Batman #1 Advance Review

 

Writer: Matt Fraction

Artist: Jorge Jiménez

Colorist: Tomeu Morey

Letterer: Clayton Cowles

Cover Artists: Jorge Jiménez, Jim Lee, Mark Silvestri, J Scott Campbell, Frank Quietly, Gabrielle Dell’Otto, Julian Totino Tedesco, Andy Kubert & David Aja

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $4.99; $5.99 (card stock)

Foil Variant by Jorge Jiménez: $7.99

Blind Bag Cover: $9.99

Showcase Variant Cover by Stanley “Artgerm” Lau: $24.99

Release Date: September 3, 2025

 

Jim Gordon is no longer the police commissioner. He's just a uniform officer like his new partner. Officer Espinoza feels daunted to serve alongside her more experienced colleague. But Jim just feels old. The world goes through cycles, and his has turned upside down. Can Officer Gordon and Batman continue to protect the citizens of Gotham? Or should they bow to the winds of change sweeping through their beloved city? Let’s grab a cup of joe, leap into Batman #1, and see!

 

Story

Like Jim Gordon, Batman contemplates these questions as he surveys Gotham from high above. Dr Zeller tells him that Waylon Jones checked himself into Arkham Towers. She believes that Waylon Jones did so because he wants to embrace a better future. But as Batman looks around the room, he sees only Killer Croc’s destructive nature. Perhaps, as Dr Zeller believes, “Waylon Jones” can change. But his nature makes Killer Croc a monster.

 

When the world climbs on top of you, you reach for whatever will help you keep going. In Matt Fraction’s story, Batman keeps Alfred Pennyworth close by. He cannot touch the hologram. But hearing his voice and seeing Alfred beside him gives Batman comfort and support. The algorithm that mimics Alfred reminds Batman why he fights to protect everyone in Gotham. Rich, poor, important, or just another person on the streets, Batman safeguards them all.

 

Sadly, the new commissioner disagrees. Like Batman, Commissioner Savage sees things in black and white. Everyone must obey the law. And when situations get out of hand, it’s time to employ the nuclear option. But for Batman, protecting people also means thinking outside the box. Perhaps humanity is doomed to repeat cycles that simulate progress but are just more of the same. But that doesn't mean that he can't try to become a better version of Gotham's guardian in Batman #1.

 

Art

Birds peck at crumbs littering the pavement or flutter among the pedestrians in aging Coventry. The birds soar below Batman's feet as he gazes across the water to the towers climbing into the sky. At Gotham City Police Headquarters, uniform officers assemble before their new ruler. The people behind Commissioner Savage wear battle armor, carry automatic rifles, and hide their features behind mirrored visors. The trees and foliage in Robinson Park soften the surrounding concrete and steel with a hint of nature. Like the people who live, work, and play in Gotham, Jorge Jiménez invests each district with uniqueness. But they all belong to the city Batman strives to protect in Batman #1.

 

Yellow, orange, and mauve fill the cloudy skies as night approaches. Batman confronts this new era in blue and gray. The blue in his costume links him with officers like Jim Gordon, while the gray points to Gotham's troubled future. The streetlights and signs fill Gotham with glowing pastels when darkness falls. But as Tomeu Morey lavishes a loaded palette of colors on Batman #1, Dr Zeller meets the future adorned in white, and Commissioner Savage’s elite troops wear black.

 

Clayton Cowles fills dialogue balloons and narrative boxes with black and colored uppercase letters. The letters grow bold for intonation and shrink for lowered voices. Shouts enlarge letters and deform balloons, while white letters in black boxes locate us in time and space. Large and small white letters fill gray fields, identifying aspects of Batman’s technologically enhanced suit. Sound effects help us hear Killer Croc’s transformation and Batman racing through the streets of Gotham in his stylish Batmobile.

 

Final Thoughts

Batman becomes both hunter and hunted in a city that no longer wants him. He may not be the flavor of the month, but that won’t stop him from protecting Gotham. Matt Fraction, Jorge Jiménez, Tomeu Morey, and Clayton Cowles force Batman to draw on his past to embrace a difficult future in Batman #1.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

To look inside see my preview of Batman #1.