5 novels to read if you loved 'The Batman'

American superhero film 'The Batman' was released on March 4 to much praise by the audience. Set in his second year of fighting crime, the film sees Batman (played by Robert Pattinson) uncover corruption in Gotham City while pursuing the Riddler (played by Paul Dano), a serial killer who targets Gotham's elite. For the unversed, the character of Batman debuted in May 1939 in Detective Comics no. 27. The success of Batman's appearances in Detective Comics led to an eponymous spin-off title that debuted in the spring of 1940. If you loved 'The Batman', here are 5 novels you must read.

Its narrative follows a fictional teenager referred to as "the kid," with the bulk of the text devoted to his experiences with the Glanton gang, a historical group of scalp hunters who massacred Indigenous Americans and others in the United States–Mexico borderlands from 1849 to 1850 for bounty and pleasure. The role of antagonist is filled by Judge Holden, a physically massive, highly educated skilled member of the gang who is extremely pale and completely bald from head to toe. Joker fans, does the character of Judge Holden ring any bells?

Pic credit: Picador

It is set in a world where both magic and steampunk technology exists. Set in the fictional world of Bas-Lag, in the large city-state of New Crobuzon; the title refers to a railway station at the heart of the city. Just like 'The Batman', it is full of mystery, intrigue, crazy inventions, larger-than-life characters, and monsters.

Pic credit: Pan

The novel follows the lives of two Jewish cousins, Czech artist Joe Kavalier and Brooklyn-born writer Sammy Clay, before, during, and after World War II. In the novel, Kavalier and Clay become major figures in the comics industry from its birth into its Golden Age.

Pic credit: Random House Trade Paperbacks

A mystery novel, it deals with class issues in rural America, intense poverty, and the Satanic cult hysteria that swept the United States in the 1980s. It alternates between the present day and 1985 when Ben Day allegedly massacred three members of his family, his sister - Libby - being the only one to escape and testify as a witness, sending Ben to prison.

Pic credit: Orion Publishing Group

It is the author's sixth novel featuring the private investigator Philip Marlowe. The novel involves a lot of confusion. Philip Marlowe's loyalty to Terry Lennox, a suave, alcoholic war veteran, lands him in trouble when the cops suspect that Lennox has murdered his wife and received Marlowe's aid in fleeing the country. When Lennox is reported dead, Marlowe is freed.

Pic credit: Vintage Crime/Black Lizard