I cannot think of anything I disliked about this issue, I highly recommend it either in digital or print version and I am happy to add it to my collection. Read Full Review

Maybe it's because DC Comics likes to hide their digital titles for some reason, but this book surprised me in a couple of ways.  Most of all is that it's a horror comic dressed up in a Justice League costume and I really liked it.  J.M. DeMatteis does a good job of establishing the mood and character of this book and while we only get to see "Batman" in the last panel, I can't wait to see how the story develops.  Matthew Dow Smith's art is dark and gritty and really sets the tone for the book.  I hope this one doesn't go under fans' radars, because it looks like a bloody good time in a time where such titles are hard to find in the DC Comic stable. Read Full Review

Yet another continuity with different versions of the same characters, but I've complained enough about that lately. This take on Batman is actually one of the more interesting ones I've read, and I think it has a lot of potential. I can't wait to see what they do with Batman in issue two, and with all his friends in their own books. Read Full Review

Overall: Flawed, but respectably so. It's an interesting take on Batman, and the different dynamics at play make it a nice character study rather than a straight-up superhero tale. Read it in context with the other books and it paints a broader, more complete picture. That said, I'm intrigued and wouldn't mind a longer mini focusing on this Batman. Read Full Review

The biggest challenge of Justice League Gods and Monsters: Batman #1 was making Kirk Langstrom a believable Batman. By the end of the story, he makes a case that would at the very least generate debate. While he does capture the main themes of Batman, the deficiencies in the way he operates are hard to work around. If he were a pro football team, he could qualify for the playoffs as a wild card. He's not championship caliber, but this story firmly establishes that he's a solid contender. Read Full Review

Justice League: Gods and Monsters Batman #1 isn't the most exciting comic in the world, but it does a good job at building up hype for the movie and introducing readers to its universe. Nothing about it individually really has a wow factor, but it doesn't really seem to be lacking anything either. It's Batman's origin story, and unlike the looks given at Superman and Wonder Woman so far, Batman seems so much smaller than the other two members of this world's Justice League, which feels appropriate. How this character winds up teaming up with the two most powerful beings in the world remains to be seen, but he doesn't really seem like he fits in. Only time will tell. Still, as a standalone story, it works. It's well-constructed, if nothing else. Read Full Review

For completists, "Justice League: Gods and Monsters - Batman" #1 is going to be indispensible. For readers in search of a good story with an alternative take on Batman, this isn't a bad story but it also isn't the greatest alternate Batman tale ever. J. M. DeMatteis, Matthew Dow Smith, Jordie Bellaire and Saida Temofonte deliver a solid story with some resonance, but the story itself needs a little more heart and the visuals, a little more snap. For now, this did what it had to do: it told the tale of Batman's beginning and offered a tease of things to come. Read Full Review

There's a solid story underneath all the jank, and the generous pages-per-dollar count helps a little, but overall, Justice League Gods and Monsters: Batman #1 is just too rough to recommend. Read Full Review