When I was about thirteen-years-old I was scouring through dusty back issue boxes in my local comic shop and happened upon the late ‘90s Batman/Judge Dredd: Die Laughing miniseries. In retrospect, it wasn’t a particularly appropriate read for such a young comics fan, but I remember feeling enchanted by the idea that a comic book character I loved could introduce me to a new character I’d never heard of before. 

It’s been a long time since I read it, but every time I read a Judge Dredd comic or watch the great 2012 film adaptation, I look back at the Batman miniseries that introduced me to Dredd with nostalgia. 

Now that Batman/Dylan Dog has come to a close with its third issue, I can say that this series strikes a similar chord. It is one of those series where the writer lets the supposedly secondary character carry the narrative, and it’s what makes this series worth reading.

There’s not much plot to recap from this final outing. Christopher Killex has been resurrected Frankenstein’s Monster-style (he even has a Boris Karloff look to him) and he is butchering the forgotten underclass of Gotham. Artists Gigi Cavenago and Werther Dell’edera offer one of the most disturbing pages I’ve seen in a few months with Killex gazing up at a field of dead bodies he has skinned and placed in the rafters of an abandoned building. Dylan Dog and Batman search for Killex as the psychopath makes his way through the shadows. 

I think writer Roberto Recchioni makes a clever choice employing what is arguably a generic version of the Dark Knight and the Joker. While it doesn’t make either of those characters stand out, it provides a helpful blank-slate for Dylan Dog and Killex to take the main stage. Like that ‘90s Dredd crossover, the focus is on introducing readers to a lesser-known character rather than showcasing the Bat. I’m sure that won’t be a universally accepted decision, but I think it is a bold choice that pays off.

Even if the Clown Prince of Crime and Batman are in pretty standard form here, colorists Giovanna Niro and Laura Ciondolini accentuate their features well. The characters in this comic are visually striking. 

My main complaint as this issue came to a close was how rushed Recchioni seemed to get to the end. The resolution will Killex features some cool DC cameos, but it feels abrupt and unearned. This could easily have been a six issue miniseries, and it would have given this story more room to develop. Unfortunately, the three part format just barely has enough time to introduce the protagonists and villains and then jumps to the heroes solving the problem.

To this comic’s credit, the reason I wish Batman/Dylan Dog was longer is that I really enjoyed it. It was an exciting introduction to Dylan Dog for me (and most American readers) and brought an exciting Euro-grunge feeling to Gotham. I suppose if the point of this series was to get readers hooked on Dylan Dog, then that was achieved. I’ll certainly be diving into some translations of the original Italian comic soon. However, I can’t help but think about how great this series could have been if it had given itself more room to bring out the menace of Killex as a character, as well as the pithy investigative skills of Dog.

Recommended if… 

• You love horror comics. 
• You enjoy a mystical narrative featuring Batman. 
• You want to enjoy a compact narrative that you could read in one sitting. 

Overall… 

I really hope that some folks will come across Batman/Dylan Dog and end up deciding to get into Italian horror comics. While it has its flaws, this series is a loving homage to an obscure occult character that I wouldn’t have been familiar with otherwise. For that alone, this comic is worth reading. If you were on the fence about this series up to this point, I’d encourage you to track it down and give it a try. There’s nothing quite like the magic of finding a great new character. 

Score: 7/10

DISCLAIMER: DC Comics provided Batman News with a copy of this comic for the purpose of this review.