The first issue of any new run is always a daunting task, especially when that comic’s a renumbering of DC’s flagship title. In a little over 20 pages, a writer needs to define their version of the character and what readers should expect going forward. Not only does that mean establishing the tone and status quo for the many new readers that will use it as a jumping on point, it must also differentiate itself from what has come before (or in this specific case, what is still happening concurrently thanks to publishing delays). With so much to cover, it should come as no surprise that Matt Fraction’s opening issue spends its time largely setting the stage for this new era of Batman.
A lot has happened over the course of the past few dozen issues of Batman, so new readers need to be brought up to speed on anything that might be different from what they expect. The biggest shift is probably the state of the GCPD, namely the fact that James Gordon is now just a beat cop and Vandal Savage is the new commissioner. Both get their own, brief dedicated scene explaining what’s going on and what that means for the story. The most important element is that Savage is taking an unsurprisingly antagonistic role towards Batman, and will likely be one of the reoccurring sources of conflict moving forward.
However, the police aren’t the only new thing about Gotham, as the city’s seemingly gotten a major facelift. While traces of gothic architecture remain in things like the occasional gargoyle, most of the skyline looks far more high tech and modern. The two page spread we see is more evocative of Times Square than the haunting, cathedral-like towers of the past.
Much of this is driven by Jorge Jiménez’s art and Tomeu Morey’s colors, which utilize sleek character designs and bold, neon lighting. Almost every page will feature saturated pinks and blues like one would expect from a futuristic cityscape. This is now the third run on Batman that Jiménez has penciled, so overall it’s still a visual style that readers will be very familiar with. That being said, this issue is Jiménez at his best and creates some dazzling panels that pair well with the more upbeat tone that Fraction is going for (save for one scene where I’m pretty certain Batman fully murders some gang members with his car).
I’m sure they’ll just walk that offThe most obvious visual change of pace is Batman’s new costume. Complementing the brighter atmosphere surrounding everything else, it features a cheerier light blue color scheme as opposed to the usual black, including the bat emblem itself. The new symbol is maybe something you’d expect Nightwing to wear rather than the Dark Knight, but marks a clear new direction for the character.
Batman’s new suit doesn’t just look different, it’s also got plenty of new tech to go along with it. Just like the city itself, Fraction’s Batman is sleek and modern to the point of feeling like science fiction. In addition to the usual gadgets, he’s got a retractable visor and lenses with automatic identification like the Arkham games’ detective vision, scanners built literally at his fingertips, electro-charged gauntlets, and a voice-activated artificial car intelligence. Most of these even get a little toyetic call-out blurb to really show off just how tech-savvy this version of Batman is.
However, none of these are going to spark as much controversy as Batman’s new holographic assistant. DC has gone a shockingly long time without resurrecting Alfred in some way after he was killed by Bane back in 2019. Some fans like the permanence that his continued deceased status has given the world, while others opposed his death in the first place and simply want it undone. Well it seems they’ve found a way to try and have their cake and eat it too. Enter: AI Alfred.
Now Alfred can still technically stay dead, but still provide the iconic banter between him and Bruce that has been missing for the past six years. I feel very unsure about this as a solution. Not only is it pulled straight from the plot of a Black Mirror episode, it also reduces Alfred to a “thing”. Rather than a human being with thoughts and opinions of his own, he is merely a marionetted approximation of whatever Bruce programmed. Perhaps Fraction will use this to comment on Bruce’s repeated inability to let go of loved ones, but until then it will just feel like half an Alfred.
For the time being however, Bruce’s character arc seems more centered around his reluctance to accept that people can change. The issue’s opening shows Waylon Jones (Killer Croc) going on a rampage through Gotham after being exposed to some sort of “morphotoxin”. Batman uses this as an opportunity to comment on how seeing his villains as human beings and not monsters will only lead to disappointment, contrasted with the more sympathetic view offered by the new character Doctor Zeller of Arkham Towers.
This immediately feels very out of character for Batman. You don’t have to dig deep to find plenty of examples of him going to great lengths to try and help the villains he encounters. Time and time again he will try to give people like Harvey Dent or Clayface a chance to turn their life around. In fact, my favorite Killer Croc story of all time (Batman #471: “Requiem for a Killer” by Alan Grant and Norm Breyfogle) has a climax that hinges on Batman seeing that there is good in Waylon.
I suppose you could argue that Croc was then written to be a dumb evil brute by subsequent writers so Batman’s cynicism is justified, but that would be a really unfortunate character development to make explicit for Batman. It’d rob him of a lot of complexity and morality for the sake of just relearning to be open minded again. The issue’s ending gives a nod in that direction where Bruce sees that Waylon isn’t just a monster (again), but I hope that this doesn’t become an ongoing conflict for Bruce. Serialized comics like this will inevitably retread old ground, but regressions like that are frustrating for many readers.
Recommended If
- You like a Batman with lots of advanced gadgets
- You want to see Batman grapple with whether his villains can be redeemed
- It’s a new take on Batman with the same bright art style you’ve come to expect
Overall
Matt Fraction’s debut on Batman spends a good amount of time establishing the new status quo, including supporting cast shakeups and a much more high tech Batman. Along with Jorge Jiménez and Tomeu Morey’s colorful art, it creates all around flashier Gotham than past iterations. Some of that flashy technology can at times however feel out of place with the traditionally noirish Dark Knight, especially his new holographic Alfred AI. Batman himself is surprisingly much more cynical despite the vibrant atmosphere, though the issue’s climax suggests that this could end up being an (admittedly seen before) chance to grow.
Score: 7/10
DISCLAIMER: DC Comics provided Batman News with a copy of this comic for the purpose of this review.
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