Hi everyone! I hope you’re all well. Today is Friday, and it’s time for another review. Today, I am sharing my review of David Lewman’s prequel novel to the 2022 film The Batman titled The Batman: Before The Batman.
The Batman: Before The Batman was published in 2022 by Random House and is 136 pages long.
The Plot
This YA prequel novel set a few years before Matt Reeves’s 2022 film The Batman revolves around Bruce Wayne’s desire to make sense of the world following the murder of his parents, which feels painfully omnipresent in his life.
We follow Bruce as he’s trained in martial arts by his guardian, Alfred while working on the old “muscle” car he finds beneath Wayne Tower, which he eventually races under the alias “Paul”.
Characters
Bruce Wayne
The novel introduces us to a version of Bruce that’s unsure of who he is and what purpose he serves. We see flashes of the man he’ll eventually become, particularly in his strong moral compass and curiosity about the world’s injustices. However, he’s still figuring it all out.
Alfred Pennyworth
What would Bruce Wayne be without his trusted confidant, Alfred? Lewman paints a more approachable and candid version of Alfred here, as he steps into the role of more of a mentor and father figure than we might typically see. He’s there to guide, support, and (sometimes humorously) scold Bruce, keeping the teenager grounded amidst Gotham’s chaos.
Edward Nashton (the Riddler)
Edward is introduced as a resentful orphan who burns down the Wayne mansion when it’s turned into an orphanage. His character arc in the novel is a small one, though we clearly see his beginnings as the Riddler through his love of puzzles from an early age.
Dex Starling
Dex is Bruce’s friend. She’s a talented street racer and mechanic forced to work for mobsters to protect her imprisoned father. Her arc from rebellion to redemption dovetails with Bruce’s own awakening.
Lt. Janice Dure
Dure is a Gotham cop who begins to work with Bruce when he anonymously sends her information on a crime he’s investigating and asks for her help. By working with Bruce, she ostensibly becomes his first ally in the GCPD, marking the beginning of his uneasy but critical partnership with the law.
Writing Style
David Lewman’s writing style is accessible yet cinematic, feeling more like a screenplay in book form at times than a novel, which makes sense given the source material it accompanies.
As the book is written for a younger audience, the prose is pretty straightforward—but even so, the scenes are vividly described, painting a clear picture of both Gotham and Bruce’s inner turmoil.
Lewman also scatters enough hints about Bruce’s future as Batman without being heavy-handed. For instance, there are references to his fascination with detective work and his disdain for injustice, which feel like natural precursors to his eventual evolution into Batman.
The action rolls along at a steady pace and never feels boring. However, some parts feel underdeveloped, specifically Edward Nashton’s backstory and character arc. I guess because the idea was to keep the novel as short as possible, to keep the attention of its YA readers, there wasn’t room for too much depth.
Something else that irked me was the constant mention of the “muscle” car. We know what the car looks like from the very first time it’s described. It’s not just mentioned once or twice but repeatedly. I’m not sure why this annoyed me, but it did.
Final Thoughts
The Batman: Before The Batman is a fairly compelling and engaging exploration of Bruce Wayne’s early years. It invites readers to see the person behind the mask—not the hero, not the myth, but the boy struggling to find his place in a complicated and often harsh world.
While it may not satisfy older readers who enjoy complex and detailed plots, it will intrigue those who enjoy character-driven stories. Between its heartfelt moments and glimpses of the determined man Bruce eventually becomes, this novel is certainly worth reading.
I am giving this prequel novel a 5/10.
Have you read Before The Batman? Let me know how you found it.
Until next time,
George
© 2025 GLT
Categories: Book Reviews, Reading
GEORGE L THOMAS 
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