Batman: Nightwalker by Marie Lu

Batman: Nightwalker is the second book in young adult DC Icons series. As of this writing there are four titles in the series focusing on Wonder Woman, Batman, Catwoman, and Superman respectively. The series isn't exactly a retelling of superheros' origin stories, but rather each story imagines them as teenagers on their way to becoming heroes. In a way then, this book is misnamed because there is no Batman in the book, just an 18-year-old Bruce Wayne about to graduate from high school.

The story is pretty simple: Bruce Wayne does something brave but also a little stupid and illegal. As punishment he is sentenced to community service mopping floors at Arkham Asylum, because of course an appropriate punishment for a teenager who commits a misdemeanor is to send them to work in a prison that houses dangerous criminals. At Arkham Bruce meets Madeline, a girl not much older than him who is suspected of murdering three people.

I always liked Batman for probably the same reason most people do - he's a guy who doesn't have superpowers but fights anyway using his wits and homemade gadgets. Then I heard someone say how Batman is the worse because he's basically a wealthy white guy who decided that he was better at bringing "justice" to Gotham than anyone else, that he knew better than the police, politicians, and ordinary citizens, that he could take the law into his own hands. Reading this book reminded me of that criticism.

The Bruce Wayne in Batman: Nightwalker is an 18-year-old boy who always thinks he knows better than everyone else. Sure he's smart, but not as smart as he thinks he is. Of course, he saves the day at the end but he also helped create the problems that necessitated the day needing to be saved. He has no respect for authority and not that authority is always right, but if you're going to hold yourself out as being a symbol of justice then you have to abide by the rules some of the time too. Bruce Wayne ignores all the rules all the time. I'm not saying I didn't enjoy reading this book, but it did make me like Bruce Wayne a little bit less.

Next up in the series, Catwoman: Soulstealer. I'm really looking forward to that one.