The Batman Chronicles is a volume of Batman comics originally published in the late 1930s-early 1940s. There are several comics with in this chronicle, I did not read all of them due to time, but I read about 5-6 of them. It is hard to summarize what happened in these comments so I will try my best.
In the first comic, Bruce Wayne is sitting with Commissioner Gordon at his home. Gordon receives a phone call that Lambert, a chemical king, has been murdered. Gordon asks Bruce if he wants to go with him and Bruce says sure why not. When they get to Lambert's home they find him dead and his son sitting there as a suspect. The son tells the story of how he found his father and tells them something his father said before he died. Gordon gets a phone call by a man who is in hysterics about someone threatening his life. Bruce tells Gordon that he sees nothing going on at Lambert's house, so he's going to go home. Suddenly Batman ends up at Steven Crane's house, the man who was being threatened, he is dead, however Batman shows up in time to catch the killer coming out of the house. Batman retrieves a piece of paper from the killer and goes to the destination he believes where the real killer is located. Batman appears and ends up saving the day by catching the mastermind behind the killings.
Each one I read it was basically the same story with just a different character. These early comics I found a bit funny because of the way they were written. It was as if he was thinking, oh I'll put this here and have him say this. This comic book was very colorful and easy to read. I have to say that Batman comics have come a long way since the 1930s and 40s.
At first I thought graphic novel meant that its pictures and writings were graphic, meant for mature audiences only. However, it was explained to me that graphic meant the graphics within the book. I realize that there are graphic novels out there that are extremely graphic, so it makes me wonder if those should be called something else or should normal comic books be shelved elsewhere in a library and a bookstore. I found the book I read in the graphic novel section at a bookstore. And despite there being murders and Batman beating guys up, I don't consider this "graphic," I consider it just a comic book. Didn't there used to be a section in the bookstore for comic books? Or have they all been in the graphic novel section?
Fiction recommendations:
Batman: the Dark Knight returns by Frank Miller
JLA: Justice for All by Grant Morrison
In sticking with the Batman theme, I recommend the titles above for further Batman reading.
Non-Fiction recommendations:
Understand Comics by Scott McCloud
Making Comics by Scott McCloud
These books are good for those people who don't quite understand comics and maybe by reading books on making them, it will give them a better insight on how they are made and why they are designed the way they are.
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