Before DC Comics did their reboot in 2011, there was a very popular comic book series called Batman Inc. in which Batman, set up various Batmen, across the world. When the novels of the New 52 were announced, many of those characters faded into nothingness, but Batwing was one character that to me felt like he belonged in that group.
‘The Lost Kingdom’ tells the story of David Zavimbe who spends half his time as a police officer in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and half his time as vigilante, Batwing. But when a mysterious villain named Massacre, appears on the scene, targeting the members of a former superhero team, named the Kingdom, Batwing has to step up and find out who this man is and how to stop him. Luckily, he’s got the help of Matu, the man who raised him in the orphanage where he grew up, as well as the backing of Batman.
I actually really liked this novel, because it felt like I was reading the novel of an international Batman. He’s not as slick, but he has one of the most interesting and heartbreaking backstories I’ve ever read in a character. A lot of the character development was retrospective, but it was really good.
The artwork was quite unique, and I’ve not personally read any novels where the artist has had that style. The covers were all quite different, but I really liked this one above. Overall, not a novel that I thought I’d like as much as I did.
Favourite Panel:
This was a very important pep talk!
Favourite Character:
Batwing. What a phenomenal backstory.
Rating:
Story Arc: ★★★½
Character Development: ★★★½
Artwork: ★★★½
Enjoyability: ★★★★
Re-readability: ★★★
Level: Beginner