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Batman: Vampire #2
Bloodstorm: The Chilling Sequel to Batman
Written by Doug Moench; Art by Kelley Jones and John Beatty The second part in the vampiric trilogy, this book begins where BATMAN: RED RAIN ended. Batman has destroyed Dracula but at the price of his own humanity. Now the famed protector of Gotham is a vampire himself and must battle his own bloodlust as he attempts to be the savior of the innocent. But as his isolation and affliction drive the Dark Knight to the brink of insanity, the Joker takes over the remnants of Dracula's undead legions and begins to ravage the city. Struggling with his newly acquired dark nature and desire to kill, Batman must choose between the preservation of his own soul and the survival of Gotham.
96 pages, Paperback
First published November 28, 1994
2 people are currently reading
574 people want to read
About the author
Doug Moench
2,068 books121 followersDoug Moench, is an American comic book writer notable for his Batman work and as the creator of Black Mask, Moon Knight and Deathlok. Moench has worked for DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Dark Horse Comics and many other smaller companies; he has written hundreds of issues of many different comics, and created dozens of characters, such as Moon Knight. In 1973, Moench became the de facto lead writer for the Marvel black-and-white magazine imprint Curtis Magazines. He contributed to the entire runs of Planet of the Apes, Rampaging Hulk (continuing on the title when it changed its name to The Hulk!) and Doc Savage, while also serving as a regular scribe for virtually every other Curtis title during the course of the imprint's existence. Moench is perhaps best known for his work on Batman, whose title he wrote from 1983–1986 and then again from 1992–1998. (He also wrote the companion title Detective Comics from 1983–1986.)
Moench is a frequent and longtime collaborator with comics artist Paul Gulacy. The pair are probably best known for their work on Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu, which they worked on together from 1974–1977. They also co-created Six from Sirius, Slash Maraud, and S.C.I. Spy, and have worked together on comics projects featuring Batman, Conan the Barbarian and James Bond.
Moench has frequently been paired with the artist and inker team of Kelley Jones and John Beatty on several Elseworlds Graphic Novels and a long run of the monthly Batman comic.
Moench is a frequent and longtime collaborator with comics artist Paul Gulacy. The pair are probably best known for their work on Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu, which they worked on together from 1974–1977. They also co-created Six from Sirius, Slash Maraud, and S.C.I. Spy, and have worked together on comics projects featuring Batman, Conan the Barbarian and James Bond.
Moench has frequently been paired with the artist and inker team of Kelley Jones and John Beatty on several Elseworlds Graphic Novels and a long run of the monthly Batman comic.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
April 17, 2019
Honestly, like most of the output from Doug Moench and Kelley Jones, this just isn't very good. After the events of Red Rain, Batman is struggling with his vampirism and his lust for blood while hunting down the remaining vampires in Gotham. The Joker takes over leading the vampires and instructs them to turn mobsters and strippers. Selina Kyle gets bitten by a vampire in wolf form and turns into a literal Catwoman. Moench just makes up whatever mythology he needs to to tie this in with Batman related characters even if it doesn't make any sense. It's all kind of dumb. Kelley Jones's caricature art style is terrible.
January 22, 2016
This is the sequel to Red Rain. I liked this one more than Red Rain, I thought the story was better and the artwork was solid the artist did a specifically good job on Batman. The story is a vampiric batman is hunting down the remnants of dracula's brood that were left from the end of the first graphic novel. He fights a coven of vampires being led by the Joker (who is non-vampire) and is taking over Gotham's underworld with the help of the undead. Batman with the help of Selina Kyle, who is a werecreature, fights against this horde of vampires.
November 15, 2022
Haunting art and story. A significantly superior sequel for "Batman: Red Rain".
December 12, 2023
all reviews in one place:
night mode reading
; skaitom nakties rezimu
About the Comic: Joker has discovered the dark secret of Gotham City, a handful of vampires who survived the explosion of Bruce Wayne manor. And he’s about to take over the entire criminal underworld with them. Meantime Batman is fighting himself. The blood substitute elixir no longer sates his hunger. Bloodlust is getting harder to control every day, every hour…
My Opinion: A strange and unusual continuation to a strange and unusual tale. With every page, even when action was lacking, things were getting more and more tense. Finely reflected in the illustrations, it carried all the way to the end. Overall the story wasn’t anything special, but managed to end on a curious note for the next and final instalment of this story.
About the Comic: Joker has discovered the dark secret of Gotham City, a handful of vampires who survived the explosion of Bruce Wayne manor. And he’s about to take over the entire criminal underworld with them. Meantime Batman is fighting himself. The blood substitute elixir no longer sates his hunger. Bloodlust is getting harder to control every day, every hour…
My Opinion: A strange and unusual continuation to a strange and unusual tale. With every page, even when action was lacking, things were getting more and more tense. Finely reflected in the illustrations, it carried all the way to the end. Overall the story wasn’t anything special, but managed to end on a curious note for the next and final instalment of this story.
September 1, 2020
Maybe I'm getting older and grumpier, maybe some comics do not age well and definitely the shock factor is not a fraction of what it once was. Doug Moench has done some brilliant work, like in Batman: Knightfall. This is not the case here. Kelley Jones is brilliant when it comes to horror atmosphere and all-around weird depictions, which he also achieves here, although his movement and physics leave a lot to be desired.
This must have been a shocking book back in 1994: Batman as a killer (of vampires, but still), staking and beheading people left and right, he himself a vampire and then the implied sex with a were-feline Selina Kyle. I bet quite a few feathers were ruffled.
Today, however, though it retains its atmosphere, it reads as merely OK and then you have the whole "pure love of a good woman" thing (over the course of two nights) that reads as cliched as they get, clumsily so. Then there is the total disregard for any kind of cohesion of the lore, patently treated as "eh, it's superhero comics, we'll wing it".
In very very short, I like the art, but the script is very, very dated.
This must have been a shocking book back in 1994: Batman as a killer (of vampires, but still), staking and beheading people left and right, he himself a vampire and then the implied sex with a were-feline Selina Kyle. I bet quite a few feathers were ruffled.
Today, however, though it retains its atmosphere, it reads as merely OK and then you have the whole "pure love of a good woman" thing (over the course of two nights) that reads as cliched as they get, clumsily so. Then there is the total disregard for any kind of cohesion of the lore, patently treated as "eh, it's superhero comics, we'll wing it".
In very very short, I like the art, but the script is very, very dated.
May 31, 2015
SPOILERS FOR ANYONE WHO HAVE NOT READ BATMAN: RED RAIN!
Pretty good! So this book comes straight after Batman Red Rain in which batman has now become a vampire, and is scowling the streets trying to finish off the rest of the vampire colony Dracula left behind! The story was overall funny and entertaining, the artwork is a sit on the fence for me, i like how the artist draws characters like batman but i don't like how the artist draws Alfred for example (his head looked weirdly out of proportion in size.). This book also features The Joker and Catwoman(I really enjoyed this catwoman, really went hand in hand with batman!) Overall the sequel didn't disappoint, i can't wait to read the next one in this trilogy!
Pretty good! So this book comes straight after Batman Red Rain in which batman has now become a vampire, and is scowling the streets trying to finish off the rest of the vampire colony Dracula left behind! The story was overall funny and entertaining, the artwork is a sit on the fence for me, i like how the artist draws characters like batman but i don't like how the artist draws Alfred for example (his head looked weirdly out of proportion in size.). This book also features The Joker and Catwoman(I really enjoyed this catwoman, really went hand in hand with batman!) Overall the sequel didn't disappoint, i can't wait to read the next one in this trilogy!
June 22, 2012
A decent continuation of the story from the first one. I feel the Selina Kyle angle should have been developed or fleshed out a bit more. It's a poignant story, especially the ending where he has himself killed.
April 17, 2022
Ei tämä sen parempi ollut kuin edellinenkään Batman vampyyri hölmöily.
April 25, 2022
Really enjoyed it until they tripled down on the misogyny. At least the melodrama of it was funny.
October 31, 2021
BATMAN: BLOODSTORM picks up where BATMAN & DRACULA: RED RAIN left off. The story's execution stumbles in one way, but the ideas and themes explored here are compelling.
Batman begins the story as a vampire. He's fine with this because he believes not all vampires are evil. This is proven true later in the story, when some of the vampire's usual weaknesses fail to affect him, which he attributes to having never spilled blood. His bloodlust is the crux of the story. With every passing night, Batman's thirst grows stronger. He justifies killing other vampires because, hey, they're already dead. He's just making them dead-er.
That does nothing to slake his growing thirst for blood, but the love of a good woman does. Batman/Bruce Wayne and Catwoman/Selina Kyle are strangers in this universe. They meet after Catwoman is bitten by a vampire and comes down with a similar affliction after being bitten by a vampire. Doug Moench pairing Bat and Cat together in this trilogy works if you're a fan who believes they're soulmates. I love Bruce and Selina together, so this angle worked for me.
Kelly Jones's characters remain exaggerated, but not to the extent they were in RED RAIN. The bigger problem is Batman's dependence on Catwoman happens too fast and seems a lucky coincidence. Batman hears from a pseudo-expert on supernatural creatures that true love can hold the thirst at bay, and then he meets Catwoman, and they're in a similar boat, and they're in love after a week or two. Also, Catwoman's condition seems arbitrary. She's turned into a creature other than a vampire, by a vampire who bit her and who's bitten countless others. Those others become vampires, but Catwoman becomes something different. Why? For a change of pace, I guess? There's a possible reason why this happens, but without going into detail, I'll only say that other vampires can shapeshift, and that doesn't result in their victims becoming anything other than a vampire or dead.
None of that ruined my enjoyment of BLOODSTORM. For one thing, this is a graphic novel. Character arcs often happen at an accelerated pace. Plus, Batman and Catwoman are in unique circumstances. People's emotions are heightened when they're in life-or-death situations (or death-or-super-duper-death situations, as is the case here) because deep down, they realize one or both of them may not live until tomorrow, so better to act on your feelings now while you still can. Moreover, Batman is desperate for a solution. He's an addict who found a sponsor and latched on to them because they're good for him, whatever the reason or however forced that reason feels.
The real reason Bat's and Cat's whirlwind love works is because of how Moench uses it. There are aspects of Batman's character that must hold true whether the story being told is canonical, or an Elseworlds graphic novel, or a movie. If those aspects are not present or go unacknowledged, the story has failed. (See: Batman V. Superman.) What Moench did is take Batman's one rule and stretch it to his breaking point. He acknowledges that Batman doesn't kill, and drives him to a point where he's tempted because he may have to kill to survive.
BLOODSTORM is the second installment in a trilogy. That means the ending sees our hero in his darkest hour. He breaks his rule, but Moench makes it work because of how valiantly Batman fights to uphold it. In other words: Batman can kill, but he'd better have a darn good reason for breaking this commandment. In BLOODSTORM, he does, and the third and final installment in the trilogy is shaping up to be a bloodbath.
Batman begins the story as a vampire. He's fine with this because he believes not all vampires are evil. This is proven true later in the story, when some of the vampire's usual weaknesses fail to affect him, which he attributes to having never spilled blood. His bloodlust is the crux of the story. With every passing night, Batman's thirst grows stronger. He justifies killing other vampires because, hey, they're already dead. He's just making them dead-er.
That does nothing to slake his growing thirst for blood, but the love of a good woman does. Batman/Bruce Wayne and Catwoman/Selina Kyle are strangers in this universe. They meet after Catwoman is bitten by a vampire and comes down with a similar affliction after being bitten by a vampire. Doug Moench pairing Bat and Cat together in this trilogy works if you're a fan who believes they're soulmates. I love Bruce and Selina together, so this angle worked for me.
Kelly Jones's characters remain exaggerated, but not to the extent they were in RED RAIN. The bigger problem is Batman's dependence on Catwoman happens too fast and seems a lucky coincidence. Batman hears from a pseudo-expert on supernatural creatures that true love can hold the thirst at bay, and then he meets Catwoman, and they're in a similar boat, and they're in love after a week or two. Also, Catwoman's condition seems arbitrary. She's turned into a creature other than a vampire, by a vampire who bit her and who's bitten countless others. Those others become vampires, but Catwoman becomes something different. Why? For a change of pace, I guess? There's a possible reason why this happens, but without going into detail, I'll only say that other vampires can shapeshift, and that doesn't result in their victims becoming anything other than a vampire or dead.
None of that ruined my enjoyment of BLOODSTORM. For one thing, this is a graphic novel. Character arcs often happen at an accelerated pace. Plus, Batman and Catwoman are in unique circumstances. People's emotions are heightened when they're in life-or-death situations (or death-or-super-duper-death situations, as is the case here) because deep down, they realize one or both of them may not live until tomorrow, so better to act on your feelings now while you still can. Moreover, Batman is desperate for a solution. He's an addict who found a sponsor and latched on to them because they're good for him, whatever the reason or however forced that reason feels.
The real reason Bat's and Cat's whirlwind love works is because of how Moench uses it. There are aspects of Batman's character that must hold true whether the story being told is canonical, or an Elseworlds graphic novel, or a movie. If those aspects are not present or go unacknowledged, the story has failed. (See: Batman V. Superman.) What Moench did is take Batman's one rule and stretch it to his breaking point. He acknowledges that Batman doesn't kill, and drives him to a point where he's tempted because he may have to kill to survive.
BLOODSTORM is the second installment in a trilogy. That means the ending sees our hero in his darkest hour. He breaks his rule, but Moench makes it work because of how valiantly Batman fights to uphold it. In other words: Batman can kill, but he'd better have a darn good reason for breaking this commandment. In BLOODSTORM, he does, and the third and final installment in the trilogy is shaping up to be a bloodbath.
October 6, 2018
Batman: Bloodstorm is an Elseworlds imprint. Written by Doug Moench and penciled by Kelley Jones. It deals with the aftermath of Batman killing Count Dracula in the first of the series in Batman and Dracula: Red Rain. It is the second part in a trilogy based on old Universal Picture and Hammer Film Production horror films.
The Joker managed to lead the remaining vampires of Dracula's horde and manage to take out the major crime families in Gotham City. A team consisting of Batman, Catwoman (who became a werecat), Commissioner Gordon, Alfred, and their vampire hunters made up of Gotham City Police Department detectives eventually destroy the vampires.
Catwoman is killed in the melee by taking a crossbow bolt that was meant for Batman. Enraged at the loss of the only person able to control his bloodlust, Batman subsequently drains the Joker of his blood. Horrified by what he has done, Batman stakes the Joker to ensure he cannot come back as a vampire. He then convinces Gordon and Alfred to stake him so that he cannot commit any further murders.
All in all, Batman: Bloodstorm is written and constructed somewhat well and it was rather effective and successful in mixing the worlds of Batman and old Universal Picture and Hammer Film Production horror films rather well.
The Joker managed to lead the remaining vampires of Dracula's horde and manage to take out the major crime families in Gotham City. A team consisting of Batman, Catwoman (who became a werecat), Commissioner Gordon, Alfred, and their vampire hunters made up of Gotham City Police Department detectives eventually destroy the vampires.
Catwoman is killed in the melee by taking a crossbow bolt that was meant for Batman. Enraged at the loss of the only person able to control his bloodlust, Batman subsequently drains the Joker of his blood. Horrified by what he has done, Batman stakes the Joker to ensure he cannot come back as a vampire. He then convinces Gordon and Alfred to stake him so that he cannot commit any further murders.
All in all, Batman: Bloodstorm is written and constructed somewhat well and it was rather effective and successful in mixing the worlds of Batman and old Universal Picture and Hammer Film Production horror films rather well.
October 1, 2023
Batman has destroyed Dracula but at the price of his own humanity. Now the famed protector of Gotham is a vampire himself and must battle his own bloodlust as he attempts to be the savior of the innocent. But as his isolation and affliction drive the Dark Knight to the brink of insanity, the Joker takes over the remnants of Dracula's undead legions and begins to ravage the city. Struggling with his newly acquired dark nature and desire to kill, Batman must choose between the preservation of his own soul and the survival of Gotham.
It gets even dumber and I'm all for it! Batman chops off heads, Catwoman becomes a were-cat, and Joker relentlessly slings one liners while commanding a legion of undead. There is no restraint nor thoughtful story development and for a contrived narrative about a vampiric Batman it is better for it.
The art is a continuation of Jones's work from Red Rain with exaggerated features, extensive gore, and gothic sensibilities.
It gets even dumber and I'm all for it! Batman chops off heads, Catwoman becomes a were-cat, and Joker relentlessly slings one liners while commanding a legion of undead. There is no restraint nor thoughtful story development and for a contrived narrative about a vampiric Batman it is better for it.
The art is a continuation of Jones's work from Red Rain with exaggerated features, extensive gore, and gothic sensibilities.
December 23, 2019
Secondo capirlo della trilogia vampirica di Batman. Con la morte di Dracula nel pretendete capitolo, a prendere in mano le redini dei vampiri sopravvissuti non poteva che essere il Joker, più folle e cattivo che mai. Come nel primo capitolo, i tetri disegni si Jones si fondono con la struggente storia di Moench. Ad alleviare il supplizio interiore di Batman, mutato in vampiro, compare un altro personaggio chiave del mondo gothamita, ovvero Selina/Catwoman, in veste di sensuale donna gatto. Un secondo capitolo da paura che prosegue la discesa all'inferno di Batman.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 20, 2023
Mmmmm no lo sè. A la vez es molesto como sexualizaron a Selina y a la vez es que en verdad el arte es muy bueno. Esa Catwoman mitad felina como que recuerda al viejo traje morado de Selina, y a la vez incluso el Joker se ve muy parecido a la primera adaptaciòn al cine y series que tuvo, se ve lunàtico y aterrador en momentos. Batman vuelve igual de oscuro y con unas escenas muy gore.
La historia no despega ni hay como tal un villano muy marcado o algo asì, pero a la vez se me hizo màs fàcil y ràpido que la primera historia.
La historia no despega ni hay como tal un villano muy marcado o algo asì, pero a la vez se me hizo màs fàcil y ràpido que la primera historia.
December 31, 2020
Wow this one was even better then the first one. Batman has to deal with the aftermath of the battle he had with Dracula and what it means for his humanity. Batman realizes he can't fight the thirst on his own and gets help from none other then Cat-Woman, apparently in this universe "the selfless love of a woman" can quench the thirst for blood.... It was an awesome change of pace from a regular Batman story. Joker is the main villain and he is using vampires to fight the bat! 9/10
October 1, 2018
It starts very promising, with an occult and bizzare feeling like you could expect from a good black/death metal album, but then some goofy dialogue pops off, and the story feels rushed. The first half is easily three stars, the second more on two and an half. The art by Kelley Jones makes this series more than the writing itself.
February 21, 2023
After the point which Batman and his [woman friend, spoilers] attack together, everything falls apart. It’s a jumbled mess of— I assume?— flashbacks, present events, and who knows what else. I genuinely could not understand it after that point. I feel like I really missed out.
Two stars because the art of the Joker looks great! Batman’s gibbon-arms are always weird, though.
Two stars because the art of the Joker looks great! Batman’s gibbon-arms are always weird, though.
December 24, 2023
This is so dumb. It's fun, I enjoyed it, but God is it dumb.
The art is weird too. I really love how batman is stylized here with a sort of flowing spawn-ish cowl, but the anatomy is often hard to ignore. Just look at the cover. I know that's his left knee, but it just makes no sense. It's distracting. And yet...like the series in general...I know it's awful but part of me still kinda digs it.
The art is weird too. I really love how batman is stylized here with a sort of flowing spawn-ish cowl, but the anatomy is often hard to ignore. Just look at the cover. I know that's his left knee, but it just makes no sense. It's distracting. And yet...like the series in general...I know it's awful but part of me still kinda digs it.
November 12, 2024
Not sure if I’m warming up to it or if it actually is better, but I’m starting to enjoy this. The writing is barely good enough and the story is fun. The art is really cool, but the backgrounds are bland and the coloring isn’t up to par either. Let’s hope we keep up the good pace for the third story
December 10, 2022
What a very interesting way to put catwoman into this series. I really enjoyed the story. It got stuck in a little bit of a loop there in the middle with the story telling, but the pay off was worth it. Also some excellently drawn scenes in this one.
September 4, 2023
So many twists and turns.... This was a truly wild interpretation of Batman. I'm gobsmacked by the whole experience. Batman: Bloodstorm is a drama full of gothic decadence, supernatural horror and shameless irony. I would recommend it to fans of both Batman and Dracula.
October 23, 2023
this is definitely stronger than the book that preceded it.
it’s still not good.
The writing is very choppy, events feel like they’re just strung along leading to “the cool moment,” and not unfolding naturally.
it’s still not good.
The writing is very choppy, events feel like they’re just strung along leading to “the cool moment,” and not unfolding naturally.
December 20, 2024
Great sequel. Stakes (pun) didn't feel as high as the first, but nonetheless a great read. Artwork has improved since the first novel. Loved the vampiric depictions of Batman in this. Interested to see how the story continues in the next installment.
January 15, 2017
First read 14-Jan-2017 as part of Batman: Vampire.
September 16, 2017
batman's a vampire. Its weird but entertaining.
September 23, 2017
Two stars is being generous. I didn't think the depictions of women could get worse, but they did. Sigh
February 25, 2018
A step-up from the first installment.
May 3, 2018
A stunning read. I didnt see the ending coming, well drawn and inked. Cant wait for part 3
December 10, 2019
I don't like that batman sleeps in his costume, it seems unsanitary.
April 15, 2020
I REALLY liked this one. Blending the Batman mythos with the lore and myth of vampires and werewolves worked very well. The inclusion of Catwoman I thought to be a stroke of genius.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews