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Rating: 
Summary: "I win again. I always win"
Review: Batman: Dark Knight Dynasty is a great read for any Batman fan looking for something different. This is an Elseworlds tale, meaning that its events have absolutely no effect/impact on mainstream continuity. The story features three generations of the Wayne family who must don a bat-costume to thwart the machinations of the immortal Vandal Savage. One tale takes place during the Crusades, another takes place in present time (although it's not quite the Bruce Wayne we know), and the final arc throws readers into the distant future where humans co-exist alongside talking monkeys. The stories also feature re-imagined versions of Catwoman and the Scarecrow. Each chapter is presented in its own distinctive artwork, from the beautifully painted "Dark Past" to the digitally coloured "Dark Present" to the semi-sketchy "Dark Future." Vandal Savage is a wonderful foe, and definitely earns his place as one of DC's elite villains; how do you stop a madman that can regenerate destroyed flesh and survive a freefall from space? Each "Bat-man" (and Bat-woman) gives the fight all they've got - and sometimes even that isn't enough. Dark Knight Dynasty, due to its Elseworlds status, is a relatively obscure title that'll probably be passed over by most fans. But do yourself a favour and get a copy of this stand-alone story, it's well-worth the effort.
Rating: 
Summary: For fans only
Review: I am not a regular comic book reader, at least not since I was about 11, but I'm always curious about comics. So when I saw this one in the library I grabbed it, hoping it would be gothic, dark, cool, moody, and a good read. It's 1/3 gothic, but that's about it, and I was rather disappointed with it; even for free. The graphic novel features three different Batman-themed stories, set centuries apart, each one showing a member of the Wayne family battling an immortal enemy who stalks the family for centuries. Leaving aside the question of how the family survives with this guy killing off the prodigal Dark Knight when he/she is still a young adult each generation, and the fact that the bad guy has no real reason to battle them at all, none of the stories are very good, and the artwork is consistently muddy and mediocre. The first tale is set in the Middle Ages, with a Batman guy on a crusade. While carrying gold to pay a ransom for some other captured crusaders, he and his party go to sleep one night and when the batman guy wakes up later, there's a gigantic castle next to him, and everyone else in his party is dead. Why? Where? Nevermind. This one is basically a sub-par Conan adventure, minus the muscles and gore, where the sword-wielding hero battles demons and a dark wizard. Only the tacked on introduction and conclusion in later years, where the Batman character is facing a trial during the Templar purges, redeems this one at all. The forgettable middle segment is laughably silly, with amazing escape after amazing escape, culminating in a battle in space and earth's orbit as Bruce Wayne tries to keep a meteroite from destroying the world. The last segment, set in the far future, was by far the best, simply for the inventiveness of it. Gotham is divided into upper and lower, with upper in near orbit and lower a lawless slum nightmare. There's a wacky planet of the apes aspect to things with gorilla guards/servants, and Robin played by... a supersmart chip. That was by far the best thing in the entire book, and the only laugh, and the episode goes downhill from there, with Batgirl again battling the family's perpetual enemy and winning at last, sort of. I'm afraid my synopses have made it sound a lot better than it was, since both my girlfriend and I skimmed the whole book in about 10 minutes and were left shrugging and disappointed. There's no artwork that stands out; it's all trying too hard to be stylized and cool, and none of the stories are intelligent or detailed enough to be memorable. I wish I hadn't spent the time to read this one for free, so I can't imagine anyone who isn't a really hardcore fan of Batman comics enjoying this. Much less after paying $14 for the privilege.
Rating:
Summary: Diggin' Dark Knight Dynasty
Review: Incredible tale(s) about 3 generations of the dark knight and each is spun together with an impressive nemesis
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