Dark Night: A True Batman Story

This is an unusual graphic novel -- the protagonist isn't a superhero in a colorful costume, it's a guy who writes about those people. And it recounts how he found himself living through an encounter typical of the funnybooks but not playing out nearly as tidily and heroically in real life.Paul Dini is an award-winning scripter of animated comics stories as well as the venerable print format and this is his true account of the night he became the victim of a savage mugging and how he fought to overcome its effects, aided (or hindered) in large part by his fictional creations and the lessons they imparted.Expressively told and illustrated -- typically breaking every fourth wall and convention of the comics -- this is a powerful tale that meanders through other key events in Dini's life -- his childhood fascination with comics and superheroes, his growing absorption with making a career as a comics writer and immersing himself in typical fanboy pursuits, his luckless love life. Dini is very hard on himself, unsparing in his judgments. It's quite an achievement for him to have overcome his cruel attack and put his life and career back together. A sort of Greek chorus is supplied by familiar guest stars who flit in and out of the story, sometimes in disguise, sometimes openly -- Batman, of course, and Batgirl, but more commonly the rogues gallery of Bat-villains -- Joker, Two-Face, Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, Scarecrow, Penguin. A veritable Gotham City living in Dini's head and manifesting at critical moments.Without spoiling the story, I hope, you'll be relieved to know, via a postscript page or two, that it all has a happy ending; ultimately, Dini shakes off his traumatic paralysis, regains his mojo, resumes creative work, and even woos and marries his very own Zatanna (how wonderful is that?!). Lessons learned, and life rolls on even if it will never be quite the same again.I came away with appreciation for Dini's honesty and candor. He's been perhaps my favorite comics writer since I discovered his work and after reading this book, I also feel a new appreciation for Dini the person. And I also should note that he's apparently got a terrific sister, and that Arleen Sorkin (the original and DEFINITIVE voice of Harley Quinn!) is absolutely wonderful, as you would expect.

Paul Dini's true story is funny, horrible, terrifying, and very inspirational tale of recovery . If you feel the to be inspired, you can,t go wrong. I wish Paul much continued success. Thank you for sharing!

I absolutely loved this book. I had no idea what I was getting myself into, other than I knew I loved Paul Dini and his work on Batman The Animated Series. The behind the scenes events written and drawn throughout are very interesting and some of the stories I had never heard. There were plenty of laughs and plenty of feels throughout. Paul does a good job of showing how feeling sorry for yourself wont get you anywhere. You need to get up when you're down, and love yourself, otherwise how can you expect anyone else to appreciate you. I've never read a "nonfiction" comic like this before, but I'd love to check out more. Seriously. Pick this up. If you're a fan of Paul Dini, Batman the animated series, Warner Bros. animation, and a story about overcoming demons, do yourself a favor and read this.

Easily one of the best books of 2016 (arguably the best). Paul Dini shares a harrowing, life-changing event that occurred in his life during his early years at WB animation working on BTAS. The use of DC characters is smartly implemented, and the art is great at depicting events and exchanges. It reads more like a novel than a comic (even though it's formatted as such). I found myself purposely putting the book down often to save for later because I did not want to finish it. Def recommending to all.

Ever since I saw that Paul dini was writing a comic about the influence Batman has had on his actual life I knew I had to get this comic. Being a very long time Batman fan, and knowing who Paul Dini is, it was very easy for me to understand that this comic is not about Batman. It is a story about the writers life and one night when things went downhill. It was a great story and one I'm glad I added to my collection.If you are a new Batman fan looking for comics, this may not be the one for you, just because of the lack of Batman the story really had but it was a great read. I feel as if this comic is more for longtime fans who know Batman: The Animated Series, Justice League/Unlimited and know how creative they were and are even to this day.

The fractured psyche of our narrator, Paul Dini, because of the trauma of a senseless attack, is startling. The way the characters of Batman and the Joker, each representing not only employment for our storytellers, but also the dichotomy of Paul’s choices post attack is amazing. How can you return to work, when work reminds you of your impotence in the face of fear? Will you embrace the trauma, and dig down deep to better yourself? Or will you embrace the madness, and isolate yourself from the world? These are the questions that Paul asks of himself, and us. Do we fight? Or do we cave? Complementing this, is the amazing art of Eduardo Risso. Risso utilizes a traditional line art style for the past, and watercolor illustrations for the present. Thanks to Norman Rockwell’s timeless illustrations, we associate this style with happier and healthier times. If you can’t tell, I loved this book, I have been a fan of both of the creators for sometime, and will continue to be. I recommend this book highly, that’s why there’s five stars.

Mais uma grande e bela história escrita pelo maravilhoso Paul Dini.

Estuvo mucho tiempo en mi lista de espera leer ésta historia… hoy me ha servido para cerrar un ciclo de autodestrucción, que he mantenido por más tiempo del que recuerdo. Sin duda Batman a salvado a muchos lectores. Es mi caso…Gracias a ambos artistas por llevar ésta historia al papel.Batman a rescatado a muchos, como dije, pero hoy Paul Dini me salvó a mi.

This story is to be read when a person has gone through the kind of experience that the story is about. This would help to exactly understand what is the point of the story and what should we learn from it. An inspiring journey about rise from obsecurity to realization of the truth!

I enjoyed reading the graphic novel quite a bit, the art is very compatible with the tone and atmosphere created by the writer and the story line is very hooking. It's not your typical batman story, but the uniqueness of the novel, in my opinion, makes it even better.The writing in rare instances is slightly corny, but that is the only criticism i can come with up.I would recommend this to anyone who reads comics. The graphic novel is one of my favourite reads of 2018.

Truly emotional story with great insight to what Paul Dini went through. He exposes his soul to us which allows you to really feel what his struggles were not just with dealing with the assault but what he went through in his life