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Batman: Thrillkiller #1

Batman: Thrillkiller

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This fully painted volume presents a crime-fighting duo whose hunger for excitement leads to tragedy, as a female Joker ruthlessly plays the police off Batman. Collects Elseworlds previously printed as Thrillkiller 1-3 and Thrillkiller '62 in one graphic novel.

127 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1998

About the author

Howard Chaykin

1,044 books106 followers
Howard Victor Chaykin is an American comic book artist and writer.

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5 stars
526 (30%)
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471 (27%)
3 stars
483 (28%)
2 stars
171 (10%)
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52 (3%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews
Profile Image for Alejandro.
1,201 reviews3,698 followers
August 25, 2016
Holy noir story, Batman!


I got this in its single comic book issues, but I chosen thi TPB edition to be able to make a better overall review.


Creative Team:

Writer: Howard Chaykin

Illustrator: Dan Brereton


AN ELSEWORLD NOIR

This was a miniseries that I enjoyed a lot!

A truly film noir in comics where both, writer and artist got excelled in huge way.

Howard Chaykin made a remarkable and elegant work with words and...

...Dan Brereton did a beautiful and sexy art.

The right combination to make this miniseries one of the most imaginative elseworlds story about Batman universe.


DANGEROUS AND SEXY WORLD

This graphic story makes a wonderful film-like noir tale in an elseworlds' 1961 crafting an excellent narrative using in a very imaginative way, the known characters from the Batman universe in different forms...

...but still great.

This is a dangerous but sexy world.

This wonderful miniseries didn't end as I expected...

...however, still is a thrilling ride that you won't like to miss.

One of the most imaginative, great written and masterfully illustrated.

Highly recommended for any fan of DC Elseworlds stories and/or Batman universe tales.




Profile Image for Gianfranco Mancini.
2,265 reviews1,013 followers
April 2, 2019


A dark sexy pulp hard-boiled noir Elseworld.

A real good alternate Batman story set in the early 60s with a thrill-seeking dynamic Batgirl & Robin duo and a Bruce Wayne cop, went bankrupt after depression for his parents'murder by their former servants (except for ever faithful Alfred, of course). An excellent storyline if you know all the DC characters here in an original and different version.
Sadly the last chapter, the Thrillkiller '62 story with Bruce as Batman and the anticlimactic ending were really lame. Otherwise this was going to be a 5 star review. But of that Chaykin & Brereton rock!















Profile Image for Chad.
9,231 reviews1,008 followers
August 14, 2018
A pulpy Elseworlds version of Batgirl, Robin and ultimately Batman steeped in noir. This book spends its time in the seedy side of Gotham. It drips with the luscious painted art of Dan Brereton. His lurid attention to detail, full of buxom women and greasy Elvis lookalikes bring this book to life. This book is a gorgeous pulp at its best.




Profile Image for Dan Schwent.
3,137 reviews10.7k followers
July 12, 2022
In swinging 1961, Barbara Gordon and Dick Grayson fight crime in their thrillseeking way as Batgirl and Robin! Will Barbara's father, Commissioner Gordon, or ace cop Bruce Wayne, deduce their identities before they get in over their heads?

This Elseworlds Batman book has been on my radar for years. My wife nabbed it for me for my birthday last week.

Dan Brereton's painted art always has a more dynamic, lively feel than the art of some other comics painters. His character designs for Batgirl, Robin, Bianca Steeplechase aka The Joker, and later Batman are all dynamite, fresh but still reminiscent of the source material. He also paints one hell of a sexy Batgirl.

A lot of Elseworlds don't stray far enough from the source material for my taste but this one has everything off kilter. Barbara Gordon is a bored millionaire fighting crime for kicks with her acrobat boyfriend, Dick Grayson. Bruce Wayne's parents lost Wayne Manor and the unknown cave beneath it during the Great Depression and Bruce is a detective on the GCPD, avenging his parents in that way. The Joker is a maniacal woman named Bianca Steeplechase. Babs and Dick are sticking it to the corrupt police force when they get snared into something much bigger.

Not everyone gets out alive. It's a great couple of noir tales, illustrated in Brereton's moody style. Howard Chaykin knows how to weave a gritty detective yarn, super heroes or not. As a bonus, the sequel, Thrillkiller '62 is included, building off the events of the previous volume. Without giving too much away, Thrillerkiller '63 is long overdue! I want more of this off kilter world!

Four out of five stars. Go buy it!

Profile Image for Shannon.
920 reviews268 followers
September 16, 2013
Bruce Wayne doesn't start as Batman in this alternative version of the Batman mythology set in the 1960s. That's right. The Wayne Family lost it all in the Great Depression and Barbara Gordon, a trust fund baby through the death of her mother, purchases Wayne Manor to fight a life of crime. She picks up Dick Grayson as her Robin and lover and meanwhile Wayne is just some detective working for Gordon. The joker is a female and Two-Face works for her. The Riddler is not the Riddler but just a shrink to Barbara Gordon.
A host of other known characters show up in their own variations. Look for them.

The story was somewhat good to good with funky artwork that sometimes did not work for me, especially when characters were leaving scenes as it looked goofy. I felt there were some very interesting possibilities here but not fully mined. There's a definite nod to the 60s teenage idols as well as to JFK and all the possibilities.

The characters were the best part of this piece.

Wiki sources claim this is an alternate Earth a la Earth-37.

Written by Howard Chaykin and artwork by Dan Brereton.

ARTWORK PRESENTATION: C plus to B minus; CHARACTERS/DIALOGUE: B to B plus; STORY/PLOTTING: B minus to B; BATMAN MYTHOLOGY/FOCUSES: B to B plus; WHEN READ: early to mid November 2012; OVERALL GRADE: B.

Profile Image for Sesana.
5,781 reviews335 followers
January 18, 2012
Does DC even do Elseworlds anymore? They don't seem to be, which is kind of a shame. There's a lot of creative freedom in being able to take very familiar characters and twist them. Sometimes it falls flat. This time, it didn't.

Set in 1961-62, Thrillkiller features a wealthy Barbara Gordon who fights corrupt GCPD as Batgirl, with her boyfriend Dick Grayson as her Robin. Bruce Wayne is an incorruptible and pennyless police detective, and Joker is a woman. For the first few issues, this setup works really well. But towards the end, the story got a little muddled.

The book is painted throughout, something that can be pretty neat to see. The artwork is, for the most part, quite beautiful. In a few panels, the poses seemed... odd. Anatomically awkward, I would say. And maybe trying a little too hard to be sexy. I didn't need to see that much of Joker's bra. And assuming that any hero would at any time choose a midriff baring costume is a stretch, but in 1961?

Ok, but is it a fun read? Sure. There's quite a bit in here that might appeal to fans of noir, and it's an interesting take on the Batman story. But at the same time, I'm glad that this was just a brief experiment.
Profile Image for Logan.
1,014 reviews36 followers
May 19, 2019
Elseworlds 60s Batman! So I felt like reading a Batman comic and what no better place to look than the Elseworlds library! The story is set in 1961 where Batgirl and Robin patrol the streets of Gotham but there is no Batman? In this world, Wayne Enterprises went bankrupt during the great depression and Bruce Wayne instead went on to be a detective for the GCPD, working directly under Gordon. So what did I think?

I really enjoyed the story in this, it felt fresh and alternative enough to scratch my Elseworlds interest and Batman fandom. I also really liked that Bruce Wayne was a police detective and felt almost like a noir tale. We also get to see some cool alternate takes on some of Batman's rogues which were nice to see. Dan Brereton's art is fantastic as well, using a painted style similar to Alex Ross's work. Every panel felt like a handcrafted painting which was awesome to see!

I wasn't as much of a fan of the sequel issue, Thrillkiller '62. The story was a natural progression I guess, but it was nowhere near as fun as the first book was. I did like seeing Bruce Wayne as Batman but overall it was just okay. The artwork was still top notch and I liked Batman's costume design.

Overall this was a fun Elseworld's tale, not the best I've read but it was enjoyable enough!
Profile Image for Anna Kay.
1,409 reviews163 followers
August 11, 2016
I liked it in concept a helluva lot more than in execution. I liked Barbara, (because I almost always like Barbara) I liked seeing Bruce start off as a respected detective, and a female Joker was interesting (especially since they kept the relationship with Harley Quinn). I didn't like the art though, AT ALL. It was like a very garish, smeared version of the clean and finished look in Kingdom Come. I was NOT a fan. Also, the story in that last issue was super confusing. Overall, I love Elseworlds but this was super "meh" for me personally.
Profile Image for Scott.
635 reviews10 followers
May 9, 2013
A pulp retelling of Batman that had potemtial but was very uneven.
Profile Image for Timothy Boyd.
6,984 reviews49 followers
February 12, 2016
A 1960's twist to the batman story. Interesting story and good art. Very recommended
Profile Image for Danny.
260 reviews3 followers
November 14, 2018
One of the most disappointing Batman comics I have ever read. I remember when Batman Begins came out in 2005 ign made a list of the top 25 best Batman stories and this was relatively low on the list. How it even placed I truly do not know. Panel progression makes no sense with two completely different images being next to each other and you have to create the idea of what happened in between. It's not layered at all, doing nothing really new. Only a few inspired ideas. But really this is just a what if story where the what if is not engaging. At all. Not once did I feel excited to find out what happened next. The characters were about as deep as a sidewalk puddle. While the art is nice, it hurts when you can't follow what happens in the story. Not that this is a complicated story by any means. Rather a "who gives a shit" kinda story.
Profile Image for Siona St Mark.
2,530 reviews53 followers
September 29, 2018
This was a really great Elseworlds take on Batman. I really love Barbara being the first vigilante in Gotham, and that she and Bruce have a relationship (I like the idea of them being a couple more than Nightwing and Batgirl). This take on the Joker was very different, but I did really enjoy it! The art was amazing, and the setting was really well done. Would highly recommend!
Profile Image for Aynsley!.
48 reviews
October 7, 2020
I would maybe give this 3.5 stars if I could.

First complaint would have to be some glaring errors either on the part of the writer or letterer, and most definitely on the part of the editor, the Joker’s first name in issue 1 is “Blanca” and then abruptly changes to “Bianca” from issue 2 onward. What a miss!

Dan Brereton is a great artist at first glance- the pretty, flashy, & beautifully colored (painted) interior was the sole reason I picked this book up at all. However, beyond the candy surface is some severe same-face-syndrome to the point of (minimal but still rather annoying) confusion. The character design on joker was impeccable, though.

As far as story goes, pretty solid all the way through. A fun take on an Elseworlds Bat-family and alternate Gotham. A little slow-going at first for my taste but I know noir stories aren’t usually my cup of tea, so I’ll give Chaykin the benefit of the doubt on that one.
Profile Image for Garrett.
10 reviews
February 13, 2024
With this sort of being a film noir homage, the detective side of the Batman is brought more to the forefront, which I really liked. It's funny I say that cause Batman's only in the book at the very end, and most of the focus is on Batgirl and Robin, but I liked all the stuff involving them. I also like how Bruce Wayne was a detective and the Wayne enterprise fell a part because of the Great Depression. Little elements like that I really dug and made the overall story more interesting.

While the story is good, the art is what really stands out here. Every panel (minus the few times Batman looked off) was outstanding. Made the whole read all the more engaging. Very good Batman story overall and an equally solid noir in the Batman universe.
Profile Image for Brendan.
1,207 reviews53 followers
July 14, 2020
4

As my isolation crawls to its conclusion I have now the need to read novels again, but I have many more graphic novels to read. Thrillkiller came as a recommendation by Amazon and this was not a book I had expected to read. The artwork and storyline flips the switch on the Batman world and sends us into uncharted territory. I must say I was quite surprised by the book.

Why the 4?

The book has ideals and pacing but leaves us wanting. I really enjoyed the included epilogue section with the change to known villains and heroes. Thrillkiller delivered on the unexpected but as a whole it was unnecessarily slow. The final issue was my favourite and the larger DC world is explored.
Profile Image for Adam.
314 reviews21 followers
September 10, 2010
This book was one issue away from a five star rating. The first three issues are truly amazing. They turn everything about Batman on its head and no one is quite how you would expect. The first three issues focus on Barbara Gordon and Dick Grayson in the sixties in a completely unexpected way. It is an elsworlds tale so of course nothing is how you would expect it anyway but this book makes Gotham actually seem to be hopeful not just dreary and depressing. The action is fun and the art is retro-cool.

But then they have a fourth issue. The tone quickly becomes less fun as the focus is placed upon Bruce Wayne instead of Barbara Gordon and the whole book becomes rapidly more depressing. Whereas the first three issued revelled in the rebellious nature of pop-icon vigilantism, the last issue wallows in self pity over past mistakes. That makes the last fourth of this much more depressing and I was really put off by that.

Still I would recommend the first three issues to just about any Bat-fan.
Profile Image for Jen.
727 reviews59 followers
February 15, 2009
If you can remind yourself that this is an Elseworlds story, thus completely outside of the canon, Thrillkiller is a fantastic romp into the pulpy underworld of Gotham City in the 1960s. The characters are all familiar to us and yet entirely changed. Barbara/Batgirl is the leading character torn between her sometime lover and partner, Dick/Robin and GCPD detective Bruce. The Joker is a delirious femme fatale by the name of Bianca Steeplechase, while Killer Croc, Catwoman, Two-Face, Harley Quinn and Black Canary also make appearances albeit in an entirely deviant form to their original characters. The pace and action is brilliant, but once Batman enters the picture things get a bit too bizarre for comfort. Luckily, the end is nigh, so it's not as painful as it could have been.

The artwork by Dan Brereton is terrific—bold, brash and vibrant, with heavy red tones, and high contrasts, complementing the period's sensibilities beautifully.
Profile Image for Hone Haapu.
140 reviews
June 16, 2016
To really appreciate an "Elseworlds" story line you do have to know the characters and the setting quite well - or the changes can't be fully appreciated! I always appreciate an alternate re-telling of stories and I guess that I know Batman best out of all the comic heroes. What they did with the characters here was original and insightful, and really churned the plot line forward.

The writer did quite well to make it a little sloppy in places (all in the name of the sixties theme) and the characters even have the greased look and clothing to match. The artwork itself really fitted well with the swing'n sixties timeline and it was nice seeing Batgirl taking lead (at least for the first half) in this story.
Profile Image for Angelo.
48 reviews72 followers
January 8, 2020
I'm a Batman fan, I'm a fan of Elseworld stories, I love everything Noir or Mid Century, so I basically had to read this comic. And I wasn't disappointed. It's a fun story with all the ingredients you'd expect from a Batman story. Corrupt police and town government, crime bosses, a Joker of sorts, traumatized (anti-)heroes who fight dangerous criminals with their bare hands, a utility belt.
There are also many noir elements. Femme Fatales, a detective figure, chain smoking, flashbacks, a deeply corrupt Gotham City reminiscent of Los Angeles, a pulpy story.
I also like the art style that is reminiscent of the visual style of pulp magazine covers.
Profile Image for Andy.
Author 16 books144 followers
June 7, 2008
genius, sheer genius...Kennedy-era insanity Batgirl torn between two lovers, Detective Bruce Wayne and an adult Robin (with groovy soul patch!) fighting crooked politicos and their wives like Bianca Steeplechase aka the Joker (looking like Sharon Stone with green hair).
To call Dan Brereton's artwork spellbinding would be a gross understatement. Howard Chaykin's take on Batman is soapy, sleazy and better than any other updating of the Batman mythos, and that includes the Frank Miller steak-fest.
Profile Image for Cara Patterson.
134 reviews7 followers
November 14, 2019
Dan Brereton’s art is always gloriously moody and has a distinct atmosphere that I can’t help but love. Story wise, this noir treat was an interesting spin on Gotham’s lore! Great for fans of Elseworlds type DC stories and/or those who like looking at Brereton’s weird but oh so lovely painted artwork.❤️
5,870 reviews141 followers
September 2, 2018
Batman: Thrillkiller is an Elseworlds mini-series and a follow-up one-shot set in an alternative Earth or rather an alternative time period – the sixties. This trade paperback collects all three issues of the 1997 mini-series and the 1998 one-shot follow-up: Thrillkiller '62.

The story takes place in the early sixties and Barbara Gordon as Batgirl and Dick Grayson as Robin are on a personal crusade to take down crooked cops. In this Elseworlds story, their own servants murdered Bruce Wayne's parents and he was left penniless. He sold his only possession – his manor to Barbara Gordon, who had earned a fortune off her murdered mother's insurance.

In this reality, Bruce Wayne entered the police force and became a decorated detective and Barbara Gordon went the vigilante route to become Batgirl. Only recently did she acquire Rickart Graustark, who changed his name to Dick Grayson and become the Man Wonder known as Robin.

This Dynamic Duo is trying to clean up Gotham City, but the police are eager to put them behind bars as well – leading the case is Bruce Wayne with the Gold Shield of a detective. Additionally, the Joker is a woman, a cold-hearted self-professed – well a word that I would not want to type, named Blanca Steeplechase and that is the tip of the weird iceberg.

Thrillkiller '62 is a one-shot follow-up that takes place a year later. Bruce Wayne was framed for the murder of Selina Kyle by Blanca Steeplechase and became a fugitive of the law, so taking on the vigilante role of Batman made sense. Barbara Gordon eventually finds solace in losing Dick Grayson, who was killed by Blanca Steeplechase by taking up his mantle of Robin.

Together they are able to take down Blanca Steeplechase – the Joker. They were able to clear up Bruce Wayne’s name and retired Batman to become Commissioner. Barbara Gordon got some closure, retire as Robin, and to take an extended vacation to grief and heal.

Howard Chaykin penned the entire series and for the most part, it was done rather well. It is a dark noir, pulp, and gritty feeling atmosphere to the story. It is difficult to rate this trade paperback, because it is just full of oddness in contrast to the accepted oddness of the main continuity. It is a good story full of edge and gripping darkness. As a Robin lover, I hated the fact that Dick Grayson was killed, because it seems like in many stories outside the main continuity has him killed off.

Dan Brereton penciled the entire trade paperback and because he was the only penciler, the artistic flow of the trade paperback flowed exceptionally well. I rather enjoyed his penciling style – it is almost like miniature paintings. While Brereton style is excellent for natural poses, his action work suffered quite a bit – it was not bad, but it was not outstanding either.

All in all, Batman: Thrillkiller is a rather wonderful mini-series. It is an interesting Elseworlds series and an equally interesting story.
Profile Image for Sophie.
137 reviews17 followers
September 22, 2022
I actually read Thrillkiller '62, the one-shot sequel to the original 3-issue miniseries, first and loved it. Now I've finally gotten to reading the first 3 issues here, and... yikes. It reads like an abridged version even though it's not. There's almost no characterization, let alone exposition, and many of the references to the Batman canon seem like they were just thrown in for the sake of referencing them, with no consideration of whether they actually add to the story. (Case in point: Two-Face appears as a cop named Duell, which, points for the name, but he doesn't actually do anything Two-Facey. Then in '62, Harvey Dent suddenly shows up as a non-two-faced hero.)

Re-reading '62 as well, it's clearly better than the first three, but still has its problems. I'd assumed when I first read it that the Lances had appeared previously, but no, they're just suddenly there. So is the antagonist, Otto Saunders, a clumsy attempt to write in an unreformed-Nazi character when for once it actually would have made sense to make him a pre-existing Batman character. He's a frozen foods magnate (of all things), so why not call him Victor Fries? Or maybe his nationality and the freeze connection were meant to be a reference to Ahhnold, but if so, just call him Fries. Likewise, the Joker is suddenly not a mobster but a drug lord - which actually fills out her character more and is less clichéd, so would've been a better choice to begin with.

It's a shame the writing is so slipshod because the idea is so appealing, in a Marvel "What If?" kind of way. What if Babs were the filthy rich one while Bruce was poor? What if Batman were Batgirl and Robin's sidekick? What if he worked for Gordon? What if the Joker were a woman? What if Babs and Dick were socialites who became superheroes out of sheer boredom? (This last was how the series was promoted, but it isn't really what it is.) And the art, though it gets too repetitive (Dick, Bruce, and Roy all look almost identical), has a great aesthetic. It feels like the creators' focus on the '60s setting, and trying to fit in too much stuff with not enough depth, got in the way of what should have been a great mini.
Profile Image for Jeff Toth.
15 reviews
November 14, 2022
Thrillkiller is a noir-soaked alternate universe take on Batman set in the early 60s. This volume collects the three-part mini, Thrillkiller and its inferior sequel, Thrillkiller ‘62.

The biggest highlight for me here is the absolutely eye-popping watercolor art.

I really enjoyed the original series’ story too. It had some interesting twists on characters and found fun ways to subvert the usual Batman mythos. Bruce Wayne is a detective, and Gotham’s masked vigilantes are Batgirl and Robin, who are partners in more than just crime fighting. And Joker is lady! It’s fun and sleazy in just the right way.

But then, we get to the sequel, which just feels very half-assed by comparison. At about half the length it feels like it spends most of its time rushing to stuff in new characters without paying much off. And with *spoilers* Bruce Wayne returning as Batman, a big part of what made the first series feel special is lost.

So I’d recommend reading the first series and just flipping through the sequel for the art.

Follow along with my reading challenge at https://www.instagram.com/tothpicks/
Profile Image for Pavel Pravda.
561 reviews7 followers
September 5, 2024
Superhrdinských komiksů jsem se trošku přejedl a v poslední době se jim spíše vyhýbám. Je docela děsivé, když si vzpomenu na ty hromady nepřečtených komiksů z trafikových kompletů, které mi v komíncích lemují zdi. Teď, když si nějaké superhrdiny kupuji, tak pro to musím mít dobrý důvod. Tady je to malba. Nádherně namalované sexy ženské, se správnou mírou stylizace. Navíc všechny ty přiznané tahy štětce a rozpité akvarely, prostě nádhera. Ta kresba má úžasný retro feeling a při čtení jsem měl pocit, že si prohlížím staré reklamní plakáty. Obličeje mají často ostré rysy a stránkám vévodí syté barvy. Geniální! Zkrátka malba Dana Breretona mi tento komiks prodala.

Co se týká příběhu, tak to jsem vůbec nevěděl, do čeho jdu, a dost mě to překvapilo. Figurky se známými jmény jsou zde často rozdány úplně jinak, než jsem očekával. Je docela úsměvné, do jakých situací Howard Chaykin hrdiny postavil. Jasně, dojde na známé události, ale jinak je to docela originální. Navíc, komiks se nejmenuje “V žáru smrti” pro nic za nic, a některé postavy zde zcela nečekaně umírají.
166 reviews9 followers
September 13, 2024
It wasn't as great as I hoped it would be, but I still liked things about it.

Things I liked:

The vigilante team starting out as Batgirl and Robin
Lesbian Joker and Harley
Barbara vs Bruce on whether to support college kids clashing with cops
Black Canary being very cool
Psychiatrist (and drug over-prescriber) Edward Nygma
Really gorgeous art

Things I didn't like

I'm not opposed to either Barbara/Dick or Barbara/Bruce (albeit that one less so) but I HATE when it's a love triangle.
I also don't object to cheesecake art, but midriff -baring Batgirl is a terrible costume design
Robin gets killed off like halfway through to resolve that love triangle
If they were going to end on Bruce/Dinah, I would have preferred the previous love triangle just didn't happen
I feel like they could have done more with the overall concept, especially if the story had gone further into the decade than 1962
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Kyle Berk.
642 reviews10 followers
July 13, 2018
This elseworld is really fun. It plays around with Batman’s mythology in a way that is new to me and refreshing because Bruce isn’t the Star and that works in ways and doesn’t work in other ways. He’s still Batman believe me.

And the art is enchanting, it made me stop just to examine the pages in a way I haven’t for a long while. Because it’s so decadent in its execution.
But slipping into Gotham is something I love and this was familiar but different enough that it’s exciting.

That being said it relies on old Pulp tropes a bit much for me and that aspect feels tired. And the story is interesting enough but feels easy.

I’d still recommend this though.

3 stars.
Profile Image for Thomas Wickinghoff.
Author 1 book1 follower
December 18, 2018
Meh. First of all - there's not much Batman going on here. I also expected more from the female Joker. Don't like the watercolor art style (sometimes the characters (especially the women) look good, sometimes they're plain ugly) and the story is... well, the story if fine, I guess. It sure is a nice new perspective to see Bruce Wayne without any money becoming a detective instead, but I can't say that I find Batgirl and Robin particularly interesting in their protagonist roles. Also the noir style with lots of narrator text boxes doesn't work for me in comic books - or at least not in this one.
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