I’ve been down on the latest run of Batman. The first few arcs just felt like slivers of a story whose entire purpose was to just set something else up down the road. Neither really felt like a contained experience. Then came “Future State” with its vision of a neon fascist future Gotham. Batman has taken that depressing future and ran with it, giving us the seeds of what might come. Batman #107 really picks things up as Scarecrow’s new wave of terror begins and Batman must figure out what’s going on with the Unsanity Collective.
Written by James Tynion IV, Batman #107 balances a bunch of different plot points moving things along with Scarecrow’s plan as well as seeding what’s to come. Scarecrow, Jonathan Crane, we know plays a major role in the future to come. From villain to working with the Magistrate, it’s a switch we’re waiting to see fully explored. We get some of that here with Scarecrow and the founder of the Magistrate in cahoots. It’s an interesting concept that dances around the idea of corporate America manipulating the people for their own enrichment.
But, there’s also the Unsanity Collective, an organization imploring the people of Gotham to not fall into the fear. It too is an interesting plot. It feels a bit like those in denial of COVID-19 and proclaim that those who wear masks or stay home “live in fear”. There’s a nugget to what’s being claimed but the majority is also void of the reality as to where things stand. There is a danger and by ignoring it, the body count will surely rise.
We also know a major plotline involving Poison Ivy is coming. Harley Quinn gets a bit of time in the comic as hints are dropped and danced around as to what might come. There’s talk about the ground and a jungle, clearly hints towards whatever is coming with Ivy. The fact that Harley is the center of that makes it all a bit clearer and obvious.
The art by Jorge Jimenez is fantastic. Jimenez and colorist Tomeu Morey deliver steps towards the neon future that’s coming. The style is an incremental step towards the look of future Gotham as opposed to the Gotham of the past. The big difference is in the colors. Gone are dark and brooding colors and instead we get hints of bright colors and neon with bright pinks, blues, reds, and yellow. Clayton Cowles‘ lettering is also top-notch. There are pages that are very dialogue-heavy but it flows and most importantly, doesn’t overwhelm the art at all.
And there’s more. Ghost-Maker gets the spotlight in his own back-up story that’s also written by Tynion but with art by Ricardo Lopez. We get to learn more about the character such as his sexuality (it’s not hetero) and more about the myth around him. It’s an interesting story where we get to learn more about the character and see hints of his ability and style. Lopez is joined by Morey on colors and Cowles handles the lettering. The art style reminds me of Tradd Moore a bit. It works and works well. When the action really gets going it should be really great visuals. As a first chapter, the opening feels a bit like the 15 minutes before the credits roll of an action film.
Batman #107 is a solid comic that really feels like it moves the series forward. It balances the current story while setting up what’s to come. It doesn’t feel like it’s just focused on the future. More impressively, it takes the concepts that we know are coming and teases them out. It dances around what’s to come hinting at the future and doing so in a way that makes it all the more exciting.
Story: James Tynion IV Art: Jorge Jimenez, Ricardo Lopez
Color: Tomeu Morey Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5 Recommendation: Buy
DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: comiXology – Amazon – Kindle – Zeus Comics – TFAW
