Dark Night: A True Batman Story by Paul Dini

Dark Night: A True Batman Story Reviews

• 
  Anne

  A Batman Story Like No Other!
  Mainly because it's not about Batman at all, but this guy:
  
  
  
  In case you don't know, that's one of the most revered and beloved men in the comic industry, Paul Dini. Most people would recognize him for his work on the acclaimed Batman the Animated Series, and as the co-creator of Harley Quinn.
  And the stadium goes wild!
  
  
  
  But this isn't a superhero comic book. It's a graphic novelization of Dini's deeply personal journey through a very dark period in his life. He was robbed and badly beaten one night, and the aftermath left him anxious, depressed, and floundering.
  
  
  
  He starts with a small peek and his childhood and what led him into the industry to start with, and then the months leading up to the attack. Which consisted mostly of him trying to score with actresses who were only using him for his connections.
  Poor guy...
  
  I was honestly surprised that it packed as much of a punch as it did, but the whole thing felt very personal and compelling. By the halfway point I just wanted to reach into the comic and give him a hug!
  It's not my normal sort of read, but I'm glad I picked it up.
  
  
  
  And as much as I hate to admit it, Sam really has the most fantastic
  review that gives all the behind the scenes details someone like me doesn't have. If you want a more in depth look at the reasons behind this comic, he's got the goods.
• 
  Alejandro

  Paul Dini’s darkest moment in his own words!
  
  
  Creative Team:
  
  Writer: Paul Dini
  
  Illustrator: Eduardo Risso
  
  
  HE HAS BEEN AROUND MORE THAN YOU THINK
  
  Paul Dini, the writer of this graphic novel, which is a partial biography of a particular dark moment in his life, has been around and maybe you have watched his animation screenwriting work and you haven’t realized it…
  
  …most people know about his work on Batman: The Animated Series, where he doesn’t only wrote outstanding episodes but also he co-create Harley Quinn, and even it’s very likely that you’re aware of his previous work on Tiny Toons…
  
  …but good ol’ Paul Dini (I’m not worthy! I’m not worthy!) has been writing for animation since the 70s, writing for cartoons such like Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle, Flash Gordon, Dungeons & Dragons, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, G.I. Joe, Transformers, The Smurfs, Star Wars: Droids, Star Wars: The Ewoks and even Jem! (and I’m not covering all his work!)
  
  So, if you’re a fan of 80s cartoons, it’s very likely that you watched more than one animated episode written by him and you didn’t notice it since he was still to get famous due Tiny Toons and Batman: The Animated Series, where he later worked too on Superman: The Animated Series, Batman Beyond, Justice League Animated & Unlimited, Static Shock, Batman: Brave & the Bold, Freakazoid!, Pinky and the Brain, Duck Dodgers and Star Wars: The Clone Wars…
  
  …and trust me, I really am not covering everything!
  
  And of course, this is only his animated screenwriting work!
  
  Since he has written also a ton of comic books and graphic novels!
  
  But no one has been more intimate than this one…
  
  
  HIS DARKEST MOMENT
  
  There has been a robbery.
  
  The victim was beaten to pulp.
  
  No one came to help him.
  
  He was left for dead.
  
  He was Paul Dini.
  
  Yes, Paul Dini, the nowadays famous writer due his great work in Batman: The Animated Series and responsible of co-creating Harley Quinn, along with Bruce Timm, suffered an insidious street robbery at hands of two muggers, where he was beaten so brutally that he needed reconstructive surgery.
  
  Nope. Batman didn’t show up to defend him.
  
  LAPD never caught them.
  
  And you can bet (and understand) that he was too shaken up after the attack that he almost quit to his dream job…
  
  …writing for animated TV shows.
  
  Fortunately, and without doing any spoiler, since it’s obvious that he didn’t quit (but he was extremely close to it) about writing for animated TV shows, in this Dark Night, along with the great artwork by Eduardo Risso, you are taken to a disturbingly close seat to watch and read about a malevolent act that anybody can suffer any night or day, you just need to be in the wrong moment, in the wrong place…
  
  …but after that, Paul Dini show you the long and painful path to escape from there and making the right choice…
  
  …to continue with your life…
  
  …since those awful mugger could taken his money and his physical health, but…
  
  …as long you’re able to keep living your life with hope and joy…
  
  …they hadn’t win after all.
  
  Money can be replaced. Wounds can heal.
  
  But only you can stop to be a victim and becoming again the owner of your life.
  
  
  A TRUE PAUL DINI STORY
  
  I’m always being impressed by Paul Dini’s writing work, but here, in this very book, definitely he left me flabbergasted…
  
  …since he doesn’t only describe the robbery incident, but he’s also brutally honest about how was his life in that particular era of his life, with several romantic failures (showing all the shameful details) and even too intimate acts that he did on himself that trust me, they aren’t things that you are confortable to share with close friends, even less with the whole world through this graphic novel…
  
  …visceral, unromantic, honest…
  
  …Paul Dini, ladies and gentlemen.
  
  It’s easy to make an autobiography telling to the audience about all your triumphs, but when you don’t hesitate to make public your failures and shameful events…
  
  …it’s when you know that you accepted your own life, with all the good and all the bad…
  
  …and that’s not something that everybody is able to do.
  
  
  IMAGINATION, NO ONE CAN TAKE THAT FROM YOU
  
  Paul Dini had since he was a kid, one of the most powerful weapons in life…
  
  …imagination.
  
  He loved (and still do) cartoons, especially Beany and Cecil (it was awesome indeed!) and he never stop to imagine stuff, and when life gets too real to him during that nasty robbery…
  
  …only his imagination saved him to carry on with his life.
  
  And the best of all was that it wasn’t a gritty revenge conducted by the Dark Knight to catch those dang muggers, nope…
  
  …you CAN'T move on using revenge…
  
  …instead, he employed his fruitful own imagination with Batman and his colorful rogue gallery of vilains to give him relevant lessons about embracing life, about hope, about joy, about that he wasn’t as alone as he thought that he was.
  
  And how his writing work has touch other lives in their own darkest moments, bringing them hope and laughs when they need it the most.
  
  Also, in this graphic novel you can find out two great ideas by Paul Dini that he had for Batman: The Animated Series but that they didn't got the green light to be developed, so here is the only place that you'll read about them.
  
  
  
• 
  Sam Quixote

  In 1993, Paul Dini was living the dream. A lifelong Batman fan, he was a writer on the landmark TV show, Batman: The Animated Series, receiving critical acclaim and working for the likes of Steven Spielberg at Warner Animation. But he wasn’t happy. A loner by nature, he had low self-esteem and was making himself miserable chasing beautiful but shallow starlets who only gave him the time of day because of his connections. And then one dark night he was brutally mugged, almost dying from the encounter. Dark Night: A True Batman Story is an autobiographical comic that explores this time in Dini’s life and what Batman meant to him in the aftermath of such injustice.
  
  Like most Batman fans who grew up in the ‘90s, Paul Dini forever has a special place in my heart for giving us Batman: The Animated Series (and, yes, Kevin Conroy is still THE best Batman ever). Not only has this guy contributed a major original character to the Batman universe - Harley Quinn, co-created with the awesome Bruce Timm - but he’s also written the first two Arkham games (still the best two in the series), Mad Love (one of the best Batman books ever), and numerous first-rate Batman comics; in short, he is easily one of the greatest Batman writers of all time.
  
  It’s been a few years though since a Paul Dini Batman comic so I was delighted to hear he was returning this year with an original Batman graphic novel - and he doesn’t disappoint with Dark Night.
  
  Let me get my minor criticism of this book out of the way first and I know it’s gonna make me sound callous but I’m being honest: I enjoyed it but I wasn’t as enthralled all the way through as I’d hoped. Some parts were even a little boring. Even though it’s an important part of the story, Dini chasing starlets unsuccessfully wasn’t very interesting to see once, let alone a few times. And maybe if I hadn’t heard most of this story on Kevin Smith’s Fatman on Batman podcast when Dini and his wife Misty Lee (a real life Zatanna!) guested, I would’ve been more gripped. But there it is.
  
  That said, I did really like most of the book and am extremely grateful for Dini to put himself through the ordeal of revisiting this painful part of his life to give us this. I loved how he worked in the Batman cast to act as a Greek chorus throughout, adding their perspective to certain parts of the story - Batman giving his two cents in the aftermath of the mugging, Joker encouraging his bad habits of excessive drinking and giving voice to his insecurities, Two-Face commenting on Dini’s badly damaged left side of his face.
  
  It’s also morbidly fascinating to see such a tragedy befall Dini and watch him slowly stand back up. Earlier when I said some parts were boring? The recovery is a bit dull even if real life recovery from physical and mental trauma isn’t exciting or quick - there’s no moment when Dini figures it all out and he’s miraculously cured! No, he wallows in self-pity for a while, ditches work, writing, drinks too much, hates himself. There’s even more shocking personal reveals that weren’t on the podcast that appear here.
  
  What was really interesting was seeing how Dini, a man who built his career on writing stories of Batman saving the innocent, could reconcile the injustice of being mugged (the thugs were never caught) and having no-one come to his aid - not even someone on the street came over afterwards to call the police. How could he keep writing Batman, believing in the Dark Knight and human heroism, when the stark reality is that the innocent get fucked over and there’s sometimes no justice whatsoever?
  
  Dini comes to the same conclusion anyone would, that Batman is a source of inspiration to us rather than an actual protector - how could he be anything else, he’s a drawing! - and Dini uses the ideals Batman stands for to rise above his trauma and stand back up. Mostly anyway - it’s clear Dini’s still deeply affected by this mugging as it’s 23 years later and he feels the need to address it publicly.
  
  Eduardo Risso’s art is very different from what you’d expect. The lines are softer as are the watercolour washes and the imagery is more realistic to suit the autobiographical subject matter. I noticed that in the traumatic sequences - the mugging and the cutting scene - Risso went back to his classic 100 Bullets art style which has harsher lines, lots of black ink, and more solid colours; overall a more stylised cartoonish look. I wonder if that choice was to make it easier for Dini to look at if he saw it as a more comic-book experience - these are obviously very difficult moments for him to deal with, if Risso had drawn it in a more realistic way, would that have tipped Dini over the edge and abandon the project altogether?
  
  I was also surprised not to see Batman or Joker depicted as The Animated Series versions of their characters given this time period when Dini was actively working on the show. Maybe it was too on the nose? At any rate, first-class work from Risso, as you’d expect.
  
  Batman is a character with so much range and potential for writers and artists to draw on - he wouldn’t have lasted 77 years if he wasn’t so adaptable and compelling. In yet another variation, Paul Dini uses the Dark Knight as a means of telling a very personal story that’s moving, powerful, and hopefully inspires and helps others in a similarly dark place to get themselves through it. A great book with a heroic message Batman would be proud of.
• 
  Chad

  Dark Night tells the author's story about how he was mugged and left for dead. Paul Dini was a writer for Animaniacs and Batman: The Animated Series. He uses his "characters" to deal with his emotions as he recovers from the mugging and reintegrates himself to his life. I love how each character has his own personality and how Dini interacts with them. Eduardo Risso's art is gorgeous and dark. He does a wonderful job of integrating DC's characters with "real life".
  
  Received an advance copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
• 
  Jon Nakapalau

  After being mugged writer Paul Dini (Batman: The Animated Series) finds it hard to justify his relationship with Batman. What follow is one man's story to find the superhero within. A raw and powerful story about the courage to heal - sometimes we have to look within to find the hero that will save us.
• 
  Dave Schaafsma

  Paul Dini draws comics, does animated tv, with a focus on Batman, which he was doing during the time in the nineties when one night he got brutally robbed and beaten, his face shattered (like Two-Face?! No! Two-face is a comics character! A villain! Or is he? I mean, in Dini's life. . . ).
  
  The point is sort of: WWBD? What would Batman do? Man up, dude! What can you learn from this? How are the fantasy characters you inhabit finally going to inhabit you?! I was not that interested in Dini's hopeless pursuit of actresses, and his continual creation of fantasies out of the women he truly loves, creations like Harley Quinn and Ivy. But that is part of the point, isn't it, that Dini is a regular guy who lives his life through his creations, his fantasies. besides therapy, how can you learn how to grow up and live your life?
  
  But in this process of real life, literature and comics still matter, of course, and Batman gets to be Dini's personal friend, as he may also be for many readers, in the way Dini describes hm. Eduardo Risso, whose work I absolutely loved in the crime opera 100 Bullets, is wonderful here as well in very different ways, more personal, not abstract at all. This is a Goodreads nominated volume, and much deserved. It's maybe not quite a 4.0 for me, but I liked it quite a bit. Memoir comics by superhero artists!
• 
  James DeSantis

  This was a surprise. Maybe because I borrowed it from the Library without knowing what it was. When I started reading it I was like "What the heck? Is this about a real person" and it is! Paul Dini to be exact. Who's that? Oh, you know, the guy who basically made Batman the animated series what it was.
  
  I'll be honest. I was never a huge fan of Batman the animated series. Nothing against it. I'm not a huge fan of american animation. Especially cartoons. Just not my style of watching. However, I knew of Paul Dini. Never heard he was nearly beaten to DEATH. I was in shock reading this even though most people knew this had happened I did not. It was shocking to me and I felt so sad reading about this poor, innocent, and seemingly nice guy going through such a dark part in his life.
  
  What I liked: Holy hell emotions hit high time in this one. It's really hard to read and anyone who's been through shit can relate. The art is fantastic and having so many cameos from different things was wonderful. I really enjoyed the imagination scenes because I can relate when I write. Also, the ending was perfect and the hopeful boost you need in life.
  
  What I didn't like: The love relationship kind of drags. That hurts the pacing just a tad bit. It's really the only negative to this book but it's enough to drag it down just a bit (but only a little!)
  
  Overall, this was great. Fantastic inside look to a man who went through a tragic event but came back swinging. It was sad, happy, and powerful all in one package and glad Paul was willing to share these darker moments in his life.
• 
  Tristan

  "Fear is a teacher, the first one you ever had."
  
  --Scarecrow, Batman: The Animated Series
  
  
  
  
  
  As far as sophisticated cartoons intended for a child audience go, the original Batman: The Animated Series, in my humble opinion, has never been equalled. It was my bedrock in childhood during the nineties. It gave us the version of the caped crusader which I to this day still prefer above all others. Its utilisation of his many villains to bring out Batman's own psychological hickups and occasional self-doubt was a stroke of genius, and helped make the character -with his assortment of villains- truly seem like a human of flesh and blood, and not just a cartoon creation.
  
  Paul Dini, a co-creator and writer of the show, now gives an autobiographical account of a dark period in his life. One night, after a date gone wrong, while walking home he gets brutally molested by two unsavoury characters. Not only is his face beaten to a pulp, requiring reconstructive surgery, but the emotional trauma, resulting in depression, anxiety, PTSD and self-destructive behaviour, is immense.
  
  
  
  In this graphic novel, Dini bravely confronts his own psyche, which even before his beating wasn't the most healthy or appealing one. From his childhood onwards, fear of the outside world was a constant. A quiet, socially isolated and bullied child, Dini had to rely on imaginary characters and worlds to get him through the day.
  
  This developed into a feeling of slight self-loathing and inadequacy as a grown man. Sure, he finds some solace in his hobbies (an obsession with fantastical stories and toys being the main ones) and him being one of the top writers working for the prestigious Warner Brothers Animation department, but he longs for something more emotionally tangible. A woman's love, for instance, is seemingly unattainable for him. The beating on that one fateful night merely amplifies those insecurities, and Dini now is forced to overcome his fears.
  
  And that is where the ingenious concept of the graphic novel comes in. As a device to portray his own personal demons, Dini has opted to use various Batman villains, each symbolizing a distinct insecurity or negative emotion. As his own mental coach, he has to rely on Batman, who in a figurative sense helps him get back on his feet. It's a loving tribute to the character who, while not physically real, is a real source of inspiration for many around the world. Dini of course never has completely shaken off this trauma, but at least he managed to lead a functional life.
  
  
  
  Eduardo Risso's artwork - which I hadn't seen any of before - is definitely impressive. He gets to flex his creative muscles here, and makes ample use of the freedom to alternate between various art styles. The book as a result is simply gorgeous to behold.
  
  In the final analysis, Dark Night serves as a testament to the endurance of the human spirit. Furthermore, it has the ability to speak to a large group of people. A passing familiarity with the animated series (or even Batman for that matter) is not required to extract the essence out of it. It has universal appeal. That, surely, must be its greatest triumph.
  
  Kudos to Vertigo for taking a chance on this one. Highly recommended.
• 
  Donovan

  A brilliant tale of Paul Dini's struggle of overcoming demons and redemption. Have worse things happened to people less important? Absolutely. But that's not the point. The point is that shit happens to everyone, and we have to stand up just as Batman would have us do.
• 
  Amanja

  Okay, so I've honestly been dreading writing this review. People seem to really praise this book and I... struggled with it. The plot is simple, the author, Paul Dini, writes for Batman in real life. He is mugged in real life and pretty badly beaten. He also talks to Batman and other fictional characters, in his real life mind. He falls into despair about how he needed a hero and didn't get one. Then he comes around, the end.
  
  So with the plot basics out of the way let's break it down by what I did like and then what I didn't.
  
  What I Liked
  
  I like the idea and concept of this book. That a writer who actually writes Batman found a whole new connection to the character by needing him for real. I think that is relatable.
  
  I like the honesty of the book. The author really puts himself out there and really doesn't come off looking great (more on that soon). I appreciate how hard it must have been for Dini to tell this story where he is very much the victim. He had to relive this awful period in his life over and over again in order to get it out there and he did it because he felt it is a story that might help some people.
  
  That's probably true, some people probably found this book at the right time in their lives and found in useful in one way or another. I can give credit for that.
  
  What I Didn't Like
  
  Basically, Paul Dini.
  
  If this were fiction I think people would have a very different view on this book. It's harder to demonize a real person who had a real and terrible experience than a fictional character with all of the same attributes. But allow me to play devil's advocate for a minute.
  
  Dini is a sad sack whiny little troll. Most of the book is spent talking about how he got friend zoned by some Hollywood starlet who was just using him for his connections, which he himself inflated in order to impress her. It was because he was trying to manipulate her into liking him (i.e. wanting to sleep with him) that he ended up on the road alone at night that got him mugged.
  
  He does a really good job at blaming himself and feeling sorry for himself and pitying himself and saying how he was such a little twat he must have deserved the beating he got. All while backhandedly pointing to the women in his life who have done him wrong and it's all kind of their fault too.
  
  After he gets his face smashed in he goes home to drink himself to sleep instead of going to the hospital. Eventually he makes it to surgery and we see a flashback of how he got stood up by some other woman whom he invited to be his date to the Emmy awards. That night, in real life, he cut himself with his own Emmy.
  
  I'm sorry. I do understand that this is a real person who experienced real pain but shiiiiit. How do I not have a twinge of resentment toward someone who cuts themselves with their freaking Emmy award because they thought it was their ticket to getting laid and it turned out not to be?
  
  So basically, Dini is your standard Nice Guy TM who solves his problems with self harm and talking to Batman. If this was fiction everyone would be rolling their eyes and making fun of him but since it's reality I'm supposed to get all compassionate and give him the attention he's been crying for this whole time.
  
  What I Liked
  
  By the end it does seem that Dini grows up just a little bit and realizes that he's only been chasing these women because he wanted a pretty object and they're actually smarter than he gave them credit for and saw through his bullshit. He stops whining long enough to show that we all have the Batman voice inside of us if we can just listen to it instead of the incel voice we'll be better off.
  
  Can someone draw me a cartoon with Batman with a halo on one shoulder and a troll-y 4chan incel piece of shit with devil horns on the other shoulder please?
  
  What I Didn't Like
  
  Even though Dini learned a valuable lesson it's not a lesson I think needed to be put out there in this way. Even though Dini comes off badly I think this story is still more of the attention grab that he admits to doing all the time. It's selfish and narcissistic couched in "if I can just help one person it'll all be worth it."
  
  Overall, I can't say I cared for this book. Other people seem to have a very different opinion. I do appreciate the work that Dini has done for DC and will continue to read his works when I'm interested but I'd be cool with not seeing any more of his personal life.
  
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• 
  Siona St Mark

  This has got to be one of the best books I've ever read. I really identified with Dini in the opening of this book, and while I haven't lived enough of my life to continue identifying with him, I can definitely sympathize with him.
  
  Including both a sense of reality and imagination, with great art, and an impactful message, Dark Night is a really great story that is sure to stick with whoever reads it. I would definitely recommend this to anyone, but if you like autobiographies, Batman/DC comics (you don't really have to know anything about Batman or his rogues gallery, but if you do it only makes the story better), or are simply interested in this book, I would highly suggest picking it up ASAP.
• 
  L. McCoy

  SUPER FAST REVIEW:
  A beautiful, inspiring true story that I will definitely remember. Even if you don’t know much about Batman this book isn’t really about him but is more about Dini and how working with the character helped him deal with some bad shit. The art and storytelling are very interesting.
  I don’t have anything bad to say about this book, definitely recommended especially if you have awful things that haunt you in life.
  
  5/5
• 
  Artemy

  Dark Night: A True Batman Story is not a Batman story at all. Rather, it's an autobiographical story of Paul Dini, the writer of Batman: The Animated Series, among many other things. At the time when he was working on the cartoons in the 90's, he was mugged and viciously beaten not far from his own house, which understandably led him to some dark places afterwards. This book is a recollection of that episode in his life, along with the events that led to it and that happened after. It's about how he coped with his trauma, and how it affected his professional and personal life. The twist is, Dini has always imagined his favourite fictional characters around him, talking to him, characters like Batman, or The Joker, or Harley Quinn. And so he works through his traumatic experience through the dialogue between him and all these Batman villains, and Batman himself.
  
  It's a pretty cool book conceptually. I have never been exposed to Dini's writing, I've never seen Batman: The Animated Series, never played Arkham games, never read a comic by him. Still, this book doesn't need you to to be a fan of him to make you care about his story. It's pretty universal, and anybody who has ever been through any kind of trauma can probably relate to it.
  
  What really makes this book great, though, is Eduardo Risso's artwork. I've grown to like it when I was reading 100 Bullets (never finished that series, though), but here his work is just brilliant. He draws in different styles and colouring for different time periods, his style is very lively and eye-catching. It compliments the book immensely.
  
  So yeah, if any of that sounds at all interesting, I would highly recommend this book. I really enjoyed reading it, and it is one of the more interesting and original books Vertigo has published in years. In a day and age when I am all but ready to completely give up on DC and whatever crap they put out into the world nowadays, this came as a nice surprise. And that is not a small thing.
• 
  তানজীম রহমান

  It's not surprising that the greatest living Batman writer has written one of the greatest Batman stories ever. However, it is surprising how staggeringly well the book compares to even the all-time classics of literature.
  This is a heartwrenching story that will appeal to every person who wished others would just leave them alone as a kid. This is a story that will help you realize that you were not alone in this world, that others were going through the same pain that you had to endure, that you rarely told anyone about.
  And this is a story that will help you hope. However temporary that hope might be, you can't help but be a little uplifted as you see Dini's journey unfold before your eyes.
  Risso is a master of the form, and his use of shadows has always been excellent. Here, though, he opts for a clearer, more brightly lit style whenever the story calls for it. His expressions are amazing, and the details he puts into the background are mindboggling.
  This is a piece of art. This is a testament to the power of comic books as an art form, and the only sad thing about it is that stories like this come along so rarely.
• 
  Anthony

  Pretty much every Batman fan will be familiar with the name Paul Dini. He was one of the key creative minds and writers behind the Batman: Animated Show and animated movie Mask of the Phantasm, as well as writing several runs on the character in the comics. A True Batman Story is his own autobiographical take on a mugging he suffered some years back, told through the medium of comics. Eduardo Risso is on art (another name many bat-fans will be
  familiar with) and it's a gorgeous to look at as it is to read.
  
  It starts with a little background on Dini. There isn't too much on the process and making of the Batman animated show, but there are a couple of cool scenes in the writers room when they're talking shop. Dini is telling the story anecdotally to an audience (which we assume for most of the book is a class). And because there's Batman in the title and Dini is a massive Batman fan, there's visions of the Bat and his supporting cast throughout the book, who Dini himself talks to. It's done as in his own head. I would be interested to know if Dini actually did/does this, but it's probably just a storytelling trope he's using for the book.
  
  It deals a lot with the question of "yeah, superheroes are great in fiction but they won't be coming down to save you in the real life, will they?". After the mugging, Dini suffers sort of a creative 'block'. He finds it difficult to continue to write for a character (Batman) that he no longer believes in because he wasn't there to help him with his brutal attack. But, he kind of is, because the reason we devote so much time to these characters is because they're ideals of what we aspire to be. They're proof that we can do better. Dini could have wallowed and felt sorry for himself and given up on his writing, but he chose not to. To quote Nolans Dark Knight trilogy: "why do we fall? So we can learn to pick ourselves up again."
  
  The DC characters are a bit better for this than the Marvel characters because the Marvel characters are already pretty close to relatable but the DC characters (especially Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman) are the icons. Regardless of how Zack Snyder portrays them in films.
  
  But back to the book. I found it interesting that they chose to publish this through the Vertigo line instead of the DC line itself. Vertigo is more for the mature, creator owned stuff, and while this is mature (more in its themes than in its violence, though the mugging itself is quite brutal), it could have passed off through the regular DC line. Maybe Dini and Risso didn't want to risk being limited in their story choices by the main DC line?
  
  It's a great read. And it actually does feel like a proper read. It's wordy but it's not chore-y wordy. And I've talked more about the writing because it does feel more like Dinis book since it is his story, but Rissos art is great in it. He doesn't always go for the safe classic look for some characters.
  
  My only quibble, and it is a minor one, is that I wish this had been given a similar book design to Chipp Kidd and Dave Taylor's
  Death by Design book. Oversized with no dust jacket and a very nice book to feel and to look at. But that is minor.
  
  A must for all Batman fans.
• 
  Rory Wilding

  Growing up as a kid in the 1990s, my introduction to superheroes came not through comics (that was later) but the cartoons of their day from X-Men to Spider-Man. However, the one cartoon that truly stood out was Batman: The Animated Series which was my generation’s intro to the Caped Crusader and his dark atmospheric adventures fighting crime in the streets of Gotham City. Amongst the great talent, there was Tiny Toons Adventures writer Paul Dini who not only wrote some of the show’s best episodes (i.e. “Heart of Ice”) but over the years has tackled the character through comics and video games. As for his latest Batman graphic novel, it is less about fictional superheroics and more on factual personal turmoil.
  
  In 1993 when Warner Bros. greenlit a feature-length spin-off of Batman: The Animated Series, one night changed everything for Dini. Walking home alone one evening, he was jumped and viciously beaten. Left for dead with several broken bones and a shattered face, Dini experienced an arduous recovery process and through his imagination, the characters he’s been writing such as Batman and the Joker appear as he tries to overcome this ordeal.
  
  From the very first page showcasing a bandaged Paul Dini lying in a hospital bed, this isn’t your traditional Batman story as the Dark Knight is more of a Greek chorus over Dini’s shoulder as are a plethora of his rogues gallery. Written as a graphic autobiography, the story opens with Dini in his current state telling us from his childhood love of 60s pop culture to his dream job of writing Batman to the violent mugging which changes his perspective of who Batman represents. This is quite the meta read and the transition from past to present, from harsh reality to cartoonish fantasy can be jarring and there are times when the story at times drag such as a subplot about Dini dating an actress named Vivian… or so he thinks.
  
  However, whatever minor criticisms there are – including a lack of bonus material which would’ve given an insight behind the book’s process – this is a wonderful examination of an ordinary man overcoming a truly desperate situation. Following the mugging, Dini doesn’t feel he can write Batman anymore because the hero himself wasn’t there to save him. Although the story centres on a tragic event, Dini still finds room for humour, largely due to his numerous interactions with characters from the Bat-verse. Although these villains appear to act as his inner demons, Batman himself is not some nurturer and even in front of a post-traumatic Dini, he tells him to get up no matter how much life throws you down.
  
  Best known for his work with writer Brian Azzarello on the Vertigo title 100 Bullets, Eduardo Risso’s artwork is reminiscent of Tim Sale’s art from The Long Halloween. Drawing a story that takes place in numerous time frames and blending the realism with the surrealism, Risso’s quirky water-coloured drawings are diverse and evoke the last five decades of pop culture. The moment of true horror comes when the mugging occurs and Risso doesn’t shy away from the strong violence with panels mixing dark figures and splashes of red blood.
  
  Remaining as one of the best and consistent writers in Batman history, Paul Dini’s latest exploration on the Dark Knight is less about him being a physical hero but an inspiration for us to stand up and be the best of ourselves, even in our worst moments.
• 
  Crystal Starr Light

  Bullet Review:
  
  Fascinating and compelling - much more than you'd assume an autobiographical comic "simply" about a cartoon writer getting mugged would be. It's got some meat on them bones and the tie in to The Dark Knight was on point. I liked the idea of rising about being the victim to become the hero - and how no matter the size of the problem, you can persevere.
• 
  Ayman Gomaa

  Arabic& English Review : 2.5 Stars
  
  Vertigo presents Dark Night : A true batman Story
  
  If you are a comic fan then u know already When Vertigo came with a new comic it will be dark , bloody , violent and intense .
  
  Shocking it was the opposite this time , it was like a therapy , Human Development kind of a story which is surprise me and was no fascinated about it .
  
  It's not a BATMAN story
  It's a Paul Dini Story
  
  A story about an invisible boy who live with his imaginary heroes and villains , works and make animation series , believe in his imaginary friends more than himself , treated himself so bad , until he attacked by two offenders and beat him up so bad , it crashes him coz he believed someone will come rescue him like batman always do in his stories , but the real world is not like his Fancy , he loses faith until he he meets someone and make him look to the world in another way , BELIEVER Way :D
  
  like i said it's a Motivation story .
  
  the ending was good but overall it was okay .
  
  استوديو فيرتيجو يقدم لكم فارس الظلام : قصة بات مان الحقيقة
  
  استوديو فيرتيجو معروف عنه قصصه الغريبة الممتعة و لكن مليئة بالعنف و الظلام و الدماء و لكن الاستوديو انتهج نهج جديد مع بول دينى المبدع وراء شخصية هارلى كوين و افلام و مسلسلات عالم دى سى الكرتونية .
  
  هذة القصة اشبه ب تنمية بشرية , قصة تجعلك تؤمن و تزي من قوتك و الحافز لديك و هذا مفاجئ و للاسف لم يبهرنى كما توقعت على الرغم من الاحداث القوية.
  
  انها ليست قصة عن سوبر مان و لا الابطال الخارقين
  انها قصة عن بطل اخر , قصة بول دينى
  
  قصة طفل لا اصدقاء له فاتخد من الابطال الخارقين بكل انواعهم اصدقاء له من بات مان و الجوكر و كل اعدائه ايضا , و فى 1993 بدا حلم حياته و العمل فى استوديهات وارنر بروس و العمل على افلام الكرتون و اكن يتم الاعتداء عليه من قبل مجرمين و يتركوه للموت ليكتشف ان العالم الواقعى مختلف عن عالمه الخيالى , ف بات مان لم ياتى لانقاذه و يبدا يفقد الايمان ب عمله و صراع شخصياته الخيالية فى راسه من بات مان الذى يؤمن بان عليه ان يحارب و يستمر و شخصيات اخرى تشجعه على الهزيمة و الاستسلام .
  
  قصة محفزة اشبه بتمنية بشرية , النهاية كانت جيدة و لكن فى المجمل كانت عادية .
• 
  Tony Laplume

  Having read and been a huge fan of Steven T. Seagle's It's a Bird..., it was instantly intriguing to learn about Paul Dini's Dark Night. Obviously Dini's graphic novel had a different reason for existing, but on the whole the idea seemed similar: Seagle had focused on a kind of real world vision of Superman, and so would Dini, as reflected in his subtitle (A True Batman Story). Eventually you can see where Dini reaches that point, but it's actually more of a biographical comic, and as such perhaps more roundabout in its arc than readers might expect.
  
  The gimmick, if it can be so crudely described, behind Dark Night, is that Dini finds himself with an imaginary chorus of commentators from Batman lore who interact with him as he reflects on the fateful night of his mugging and how he imagines he got to that point, and how he reacted in the days and months that followed. This is fine. It's an interesting idea, especially since part of the narrative is that even at a young age Dini found most of his life consumed by cartoons. Once he found his way into a living making them (one of the weak aspects of the work is that Dini doesn't describe at all how he broke in), he ended up working on the famed, pivotal (subsequently expanded into a whole franchise) Batman: The Animated Series from the '90s. Dini, along with Bruce Timm, has long been associated as the chief creative force behind the cartoon series among fans. It later secured him work in original Batman comics, and of course he's also known as the creator of Harley Quinn, who is curiously only really glimpsed in these pages, even the real person who helped inspire her. (Perhaps symptomatic of Dini's fragile state of mind.)
  
  Where Dark Night finally reaches the subtitle is Dini reflecting, via conversations with Batman himself, how Batman didn't swoop in and save him the night of the mugging. It becomes a classic God argument at this point (Why o why did a merciful God not spare me from this?), regardless of whether or not you view Dini's perspective as metaphorical. What Dini makes most clear is that he indeed went through a crisis of faith after the mugging, whether he could continue writing Batman cartoons. I think the point is muddied rather than clarified by his conceit. Of course he would question everything at that point, feel vulnerable. (If you know anything about how therapists tend to work, it's not hugely surprising that he made the choice to linger on things that really had nothing to do with the mugging at all, and Dini was apparently seeing a series of therapists even before the mugging.)
  
  So again, Dark Night is best understood as a biographical sketch. The Batman element is there, but there's no real attempt to analyze Batman, only Dini beating himself up over apparently learning nothing from the exploits of a fictional character about self-defense. Where Seagle's graphic novel is an artistic triumph, what art there is in Dark Night is left mostly to artist Eduardo Risso (who seems to have been directed to lean away from Dini's cartoon past).
  
  None of this is to take away from Dini's psychological journey. It's good to know that things worked out. He doesn't really explain how they worked out, either, by the way, only that they did. He finds real lasting romantic love, for instance, and goes on to secure that lasting, definitive legacy that helped make Dark Night itself possible. The idea that Batman (and/or working on Batman) helped save him, remains a nebulous if creative thesis.
  
  That we get this look behind the curtain of one of the two iconic Batman: The Animated Series creators is the real achievement. The mugging itself is a sensational story, which was always a worthy topic, and that Dini finally felt free to talk about it, and how he processed it, kind of its own catharsis. So it's definitely worth a read.
• 
  Trike

  The true story of Batman writer Paul Dini's vicious mugging and his recovery from it, as well as lessons learned. It's an emotional journey.
  
  I heard Dini speak of this on The Nerdist podcast and it was clear that the trauma is with him even now, 23 years later. That alone made me interested, but what I wasn't prepared for was how open and honest he is about his self-doubts and self-esteem issues. That takes courage of another kind that I find admirable.
  
  This is not a pleasant memoir, but it's an important story for people who have experienced trauma in their lives to read, so they can see they aren't the only ones experiencing these feelings. It's also a well-crafted story with terrific artwork from Eduardo Risso.
• 
  Jen

  First off, let me start by saying how sorry I am that the author, that anyone, experiences what he experienced. It was a miracle that he survived and that he managed to heal as well as he did, both physically and mentally. One could argue that his low self-worth is what brought him to the physical danger and that is what had to happen in order to snap him out of his self-negative mind frame. A painful and almost deadly lesson.
  
  I was kind of surprised that the author wasn't also the artist of this graphic novel. I figured since that was kind of his line of work, that he would have done both. Maybe drawing it would have made remembering too painful for him.
  
  The artwork wasn't bad, but towards the end, the steely glare of the author/MC/narrator didn't seem to fit what he was saying. It kind of threw me off. Also, I get that the inner thoughts with the different cartoon characters were drawn differently, to get the point across that it wasn't really happening, but that was also distracting.
  
  Some of the thoughts back and forth with the cartoon characters went on a bit long as well. After a page or two, it got a little boring. A LOT of the work was the author/MC/narrator feeling sorry for himself and poorly of himself, which was necessary and true, but also kind of annoying. I guess if I was younger reading this, it would have resonated with me more. Now that I'm older, I have grown a bit out of the self-loathing and insecurity stage, so reading it tends to annoy me. Not a neg on the author or the work, it's just how I am now.
  
  All in all, this was a good book and a very unique way of sharing his story. I do enjoy graphic novels and I haven't read any non-fiction graphic novels before, so this is a first. I liked it enough to try more, definitely.
  
  Trigger warning, there is cutting in this, alcohol use and a severe beating, with the required action shots of blood flying, etc. I don't think there are many who would pick up a dark comic, especially one involving Batman and NOT expect the violence, but this is REAL violence and there is self-violence too. Definitely for the YA and above crowd.
  
  Three stars. It was good, but the artwork and different artist than the author bring it down a couple of stars for me.
  
  My thanks to NetGalley and DC Entertainment for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.
• 
  Nicolo

  Paul Dini, for this reader, is known for two things; Batman and Harley Quinn. The former is the star of the groundbreaking animated series where Dini worked with other talented people, and the latter is a character who debuted on that show and shepherding to its debut appearance in comics. Dini was on the top of his craft, he was lifelong fan who made it big writing his favorite character and won Emmy Awards. He had everything, and then he got mugged.
  
  This story is a darker tale than Dini's superhero stories. He was horrifically injured in that mugging incident. This is a story of how Dini coped with the physical and mental trauma and how redeemed himself; in a story that is eloquently told as a comic book.
  
  Why is this a true Batman story? As a writer, Dini places himself in the character's shoes. For this one, Dini looks at himself the way Batman does. Dini could have used Batman's help on that fateful night, or was he ignoring the obvious cues that night? It's a great dynamic between Dini, Batman, and the Joker! Or is it, id, ego and superego?
  
  The writing is sublime but the illustrations by Eduaro Risso knocked this one out of the park. Risso gives a master class in storytelling. The artist also displays at least four unique visual styles, including his familiar 100 Bullets technique, which was appropriate for the the violent scenes of the attack.
  
  This was one of the best books of 2016. It's a pity those who voted in the Goodreads Readers' Choices don't know how to distinguish a sublime graphic novel from the relatively pedestrian. This should have been the graphic novel choice of the year for this site.
  
  For Neil Gaiman and Sandman fans, Death and Dream make a cameo appearance and after seeing Risso's version of the Endless duo, made this reader hope that Gaiman revisit the Dreaming with Risso in the near future.
• 
  Brandon Forsyth

  I thought I had read every kind of Batman story under the sun, but the mutability of this character just keeps finding ways to surprise me. This is a literary graphic novel that just happens to feature the Caped Crusader, and I loved every minute of it. Famed Batman scribe Paul Dini was mugged and viciously beaten in 1993, and this is the story of his recovery, both mental and physical, from that "dark night". The attack brought out Dini's struggles with relationships and alcohol, and he externalizes these issues as various Batman villains taunting him. It's a great idea, one that I haven't seen before, and gives a whole new way for Batman to "save the day". I respected the way Dini acknowledged that his pain and suffering was objectively minute, while still acknowledging that for him, it was a deep struggle. And the art! This is also a love story, about how Dini found a vocation in comics, and the art is a love letter to the various artists who moulded him. I loved the Chuck Jones homage, and a splash page to the old Batman comics truly wowed me - I want a poster! Any older Batman fan owes it to themselves to check this out when it comes out in July - you'll find yourself touched by how the character of Batman, and the idea of art itself, can have a positive impact in the world.
• 
  Garrett

  Wow. Paul Dini has been through shit. I have been a fan of his work on Batman the Animated Series for some time, but I had no idea he was almost beaten to death in the early 90's while he working on the show. Dark Night: a True Batman story is not so much of a Batman comic, as it is a self narrated autobiography of Dini's life as well a detailed account of his recovery from the vicious attack. Batman and various rogues gallery villains do appear in this however as voices inside Dini's head. The villains are portraying Dini's self actualized sense of fear, anger and other negative emotions that he has expressed in his life, while Joker and Batman appear as imaginary mentors to Dini as he is recovering from the assault. Eduardo Risso's art is beautiful as ever and I honestly wish he would do more work on Batman (who knows maybe All-Star Batman in the future?) and it is a good fit for the realistic gritty style of this comic. Overall this was an incredible graphic novel that is sure to spark interest for all kinds of Batman fans, and it is a good story about how influential an imaginary, yet powerful and inspiring character such as Batman can be. (This isn't really a big part of the story but The Dream of the Endless briefly appears in a dream sequence where he is talking to Batman. How cool is that?!?!)
• 
  Martin

  Powerful (and autobiographical) story by Paul Dini, one of the greatest Batman writers ever, beautifully illustrated by Eduardo Risso. A must-read for fans of either of these creators.
  
• 
  Chelsea 🏳️‍🌈

  This is a really interesting read. Paul Dini, perhaps known most for creating Harley Quinn and his work on Batman: the Animated series, was attacked some 20 odd years ago. He was mugged and beaten quite severely. This book tells the tale of that experience, his recovery and what it's meant to his life over time. It's told through a format in which he lectures a class (I think) and tells them about his childhood and what his life was like at that time.
  
  The most interesting aspect of this is the mental interactions Dini has with the fictional DC characters. I pray the cop driving him home didn't actually make a joke about Dini wishing Batman had been there to save him. It's a though Dini has himself over the course of the comic. He imagines Batman telling him he should've fought back, made himself a harder target. Two Face appears and belittles him for taking so long to get over his trauma. Harley shows up to try to entice him to getting back to work. It's a fascinating way to show the inner workings of someone's mind after a trauma.
  
  I appreciate that Dini doesn't gloss over the work that goes into recovering from an experience like this. The organization of this story was a little bit off to me but it didn't bother me too terribly. I also liked this look at what it was like working for Warner Brothers in the animation industry back then.
  
  I recommend this book because it's an in depth look at the aftermath of a trauma. It tells a brutal story in a really interesting way and gives an insight into what fictional characters and escapism means for some people.
• 
  Stewart Tame

  It's always interesting to see someone not normally known for autobiographical comics tackle the form. Paul Dini is better known for his comics and animation work than for this sort of thing. He tells the story of a brutal mugging he endured that required surgical repairs. Batman, the Joker, and other well known comic book characters stand in for aspects of his psyche as he goes through the physical and mental healing process. It works quite well, actually. He does indulge in a little questioning as to whether his narrative is even worth telling or not, which is a trope I've seen before, but he generally manages to avoid most of the usual autobio cliches. I really liked this book.
• 
  Robert

  Legendary cartoon and comics writer Paul Dini works through some issues on exquisitely illustrated graphic novel panels. While making some choices I might not necessarily have made (do you think his therapist honestly looked like Kelly LeBrock? I personally have my doubts, but I guess in LA-LA Land anything is possible...) the very personal story at the core of it rang very much true and I feel the richer and the wiser for having read it.
  
  
• 
  Himanshu Karmacharya

  If you watched Batman The Animated Series, then you probably know who Paul Dini is. He is also popular as the creator of Harley Quinn and as the writer of the Batman: Arkham video game series.
  
  Contrary to the name of the title, this book is not a "Batman" story in the true sense, but a memoir of Paul Dini. Walking home one evening, Paul Dini was mugged and severely beaten. This event caused a huge impact on his life.
  
  The writing in the book is very clever. I was invested in the book from the start to the finish. I loved how he used Batman as his voice of reason, and the villains as the voice of insecurities.
  The art is incredible as well. Eduardo Risso has done a fantastic job with the coloring. He has effectively used different coloring techniques to highlight the different changes occurring in the book.
• 
  Scott Mills

  Dark Night: A True Batman Story could be the best comic I have read this year. Paul Dini who is already a legendary Batman creator dips into his personal story of being assaulted. He brings with him Eduardo Risso the great artist from 100 bullets, who just possibly has done the best art of his career on this book. The combination of Dini's introspection and Risso's incredible art make this story amazing. It's hard not to read in one sitting.