it’s still a fun and enjoyable story.
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This was a decent story. It's about batman going to Alaska and meeting a shaman and hearing some folk tale of Bats which in the end try to establish a new motive for Bruce to become Batman.
This book is direct continuation of Batman : Year One by Frank Miller because there were many flashbacks of the events of year one in this book. Also the artwork is very similar to Year one too. This book also marks the first appearance of Batcave after crisis.
The plot was fine but writing of O'Neil is is so boring and uninteresting so I got very bored while reading this book. Overall this book is average and boring so avoid it unless you're die-hard batman fan. -
This gets 4 purely because it's 'Year One 2.0' and has some nice references to Catwoman #1.
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if this is legends of the dark knight then i think i read it already and enjoyed it alot
4/5 -
Works really well in characterizing young to slightly older Batman and Bruce Wayne. Showing his connection to his mask and multiple persona's. Worth the read for that aspect.
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القصة بتدور في العام الأول لبروس واين كباتمان، بيواجه فيها قاتل متخفى تحت قناع سحري لإحدي قبائل آلاسكا.
أول تجربة لي في عالم الكوميكس، وكانت ممتعة جدًا الحقيقة، رغم إني عاجز لحد دلوقتي إني أفهم الدنيا في عالم دي سي ماشية ازاي عشان العالم متوسع جدًا وكمية الأعداد مهولة تصل للآلاف، بس هحاول أستمتع قدر الإمكان حتى لو بقصص متفرقة كل فترة وفترة. -
I LOVED this five-issue arc when I was a kid. It’s dark and mystical. It’s got its gore along with mystery. Bruce Wayne is an ubermench in the making. Perfect intrigue for my adolescence.
I picked it up again for some nostalgia during quarantine. It scratched that itch for sure.
A lot of it holds up. Some of it doesn’t. A lot has changed since 1989.
I’m not fully sure where I land on the representation of Indigenous spirituality, lore, and ritual. It’s a complicated thing to see that in a comic book for entertainment. Also, at the center of it is an exceptionally privileged white man. On the other hand, it’s treated with reverence. Bruce Wayne also feels guilt and remorse and attempts reconciliation; albeit through financial means before “getting it.” He also does an an interesting white guy to white guy shut down when the other character starts to tell a racist joke about the indigenous. It’s really moral that way.
There are also a few encounters with women that have varying degrees of romantic/sexual tension. Again, there’s a weird line walking that happens. Is it chivalrous, which is still very patriarchal and paternalistic in nature? Kinda. Is it also pretty important early in life to see the idolized male respect boundaries and engage as autonomous equals? Also yes.
On a scale of self aware wokeness, I’d give it a 1989 A+ and a 2020 B. -
I have been collecting single issues of Legends of the Dark Knight for years not and realized that I will never be able to collect of them so picked up the first volume.
The story is about a young and inexperienced Bruce Wayne who is given around town by Alfred looking for criminals. In comes Native American Shaman and an imposter who puts the Batman to the test.
Liked the artwork which is iconic from the 80-90s. -
I loved everything about this story. Plus the art and colors used were spot on. So cool how intertwined it is with the year one storyline.
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So I actually read the single issues of this (Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #1–5) because they never printed enough of the trade paperback, ergo it's hard to find and expensive. But I think this was a good thing because I found mint issues with amazing white pages, and man did that art pop! The story here was pretty okay, mostly a mystery with Batman playing detective, a little slower paced. Still, he did get to crack the skulls of a few punks and gangsters, but really no meaty action or bad guys. The events take place right before, slightly during, and immediately following Year One, with actually a few panels from Year One redrawn, I guess so you can understand exactly where you are in the timeline, which I thought was kind of cool. Outside of those elements though, it wasn't really an amazing Batman story (and I haven't even read that many), it tries to give a little more background or reason as to why Batman chose to emulate a bat, but I thought it was a little flimsy and not super necessary to the "Bat-lore." What WAS amazing though, was the colors. Oh my goodness, the colors! They were the craziest, most psychedelic colors I've seen in a comic yet (the palpability of which was greatly increased by the unread mint condition thankfully), but they worked so well. I even read the letters to the editor section and people were gushing about the colors there also. You wanna know why? It's because Richmond Lewis did them. And if you don't know who that is, you don't know your "Bat-history" very well (or else you don't care, which is fine, but being an artist myself, I really care). Richmond Lewis colored Year One, and just so happens to not only be technically a painter, but also David Mazzucchelli's wife. And not only did she color Year One in it's initial single issue run, but also hand painted new colors for every single panel when it was collected in trade form, which is the only version I have, and man is it beautiful. So I was super enamored with the coloring style the whole time I was reading Shaman, and when I found out who it was, it all made sense, how funky, yet perfect they are. There aren't many Richmond Lewis colored books out there, and so for that reason alone I say Shaman is worth checking out (but like I said, I didn't get the trade, so I'm not sure if it will be as vibrant, or even what kind of paper it's printed on, single issues may be the way to go).
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Shaman collects the first five issues of Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight. This series, which ran from 1989 to 2007, typically tells stories set in Batman’s formative years. Shaman occurs way back at the beginning, starting before
Batman: Year One and concluding by the end of that year. Bruce Wayne takes a trip to Alaska, where he encounters a strange and remote Indian tribe. Later, back in Gotham City, his arctic experiences come back to haunt him in an unexpected fashion. Asses are duly kicked and villains dispatched in good order. Sunrise, sunset.
Legends of the Dark Knight was an uneven series. The best LODK stories (and there are some good ones) tell an entertaining Batman tale while providing interesting supplemental information about the Caped Crusader’s past. But the less effective ones can be pretty jarring. The artwork in this book is not exceptional, but it’s perfectly fine. And while the story is just OK, for the most part it’s not that bad. But there are two big problems. The first is the attempt to re-invent Batman’s origin story. As I noted before, LODK has some very strong stories that add new information about Batman’s early years. But occasionally they can go too far in this respect, which is what happened here. Shaman attempts to make some pretty sweeping changes to Batman’s origin story, to the point where Alaskan folktales are now the inspiration for the whole Batman persona. Ummmm….what? O’Neil is careful to tie any big changes into the Year One framework, but I can’t say I found any of the changes compelling or preferable to the more traditional story. Even more bizarrely, due to his Eskimo adventures Batman apparently has the ability to perform magic (?!?) at key points in this story. Yeah…not OK.
Ultimately this story was not quite bad enough for me to saddle it with one star, but it was pretty underwhelming and I wouldn’t recommend it. 2 stars, for die-hard Bat-enthusiasts only. -
As the first arc of Legends of the Dark Knight, Dennis O’Neil’s Shaman set a winning template for the anthology series: multi-issue “lost files” stories from Batman’s career, with a new creative team for each arc.
Shaman takes place before and during Year One (featuring scenes lifted directly from the latter), and sees Batman investigating murders tied to an Alaskan tribal deity. It’s actually a decent story, if standard for the time. O’Neil touches on issues like racism and cultural appropriation. Bruce has some truly awful lines, but a share of good moments as well. The star of the book is Alfred. He has a more than usual amount of sarcastic one-liners, and they’re all great. -
A Hugely underrated Batman story, written by the legendary Denny O'Neill. Originally published in the Batman: Legends Of The Dark Knight Series.
Both Shaman and Venom, written by Denny O'Neill are excellent, well written Batman stories, but never really cemented themselves into comic readers consciousness as classics like Frank Miller's Year One, or Morrison's Batman RIP.
Classics are marked by characteristics like influence, impact and longevity.
Batman: Shaman and Batman: Venom are well told stories, tightly plotted and structured with superb dialogue. They are well crafted tales, but don't really flip the genre on it's head or pave a new way for storytelling. -
Some great stories came out of the "Legends of the Dark Knight" series, but it certainly did NOT start with a bang! Tepid and plodding, this 5-issue storyline features what may be the lamest Batman villain ever...and keep in mind Batman once fought a guy named "Kite-Man"!
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In Batman: Shaman, which collects the first five issues of the well-received series Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight, Batman learns the value of the cowl as a mask and must face a shaman who has been murdering a number of citizens over the course of a few years in Batman's early career.
Here, the story borrows from Native American legend and supplants Batman's old line about criminals being a superstitious and cowardly lot with a dash of domestic mysticism, such that the story is really about the power of metaphor in the creation of Bruce's Batman persona--which, the book suggests, must become Bruce's true face. The message is all a bit heavy-handed, steeped in borrowed culture that somehow tries to tie Batman to native American land.
It's the politics of the Native American legend here employed that sits rather poorly with me. Bruce wants to cast himself as a white savior, and although the Native American woman he inexplicably has romantic feelings about (which makes absolutely no fucking sense, almost as if the writers just wanted to add a love interest just because) refutes his advances, it seems like a weird bit of posturing about Native American lives. It doesn't feel very genuine, and the borrowed mythology feels suspicious to me.
That said, this scaled-back version of Batman, clearly intended to tie in closely with the events of Batman: Year One and matching in tone, works really well for the Caped Crusader. While I do not think it nearly as strong as the story it aims to emulate, it gets a passing grade for embracing some gothic weirdness and for presenting Batman as a complex character both unsure of himself but secure in his mission as a vigilante. It's never going to top any lists, but it's not the dredge of so much of Post-Crisis Batman, either. -
I haven't read that many Batman comics yet; but to me, Shaman seemed like a nice balance between the old, simple, detective Batman and the modern, emotionless, super-human Batman. Although it wasn't great, it still had its moments, I thought it was amusing.
The story itself is quite average, reminded me somehow of the classic animated series. It starts with Bruce chasing a criminal somewhere in Alaska; after a hand to hand fight, the criminal falls off a cliff with Bruce's bag, leaving him stranded with no surviving equipment, he then wakes up in the tent of the shaman, obviously the shaman saved him after he fell unconscious, this shaman uses a bat mask to perform his rituals.
Several years later, a cult that makes human sacrifices is discovered in Gotham, around the same time one of Bruce's researchers, a man named DR. Spurlock, begins his expedition in Alaska. Spurlock brings many items from Alaska, one of which is the same bat mask used by the shaman that rescued Bruce; Later, the bat mask is stolen, and the thief performs a number of attacks wearing it. Now it is up to Bruce/Batman to make some classic detective works to tie all of these things together.
Despite the average story, Shaman was generally amusing, and it had a decent ending. Bruce develops some feelings for the Shaman's grand daughter, which is another reminder that he is only a human.
There is a short introduction to Batman based on Year One at the beginning, and many other reference to Year One throughout the story. This is because Shaman is the first arc of an ongoing series, "Legends of the Dark Knight" (1989). I thought this relation to Year One was put into good use. -
Hay historias de Batman que deberían tener mayor reconocimiento del que gozan y estamos ante una de ellas. "Chamán" fue el pistoletazo de salida de la colección "Leyendas del Señor de la Noche" en un momento crucial en la carrera del personaje ya que la primera película de Tim Burton se había estrenado recientemente y se vivía una ola de "batmanía" y una transformación del icono, buscando profundizar más en la psique y transformando su estética de la explosión "camp" hacia algo más sobrio y oscuro.
Esta serie describe la primera incursión del hombre murciélago, la forma en que adopta su traje, la inspiración de encarnar un icono del miedo. Resultaría, aunque no se acepte, una influencia muy clara y directa en la primera película de Nolan que, no obstante, lo enfundó de tecnología y se olvidó de la parte más espiritual que, precisamente, es la que impera en las páginas. El trasfondo chamanístico, la necesidad no sólo de llevar una máscara, sino de convertirse en máscara, olvidándose del ser que eres para encarnar aquello que representar. La elección (o no elección, sino determinismo) que supone... Además, ese progreso en la transformación espiritual se veía reflejado en las diferentes ilustraciones de cubiertas de las sucesivas entregas.
Desgraciadamente, he perdido en algún momento todos los cómics originales así que me ha resultado una suerte que los hubieran recopilado en un solo tomo con más material original y comentarios editoriales. Un buen prólogo, sin duda.
Muy recomendable para todos los que sienten curiosidad sobre este "superhéroe". -
In my chronological timeline this book takes place directly after Batman: Year One by Frank Miller and boy is it great! Dennis O'Neil has never written a bad Batman comic in my opinion. The man just gets it. Going into the plot: Young Bruce Wayne is figuring out this new Batman stuff and honing his skills as a detective... then discovers a cult who deals in ritual sacrifice. The leader is wearing a Shamanistic mask Bruce recognizes from Alaska (back in his training days) and starts to piece everything together.... This story is great for a lot of reasons, but I love how Bruce learns the effect he has on other people's lives both as Bruce and as Batman. When he realizes that he has a made a negative impact on some Alaskan natives it breaks his heart and he sets out to make it right (and like real life, not everyone wants to forgive him). This story is deep and well written, batman is cool here, Alfred plays into the plot (Yay!), and the story culminates in what may be the most badass Batman moment of all-time when he finally triumphs.. This is a must read for any Batman fan.
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Batman Shaman was a great, albeit slightly repetitive Batman Origin. I definitely prefer other origins, especially cause Gotham is a way bigger part of most other stories. I'm not a fan of 50% of Batman's origin taking place outside of Gotham. Although the art was damn gorgeous. They really got Batman's suit in a spandex-but-not-silly kinda way that I loved.
O'Neil does a great job with his prose, and I rarely care much for prose. I've gotta give most of the credit to Ed Hannigan, though. These issues really made me reevaluate how I like to see Batman drawn. There was heavy emphasis on darkness and shadows, but he wasn't as grim and gruelling as he could've been.
I particularly liked the scene of Batman tossing a Christmas tree through a window to alert some guards only to make them piss their pants. That's some bad ass Batman who isn't afraid to be silly.
I really liked this, and would definitely recommend it to any Batman fan.
