I actually already had Batman: Nightwalker (The Graphic Novel) pre-ordered by the time I was approved for this book, so technically, my review is of the final published product, though thank you NetGalley, Marie Lu, and DC Entertainment for selecting me as one of your readers!

I had every intention of buying this book because Marie Lu is my number one favorite author! I have all of her books, including the original novelization of Batman: Nightwalker, though it is the only book of hers I haven't yet read. When I saw the graphic novel was becoming a reality, I figured I would read that and then get back to her regular novel sometime in the future...I mean, we all know my reading list is a literal mountain.

I really enjoyed the art style. The blue color scheme really fits the mood of Batman. It was fun to see Bruce Wayne still in his teenage years, having just graduated high school and inherited his billions of dollars. We also see a young Harvy, among other characters we know from Batman's time as the protector of Gotham City.

The Nightwalkers are a group of people (villains) dedicated to taking money from the rich and redistributing it, since no single person should have so much money and power over others. The bigger problem is that they usually kill the money holders. And Bruce is on their list. Wanting to put an end to the Nightwalkers (or find out more), Bruce pursues one of the members only to wind up in a car crash and placed on probation at Arkham Asylum to help clean the facilities, among other work.

There he meets Madeline Wallace, one of the members of the Nightwalkers. She only speaks to him, and he begins to fall for her. There are two problems with this: Bruce can never distinguish what is truth and lie with Madeline, and a relationship between a hero and a villain can never truly work out...can it?

This graphic novel has fantastic art, a great story, and potential for a future installment. It was also nice to see the Leigh Bordugo Wonder Woman graphic novel excerpt in the back...and the title that Sarah J. Maas's Catwoman will likewise become a graphic novel as well! How exciting! If you can't tell, I highly recommend this graphic novel to young readers. Fans of Batman might be a bit skeptical, but I've only ever read a few highly exquisite Batman comics, and this is one of them!

I don't read a lot of graphic novels, so please take this review with a grain of salt. I thought the artwork was good and loved the colors that they used. I was able to understand who was talking when, and the story in general. However, graphic novels are really short and therefore I always find them lacking in some way. This graphic novel seemed to be lacking a lot of backstory and plot points. It was missing the origin of Batman (like the name and the outfit) and just seemed to be about everything changing because of a girl.

I've really enjoyed Marie Lu's writing in the past, and because of that I hate giving this graphic novel only three stars. However, I just didn't understand the character motivations and the conclusion. Maybe sometime in the future I will get my hands on the novelization, which I am certain I will like much better due to its more lengthy nature. Graphic novels are a hit or miss for me, and this was somewhere in between. At least it has motivated me to continue reading the novels, and hopefully when I'm done I'll be able to return to this graphic novel with a better understanding of the story behind it.

So I do not recommend reading this book unless you have already read the novel. If you do like graphic novels, you may enjoy this more than I did.

This graphic novel was amazing ! it was so good from the beginning to the end , it was really easy to read and illustration was amazing . it felt like i was watch a live cartoon.

I loved this graphic adaptation to this book I had been wanting to read for a while. I have never been a HUGE superhero movie or book fan, but I saw this art style in a graphic adaptation to a novel by Marie Lu, and I was intrigued. Safe to say, this story did not let me down and the art style was incredible!

I'd just like to be completely transparent:
1) I didn't read the book this is adapted from.
2) No, I don't read all the current Batman comics.
3) I am familiar with the main Batman canon.
4) I knew straight off the bat this was not canon and is the author's own work.
5) I'm not a Marie Lu fangirl, although I did enjoy the Legend series (the only books of hers I've read btw).

Phew. With that out of the way, there isn't much to say. It's a graphic novel adaptation of her novel. The pacing can seem a bit over the place, my assumption due to cutting scenes or combining scenes into one. The story itself is quite unbelievable in the sense of Bruce Wayne's...position in the asylum. Even in the films I've seen and the Batman comics canon I know of, his situation and influence is a bit unbelievable. However, that's a bit more of a nitpick, as the rest of the GN wouldn't really work right if it was any other way. I did enjoy this angsty version of Bruce Wayne, considering he's 18 and fresh out of high school. His actions and demeanor are both something I'd expect and a bit more refined for a regular teen. The only real issue I had with the GN is the art. I seriously dislike the art style and it wasn't just giving me the vibes I was looking for. Obviously that's a personal preference, but if I was shopping for a GN art style plays a huge role in my selection process.

Short review as it's a GN. I mean unless you want me to spoil everything. Honestly, it might be worth checking out. If the synopsis call to you then give it a shot. If the synopsis makes you wonder wth's happening to Bruce Wayne, then I'd suggest you skip it.

I’ve been meaning to read DC Icons series since they released but hadn’t had the chance to get to them, so I was excited to have a chance to read the graphic novel adaptation!

Batman: Nightwalker takes place before Bruce Wayne actually becomes Batman. We see him as an eighteen year old who just inherited his family’s fortune and company who has a need for justice. The beginning idea of becoming Batman is definitely there in his character as Bruce is drawn to catching the criminal gang the Nightwalkers . . . and drawn to the mysterious girl Madeleine, who was arrested at the site of the Nightwalkers’ last murder.

The art itself was great. I loved the look of young Bruce Wayne and the layout of the panels. The art is all in shades of a blue-ish gray and black with an occasional pop of yellow. This really helped create the dark atmosphere and setting and added suspense.

Overall, if you’re a fan of Marie Lu’s Batman: Nightwalker you’re going to want to check out this adaptation! And if you’re like me and haven’t read the novel, the graphic novel is a great way to experience the story.

First of all, I have to admit, I know practically nothing about Batman, so this is my first introduction into this narrative. However, I love Marie Lu and comics so I was still super excited to get an advanced copy.
I have to say, for someone who loves Marvel and hasn't given Batman a chance, this truly blew my mind. I am fully invested in this story and absolutely loved it. Batman always felt like an adult, so starting at a younger age really had me feel more connected.
Not to mention, the plot and art were absolutely phenomenal and I was constantly flipping the digital pages. With just a couple hundred pages, I am now fully invested in all the characters and their future so you can bet I'll be waiting for more!

This was a really great version of a batman story. Young Bruce Wayne, just 18, has taken on the seat of a billionaire and the company that comes with it. However, crime fighting and standing up for others is in his blood; his adventure is just beginning. An action packed story that makes you rethink tragedy, pain, love and justice. I recommend.
#Netgalley

My parents did not approve of comic books. I wasn't allowed to read 99% of the titles on the shelf at the drug store (the only shop that sold comics in the little town I grew up in). Allowable titles were mostly Disney. Huey, Dewey and Louie are cute....and I loved all the comics I was allowed to read.... but the exciting, more mainstream characters were off limits for me. To this day, I don't really understand why. Superman, Batman and the other superheroes were fighting to save humanity, right? I guess it fell somewhere between "Violence and fighting are bad'' and "Girls don't read comic books.'' I think they were hoping I would turn into a dress-loving, girlie girl if they kept me away from what I naturally gravitated to....but it didn't work. I was always up a tree in the yard reading a book or chasing the neighbor kid with a garter snake. (In my defense, the kid was annoying.....sometimes the only way to get rid of him was to chase him with a snake.)

So......the end result....I was an adult, and married to a long-time comic book enthusiast, before I ever really delved much into comic books and superheroes. This leaves me out of many nerd debate topics on cannon, reboots, different artists, weird plot tangents, etc. I just read and enjoy. With slight rants about some of the horrible movies, I love Batman. What's not to love about a billionaire businessman who has every freaking cool gadget ever invented....plus an awesome cave lair.

My point is this -- I don't know cannon or most past plots from the comic book world -- Marvel or DC. I just love the characters, the art, and the storylines! So I jump on every graphic novel I can get my hands on that involves superheroes.....Love, love, love!

I thoroughly enjoyed Batman: Nightwalker! The storyline features a young, 18-year old Bruce Wayne who has just come into his fortune. A group of thieves is targeting wealthy residents of Gotham. The Nightwalkers start out stealing money from the wealthiest of the wealthy.....but they quickly descend into more violent actions like murder, blowing up buildings, etc. Bruce tries to talk to one of the captured Nightwalkers who sits in a cell at Arkham Asylum. She refuses to say one word to anybody, but Bruce gets to know her. He discovers that there really is only a fine line between his brand of vigilante and the Nightwalkers.....

I have never read the book this graphic novel is based on. I did however see much ranting about it online. And promptly ignored most of it. This is a young version of Bruce Wayne. He's a teen and trying to cope with the loss of his parents, coming into his wealth and figuring out what to do with himself. He's feeling a bit of angst....gets into trouble.... and ends up serving community service in Arkham of all places. And he meets someone who confuses and intrigues him. I enjoyed seeing his character develop. He makes a decision to use his drive to better the world in a positive way, rather than delving into the dark side of a more criminal element. It's a YA Batman story....with some nice tech elements (drones, robots, etc) and interesting "bad guys'' thrown in.

I enjoyed the story. The muted colors of the artwork was awesome! And I liked the message. Even superhero billionaires have to discover who they are at some point -- Batman included. I can see this version of the character as a nice update to the present.

Looking forward to the next Marie Lu graphic novel!

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from DC Entertainment via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

Batman: Nightwalker

This graphic novel adaptation of Marie Lu’s epic superhero novel was given to me by NetGalley, so that I could share my thoughts with you lovely people!

Batman: Nightwalker takes beloved members of the Batman franchise and brings them fresh life as teens discovering who they are and what they are willing to fight for. The story opens on Bruce Wayne preparing to celebrate his 18th birthday. What should be a mundane birthday party transforms, however, as Bruce finds himself witness to a police chase. Unable to repress his desire to try and apprehend the criminal, Bruce finds himself involved in a high-speed chase. This first venture exposes Bruce to the criminal underworld he has been sheltered from since the murder of his parents many years earlier, and Bruce can’t resist the temptation to delve in further. Gotham’s criminal underbelly won’t surrender its secrets easily, though, and Bruce quickly discovers that he may be in over his head with the Nightwalkers.

As a longtime fan of both Batman and Marie Lu, I was immediately taken by this story! I read the book before starting the graphic novel adaptation, and I believe that both iterations are fantastic additions to the Batman universe. Stuart Moore’s adaptation does an excellent job of recreating a fantastic story, an effort that is significantly is enhanced by Chris Wildgoose’s art!

Batman: Nightwalker (The Graphic Nobel Adaptation) comes out on October 1st from DC Comics!

Randi’s Recommendation-
I would recommend this graphic novel (and the book it is based on) to superhero fans from all levels of knowledge. The story stands alone, allowing anyone to engage without requiring a serious background of superhero trivia. As someone who has read a significant number of Batman (and other DC titles) I was delighted by many of the subtleties and the excellent characterization, which I felt did Batman justice.

Marie Lu's "Batman: Nightwalker" has been successful with teens in my area, so it will be great to also direct them (and those who prefer graphic novels in general) to this title.

Bruce Wayne has just turned 18 and come into the fortune that his parents spent their lives building in time to become a target of the nightwalkers, a group that targets wealthy philanthropists for robbery and murder. He manages to earn himself community service at Arkham Asylum and finds himself drawn to a nightwalker prisoner named Madeleine. Unable to keep his nose out of an intriguing mystery or a problem in need of solving, Bruce is drawn into Madeleine's confidence and sets himself onto the path of the Batman he will some day become.

The graphic adaptation seemed to keep very close to the story and spirit of the original, though I thought that some of the more romantic elements were paired down (and for some readers and parents, this is likely not a problem). Both middle and high school readers should be able to pick up and enjoy this title.

The art was detailed and expressive, using minimal spot coloring for effect to highlight important objects or scenes in the story.

I had a great time reading this graphic novel. Bruce Wayne was younger and just getting into fighting for his city. At first he tries a calmer approach, but finds out quickly it doesn’t work that well. It wasn’t until he took a more aggressive stance that things started to work out. Stopping this enemy wasn’t going to be easy, thankfully he wasn’t going to be doing it alone. If you are a fan of Batman then this is a graphic novel you will want to read.

I received this ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest and voluntary review. I was in no way compensated for this review.


Marie Lu returns once again to Gothm City with Batman: Nightwalker, though this time she has some help from story adapter, Stuart Moore and illustrator Chris Wildgoose as they bring the world of Gotham City to life through Marie's original novel that released last year.

It is always fun reading a graphic novel that's based on a book I've already read! Since Batman started out in comics, it was even more fun to read this early Bruce Wayne story in comic book form than it was in its novel form--which was still a blast too, mind you!

I read the novel version over a year ago, so time as let things slip, though as I read the graphic novel, the story came back to me. And seeing it all in illustrations with the gray/blue tint was amazing! I particularly liked seeing the splash of yellow that occasionally made it to the page! It was a stunning sight to see. I feel like Wildgoose really captured the characters well too! It's always hard to picture real life people to play book characters, but seeing them drawn is a little more fun for me. I feel like drawings can better capture a character than a real life actor who may or may not be the right likeness. That's a debate for another day!

The story plays out much the same as it did in the book. Bruce is given a community service sentence after he chased down a criminal in his high-tech car and ignored police presence to cease and desist. While working to clean up Arkham Asylum he meets a young girl his age named Madeline. She's apart of the rogue group of Nightwalkers that have been robbing the rich from their bank accounts to fund their own purposes. Not taking after Robin Hood in the good ol' sense. While Bruce continues to have these awkward conversations with her, he starts to learn more about the Nightwalkers and their apparent plan for Gotham. All is not what is seems of course and things get dicey rather quickly for Bruce.

I always admire how well these graphic novels that are adapted from novels do to tell the full length story in a shortened sense. It gets the overall sense of the story out on the page in its illustrated glory and still leaves you with those same chills and thrills that you had when reading the book. Or at least I did!

The next installment in this series--so to speak--is Leigh Bardugo's Wonder Woman story and I cannot wait to see that one and its beautiful illustrations! This (possible) series of graphic novels of the DC Icons series is one not to be missed by fans of the original novels for who doesn't want to see books based on comic book heroes made back into comic books? It's a trip and a thrilling reading experience that you don't want to miss out on!


Overall Rating 5/5 stars

I am unable to download the link to read. Is there any way this can be sent to me in another format?

3 for neutral. Could not download the book, I will update if able to download at a later date. Unfortunately, with the protective format, I cannot ever get it on my devices,

Batman: Nightwalker is a cool new take on Batman's origins. A young Bruce Wayne turns eighteen and inherits his family's money and all the responsibility that comes with it. When faced with an opportunity to stop bad guys, the young Bruce jumps at the chance even using Waynetech technology to put the hurt on villains. The story is told in a way that the reader can see the development of Batman from Bruce's experiences. An action packed, page turner, the story will be enjoyed by young and old for an entertaining chapter in Batman's life story. The art is skillfully drawn and monochromatic to place the emphasis on the important aspects of the story. I loved it. My voluntary, unbiased review is based on a review copy from Netgalley.

Batman Nightwalker is originally part of the D.C. Icon series. Each book focused on a YA version of a different character. This story focuses on Bruce Wayne on his 18th birthday. He leaves his party and ends up in the middle of a high speed car chase between the Nightwalkers and police. Instead of getting arrested, Bruce must complete community service at Arkham Asylum. Here he meets Madeleine Wallace and decides to get involved in the case.

The story is good, but you have to remember it is an Elseworld title. Regular continuity doesn't apply. Bruce is acting like Batman before he is Batman, but it still gives you everything you want in a Batman Detective story. Sometimes Bruce is a little slow to realize the clues, but he is only 18 years old and hasn't been trained yet.

Art and colors follow the same patterns that the other superhero YA books used. Everything is shades of grey except for yellow accent colors. The limited color palette is a nice touch that I really enjoyed.

Overall Batman Nightwalker is a fun story that kids will enjoy. You don't need any previous Batman knowledge to enjoy this book. I will definitely be adding it to my classroom library.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with the ARC. I love Batman and graphic novels. I hadn't read the actual novel of this prior to the graphic novel but now I am way more interested in picking up the novel too! I loved this one! Will read more from this author in the future!

Batman: Nightwalker now has a graphic novel adaptation for us to enjoy! If you read and loved Marie Lu's take on Batman and his earlier days, then odds are good that you'll find yourself enjoying the graphic novel version as well.
Stuart Moore and Chris Wildgoose were brought on for this project, one doing the adaptation (editing down the book into a shorter format, that sort of thing) and the other as the artist. And I've got to say, they did a pretty solid job.
For those not familiar with Batman: Nightwalker, it's part of the DC Icons series, delving into the past of our beloved heroes. In this case, the focus was on Batman, or rather, on Bruce Wayne before he became Batman.
It turns out that Bruce was always a bit of a reckless teenager, which makes sense given the path he'll eventually head down. Here is his first experience with crime fighting – and it explains so much about how he eventually became the masked hero we adore.
Bruce Wayne has found himself in the center of a whole new crime mystery. The Nightwalkers have been targeting the rich, but unlike their Robin Hood inspiration, they're not giving to the poor. They are, however, happily killing the rich they steal from.
Madeleine Wallace is the only break in the ranks – the only member to be arrested and not die within hours of said arrest. And she's become fixated on Bruce. Or is it that Bruce has a fixation with her?

Batman: Nightwalker was a brilliant and animated read on all accounts. Seeing it in graphic novel format only helped to heighten certain elements. You can really see that this plot was designed with a more visual format in mind, as it adapted so well.
Visually speaking, there were certain elements that I absolutely adored. For example, most of the graphic novel was in black and white, but there were exceptions. Anything that the creative team wanted us to pay specific attention to was highlighted in a vibrant yellow. This was striking, to begin with, naturally. But some scenes were amazing thanks to this one small change – such as the moments with origami.
I also adored the design of the breaks between parts. It was dark, yet oddly elegant. It was a perfect fit for this dark and brooding tale, that's for sure. And it fit in nicely with the artwork as well.
Speaking of the artwork, I absolutely adored the character designs in this graphic novel. I know that the artists had something to lean on, knowing how some of these characters would look in later years. But they were able to do what they wanted with their more youthful versions, and I think they did a brilliant job. Bruce, in particular, looked like the pretty and rich boy we all expected – with a complete lack of fear of getting beat up, of course.
I'm really pleased with how this adaptation came out, on the whole. I can't wait to see what the rest of the series is going to end up looking like. And I might have to go back and reread the original novel after this.

A really cool take on the novel! I honestly loved reading this in graphic novel form, the story translated better this way. Highly recommend especially if you didn’t like the book the first time!