Line #26 ComicBook/BatmanNoel


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4	''Batman: Noël'' is a standalone ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' comic written and illustrated by Lee Bermejo. Acting as YetAnotherChristmasCarol, the story follows Batman in the role of Ebenezer Scrooge, sick with pneumonia on a snowy Christmas day as he tries to bring the Joker to justice.
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6	Unfortunately, his heart has hardened after the death of his partner Jason Todd to the point where he considers ''potential'' criminals dangerous and uses much more force than necessary in detaining a put-on henchman, Bob, who only turned to crime to pay his ill son's medical bills.
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8	And so, just like Scrooge of old, Batman is visited by three 'spirits' who can help him change his ways before it's too late--and maybe stop the Joker and save Bob while he's at it.
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10	----
11	!!This comic book contains examples of:
12	* AdaptationalModesty: As usual for modern depictions of Robin. However, instead of slapping one of Tim Drake's suit on a character or creating a new costume, the comic just modified the classic Robin suit to give it long pants instead of shorts.
13	* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: Done in-universe by the narrator, who speculates that in Dickens' original tale there ''was'' no Christmas Future and Scrooge was having a near-death experience.
14	* ArtShift: Catwoman's flashbacks to the past are done in a much more stylized, colorful style reminiscent of the ''Series/Batman1966'' TV show.
15	* BadFuture: The Christmas Future segment is Batman seeing visions of a future where the Wayne fortune is sold off, the police are even more corrupt and use violent methods even against petty offenders, most of Gotham is overrun in riots, and Commissioner Gordon is arrested and jailed without parole for his collaboration with Batman, who by then has come to be seen as a criminal by the legal system.
16	* BuriedAlive: [[spoiler:The Joker buries Batman in a grave for the Christmas Future segment.]]
17	* EvilHasABadSenseOfHumor: [[ShapedLikeItself It's the Joker we're talking about.]] [[spoiler:When he goes into Bob's house and Tim thinks he's Santa, he gives the iconic laugh as a joke.]]
18	* TheGrimReaper: The narrator believes this is what Christmas Future actually was, [[RuleOfSymbolism fitting]], as his role is taken by [[AxCrazy The Joker]].
19	* LighterAndSofter: Lee Bermejo's work, especially when paired up with Creator/BrianAzzarello, is known to be very dark, violent, and sometimes disturbing, as ''ComicBook/{{Joker}}'' can attest. Meanwhile, ''Noël'', while sometimes dipping its toes into the darkness, is ultimately an uplifting story on the same level as its inspiration. Bermejo's artwork is even noticeably more warm and colorful than his usual work.
20	* NarratorAllAlong: The end of the story reveals the narrator is [[spoiler:Bob, now with a healthy Tim]].
21	* PapaWolf: Bob moves in to attack Joker when he threatens Tim.
22	* [[ReferencedBy/WilliamShakespeare Referenced by...: William Shakespeare]]: As [[spoiler:the Joker carries the unconscious Batman to his newly-dug grave]], a narrator says, "Some people start hallucinating when they're about to die. In my book, if you're [[ComicBook/{{Catwoman}} chasing beautiful women across rooftops]] and [[Franchise/{{Superman}} flying around with big colorful men that glow]], somethin's rotten in Denmark."
23	* ShoutOut: [[spoiler:When the Joker arrives at Bob and Tim's house, the villain says he likes to play detective games such as ''TabletopGame/{{Clue}}''. When he asks who stole the money, Bob tries to defend himself and his son with a baseball bat, but the villain says, "Oh, c'mon! You know there's no baseball in ''Clue''!" After the villain attacks and points a revolver at Bob, the former asks, "Who killed Bob?" Before Bob can respond, the villain shouts triumphantly, "I WIN! '''I KILLED BOB IN THE KITCHEN WITH THE REVOLVER!'''" before attempting to shoot him. Cue the BigDamnHeroes moment.]]
24	* SickEpisode: Batman spends most of the comic sick with a cold, which Superman warns could develop into pneumonia.
25	* TwistedChristmas: The main story has Batman working to capture the Joker on Christmas, with civilians caught in the crossfire.
26	* WorkingThroughTheCold: Despite having a cold and in the middle of catching pneumonia, Batman still tries to catch criminals.
27	* YetAnotherChristmasCarol: Much like the final ''Batman: Haunted Knights'' story, this story has Batman in the role of Scrooge. This time, though, Jason Todd is Jacob Marley, Catwoman is Christmas Past, Superman is Christmas Present, and [[spoiler:the Joker]] is Christmas Future, which helps Bruce's heart soften and change his ways.

Context ComicBook / BatmanNoel