Man-Bat #1 is an amazing first issue for a character that has long been neglected. Man-Bat is a character that is awesome from a visual and story point of view. But instead of him being a side character or a villain, this is his book. And the issue does feel like its split evenly between the man and the bat. The art and colors are jaw-dropping and look different from any other comics out there, giving it a visual edge. Two different characters in one body that you cant help but feel sorry for. It will be interesting to see how the story maintains this momentum. Read Full Review

I'm going to be honest, I wasn't expecting this book to be good. Fine? Yeah. Okay? Sure. But GOOD? I would have laughed in your face. I've never been happier to be wrong. This book is shaping up to be a fantastic arc for Kirk Langstrom, and manages to keep him compelling while still making you wary of the fact that he is half literal monster. I'm personally looking forward to the rest of this series. Read Full Review

Each character has an obsession, an addiction, as they pursue their goals. Batman and Man-Bat are similar in many ways. As the comic highlights, one is going down a monster driven dark path. The other journeys down a dark path full of monsters. Man-Bat #1 is a solid debut with an interesting underlying aspect to it about drug addiction. There's a lot there and hopefully we get more of the thinly veiled story, it creates an interesting twist to the character. Read Full Review

This is an entertaining issue, and I particularly liked the exploration of Kirk Langstrom as an addict in this story. The biggest gripe is the visual depiction of Batman. It's inconsistent, and in some instances, downright cartoony. But overall a solid start to the series. Read Full Review

After seeing his calmer demeanor in Justice League Dark, I have to wonder what this mini-series will entail for Man-Bat as it takes place before he joins the likes of Wonder Woman and Detective Chimp on adventures of the magical and supernatural. Langstrom is portrayed as a tragic figure that you can't help but sympathize with. It shows how the line between good and evil can be very fine. One bad day can push you over the edge. Read Full Review

Overall, Man-Bat #1 was worth the read, and worth taking the chance on. You would think that Man-Bat wouldn't be the most compelling character to produce a comic about, but it really does come down to having the right creative team on it, and this was the right team for the way that this story kicked off. Read Full Review

Man-Bat #1 is both a solid primer for the title character, and a splendid introduction to a great story. Though this team tries to cram more big name stars in to help carry the title, Man-Bat still stands out entirely on his own merits. Read Full Review

I'm really looking forward to reading more. Read Full Review

Dave Wiuelgosz and Sumit Kumar work really well together to deliver a solid revisit to the origin of Man-Bat. One such frame of wingspan and capes over Gotham is worth the price of the issue! However, how this inserts into the current Future State or as a stand alone tale is a bit confusing. However, taken on its own, its a great reminder of Man-Bat and a hopeful piece of story telling that allows him to remain relevant on the DC landscape. Read Full Review

I was always going to be a hard sell on any horror-based take on Man-Bat, as I love the quirky scientist version from Justice League Dark. But Dave Weilgosz' take is a flashback to before that era, and it's a compelling if conventional take on a Kirk Langstrom gone off the deep end. Read Full Review

There is still a fair bit left to go, but with this debut, "Man-Bat" is a miniseries worth taking for a ride. Read Full Review

Neither really works for this. But they go for it, and don't look back. I couldn't stand this book but somehow, this feels like such a wrong take I can't wait to come back and read how much crazier it is going to get. Read Full Review

Although not quite shrieking with delight, or completely batty over it, for me this was a decent first issue for a decent concept series, enough to definitely get your teeth into. Read Full Review

While I do enjoy the way the book looks, I was looking for a story that did something with our current iteration of Kirk Langstrom but instead got a book that's taking different aspects of Man-Bat's backstory since he debuted and repackaging them here with a new twist to keep this story going for five issues. Ultimately, this issue isn't bad it just isn't really all that new but I am interested to see if it does end up in new territory by the end. Read Full Review

I wasn’t planning on reading Man-Bat #1, but the pairing down of the DC Comics line during Future State, and my lack of enthusiasm for Future State in general, left me with a hole where my reading pile used to sit. I decided to give it a chance even though I was unfamiliar with the creative team and I’ve never been much of a fan of Kirk Langstrom.

I’m glad I gave it a chance.

Man-Bat #1 give us the story of a man who desperately wants to be a hero, but instead finds himself an addict of his own ego, unable to realize that he can no longer control himself or his alter-ego during his transformations. In fact, his transformed self has taken on a distinct personality and that personality is beginning to wrest control away from the human that once dominated the body they share. To make matters worse, the constant experimentation has left Langstrom’s body in terrible shape and his life may be in danger due to cellular breakdown discovered by Batman.

There’s something more tragic about Man-Bat in this series than I remember from before, and I find myself rooting for him as the underdog. There’s actually a chance in the current environment at DC Comics that the character may be killed off in this series, which puts some real stakes on the table. It’s somewhat sad the poor state of comic book publishing and the financial burdens of parent company AT&T might be giving this series more gravitas, but you can’t really complain with the results. The story is more compelling, but it’s also good enough regardless to justify coming back for a second issue.

The artwork has a real Norm Breyfogle feel to it, which suits me just fine. Having found my way to comics during the Aparo/Breyfogle-Batman/Detective years, this feels right and I really enjoy how Sumit Kumar handles the action sequences, allowing the motion to move the eye through the page while NOT drawing every single individual action like many artists do these days. He’s a gifted storyteller and now that he’s caught my eye, I’ll be paying more attention for his name after this series.

I’m willing to admit that the lack of “real” Batman comics these days has left a hole that Man-Bat squeezed into rather easily, and perhaps that has jaded my perspective a bit. But the structure of the story, the fantastic art style and storytelling, and the fact that this comic dares to tell a story without trying to be “topical,” “trendy,” or “timely,” makes it one of the best things I’ve read in while.

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Story: Great
Writing: Good
Pencil/Ink: Good
Layout: Good
Color: Good
Lettering: Good

A solid story that thankfully takes place before Garbage Metal and JLD. The art is solid and the story is there. It falls apart at the end when they want to do a Suicide Squad tie in though...

I liked some aspects of this. The art is nice.

Nothing special, but not bad.

I don't feel like he's an attractive enough character to give him a series. From my point of view (which I may or may not be right) it will fail.