We are back in the early days of Batman. This Gotham is grimy and dark, as you would expect. The city is probably the darkest it has been for a while. Whilst there are comments about crazies, there is no really color to contrast the encroaching night. At this point, Batman has a quiet agreement, or least a tolerance from the GCPD. But when the corrupt wealthy start to be impacted by Batman’s crusade, there is a more subtle crime to deal with. When footage of Batman killing three people surfaces, the GCPD have a new mission. Furthermore, Bruce Wayne is going a bit of a personal crisis, thankfully he has Doctor Leslie Thompkins on hand to help.
As with most Black Label books, especially the Batman ones, mature means dark. Dark colors, dark motives and dark insinuations. Mattson Tomlin, a screenwriter and director, investigates several elements of the Batman mythos. Origins, Leslie Thompkins and rash of alluded to Bat-villains. Have we seen it before? Yes, we probably have to be honest. Here, Leslie is less than sanguine about Bruce’s mission, much like she has in any number of Bat books of the past. The not quite Gotham vibe has also been done before in loads of multi-verse books as well as earlier Black Label book. The hook of an imposter Batman killing people only remains. Still, it sis not the story itself that is great, it is the depth of the characters and their motivations that seem grander somehow, without actually taking away from the original mythos. Some people will no doubt complain about the changes to Leslie, I would like to point out that Leslie has gone through a number of changes in both appearance and motivation since her introduction.
The art is provided by Eisner-winning suspense and horror artist Andrea Sorrentino. By that description alone, you can imagine the style of art on show. Scratchy, rough lines, an armoured Batman and shadows built upon shadows. The look of the book matches the vibe of The Batman movie, hence my opening comments. Whilst the art may not be traditionally dynamic, there is a level of depth and real world that invites further exploration. The book has a very indie feel, maybe like Maria Lovett minus the sex. As great as the art is, for me, it is the fantastic color scheme from Jordie Bellaire who once again establishes herself as one of the premier colorists in the business. Gripe time; how is it DC that I had to look all over the Internet to find out who the letterer is? Nothing in the book, nothing on the DC website. This is travesty for poor Steve Wands who delivers a number of fonts acorss the story.
With the attention that The Batman will get over this weekend, it seems that serendipity that this book has recently hit the racks. Personally, I think comics should be more respected than just an advert for the movie, but I understand the logistics of such a plan from Warner Brothers. An interesting start to a three part series, I am very curious to see how it all plays out down the line.
Writing – 5 Stars
Art – 5 Stars
Colors – 5 Stars
Overall – 5 Stars
Written by; Mattson Tomlin
Art by; Andrea Sorrentino
Colors by; Jordie Bellaire
Letters by; Steve Wands
Published by; DC Comics / Black Label
Author Profile
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I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow
Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network
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