After a brush with disaster, Batman struggles to reconcile the fate he could be leaving behind for his city, and reaches out to the idealistic new hero, Gotham. But an evil is building that may overcome both Batman and his new ally.

The first issue of Batman was all action and took us right into the battle as Batman fought to save a plane from crashing right into a densely populated area. It was full of testosterone and threw readers into the thick of it.

Batman #2, written by Tom King, does a lot of the same, again opening with action that throws the readers into it. Like a runaway train, the issue continues its forward momentum at a breakneck speed as Batman must deal with Gotham’s two new heroes.

But, even with one story rolling, King immediately throws us into another with his laying the seeds of this falls crossover event that’ll happen throughout the Batman comics. The issue is solid in that through its sparseness, you get a feel of what Batman’s thinking in a way. It’s an interesting use of doing the minimum, but saying so much through so little. This issue is so much about every carefully written word that’s on the page.

The art by David Finch continues to be solid. His Batman looks fantastic and I’m loving Gotham and Gotham Girl. But, like King’s writing, it’s the small details Finch does that really pays off. Gordon playing with his pipe, for example, is something so simple but adds so much to the character and what we know about him.

The second issue continues to add on the excellent first issue and lays the groundwork for what’s to come months down the road. It’s a fantastic comic that shows off both King and Finch’s strengths and continues to show that Batman is one of the best comics DC is publishing right now.

Story: Tom King Art: David Finch
Story: 8.4 Art: 8.3 Overall: 8.4 Recommendation: Buy

DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review