Batman: Harvest Breed

The first thing you'll notice about Harvest Breed is its very unusual art style, especially for a superhero comic. The book veers from serene photo-realism to violent expressionist fantasy, with swathes of blood liberally splattered across the page. Pratt's Batman is quite different to most, portrayed as lithe and scrawny - like a featherweight boxer, rather than the more traditional square-jawed muscle-man.

Because of the painted style however, some of the panels can be confusing at times. This seems to happen most frequently during moments of action and movement, which is perhaps where clarity is most important.

In contrast to the artistic style, the plot is familiar territory. Batman is kept on a back foot throughout, trying to find geographical patterns in a seemingly linked set of murders, themselves similar to a previously unsolved crime. Mythical and religious elements from a variety of cultures are mixed together to give it a touch of horror, and blend a third genre into the superhero/detective mix. The climax is some way off being suspenseful, despite the evils Batman encounters, though it does have a satisfying element of closure.

Harvest Breed will be of passing interest to Batman fans but isn't going to convert doubters to the way of the bat like The Dark Knight Returns can.