Page 45 Review by Jonathan
"Eggnog, sir?"
"KAFF KAFF. CAFF CAFF CAFF."
"May I hazard a guess and say you've caught something of a cold running around outside in the freezing night, or would that just be too absurd an assumption?"
"I'm not sick, Alfred. It's just the change in temperature and humidity of the cave..."
"Ah yes, most certainly. It is, after all, impossible for the 'Dark Knight' to get the sniffles."
Ah, the good Noel, with his merry beard and jocular demeanour, dispensing cash presents to poor unfortunate folk on a daily basis, delighting many. Even so, Deal Or No Deal is a crap television programme; let's be honest about it, it's no Multi-Coloured Swap Shop is it? Which is my way of highlighting that purely for website search purposes, and to avoid the usual barrage of correspondence from the pendants amongst you (do you think we give out Page 45 No-Prizes or something?), we have listed this item as BATMAN: NOEL, rather than the correct version of e with a diaeresis, like so, indeed indulge me, if I may... voilà - Noël - so that people will actually be able to find it on our website...
Right, grammatical niceties put to the sword, on with the review. What to make of this particular yuletide offering - only 47 days to Christmas as I type - from the artist responsible for frightening us all in illustrating Azzarello's masterful statement that crime most certainly does not pay, well not if you're employed by THE JOKER at least. Actually, we're off to a slightly shaky start in my eyes as this is a very loose adaptation of A Christmas Carol, surely a story that's been told and retold and reworked more times that there's actually been Christmases no?
We have the usual three apparitions of past, present and future, the first two played by Catwoman and Superman, popping up to beguile and chastise an ill Batman, and various other characters assuming the roles of Scrooge, Bob Cratchit and even loveable Tiny Tim, bless him. Putting all the schmaltz aside, it is nicely done, and it does have a heart, and it does indeed also have a cameo from the Joker rendered from ear to grinning ear in Bermejo's trademark slashed-cheek fashion as the ghost of Christmas future, so I can forgive the well worn conceit just this once, I suppose, and sit back and enjoy the mayhem. Otherwise, I guess it'd make me rather the humbug wouldn't it?
