COMIC BOOKS: Batman/Houdini: The Devil's Workshop

Jul. 23—Nearly 30 years later, "Batman/Houdini: The Devil's Workshop" remains a gorgeous book.

Each panel and page is a full painting by artist Mark Chiarello. Stunning work and the only reason not to be disappointed that comics legend Howard Chaykin served only as the writer — along with John Francis Moore — but did not bring his bold graphic style to the book's illustrations. Chaykin is formidable as a comic book writer and artist.

"Batman/Houdini" is part of DC Comics Elseworlds series of comic books. Similar to Marvel's "What If?," Elseworlds takes familiar characters and places them in unfamiliar settings, situations and times.

Here, Bruce Wayne works as Batman in the Gotham City of the early 1900s.

Harry Houdini makes a tour stop to perform in Gotham at the same time a brutal creature seeks to harm the city's children. Not only is Houdini a famous escape artist/magician, he is a debunker of mysticism, having campaigned to reveal self-proclaimed mystics as charlatans and things considered supernatural as explained by natural phenomenon.

When people claim the creature lurking Gotham's streets is supernatural, Houdini initially believes it is the Batman whom he deducts is a man dressed as a bat.

Soon, following a few misunderstandings, Batman and Houdini work together to solve the mystery, as Houdini hobnobs with the city's elite, including Bruce Wayne, as part of the marketing for his performance.

Houdini serves as narrator. He juxtaposes his poor upbringing with Wayne's childhood of wealth.

Chaykin and Moore deliver. They create an interesting rapport between the Bat and Houdini. They also include plenty of references to remind readers of the story's setting in the early 1900s.

But it's Chiarello's art that makes "Batman/Houdini" a timeless tale and worth finding.