Batman: Resurrection is a Stunning Return to Burton’s Gotham | Review

John Jackson Miller takes fans back to Tim Burton and Michael Keaton’s version of Gotham City for an all new Batman story that’s probably my favorite book of the year.

From it’s announcement, my excitement for Batman: Resurrection has been at an all time high. A brand new story set within the Keaton/Burton Batman universe (which has already been expanded on in comics) penned by the always impressive John Jackson Miller…My expectations were about as high as they could get. Somehow, Resurrection manages to exceed all of them and delivers one of the most compelling Batman stories around.

Resurrection kicks off in the months following the demise of the Joker in the events of the original film (so prior to the events of Batman Returns), as Gotham city continues to try and recover from the mad man’s attack on the city. The Batman has fully revealed himself to be a hero of the city, and able to work more openly with the police, but in the aftermath of it all, the caped crusader is as busy as ever.

Beyond his Batman adventures, however, Bruce Wayne works to help the victims/survivors of Smylex (it didn’t kill everyone). He’s established/funded a hospital ward dedicated to them under the direction of a hotshot professor. Furthermore, he continues to hold charity events and fund grants related to rebuilding the city and making Gotham a better place in general.

The specter of the Joker looms large, however, even as the city (and Bruce) begins to settle into a regular rhythm once more. As the criminals begin to organize once more, and a mysterious new threat appears, Bruce finds himself pushing himself as Batman more than ever. The lines between justice and obsession begin to blur and affect those around him, but Bruce/Batman will have to use all his wits/gadgets to deal with a terrifying possibility: what if the Joker was still alive?

Resurrection leans more into the Batman’s detective and scientific aspects, rather than full on action (though there is plenty of great sequences), much like the Keaton movies. As such, the overall story is more of a noir-mystery with some intriguing twists along the way. So in the interest of keeping things spoiler free, I can’t add much more in terms of story.

Suffice it to say, the story is just damn good. It hits all the main points on what makes Batman work in both terms of story and character. You have thrilling set pieces, memorable villains, a compelling mystery at the core of the story, and poignant character moments from all the important people in Batman/Bruce’s life. Combine that with a smattering of Easter eggs and teases (all of which come about naturally/seamlessly in the story), and it’s a phenomenal experience for all fans of the caped crusader.

The character bits should come as no surprise. John Jackson Miller’s body of work has made it clear the man knows how to write characters that are both engaging and instantly endearing (even when they’re totally fantastical). More so, the way he manages to balance a larger cast of characters without making anyone feel shortchanged. Even as there are obvious “main” characters who get the bulk of the page time.

The most impressive thing about Resurrection, something that continues to blow my mind, is how effectively Miller captures the feel of the Tim Burton setting/characters. Within the first pages—sentences really—you’re instantly transported back into this version of Gotham. Without even thinking about it, I instantly imagined the characters from the film, spouting these new lines of dialog (and it’s been a few years since I watched it). The novel expertly captures all of the mannerisms, quirks, even personalities for these specific versions of the characters. It’s almost like you’re watching another movie set in this universe.

Even more impressive, is how the novel manages to retain this vibe even as it introduces all new characters/villains. Resurrection introduces us to some iconic characters that at once feel intimately familiar to long-time fans, while still being completely unique to this world. This extends beyond the characters as well, and into the ‘world’ of Gotham as well.

All around, I’m in awe at how deftly the worldbuilding/characters are handled in the book. The result made me invested in the story immediately. Batman: Resurrection is just an insane amount of fun. It’s firing on all cylinders, delivering a gripping new Batman tale, that’s genuinely tough to put down. I’m not big on superhero novels (the translation from comic/screen to prose doesn’t always work), but this is easily my favorite novel of the year. I breezed through it quicker than expected and am so glad to know we’ve got at least one more of these to look forward to.

If you enjoy Batman on any level, you need to pick this one up.