“Vast Colors In The Dark”
Writer: Matt Fraction
Artists: Jorge Jimenez
Color Artist: Tomeu Morey
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Review by Max Byrne
Batman #1 sees the start of a new era for DC’s flagship title. The much celebrated Matt Fraction makes his debut on the book, and there is a sense of a new broom sweeping clean the decks and starting off with a fresh take on the Dark Knight.
A New Dawn For The Dark Knight
The pre-existing continuity is still in place, with Vandal Savage still at the helm as Police Commissioner and Jim Gordon back as a beat cop, but there are some differences with this iteration of the state of play in Gotham City. Not least, the (almost) return of Alfred. No, Mr Pennyworth remains very much dead, but now Batman has concocted an AI version of his faithful manservant, complete with witty banter and sage advice. Whilst I personally find such choices a bit ghoulish, if it means we get Alfred back without resorting to the Lazarus Pit or a Crisis event, I welcome it.
With the excellent Jorge Jimenez back on art duty, we get a new version of the Bat costume too. Eschewing the darker tones of modern times, we now have a Batman with a grey and blue suit that immediately evokes memories of my old Kenner Super Powers figure, a welcome sight indeed! In collaboration with colour ace Tomeu Morey, Jimenez has created a world that has a cartoony, vibrant edge to it, this isn’t a dour, dank Gotham City at all, it positively leaps off the page here.
Things Change…
Such vibrancy works really well during Batman’s confrontations with Killer Croc, the de facto villain of this issue. While he isn’t presented as the next big bad, his brief tenure here is the catalyst for some panels that are full of kinetic energy and drama. His Waylon Jones is an over the top, almost lovecraftian creation that captures one’s attention in a big way.
One could say that Fraction doesn’t go big in his debut issue. He resists the urge to create a mic dropping moment in favour of concentrating on creating a status quo. This is fine by me, some writers do fall into the trap of having to up the ante every single month, but there is nothing wrong with biding your time. That said, the final panel, depicting a certain Boy Wonder in a spot of bother, shows that the GCPD are going to be quite the obstacle moving forward for our Caped Crusaders.
Conclusion
Batman #1 is a gently paced foray into Gotham City as we start the Fraction era. He has not yet revealed his hand regarding his first big arc, but the early signs are promising. I certainly have optimism as we move forward from this point and look forward to seeing who emerges as the next major Bat-threat.
Images Courtesy of DC Entertainment