Batman may own the night, but with new villains emerging during the day he needs an ally to defend the city when he can’t. Only one teen is up to the challenge, Duke Thomas. After months of training, he’s ready to step out of the shadow of the bat to become his own kind of hero. Meet Gotham City’s newest protector: The Signal!

While Batman and the Signal spins out of All-Star Batman and We Are Robin and says from the “pages of Metal” this series feels like it has more to do with Doomsday Clock than anything else. With a story by Scott Snyder and Tony Patrick with writing by Patrick, Batman and the Signal #1 is an interesting direction for the world of Batman.

What’s particularly interesting is that it brings the world of Meta-humans to Batman. When you think of Batman’s rogues it’s usually either psychopaths, those injured somehow, mobsters, or those turned through some scientific accident. Meta-humans aren’t usually something he deals with, let alone those in the daytime.

As we’ve learned, Duke has some power and this mini-series looks to explore that. It not only shifts things due to the Meta-human aspect but also by the fact it’s in the daytime, something that’s reiterated multiple times. Duke’s yellow costume and his protecting Gotham during the daylight hours are some of the numerous ways this issue shifts our expectations.

We also begin to see the crowds turning against Batman which is why I think this feels more of a prequel to Doomsday Clock than anything else. In that series we’ve learned that public opinion has switched. This feels like the first step in that direction.

The art by Cully Hamner is pretty solid and what’s interesting, as I mentioned above, is the different feel of the comic with it taking place in the daytime. Hamner adds small details here and there that emphasizes that aspect and presents the scenes where that’s a point well. There’s also interesting use of space in the comic. Some scenes are wide open with “the camera” pulled back creating a “safe” feel to the setting where as others the focus is much closer creating more dread.

The issue is an interesting one where I’m not sure it’s really geared towards new readers instead feeling like it’s more focused on those who care about the meta story that’s been playing out for years. We’ll see where it all goes, but the first issue makes me think this will be a key part of the puzzle for the bigger picture DC is creating.

Story: Scott Snyder, Tony Patrick Art: Cully Hamner
Story: Art: Overall: Recommendation: Read

DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review