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Title: The Dark Knight
Genre: Comic Book_Action
Published: July 18th, 2008 (by Berkley)
Based on: The Dark Knight (2008) sequel to Batman Begins (2005) film
Screenplay by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan
Story by Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer
Pages: 292
Chapters: 25 (plus an Epilogue)
Chapter 1.) Ra's Al ghul is alive ... in Bruce's dreams!
Opening up the novel, O'neill gives us a recap of the events in Batman Begins, jumping into a lengthy italics description of the final battle between Batman and his former master Ra's al ghul, leader of the league of shadows. Terribly shaken, Bruce awakens from his nightmare and back into his silky sheeted bed, back into his surreal reality of comic book lore.
Soon after this flashback, we get paragraph length exposition on other events from Batman Begins-- his parents being tragically gunned down right before his pubescent eyes, his encounter with crime lord falcone, his anathema for crime and need to seek out revenge and justice, his soul-searching odyssey around the globe, etc. You know, the basic Batman info that everyone, including your girlfriend, already know.
Tidbits of unkown info about the Nolan canon Bruce Wayne are revealed here and there, some interesting and some not. Among the more intriguing, to me at least, was the part where he told us Bruce's quantum of knowledge in academia. Including ...
"In languages, also excellent." - TDK chapter 1 excerpt.
Wow! Batman can't even annunciate correctly in his own native Gotham dialect, yet he's excellent in languages? Strike 1, Mr. O'neil.
Apparently, Wayne's copious family fortune afforded him a "first-rate education" until the ripe old age of his pre-teen years, when simply, the principal informed Alfred that Bruce was a genius and 'there's nothing more they can give the lad.' It's truly a bewilderment to think that this fancy erudite prodigy didn't enter the political world. In fact, if this were reality and not comic book land, this ass hole would for sure be a prick politician. Just saying. Since forever, novelizations have always put the film into a clear, enlightening perspective for me.
In the final portion of chapter #1, we get intel on Bruce's sports career. Moreover, he's never been good in team sports throughout his life. Didn't gel with the posh snobs, i guess. In an anecdote that i found to be pointless, O'neal tells us how Bruce became enarmored with skiing. Feeling as if it would be a swell chance to bond, Alfred takes his chap to where else but theVermont Mountains. on a side note, for anyone unaware of USA geography, the tiny eastern state of Vermount is known solely for their avid skiing culture, maple syrup, and expansive wilderness. It'd basically a mini variant of Canada.
To summarize the wintery excursion, Bruce smashes himself up pretty good in a violent skiing accident. After recovering, he splurges on a complete set of Olympic-grade gear. He failed to excel at any one sport, but it did whip him into a high echelon of dexterity.
Finally, we learn that in his free-time spent at Ra's dojo, Bruce would utilize his exceptional skiing skills, killing it up-and-down those himalayan slopes. Seemingly, in between meditating, getting his ass kicked, drinking herbal tea, inhaling hypnotic incense, and playing with swords on ice Bruce still felt the adrenaline need to seek more thrill...Those must have been some hellaciously gnarly times, Dude.
Coming soon: Chapter 2 Review -- "Bring me my toast and do as i say."
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