Batman #9 Review

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Arkham Asylum, Batman, Batman #8, Batman #9 review, Batman I Am Suicide, Batman I Am Suicide Part 1, comics, Commissioner Gordon, DC Comics, DC Rebirth, Gotham, Gotham City, June Chung, Mikel Janin, Tom King

Batman #9

Review by Paul Bowler

It’s a case of better the devil you know in Batman #9 as the Dark Knight embarks on a mission to return Psycho Pirate to Gotham so he can save Gotham Girl. Recruiting a team from the bowels of Arkham’s most deranged and dangerous to break into an impregnable prison in order to take something from one of his deadliest enemies, there’s no doubt that Batman has had some crazy ideas in his time, but this could be suicide!

Tom King really begins to stamp his mark on the series with this issue of Batman. I Am Suicide Part 1 is a wonderfully brooding and menacing opening to this new story arc. King brings us a frighteningly graphic and nightmarish glimpse into Bane’s psyche forged in brutality right from the outset, one that’s chilling in the extreme, and it makes Bane‘s presence feel all the more formidable and ominous as a result. Psycho Pirate is also something of a revelation here; and his role is potentially the most intriguing one of all.

The embellishments King waves into the narrative are sublime, there’s a wonderful scene with Alfred, and a nostalgic tip of the hat to the Batman TV series, but ultimately it is Batman’s decision to accept Amanda Walker’s proposition that brings him to Arkham, and that’s were the issue really notches up the suspense. The Dark Knight’s recruitment drive is uncompromising, calculated, and full of surprises. There’s a host of familiar faces here, some old, some newer, some unexpected, and King is clearly relishing every moment here as Batman’s makes his way through this ghoulish pick-and-mix of madness and mayhem to form his team.

Mikel Janin’s excellent pencils and inks on this issue gloriously flesh out the powerful nuances and subtexts within every scene, matching the beats of King’s tautly scripted plot perfectly, and the result is stunning. The psychological horror and revulsion of that opening scene alone nearly drowns you in terror, Janin’s rendition of Bane is as mesmerising as it is intimidating, this makes the contrast with the tender emotional scenes with Gotham Girl all the more striking, and if ever there was a money shot in comics then our glimpse of the Dark Knight standing outside the gates of Arkham in this issue will totally blow you away. June Chung’s colors are equally magnificent, with deep shadows, aquatic hues, and hazy dread dominating early scenes, while Arkham’s interior with its red railings and opaque off-white walls, and resplendent atmospheric gloom are just some of the many visual highlights that fires the imagination as the issue unfolds.

Indeed, there’s a legion of foreshadowing to enjoy, and hints that several things are going to spin out from the issue. The final addition to Batman’s team brokers no argument as this issue draws to a closes in fine style. I’ve been enjoying Tom King’s run since he took over on Batman. Sure, I had a few misgivings and some slight niggles with the early issues, but those gradually ironed out. His approach to Batman has ushered in a fresh new era and simultaneously widened the scope of Batman‘s world and has made him even more integral to the rest of the DCU overall. It takes time to get used to a new creative team sometimes, I Am Gotham got things off to a good start post Rebirth, Night of the Monster Men had its moments, but I feel that with Batman #9 Tom King is really hitting his stride now and bang on the money with this first instalment of I Am Suicide.

Publisher: DC Comics

Writer: Tom King / Pencils & Inks: Mikel Janin

Colors: June Chung / Clayton Cowles: Letters

Cover: Mikel Janin / Variant Cover: Tim Sale and Rico Renzi

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Batman Rebirth #1 Review

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Batman Rebirth #1, Batman Rebirth #1 review, Calendar Man, comics, DC Comics, DC Comics Rebirth, Evil 356, June Chung, Mikel Janin, Scott Snyder, Tom King

Batman Rebirth #1

Review by Paul Bowler

This season’s major DC Comics event continues to unfold in Batman Rebirth #1, from Eisner Award winning Batman writer Scott Snyder and new Batman scribe Tom King, and featuring art by Mikel Janin, this special issue finds the Dark Knight detective facing a new challenge as of Calendar Man menaces Gotham City!

Well, now that DC Universe Rebirth #1 has set the ball rolling, its time for the rest of the DCU titles to follow suit. Batman Rebirth #1 builds on the events of that landmark 80 page one-shot Rebirth issue, with a rejuvenated Bruce Wayne / Batman, who is also now restored to the peak of his mental and physical prowess. This issue marks another rebirth of sorts for DC’s main Batman title, with Tom King (Grayson, Omega Men) now taking over writing duties on Batman from Scott Snyder (Although Snyder does co-write this issue with King), and together they kick-start a whole new era for the Dark Knight detective.

Batman Rebirth #1 throws us right into the thick of the action, the narrative unfolds across the accelerated seasons, with Batman dealing with a dire threat to Gotham, while Duke Thomas makes a major decision, and Lucius Fox has a poignant meeting with Bruce Wayne. I like how the issue embraces the concept of Rebirth wholeheartedly to bring a us fresh perspective to many of the established elements in the Bat-Books, there’s almost a sense of passing the baton so to speak, as we begin to move on from Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s run and Tom King starts to bring his vision for the character into sharper focus. The story meanders in a timey-wimey fashion somewhat, but that’s probably to be expected when the main antagonist in this issue Calendar Man.

Calendar Man might seem a like strange choice of villain for this Rebirth issue, especially as he’s not exactly from the higher echelons of Batman’s rogue gallery, but he actually turns out to be a perfectly fitting choice for this story and Batman Rebirth overall, and his scheme here presents Batman with a major challenge. This version of the Calendar Man arguably takes the seasonal themes on which his crimes are always based to a whole new level, it was something I wasn’t expecting, and the character gets a much needed overhaul that effectively sees Calendar Man reborn in the most unique and unsettling way over the course of the story as well.

With its striking cover and impressive artwork by Mikel Janin, and fine colors by June Chung, Batman Rebirth #1 is certainly an eye-catching issue. There are some truly stunning set-pieces, especially those involving Batman’s confrontation with Calendar Man, a vertigo inducing work out, some intense underwater action, and Duke’s inauguration into Batman’s world continues to offer up something entirely new and unexpected. Seriously, the Bat-Cave looks stunning in this issue, the scene with Lucius Fox is also especially moving, and there’s a terrific bond that’s developing between Bruce and Duke as well that is sure to bring a whole new dynamic to the Dark Knights world.

Batman Rebirth #1 is an action-packed, emotional, and thoughtful issue. We now begin to get a greater sense of how DC Rebirth will resonate through the legacies of all the major DC characters, and if the rest of the Rebirth issues are half as good as this, the DCU is well on the way to reinvigorating their characters in fine style.

In short, I’d recommend Batman Rebirth #1, and I’m really looking forward to what Tom King and David Finch have in store for the Dark Knight even more now. Featuring a solid storyline, powerful and emotional scenes, a new role for Duke Thomas, and Calendar Man’s stomach churning – sure to make you recall a certain forth season X-Files episode – rejuvenation, Batman Rebirth #1 heralds a promising new chapter for the Dark Knight. One thing’s for sure though, no matter what the future might hold, the word can’t is still something that will never, ever exist in Batman’s vocabulary!

Publisher: DC Comics / Writers: Scott Snyder and Tom King

Art: Mikel Jenin / Colors: June Chung

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