The only constant is change. Except if it’s in Marvel or DC superhero comics published monthly that are “canon”, and then we only get the “illusion of change” according to the late Stan Lee. In Batman #1, Matt Fraction, Jorge Jimenez, and Tomeu Morey play with the idea of changing a character that’s been dealing with the trauma around his parents’ murder for 86 years, but they don’t swing for the fences like Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta did in last year’s Absolute Batman transforming the Dark Knight’s inciting incident, his relationship to his rogues’ gallery, and even his social class. Instead, they go for the solid base hit and poke at the status quo they’ve been given by their predecessors (Vandal Savage police commissioner/Jim Gordon beat cop, Alfred still dead, no Wayne Manor/yet cool gadgets) while telling a first chapter of an entertaining Batman story and switching up how some characters are portrayed (Killer Croc in this case) just a little bit.
Time will tell if he writes the character for 4 years, but in this very early going, Matt Fraction’s Batman reminds me a lot of his Invincible Iron Man run where he deconstructed the title character, dealt with his legacy and his story, and also crafted fresh, memorable moments like giving Pepper Potts her own armor as Rescue. As mentioned in the previous paragraph, Batman #1 asks the question if someone can truly change using the title character and Killer Croc as case studies. Fraction and Jimenez answer with a solid “maybe” as Batman actually listens to a therapist for once in his dealings with Killer Croc in a touching moment reminiscent of a popular panel from fellow PNW-er Brian Michael Bendis and Nick Derington’s Batman Giant featuring Green Lantern and a prehistoric creature. There’s a build-up to a fight, but no punches are thrown, only a conversation had between a skin-shedding, potentially reborn-like-a-newborn-babe Killer Croc and the Batman Who Listens. I do love that Jimenez and Morey still flash one of Batman’s gadgets and use a composition that could work for a fight scene, which adds to the tension between violence and rehabilitation.
Speaking of Jorge Jimenez, his art makes everything dynamic and cool as hell with Tomeu Morey going for a deep neon palette. He used a similar aesthetic for his work with James Tynion on Batman, but there are some curveballs in the Batmobile and Killer Croc design. Plus Jimenez and Fraction leave room for nostalgia with homages to the Arkham Asylum video games (Or the late 1990s/early 2000s Batman comics era they were influenced by.) and The Dark Knight Returns. They create humor and subtext through TV screens and kickstart a low-boiling subplot reminiscent of the mutant gang, but quirkier. But flashy designs aside, Jorge Jimenez also draws moments that will stab at your psyche using a ghostly line for the voice/image of Alfred that is in Batman’s head as he drives the Gotham streets adding to his mental unstability. To quote a once and future foe of the Caped Crusader, Batman #1 isn’t afraid to get nuts, and the details in Jimenez’s depiction of Gotham create an overstimulating effect of a city with a corrupt police force and a protector who’s not as well-heeled as he used to be.
With the exception of (I don’t even think he’s an officer.) Gordon, Batman #1 is police-critical, which totally resonates in a world where ICE agents waylay people of color at highways, restaurants, places of worship, and apartment complex, and the president of the United States sends national guards to cities that didn’t vote for him under false pretense. The enemy in this issue is militarization and the private sector taking over an office that should serve the public. But Matt Fraction and Jorge Jimenez don’t explore this in a preachy way using high tech armor and gadget and superheroes and supervillains to help escape reality while also facing society’s problems. At this point, I’m too afraid to ask why Vandal Savage is the police commissioner, but it fits the overall tone of sci-fi despair in Gotham.
Batman #1 has high flying visuals, sleek designs, and a color palette that pops while not being afraid to probe its protagonist’s wounded psyche (The Alfred appearances!) and get away from a typical hero vs villain showdown. It’s not a status quo upending/everything changes #1, but Fraction and Jimenez definitely stack the deck against Batman with foes both physical and mental. The cool gadgets should help though.
Story: Matt Fraction Art: Jorge Jimenez
Colors: Tomeu Morey Letters: Clayton Cowles
Story: 7.7 Art: 8.6 Overall: 8.0 Recommendation: Buy
DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle
