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Post by andydecker on Feb 13, 2023 11:08:09 GMT
Joe R. Lansdale - Batman: Captured by the Engines (Warner Books, 1991, pb, 241 pages)  Cover: David Dorman
This is one of Lansdale's contribution to the mainstream. A Batman novel. At the time he wrote some comics for DC/Vertigo, three Jonah Hex miniseries with artwork by Tim Truman and also some eps for the well received Batman: The Animated Series.
The novel surely profited from the movie hype and the desire to sell more merchandise insofar that editorial was willing to experiment a bit. This is a strange hybrid of a horror novel in which a magic car - think Christine - fuelled by Indian magic is killing people in Gotham and Batman is on the case. The horror content is strongish, but while the Batman parts may be interesting for the initiated - here Wayne leaves Alfred written reports on his nightly activities - it is too much in the background to be successful. No super villains here, no big battles. But it is not a bad novel. Kind of unique. Personally I don't think super-heroes work well in prose, and compared to the many, many prose novels Marvel produced over the decades DC never seemed to be very enthusiastic about them.
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