Writers: Tom King & Scott Snyder
Artist: Mikel Janin
The new era of Batman has finally arrived! Well, sort of.
While we still have two weeks until Batman #1 hits shelves, today brings a special one-shot that is not to be missed. Think of this as the prelude at the beginning of a James Bond film before the stylized opening credits hit, only more fleshed out. In fact, you will see a Dark Knight whose recently heightened strength and speed are ever apparent as he makes short work of the Calendar Man. Said scene is what originally inspired me to make the comparison.
Now, you should be well aware that Tom King is the scribe guiding us through the streets of Gotham City for the foreseeable future, but another thing that’s cool about this issue is that Scott Snyder co-wrote it, making it a passing of the torch of sorts. Mikel Janin joins them, supplying some sublime art with layouts that remind one of Yanick Paquette and J.H. Williams III. If you like what Janin has to offer, just wait a matter of months, as he will handle the second story arc; he and David Finch are set to rotate duties.
Considering that many new or lapsed readers will jump aboard with Batman #1, it was a wise decision to return the series to some familiar concepts. For starters, Bruce has regained his fortune and company, two things he lost a few years back. People expect The Batman to be rich and have seemingly unlimited resources, so restoring his status of affluence certainly makes sense.
Don’t expect everything to be too familiar, as the Bat Family ever continues to expand when Duke Thomas gets a tour of the Batcave. This young man has been built up over the course of the past few years and is granted a new costume – but it is not that of a Robin. You will just have to see it for yourself.
I will say that Duke gets his hands a little dirty when helping Batman unravel Calendar Man’s plans. Hey, villains sometimes do have contingencies in place and can do some damage even while behind bars. As they work together, Bruce’s almost father-like quality he exhibits when working with his proteges becomes the heart of the story as we see him mold one of Gotham’s next heroes.
This issue is doubly a must buy because it not only plants seeds for Tom King’s Batman, but also apparently does so for Scott Snyder’s All-Star Batman, which launches in August. And there’s the fact that it’s a good comic book.
DC Entertainment has kindly provided some images from the book.