I finished reading this more than a month ago and have had a hard time writing a review for it, because I hate to write negative reviews. It's a beautifully produced book and the art is top notch. The art, for me was why I bought the book, in fact. The problem is with the very concept of Batman, I think. This is a collection of 8-page Batman stories and they range from silly to what I can inly think the authors feel are deep psychological explorations of the human psyche. The silly stories are fine, enjoyable, even. The problem is that the concept of Batman is so ridiculous -- a billionaire who, rather than use his vast resources to fund some sort of Socialist paradise, instead dresses as a bat and beats the crap out of the mentally ill and economically disadvantaged -- that adding any psychological weight to it makes it fall apart like wet tissue paper.

So, the art is a five and the story is a 2 at best. Thus my 3-star rating for this book on Goodreads. Only the most serious Batman fan should purchase this, which makes me wonder why the hell I bought it... ( )