Batman: The Rules Of Engagement Book

Here's my opinion: every fan of the Bat should at least read one Batman story where he goes up against giant robots. It isn't something that comes along often, to be sure. And even if this kind of thing isn't your idea of what a Batman story should be, you can always enjoy it for its novelty value.

Now, Rules of Engagement tosses a lot off the "rules" regarding the Dark Knight out of the window. You'd be forgiven if, at some point, you think you're reading a Superman story. Heck, you'd be forgiven if, at some point, you think you're reading the script for an Ironman movie.

Lex Luthor has come to Gotham. As we know, he has to make life miserable for The Man of Steel in Metropolis, so his particular brand of villainy may seem out of place in a Batman story, but it somehow works to a degree. Both Lex and Bruce Wayne are gadzillionaires, so they have that much in common. Rules of Engagement sees Lexcorp and Waynetech at odds in a defense contract tender. Lex, obviously, is willing to play dirty. This sets up a good old romp that is reminiscent of some of the more indulgent DC plots. In short: creative and crazy.

Despite being a rather dark story (it opens with a brutal murder), there are quite a few amusing moments. The time-line here is early Batman, and the idea behind this was to demonstrate how Batman got a lot of his more high-tech toys and how he learnt to come to a fight equipped for any eventuality. Also in Rules of Engagement: how Batman got the Batplane.