Book Review: Batman: Resurrection by John Jackson Miller

Batman: Resurrection
Hardcover | Kindle Edition | Audiobook
By John Jackson Miller
Publisher: Random House Worlds
Release Date: October 15, 2024

In Batman: Resurrection, author John Jackson Miller returns us to the universe of director Tim Burton’s 1989 cinematic favorite Batman, with the Caped Crusader dealing with the fallout of The Joker’s attack on Gotham City, as well as a new — or perhaps “resurrected” — threat.

Resurrection is a direct sequel to the original film and picks up months after Batman’s showdown with The Joker atop Gotham Cathedral, after the Clown Prince of Crime unleashed the Smylex poison upon the citizens of Gotham City. Though Batman had defeated his formidable foe, the effects of the chemical have left many victims with frozen smiles and deadly laughing spasms. Batman’s public identity, the billionaire philanthropist Bruce Wayne, is now funding the crowded Smylex ward at Gotham General Hospital as well as the research for the cure, spearheaded by eminent scientist Dr. Hugh Auslander.

Unfortunately, The Joker’s former goons have reorganized, donning clown masks and recruiting followers to keep their old boss’s spirit of chaos and destruction alive as they continue to terrorize the city. But who is leading them? Is it some new crime boss or has The Joker somehow returned to continue with his evil plot? It’s up to Batman to solve the mystery and to put an end to this deadly menace.

When Wayne initially took up the vigilante mantle, he did so to try to clean up the streets of his beloved city as a way to heal from the childhood trauma of his parents’ senseless murder. It’s one thing to stop bank robberies and muggings, leaving petty criminals tied up for the cops to arrest. It’s another to have to predict the next move of an evil mastermind and protect an entire city all at once. On top of that, Commissioner Gordon and the GCPD have seemingly grown reliant on Batman’s help, frequently summoning the masked crimefighter with the Bat-Signal, which presents further challenges, as Batman feels a responsibility to always respond. The result is a Batman that’s just as clever, agile, and equipped as usual, but he’s also an exhausted, battered, self-sacrificing superhero pushing the limits of human endurance. Let’s just say Batman is not the greatest at self-care.

Resurrection is truly an impressive, compelling sequel to the original Batman film that seamlessly weaves a tale that fits perfectly into Burton’s dark world while also introducing other characters from the superhero’s canon, including those who appeared in the director’s 1992 big-screen follow-up, Batman Returns. As you’re reading, you’re able to envision all the events happening in the setting of the original films. There’s so much going on in this book that I didn’t reference because part of the delight is the discovery of these characters and storylines and the solving of several mysteries. Batman: Resurrection is a smart, emotional story with intense character development, and, as any Batman story should be, it’s action-packed. Throughout it all, Miller keeps us engaged and, thanks to his clear understanding of Burton’s cinematic universe, crafts a faithful, thrilling continuation to it. Fans of the Tim Burton Batman films will absolutely love this nostalgic return to that world and, like me, will want more (including a film adaptation — get on it, WB!).