This week: As the flagship Batman title begins in a new era, we’ll look at some of the ambitious foundations built in this first issue. Plus, the new Superman book is coming to an end with Book of EL, Resurrection Man Quantum Karman.
Note: The reviews below may contain spoilers. If you need quick spoiler purchase/pass recommendations for the manga in question, please see the bottom of the article for the final verdict.
Batman #1
Writer: Matte Fraction
Artist: Jorge Jimenez
Colorist: Tomeumory
Letter: Clayton Cowles
On the second page of Batman #1, the killer clock jumps over the sky in Gotham City, with lightning crackling behind him. This is a Batman comic (and a big, new #1 Batman comic), so it can only be read as a homage to the Dark Knight return. It’s just a fun, somewhat silly hat tip, and a way to establish a lighter tone than a regular Batman comic. But I read it more than that.
I read it and say that this run wants to give Batman a different kind of take in the future. Think about it: Very next page is a full splash of Batman, looking at the reader immediately and saying, “I’m pretty tired of this.”
All this felt like a staircase declaration that this was not the same old Batman execution. With Matt Fraction on board as a new series writer, this run will try out some new different things, keeping Batman at the center and center. And certainly, the rest of the issue seemed to reinforce everything.
In addition to the beginning of a new run, this comic has a great single problem story. The killer clock is broken from containment and is running AMOK. Of course, Batman wants to stop it. And much of the book’s space is given to the best way to achieve that goal. Initially, Batman falls into a conversation with Dr. Zeller, who works with Clock, advocating for an alternative to Batman’s usual punchy approach. She insists she is trying to stay calm and work with Clock.
Batman initially resisted this, but Dr. Zeller’s approach becomes effective.
“Waylon Jones is changing, Batman,” Dr. Zeller tells him, and after many comparisons between Batman and his central trauma are drawn, we wonder if Batman should not change either.
But the beauty of this issue is that you don’t need to ban any of the deeper ideas of this cartoon, those deeper ideas to enjoy them. Of course they’re there, but if you want to get involved with them, Batman #1 is also a surface-level mystery of a great detective style about the crocodile, his biology, and how to stop him. And it’s all played in a way that goes back to Batman. Ideas for change, growth, stunting, and response to trauma.
This is a very satisfying Batman story within a single problem space.
Plus, there are so many subtle world buildings (or perhaps tweaking the world considering how well-established Gotham and Batman are) burned into it. The main thing is the view of Batman’s gadgets that get modernisation along with matching caption boxes to highlight them and their roles. And there’s all Gotham City too.
Page 5 of Batman #1 has a two-page spread that tells me what I often thought after reading this manga. In that spread you can see Batman slipping towards what is probably the heart of Gotham City. But it’s Gotham City, as we’ve never seen in recent memories or perhaps never before.
I often joked that Gotham City must have an absurdly large and efficient drainage system. But that’s not Gotham City for this newly launched Batman Run. This Gotham is sharp and illuminated by neon. It’s not bright, but not in fact, but colorful. The sky looks like a sunset, but it is light and ominous. It’s interesting.
Really, this comic does a fun job of realizing that if pastel neon unfolds correctly, it can be shaded like grey or black. And there are so many achievements to the team of artist Jorge Zimenez and colorist Tomeu Molly.
I acknowledge that the new artist wanted to join the fraction for this run. Jimenez currently has a consistent presence in the book through at least three authors, but I suspected that the fractions would be very different from other recent runs. However, Jimenez and Morey work together very well on this issue to bring about a new visual language that perfectly matches Fraction’s ideas and tone. I’m glad to admit that I was so wrong.
There were a few things I loved in this issue too. The use of the broadcast newsbox probably has another Dark Knight homage, but they’ve been played for laughs, which may be the perfect 2025 media commentary. And then there’s the militarization scene of police, what’s going on in DC, and reportedly happening in Chicago.
And throughout, fractions continue all the way to the fantastic final page cliffhanger, from ideas to dialogue exchanges to how this whole issue is built from killer clocks to killer lines, and all the way to the fantastic final page cliffhanger where Batman #2 becomes one of my most anticipated comics.
phew. That’s a lot of praise, but I really had a great time with Batman #1, but my expectations for this new run weren’t great. This may be the beginning of the classics.
Verdict: Purchase
Round Up
This week we bring the finale of Resurrection Man Quantum Karma. I’m so pleased that this series has ended. Not because I didn’t like it, but because I wanted to read this series in full, as I wrote last month. It’s so complicated and ambitious, and I had a sense early on, so it would be a book that is generally better consumed than installments. I think this final chapter assumes that based on the book’s themes of universal structure and nature of existence. This is clearly not a run of Mill’s superhero comics. It’s much more epic and I think we all need to sit together a bit to really appreciate that range. The creative team here is author Ram V, artist Anand RK, colorist Mike Spicer and letterta Adityavidikar. Meanwhile, Superman: Book of El #1 arrived this week, continuing the fan favorite Superman run of essentially author Philip Kennedy Johnson. And as a fan of that run, I’m excited. The book was essentially promised to us by Johnson’s Future State script: House of Elle, but it’s still not clear how much (or whatever) the two comics will connect. What is known is that Johnson picks up where he left off and continues that early story. And it’s a great first problem, bringing adventure and massive interests to Smallville before you spend time. The Superman line currently being built just checks out so many Superman boxes. While Superman Comics focuses characters within the company’s upcoming DC KO events, Superman Unlimited is on this week’s adventure in a silver age-esque style that is wonderfully built in recent Superman films. Supergirl, on the other hand, is as attractive as superhero comics get. This book wants to provide a story about the universe’s Superman. This is a powerful first issue and seems to promise great things to come. The creative team here is Johnson, artist Scott Godleski, colorist Alex Guimares and letter Dave Sharp. Finally, this week there were some other major highlights, including the absolute Green Lantern, Cheetah, Cheshire Robuza Justice League, and JSA, but I would like to use this last place to praise the current Batgirl Run. That’s in a nutshell, and you should all read it. There’s a family drama, great fight sequences, and a building feel that Cassandra Cain is especially for the big one. This book quietly became one of the most consistent in the DC line. Please read that. The team here are author Tate Blombar, artist The Tusi Miyazawa, colorist Mike Spicer and letter Tom Napolitano.
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