Batman ’89 #4
Written by: Sam Hamm
Art by: Joe Quinones
Someone’s hot on Bruce Wayne’s heels, out to prove his connection to Batman once and for all! Meanwhile, Harvey Dent plans his next steps for Gotham with just the simple flip of a coin. What does he have in store for Gotham, and can Batman twist probability in his favor?
Batman ’89 #3
Written by: Sam Hamm
Art by: Joe Quinones
As the fire rages at Royal Auto, Harvey Dent lies trapped inside, unconscious and in danger. Can Bruce Wayne get to Harvey in time, or will the district attorney leave burned-in more ways than one?
Batman ’89 #2
Written by: Sam Hamm
Art by: Joe Quinones
A showdown in Burnside leaves both Batman and the Gotham borough reeling. As the community rallies together behind Harvey Dent, can Bruce find a way forward for both Batman and the city?
Batman ’89 #1
Written by: Sam Hamm
Art by: Joe Quinones
Step back into the Gotham of Tim Burton’s seminal classic Batman movies! Batman ’89 brings in screenwriter Sam Hamm (Batman, Batman Returns) and artist Joe Quinones (Dial H for Hero) to pull on a number of threads left dangling by the prolific director. Gotham becomes torn in two as citizens dressed as Batman and The Joker duke it out in the streets. As D.A. Harvey Dent tries to keep the city together, he targets the one problem tearing it apart: BATMAN! And he’ll get Bruce Wayne’s help in taking down the Dark Knight!
After over 30 years, we return to Tim Burton’s vision of Batman in Batman ’89 #1. The comic is based on the film that shifted the superhero movie genre and ushered in a new age. The story sees Gotham dealing with the escalation of crime and masked vigilantes forcing the District Attorney Harvey Dent to do something about it all.
The debut issue feels like a solid follow up to the classic film with call-backs and references that will makes fans smile and nostalgic. The story itself is decent setting up the conflict and delivering more than just Batman taking on the latest villain with a gimmick. Writer Sam Hamm gives us something a little different in the debut issue where the idea of Batman himself is the villain to some. It debates whether he’s truly helping or just getting in the way.
There’s also something rather low-tech in Hamm’s depiction that really nails home the time. Communication is antiquated looking like something you’d get at Radio Shack and Dent’s crusade is built more off of hunches and conspiracies than hard evidence. There’s no tech dragnet going on, there’s a retro feel about the comic as there should be.
The art by Joe Quinones is good. With color by Leonard Kirk and lettering by Clayton Cowles, the overall look over the comic takes you back to the iconic film. But, while the big picture works, there’s some small details that stand out and are hard to ignore. While Harvey Dent is a decent take on Billy Dee Williams, Bruce Wayne doesn’t exactly scream Michael Keaton. Other characters like Jim Gordan aren’t exactly spitting images either. To get one pretty right and the rest off is noticeable and something that stands out. There’s also a lack of sweeping visuals. The original film delivered moments seared into memories. The comic largely avoids those instead packing in pages with panels. Even Batman’s entrance feels muted.
Batman ’89 #1 is an ok start for the series. At moments it feels like the comic might have actually been helped with a digital release so it could take advantage of the focus on single panels as well as the ability to deliver cinematic transitions. It does a solid job of capturing the feel of the original film and delivers something new beyond the latest costumed “freak”. We’ll see where it all goes but for now, this is one to keep an eye on but no need to rush out and get.
Story: Sam Hamm Art: Joe Quinones
Color: Leonard Kirk Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Story: 7.5 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7.5 Recommendation: Read
DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: comiXology – Kindle – TFAW
Batman ’89 #1
Written by: Sam Hamm
Art by: Joe Quinones
Step back into the Gotham of Tim Burton’s seminal classic Batman movies! Batman ’89 brings in screenwriter Sam Hamm (Batman, Batman Returns) and artist Joe Quinones (Dial H for Hero) to pull on a number of threads left dangling by the prolific director. Gotham becomes torn in two as citizens dressed as Batman and The Joker duke it out in the streets. As D.A. Harvey Dent tries to keep the city together, he targets the one problem tearing it apart: BATMAN! And he’ll get Bruce Wayne’s help in taking down the Dark Knight!
Step back into the Gotham of Tim Burton’s seminal classic Batman movies on August 10! Batman ’89 by screenwriter Sam Hamm and artist Joe Quinones will pull on a number of threads left dangling by the prolific director in an incredible new six-issue comic book miniseries!
Gotham City is being torn in two as citizens dressed as Batman and The Joker duke it out in the streets! As D.A. Harvey Dent tries to keep the city together, he targets the one problem tearing it apart: BATMAN! And he’ll get Bruce Wayne’s help in taking down the Dark Knight!
DC has released a first look at the series including some of the variant covers coming and a look at some of the upcoming covers too!
Batman ’89 #1 by Sam Hamm, Joe Quinones, Leonardo Ito, and Clayton Cowles arrives on August 10 with a cover by Quinones, plus variant covers by Jerry Ordway (open to order) and Quinones (1:25):
Several comic shops will also be offering either a Batman ‘89 #1 team variant by Ken Taylor and Taurin Clarke, or their own shop-specific cover alongside the standard Batman ‘89 covers and variants:
Batman ’89 #1 variant cover by Francesco Mattina, available from Comic Kingdom of Canada
Batman ’89 #1 variant cover by Mico Suayan, available from Big Time Collectibles
Batman ’89 #1 variant cover by Carla Cohen, available from Comics Elite
Coming up in the Batman ’89 run:
Beginning in July 2021, decades after both Richard Donner’s Superman: The Movie and Tim Burton’s Batman introduced generations of fans to silver screen versions of DC’s Man of Steel and the World’s Greatest Detective, DC is returning to these beloved properties to tell new stories set within these worlds with the publication of a series of Superman ’78 and Batman ’89 comic books. Writer Rob Venditti and artist Wilfredo Torres will capture imaginations in Superman ’78 while screenwriter Sam Hamm and artist Joe Quinones will immerse readers into Batman ’89.
Continuing the twisted adventures of DC’s Dark Knight from Tim Burton’s seminal classic Batman movies, Batman ’89 brings in screenwriter Sam Hamm and artist Joe Quinones to pull on a number of threads left dangling by the prolific director. The gothic mentality behind the world, while still rooted in a sense of realism, helped inform many of DC’s global fans’ first impressions on the Dark Knight’s Gotham. In the new Batman ’89 comic, Hamm and Quinones will help usher in the return of Selina Kyle/Catwoman and will debut a new Robin! Plus, Quinones has a vision for Harvey Dent/Two-Face that is as close to movie magic as a comic can get!
And in the vein of DC’s plans for Batman ’89, Rob Venditti and Wilfredo Torres will collaborate on Superman ’78 to tell stories set within the world Richard Donner and Christopher Reeves created in Superman: The Movie. In Superman ’78, bystanders are surprised and delighted by Superman’s abilities, and Lois Lane doesn’t (yet!) know that Clark Kent is secretly Superman. The sheer thrill of seeing a man fly, leap, or stop a bullet will be reflected in this environment where Superman has just been introduced! Inspired by Donner’s classic, timeless style of superhero storytelling, in Superman ’78 Venditti and Torres will show fans that a man can truly fly.
Superman ’78 and Batman ’89 will debut with six digital chapters of each new series on July 27, followed by new chapters of each comic book for the six weeks that immediately follow. The twelve chapters of each new series will also publish as six printed comics between August and October and as hardcover collections in October (Batman ’89) and November (Superman ’78).
