This is the creative team that should be working on Detective Comics.

I really like this issue due to Bruce and Damian's relationship on how Damian feels guilty for them prioritizing being a family over being superheroes. Overall, every single Batman and Robin series have been great and consistent. From Grant Morrison to Peter J Tomasi to Joshua Williamson and now this. It's great to read Batman stories that are consistently high quality

After the first issue, I hoped for better... sadly this batman series is simply not meeting up the quality expectations of a main Batman series.

Sidenote: The art is flawless, as expected from JJ.

But the story, djeeez, it is so so unworthy starting from issue one, continuing in issue two.

The art was good. I get what Fraction is doing. Bad cops are bad. But that’s what Daredevil is doing on Disney-plus. I also don’t buy the premise that Vandal Savage is the police commissioner. That is just a bridge too far.

There is the b-plot where bat boys wash the Batmobile in broad daylight at the manor, I think. Damian is a brat and no one calls him on it. There are so many bat boys that the overall effect is to dilute any one character.

The A plot is an armed robbery where a guard is killed during a hijacking of baby formula. Apparently one robber never heard of WIC or getting a job or breast feeding or food banks, so he had to steal a whole truck, and would not ever sell most of the formula for cash. But that’s me being cynical. Cops show up and a fleeing robber is shot in the back. Cops give arrested rough rides. That’s when the paddy wagon is driven in such a manner that the people in the back are tossed around like rag dolls. Happened in Baltimore. An evil practice.

One cops protests, shot are exchanged and one cop dead and one wounded. Tim Robin sees what happens and tries to intervene. Batman is very passive. But Savage has the excuse he needs to declare war on Bats. (See Daredevil on Disney).

And to fair, vigilantes should be stopped. But this is a comic book. Too much realism kills the vibe. A thin line to walk

To be fair to Fraction, he inherited the stupid Savage plot and is stuck with it. He is just playing the cards he was dealt. But by keeping cops corrupt for years, really does show that Gordon and Bats are incompetent. All these years and no progress? Not a good look.

I just wish DC would move beyond Miller Batman. It’s 40 yeats old and just played out. Why not do something along the lines of crime is down, what does a sunny Gotham look like? But that’s me.

I could be wrong. more

There is nothing here that constitutes this series being justified in getting a re-numbered, newly minted, brand new issue number ONE. The art is the only thing keeping this series alive. Matt Fraction (or Chip Zdarsky 2.0) is delivering some very mid writing that definitely will not bring back many to want to reread this story. I’m having enough of a time wanting to read it now.

I��m also not sure why Batman has (or needs) TWO Robins? People jumping in for the first time are going to be HELLA confused!!!
Again, this is NOT a proper reboot. DC just felt like selling a lot of variant covers and luring in a few new suckers.

I wonder how long it’ll be before DC reboots Batman again?? more

Very good writing and art. The action sequences have been TOP NOTCH throughout. This is definitely a good series to keep up with.

I really like how Bruce and Damian and the relationship as Batman and Robin and father and son are written here. Bruce pointing out the details of their current case while Damian trains was a nice touch. The “she looked suspicious” part was really funny. But it seemed very out of character for Damian. I almost feel like DC is trying to soft reboot the character.


Side note…….
I previously had a lot more written. But writing reviews for this site on your phone is ill advised, as ONE little hiccup and everything you’d spent your time writing simply gets erased!!
When will I learn????!!

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This issue was a truly wonderful return to form, bringing the series back to the glory of its first story arc. The twist of who the culprit is, I honestly DID NOT SEE coming!!!! Absolutely BRILLIANT!!!

There were so many great moments throughout this issue. I’m not sure which I found more compelling, the interactions between Gordon and Lynns, Gordon and Batman, or (my favorite) Bruce and Alfred.

The scenes with Batman running over the details of the case within his mind were phenomenal. The state in which he cannot see between the present and past were so well done. And the art for all of it was absolutely spectacular!!!

I’m going to be so sad when this series comes to its conclusion. This has absolutely been a joy to read and collect.

And in my honest opinion, if DC Comics was actually serious about doing an actual BOLD reboot…… it SHOULD have been THIS series and creative team to rebuild the main ongoing Batman title. I want more of THIS!!!

Absolutely looking forward to the next and final issue. This series truly deserves a deluxe hardcover collected edition. more

I know we have seen this before, but its nice seeing Bruce and Damian Wayne actually bonding and not fighting each other or be at odds.

This truly is the best Batman comic in a long time. I had no idea Marc Silvestri could write like this. I'm in awe of his art. An Essential Read for Batman fans and comic book fans!

*Please ignore the FAKE low score "reviews" by the same user using multiple accounts.*

Batman used to be an essential buy for me. Not anymore.

I was excited when Zdarsky was announced for this book and I thought his run started really well. More fool me. Jorge Jimenez is wasted on this comic.

I've read all the collected volumes of this series (up to and including volume 6) and I must say that Dan Mora is doing all the heavy lifting here!!!


Waid's writing is just "okay". Nothing amazing, nor anything I'm really looking forward to giving another read. I did however force myself to re-read this first volume not too long ago, to see if it'd be worth continuing with this series. Especially since not all the stories are being drawn by Dan Mora. When they are, it's totally worth staying with just for Mora's artwork. But none of the other artists really make up for Waid's very basic writing here. Again, it's "OKAY", but not something I'd go out of my way to keep spending money on, and nothing that I consider worthy of keeping around to collect dust.

Nezha is a very lackluster villain. He's extremely overpowered, very underdeveloped as far as backstory, and very.... VERY boring!

Such disappointing writing that this absolutely beautiful artwork is unfortunately saddled with. more

Too early to say anything definitive. But I have worries. One of the reasons Robin was created was to give Batman someone to talk to. Now Bats has an AI holographic Alfred. That doesn’t strike me as mentally healthy, especially considering the fact that there are 174,964 Bat family members Bruce can talk with.

This better not be another arc where Bats learns the value of family. Just saying. Gordon is now a beat cop again. I don’t think you can go from commissioner to beat cop. Wouldn’t he just retire. A beat cop that’s well into his 50s is just a bridge too far for me. Your mileage may vary.

Bats spends most of his time tracking down a child-like Killer Croc, who is regressing because he’s is molting or something. It involves dinosaurs and new Batcave trophies, which always struck me as something serial killers do on Dexter.

Bat has new tech, which strikes me as Iron Man, not Batman. There is no detective work and Vandal Savage is creating a goon squad outside regular police channels. Didn’t Tynion already do that?

This seems like more of the same to me. Batman is stuck in a holding pattern, where he keeps getting redone but it keeps getting rebooted to a tired status quo that leaves out charm, fun, and originality. Don’t have high hopes.

Or I could be wrong. more

I was initially blinded by the beautiful art by Jimenez, and it is gorgeous! So are the colours by Tomeu Morey. When I reread the story, I felt it was pretty basic overall. Yes, there's always going to be a lot of set-up in a first issue. But there were no major "wow" moments in the writing. The whole give-little-Croccy-a-toy-dinosaur plot felt a bit dumb on first reading, but after a re-read or two I enjoyed the scene more. Especially the heart-to-heart that Bruce has with Waylon. Croc has a few too many teeth, though!

Ghost Alfred will take a bit of getting used to, but I'm not against the idea. I'd rather have the real Alfred, but what can you do? I'll be giving this at least 3 issues, so I'm hoping for better things in the next issue. more

Dark Patterns #10 is off to a promising start. But I thought the same back when I’d first read issue #7, and I was honestly less than charmed by that arc. Hopefully this final arc will fare much better!!

The opening confused me as I’m not sure if this new villain is supposed to be psychic or omnipotent? Because he has 3 effigies each representing the protagonist of the previous arcs.

This series best moments for me are when Bruce is interacting with Gotham mainstays, Alfred as well as James Gordon. The scene with Alfred tending to the severe injuries Bruce sustained during the previous arc, and Alfred's inner monologue was a pleasure to read.

The new villain is quite creepy, but much about him is left ambiguous. As are the new unsettling discoveries about Dr Sereika. So we'll just have to wait and see how this all plays out.

Fingers crossed in hopes for a nice strong finish to this series!!

(side note) AGAIN!!! I had way more written in my review, and all the blasted pop-up adds made the page hiccup, and everything i spent time typing was erased!!! 🤬 more

There are some wonderful father/son moments in this issue. As Well as some great character moments for both Bruce Wayne and Damian.

This new artist is phenomenal!!! I only wish that he had gotten to illustrate the cover instead of the previous artist. The new guy’s art is so much more action packed and dynamic. The entrance of Batman and Robin into this issue is explosive!!! Immediately after having read the issue I had to go back to the beginning just to marvel at the art.

This is definitely a story that has me extremely excited for the next issue!!!



Minor spoiler ………


I really loved the touch of Bruce telling Damian just how proud he was of him. It’s moments like this that really make me fall for comics in the first place. Bruce suggests that he and Damian go to the movies. Damian seems surprised and almost hesitant to utter the words “Monarch Theatre”. But his sheer excitement to enjoy a bonding moment, enjoying going to the movies with his father gets the better of him. As they are approaching Monarch Theatre Damian can sense that his father is nervous. They both are. Bruce reassures him that everything will be fine. Just then there is a poignant moment of Bruce gazing over towards the street light where his parents were murdered.

It’s moments like this that really make me grow fonder and fonder of PKJ’s writing.


Side note……

I previously had a MUCH longer review written.
Thanks to all the damn pop up adds and how buggy this site is being, the page hiccupped and I lost EVERYTHING that I spent my time writing!!!! GRRRR 😖 more

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

Gratuitous.

I'm not sure how much I buy the premise of replacing everyone with, well, hired goons, but the big switch from the rather bland Grimaldi to actual big name villains has really kicked this comic into overdrive.

it's shocking on how spread out Mark Waid is right now. Justice League unlimited, Worlds Finest, and this. But I genuinely like this series, it's my favorite out of the bunch. I hope this series runs for at least 24 issues.

This story is okay. But it will read much better in trade form, which it clearly seems intended for.

This really doesn’t read all that great in month to month format.

No issue issue in particular from this series really stands out. Everything just feels like one long drawn out single plot. Robin Year One was much more memorable and compelling with its episodic presentation. Each of the four issues was its own theme and had its own distinct tone.

That being said, as before, this is okay. I’ve read worse. If anything, this just makes me want to reread Robin Year One again. more

DC shamelessly slapping a number 1 on this is disgraceful. It’s nothing but a blatant and misleading marketing stunt.

This is in no way shape or form a proper relaunch/reboot. This just follows the same old story from the last renumbered issue #1. That being said, I had to really slog my way through this comic. I didn’t find the writing even remotely enjoyable. I’m sick and tired of dank and depressing mentally unstable Batman. Especially if this was DC’s great idea of a relaunch.

I also cannot say that I’m a fan of the writing style in general. I just found this to be very uninspired and very mid. Absolute Batman for any faults I may have had with it was a much more compelling story. At least I was hooked enough to get through that comic on my first read. Matt Fraction just reads pretty dull. Even hearing him talk in interviews he just seems very unenthusiastic. Sorry to keep bringing up Scott Snyder. Read any of my past reviews about his work and see I’d been very critical of him at times, but hearing Scott Snyder talk about Batman and you can clearly hear his passion for Batman and his world. Matt Fraction just sounds bored and that really translated to his story.

Jorge Jimenez did all the heavy lifting here. Same as he did with past mediocre writers he’d been straddled with. But even his very polished art cannot save this story from being the typical slop that DC has been hashing out.

I just hope that this unhinged version of Batman doesn’t bleed over into the Batman & Robin series. That book has been decent since launch. This new release, not so much.

Maybe they’ll get it better in their NEXT relaunch Batman issue #1? 😂😂😂 more

Decent conclusion to this story arc. Though I think memento definitely wore out as welcome. The story could’ve easily fit into six issues rather than have been spread across 12.

Overall this arc could have been tighter and more consistent.
And Damian at times has seemed out of character.
But this is a great issue. And better than anything we’ve seen in the main Batman title in a long time. Looking forward to the finale.

This was a satisfying conclusion to the story. But I definitely feel it overstate it’s welcome. I’m just glad that it finally concluded.

There were some decent moments for both Batman as well as Robin in this issue. I don’t really love this series as much as I used to, but it’s still worth continuing to collect. So I must admit up until this point I was buying more than one copy of each single issue just to support the series. Not to say that this is a terrible series but it’s just not something that I feel I need to put on such high pedestal.

All that being said, I will still continue buying this and single issue form as well as when the trade paperback comes out. It’s definitely decent. It’s just not amazing. more

Thank God Johnson saw the writing on the world. If he didn't close it up next issue, I was going to drop the title. I'm so tired of Momento. I really thought that girl detective was secretly Momento, that would have been a good twist. This is Robin fighting alongside the Lost Boys that have a stupid name. The issue was average at best alongside a very elongated and tired storyline. I'm looking forward to this wrapping up.

My Comic Review Channel - https://youtu.be/_lfqj-W5haE more

I didn't like the twist in this one. Felt like it came quick and wasn't very impactful. Overall, it's still a fun little story with some great art.

Well, this was an intriguing read. I can’t say this is a story that I’ll look forward to rereading again. At least not anytime too soon. This was definitely a gross ugly story. Yes it’s subverted expectations and certainly caught me off guard. But again it was extremely gross and extremely nasty.

I know that crime stories can usually get pretty hard hitting but…


SPOILERS

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I don’t really enjoy seeing a kid shot and killed in a comic. Even if it is only accidental it’s still pretty gross. And then to watch the kid’s crooked old grandfather (evil as he was) have a heart attack and die….

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I honestly can’t say that I’m looking forward to the final arc of the series. The first arc was the best one. The second one was just EH. And this one was just plain rotten.

Whatever.

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Wow!! That was a massive subversion of expectations! Not at all what I was envisioning. But that is definitely not a bad thing.

Not a lot really happened in this issue. The plot moved just a little. But we did have quite a dilly of a cliffhanger. I’m not really expecting a whole lot from the next issue.

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Even with a bullet wound in his back, I’m not expecting Batman to have too much of a problem dealing with an old man with severe health issues and two young boys. Especially when this arc is set to wrap up in the next issue.


Hopefully next issue can surprise me like this one did. more

I enjoyed this issue much better than the previous. I'm also glad that Memento is a supernatural entity. I honestly love when Batman stories delve into the occult, and powers from beyond. Not enough Batman stories do, IMO. So with this issue, PKJ has really piqued my interest!

I also really loved seeing Etrigan. Any time a writer can incorporate a Jack Kirby character, we ALL win!

The addition of "The Irregulars" is also a nice touch! I love seeing writers explore this side of Batman, that he has a soft side for kids down on their luck, and checks in on them and gives them stuff.

Looking forward to seeing where this all goes. But to be honest, I am curious if PKJ will be staying on this title? or if DC is planning on a new creative team and doing a whole other soft-reboot of this title, like they did when Williamson left? more