I don’t like the constant renumbering of comics back to issue one … so I was already suspicious of Batman #1 even before I bought it, that being said I liked it. The main drawback is that it fails as a first issue - no explanation as to why Gordon is a 60 year old beat cop, or how Vandal Savage is the new police commissioner. Also it’s clear that Alfred is dead and only appearing in Bruce’s subconscious … so I think some explanation is needed there. They could have dropped the DC KO preview and used those pages to get a lapsed reader up to speed.

I will say Killer Croc was very VERY well done and made for a great one-and-done story. The writing was nice and tight and the art was absolutely beautiful. Outside of the few issues I have already mentioned, this was a solid book and a fun read. While not perfect I will still recommend this new Batman - I am adding it to my pull-list. more

It's a breath of fresh air - Fraction maybe oughta buy a beer for Loeb for ploughing the road so badly that anything he did to follow would feel like an improvement - but it stands up for itself as a reset of what Batman is at his core: caring, troubled, a family man, a man of the city.

I also like the Alfred AI as a sly commentary on how deeply sub-par Generative "AI" is in real life, lmao more

Close to perfect first issue.

Fraction is as sharp on the keys as Jiminez is with the pencils. This is a new, shinier Gotham with a new, shinier Batman. The bat suit is undeniably gorgeous and really works in this new tech heavy backdrop. My only gripe is having Vandal Savage being commissioner but thats not Fraction's fault (thanks Zdarsky). 4/5 Batarangs