The Dark Knight (2008) Novel Review (Ch. 3)

What, I can't park here?

                                       Chapter 3: Lifestyle of a fantastical playboy

    Inside chapter three, readers are privileged to get one final chapter taking place before the official film version (that being the bank robbery scene.) Also, at the very end, we get treated with an unexpected, sinister, hilarious, twisted gift.

    Read on to explore The Dark Knight beyond the film.

    Writer Denns O'neil force feeds us a yarn on how Billionaire Playboy Bruce Wayne spends a typical day in the public eye, embarking on a plethora of raunchy, reckless, ridiculous escapades.

    Which shenanigan stood out the most? I'd have to point out his golf game. Evidently, Bruce spends most of his days zipping his lambirghini around Gotham, crashing into parked vehicles, gaming women at posh galleries, and chasing women with golf clubs at the course.

    I can't imagine this being Batman's typical day. Don't you think you're putting this whole palyboy charade on a tad too thick? I do.

   Eventually, he manages to make it back to his penthouse without being added to the sex offender list. When he arrives in the kitchen, he's surprised to see an old friend, Rachel Dawes, yapping it up with Alfred.

   As fake as ever, Bruce puts on the ditzy playboy persona. Having none of it, Rachel tells him to drop it. Come to find out, this is just the start of her bitchiness. She reviles his vigilante schemes, and insists that he give up on the Batman masquerade pronto.

   Bruce brushes her off arrogantly. She pretty much owns him in this argument, ranting on how he can't solve complex issues by way of violence. Time and again, we see Nolan's Batman get owned socially, intelligently, and physically. His only come back to Rachel is i'm not just anyone and  you're wrong.

    Feeling the need to pry, Alfred eavesdrops behind the door. Always observant, Alfred does some deep poignant cogitating back to the time before Bruce's return from abroad, before he was inspired to stomp out crime, before he met Ra's al Ghul.

   Rachel departs and we transition out of the penthouse and head to the Gotham City streets...

   Posted on the curbside, O'neil introduces us to THE JOKER. To show how unpredictable this maniac can be, we read how, just before the bank robbery events,  the Joker nearly murdered an old lady by contemplating whether to push her in front of an oncoming bus. Instead of jeopardizing his current mission, he taps the old lady on the shoulder and hands her $100. I'd say it takes away from his grand intro and reveal, but it was still nice to see him make an unexpected appearance.


Coming Soon: Chapter 4 Review: Bank Robbery Bonanza