The Last Days of Jack Sparks
Book
THE MOST CHILLING AND UNPREDICTABLE THRILLER OF THE YEAR. Jack Sparks died while writing this book....
The Vorrh
Book
'In The Vorrh we have one of the most original and stunning works of fantasy that has ever been my...
David McK (3610 KP) rated Batman the Killing Joke in Books
Jan 28, 2019 (Updated Sep 26, 2025)
Commonly cited as one the best Batman stories (after [b:The Dark Knight Returns|59960|Batman The Dark Knight Returns|Frank Miller|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327892039s/59960.jpg|1104159]), The Killing Joke is, in reality, an origin story.
However, rather than being the origin story of a Superhero, this takes the somewhat unusual idea of being that of a villain instead: in this case, how did the most Notorious (and deadly) of Batman's foes - The Joker - come to be how he is?
This also draws parallels between The Joker and Batman himself, depicting them each as, if you will, two sides of the same coin - both have had a very bad day, but each have reacted to it differently (or have they?).
Personally, I feel that the origins of The Joker would have been better left to mystery rather than detailed as in this story; however, that's not denying that this is a good (if short) read in its own right.
David McK (3610 KP) rated Superman: Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? in Books
Jan 28, 2019
Perhaps the foreword puts it best: released back in the mid-80s, this is (now) effectivel a 'what-if', with the central conceit being that this was a story told by Lois to a Daily Planet reporter about Superman's Last Days.
I say a 'What-if' as, obviously, the Man of Steel is still around today: at the time this was released, however, DC was going through a major 'cleaning of the house'; retconning and throwing out over 50 years worth of backstory for their various properties in an attempt to reset the switch; to go back to basics (as it were). As such, it was possible (just) that this very well could have been the last Superman story ever written.
Unlike some of Moore's other works ([b:Batman: The Dark Knight Returns|59960|Batman The Dark Knight Returns (The Dark Knight Saga, #1)|Frank Miller|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327892039s/59960.jpg|1104159]The Dark Knight Returns, for example, or even [b:Watchmen|472331|Watchmen|Alan Moore|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1442239711s/472331.jpg|4358649]Watchmen), this does show it's age somewhat; very much having a 'Silver Age' feel to it.
Fifty Years of Hurt: The Story of England Football and Why We Never Stop Believing
Book
'England invented football, codified it, became champions of the world in 1966 but humiliatingly...
Midnight in Europe
Book
Paris, 1938. As the shadow of war darkens Europe, democratic forces on the Continent struggle...
David McK (3610 KP) rated Batman, Volume 1: The Court of Owls in Books
Jan 28, 2019
Unlike those previously two mentioned, this is a more contemporary tale, with Batman at the height of his crime-fighting powers, unlike the aging Batman of [b:The Dark Knight Returns|59960|Batman The Dark Knight Returns|Frank Miller|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327892039s/59960.jpg|1104159], or the still-relatively-green of the majority of [b:The Killing Joke|96358|Batman The Killing Joke|Alan Moore|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1346331835s/96358.jpg|551787], and also has the wider Bat-family (that sounds awful, doesn't it?) of Nightwing, Robin and Red Robin all in it.
The Court of Owls itself is an urban legend from Gotham of a secret society that lives in the shadows and watches/judges all: like Batman, an urban legend that soon proves not to be such after all.
While I may read volume 2 in the future, it's also not one that I'd be hunting out for.
In Two Minds: A Biography of Jonathan Miller
Book
New in paperback, In Two Minds is the first comprehensive biography of Jonathan Miller - the story...
Milestones in Computer Science and Information Technology
Book
Using the same approach as the popular Milestones in Science and Technology and Milestones in Health...
The Love Poems
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Ovid's love-poetry was typically original and innovative. His witty analysis in the Amores (Loves)...
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