It's fun, it's exciting and it's excellent at setting the stage for what's to come. If youve been wondering just how Ghost-Maker became the leader of Batman Incorporated and what made them trust and follow him this is the story youve been waiting for. Read Full Review

Batman Annual 2022 is a great issue that broadens the scope of the Batman comic book universe. The new Batman Inc. lineup's now deserving of its own title, coming this Fall. If Bruce Wayne never appears in it, I don't think it will really matter, such is the strength of this cast of characters. The team is in place, the group is strong, the balance of humour and action is finely balanced and we are ready for it. It cannot come soon enough. Read Full Review

Timms delivers some awesome art on every page of the issue. The action is visually thrilling and the characters look great both in action and with each other. Read Full Review

Overall, this issue nicely builds off what Brisson has been building, and I trust Ghost-Maker and Clownhunter in his hands in particular. Read Full Review

Batman 2022 Annual #1 makes a case for a Batman Inc. series as there are many colorful and interesting characters to man the team as well as Ghost-Maker who is largely a mystery. This issue is worth picking up if you want to get a few underused Batman characters into your comics reading diet, but don't expect a trim story as it's a bit bloated and slow. Much like a fat vitamin pill though, once it goes down its good stuff. Read Full Review

Batman 2022 Annual #1 is a fun roller coaster that shows heroes adapting to change but still managing to make a difference. It's well worth your time, and we need more Batman, Inc. in the lineup. Read Full Review

BATMAN ANNUAL: 2022 #1 showed a re-formation of a BATMAN INC. that lacks strength, intelligence, and direction. It promotes two, if not three, brand new characters that were just created that are somehow better than BATMAN INC. in almost every way, which undermines the history of these characters and makes BATMAN INC. almost like throwaway extras to merely sucker readers into a Ghost-Maker comic. Read Full Review

Batman 2022 Annual #1 is cut from a different cloth, serving as more of a lead-in to an upcoming Batman Incorporated series than as a one-shot narrative about Batman. In fact, there's very little Batman to be found here. Read Full Review

Batman 2022 Annual #1 (I'm not too fond of how these are titled) is a backdoor pilot for the upcoming Batman Inc. series, so whether you are excited about that may sway your opinion. I was lukewarm going in and left feeling much the same. The art in this book is fantastic, but Ed Brisson struggles a bit with characterization... when he tries to give the reader any. Most of the book gets tied up in a boring mission that seems to miss the mark of what this book should be doing. Read Full Review

There's certainly potential to be found in this prologue for a rebooted Batman Inc., but it's unclear whether there's depth to be explored beneath the plot-reliant twists of this annual. Read Full Review

This could have been a fun one-shot adventure, but Ghost-Maker ruins everything. The writing can be dry and boring, or it can be incredibly frustrating whenever Ghost-Maker opens his mouth. The art is solid on all fronts, but sometimes a bit too busy. Long story short, I don't recommend this issue and I still don't like Ghost-Maker. Read Full Review

You know what? This wasn't that bad. Ghost-Maker has been growing on me lately and I might even start reading this new series too.

I like how Brisson writes Ghost-maker & Clownhunter, but all the other Batmen are one note bummers. Hope Brisson will give them more stuff to do in Batman Inc. series. Story wasn't worthy of 40 pages, the amount of exposition really drags it down. Not a fan of Timms art but it's not terrible, just bland. Grey Wolf seems like a fun new Batman, so I'm still mostly hyped about Batman Inc. but this annual could be better.

Crazy how much I'm not excited for anything this sets up.

Painfully average, I really hope Brisson isn't attached to the upcoming batman incorporated series

It seems that Ed Brisson has done a bit more research to the Club of Heroes/Batman Incorporated characters than Joshua Williamson had. But Batman putting Ghost Maker in charge of Batman Inc just feels wrong. It's extremely contrived, and heavy-handed writing. I'm not sure who at DC felt this was a good idea? but it just doesn't work.

John Timms art is great. Some great action drawn.
This story however, just did not grab me.

Here is the problem with the Batman, Inc. storyline: Ghost-Maker is a killer. Batman Issue #109, page 10 (June 2021)- quoting from Ghost-Maker himself: "I was eight years old when a psychologist put a name to what make me different. I am a Psychopath. I do not feel empathy or fear."

So you can't train crime fighters (as per the Batman, Inc. characters) not to kill and then have managed by a killer.

It would be no different if they were run by killer Harley Quinn, killer Deathstroke, etc.

It is an obvious conflict with the characters, the point of the characters, and the story and values of the Batman.killer characters by DC Comics is a plan to move away from hero comics and only be in the sci-fi and horror comics business.
--- "Ghost-Maker was the childhood friend turned rival of Batman. Having trained to become a vigilante, he took on more lethal means to fight crime and often worked off-grid."
--- "Bruce also recognized that Ghost-Maker lacked a sense of empathy, leading him to classify his former-friend as a psychopath."
https://batman.fandom.com/wiki/Ghost-Maker

Those who like this - enjoy the EC Comics Punisher editition of Batman Comics.

But it is not The Batman.

The reality is there are a lot of people in the DC Comics Batman books and management who really hate the idea of their top selling character The Batman. Luckily for them, most of the nation is not paying attention to any of this. They mistakently view this as "acceptance" or even "approval," when in fact, it is neither. At some point, the toxic values in current Batman writing will bubble up to video entertainment; we'll see how the masses respond then.
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• myconius

Hex - Jul 8, 2022

Nearly every member of the Bat-family has killed someone before. Directly or indirectly. Intentionally or not. You have such weird hang ups. These are flawed people and ALWAYS have been. Batman is a psychopath. He is obsessive in his desire to uphold a promise he made to his parents that he has never been able to fulfill and uses his rage and violence as an outlet and justification.

Bats20832 - Jul 10, 2022

Baloney. You just want to find comments to heckle. Good luck talking to yourself.

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