‘Vast Colors in the dark’
SPOILER WARNING!!!!
On Wednesday, the 3rd of September, Matt Fraction’s new Batman #1 officially dropped. This is the first-ever single-issue comic I have picked up, and it seems that the Gotham City depicted is very differently from what I am used to.
With some research, I found out that Fraction’s Batman series picks up where Chip Zdarsky left off. In the current state of affairs, Jim Gordon, who is typically the Commissioner in most adaptations, is an average police officer and is partnered with Officer Espinoza. The current Commissioner is Vandal Savage, who first appeared in Green Lantern #10 back in 1943. Here, he introduces ‘Tactical Urban Combat Officers’, a sort of special force to supposedly bring law and order back to the streets of Gotham (something tells me they will be a nuisance to the Bat-family).
Matt Fraction has stated that his run will have self-contained issues, each with its own story, and will build a larger narrative as the story progresses. The first issue’s story explores Killer Croc (Waylon Jones) escaping Arkham Tower. We meet Batman as he investigates Croc’s escape at Arkham Tower. Here, he talks to Dr. Zeller, a doctor who seemingly is trying to help Killer Croc, eventually getting into a debate after Batman says, “People never change. Not really.” Dr. Zeller disagrees, stating the Croc is capable of tenderness. Change seems to be a theme in this series going forward.
Batman goes off in an all-new Batmobile to go with his new Blue and grey suit, travelling alongside Alfred, who is actually dead, but it appears to be a hologram imitating the Butler. This possibly gives us a dive into Bruce Wayne’s mind, showing us he is unable to let go of his father figure. Could this show that there are some changes Bruce Wayne can’t accept?
The bat tracks Killer Croc to Robinson Park, where upon entering saves two girls from a strange gang, all with scissors called ‘The Creeps’. Batman enters the exhibit hall and finds Waylon Jones sitting, staring at a T-rex statue. Croc does not engage in combat with Batman and our A.I Alfred explains that he has possibly become afraid and childish. Bruce Wayne removes his cowl and sits with Killer Croc looking to help him, even referring to him as ‘buddy’. Dr. Zeller appears and Waylon goes off willingly, accepting the help. Batman accepts a gift of a toy dinosaur from his rogue, showing that people do change.
The issue ends with Robin being intercepted by cops, asking Batman over the radio if they have any friends left in the police force.
This perfectly sets up the next issue and tells us that human crocodiles and lunatics won’t be the only challenge for bats. With a new commissioner, Gotham might have become more dangerous for the vigilante.
The art in this comic captivates you with its style, from the new bat-suit with a large blue symbol to Killer Croc’s monstrous design, yet we can still see kindness behind his eyes. The coolest part about Batman is his tech, and it is perfectly represented here. We get descriptions of his tech, such as his Bat-Gauntlets coming with bullet points, telling us they are “Electro-charged personnel nullifiers”, and any light that his tech emits is blue, giving us some stunning visuals.
This run seems fresh and full of new ideas. It tells us we will meet new villains, which is very exciting and it will be interesting to see Fraction and Jiménez’s take on classic characters. This issue was a jumping on point for new readers and maybe some old ones who lost interest while still keeping the continuity of previous runs.
I will be in the Comic book shop every month to get every addition of this new series. I cannot wait to see how this story plays out.
9/10
