DARK NIGHT: A TRUE BATMAN STORY - Comic Review

Paul Dini is an Emmy-winning writer, perhaps best known for his work on the amazing 'Batman: The Animated Series'. In 1993, he was attacked and beaten while walking home one night. He recently revisited this traumatic event in an original graphic novel that combines his real life with the comic world.

Spoiler Warning - also some NSFW language; uglier stuff than I typically use.

I don't think it's hyperbole to call Paul Dini "legendary". His work in animation goes back decades, and he is responsible for what could arguably be some of the greatest Batman stories ever told. Aside from his work on the animated series, Dini is also responsible creating Harley Quinn, as well as the stories behind the universally acclaimed 'Batman: Arkham' video games. Needless to say, I've got a ton of respect for the guy.

So when I heard about this graphic novel a few months ago, I made a point to pick it up as soon as it was released. Obviously, I never knew about the beating Dini suffered at the hands of two complete strangers - few people did - but the premise was that Dini would revisit this trauma and filter his experiences through the world of Batman.

That said, to call this a Batman story is far too simple. It's not. This is Dini's story, through and through. To say that it's entirely about the attack and its aftermath is also inaccurate. That trauma only serves to highlight a pattern, as Dini's personal traumas begin far earlier than that. And unlike the attack, those traumas were not always caused by someone else.

'Dark Night' is an incredibly honest and unflinching look at a large portion of Dini's life. It is not always sympathetic, and he does not shy away from painting himself with an unflattering brush. He begins by talking about his childhood. He didn't fit in, felt invisible to other children, and was the frequent target of bullies. Awful though it was, Dini seems to admit that he also bought into a sort of romantic self-image as the ostracized and put-upon child. Both painful and indulgent, it was made even more romantic by his growing obsession with comic book characters and his habit of carrying on conversations with them in every day life. Dini carries that habit well into his adulthood.

Frequently engaged in self-pity, Dini recounts awkward relationship stories, confidence issues, flirting with self-harm and substance abuse problems, and all but explicitly reveals a lifelong battle with depression. But he doesn't reveal these struggles to garner sympathy or to be self-deprecating. All of it informs his response to the attack, which takes up the latter half of the book. And every embarassing moment is punctuated by Dini's imagined conversations with Batman and his rogues' gallery.

The centerpiece of the story is, of course, the attack itself. The muggers were never caught, so Dini never knew why he was targeted. Yet, by recounting some of the attackers' words, it almost seems like a gay-bashing attack. They repeatedly call him a 'motherfucking faggot'* (Dini is not gay, btw) and 'bitch' as they beat him with a frightening rage. Stealing his money seems to come secondary to simply trying to hurt him badly. Dini's account of the assault is terrifying. He recounts it in heart-stopping detail, and recounts the horror of realizing that he was about to be murdered.

* 'Dark Night', though a sort-of Batman story, is published through DC's Vertigo imprint, and therefore is absolutely NOT for children. There is strong language and terrifying violence.

Obviously, Dini survived the attack, but definitely the worse for wear. But remember how I said he became accustomed to romantic notions of himself? Despite literally having a broken face, Dini, after making his police report, simply goes home and drinks himself to sleep. It calls to mind various cinematic adventures where the hero takes a beating, but only needs a stiff drink to recover. When he finally goes to the doctor and learns the seriousness of his injuries, (his zygomatic arch was damaged so badly, the bone itself was, as the doctor put it, "powdered") Dini begins to slip even further into depression. And frighteningly, the further he sinks, the more often he's visited by the villains. Especially the Joker, whose insidious ideas come closer to "enabling" than his trademark psychosis.

His drinking worsens, his work suffers, and he struggles with PTSD and agoraphobia. He begins to regularly converse with the Joker, Two-Face, Penguin and Poison Ivy, all of whom encourage and indulge his worsening habits, and darkening thoughts. But while he doesn't bottom out the way a lot of less fortunate alcoholics do, Dini's despair does reach a sort of critical mass that triggers a visit from Batman. And it's these conversations that help him finally pick himself up off the shitheap and begin to not only recover from the attack, but deal with many of his other struggles as well. Batman takes him to task for wallowing, fires up his determination and courage, and inspires Dini to try to put himself back together. The final pages let the reader know the great strides Dini has made since his assault, and though the demons are not entirely gone, he certainly seems to have them under control.

Obviously, the majority of this review is dedicated to Paul Dini, but I do want to briefly point out Eduardo Risso's artwork. I'm not Risso's biggest fan. I've only read a few of the books that he's drawn, and the one that sticks out (because it's a proper Batman story) is his arc with Brian Azzarello - "Broken City". I just...didn't care for his style of art there. All that said, however, his work here is strongly suited to the type of story that is being told. Dini's words are so frequently about emotions and self reflection, that Risso's kind of impressionist style fits it perfectly.

This is an extraordinarily unique graphic novel. It's not always an easy read, with its ugly emotions and sometimes unsympathetic protagonist. It is, at times, so unbelievably personal that it feels illicit. As though you are reading someone's diary - invading their most personal thoughts and fears. But ultimately it's a story of courage. The courage it took to admit these personal shortcomings, and to revisit what must be a painful and fearful memory, is incredible. That alone is worth commending. But the real courage is Dini getting back up after he's been knocked down. The attack he suffered is simultaneously his lowest point, and his catalyst for self-improvement.

What a coincidence that this story was published a few weeks after I wrote my own essay about my personal relationship with Batman and using him as a source of real-life inspiration. And even before I read this book, I would have definitely said that Dini is one of those writers who just "gets" Batman. And he gets how Batman, though he is fictional, can still have an impact on our everyday world. He may not have been able to save him from a mugging, but there is no doubt, the Batman still saved Paul Dini's life.



FINAL SCORE - 9/10

Author Paul Dini