Writer: Matt Fraction
Artist: Jorge Jiménez
Colorist: Tomeu Morey
Letterer: Clayton Cowles & Jorge Jiménez
Cover Artists: Jim Lee, Scott Williams & Alex Sinclair; Julian Totino Tedesco; Felipe Massafera; Jorge Jiménez; David Aja
Editors: Jessica Berbey & Rob Levin
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $4.99/ $5.99 (Card Stock) / $7.99 (Foil)
Release Date: December 3, 2025
How we perceive the world, and our place in it, affects how we view ourselves. Tim Drake risked his life to save his friend's secret identity. Bruce Wayne wants his son, Damian, to consider the best way to forge his future. Huston Gray tries to spread the word that Batman is still Gotham's benefactor. The boy preparing a report for his Civics class also wishes people to reconsider their support for Vandal Savage.
And then, there is Dr Annika Zeller. The confident young psychiatrist wants to improve the lives of Gotham's residents. But Bruce Wayne is concerned about the way she goes about it. Sure, the ends matter. But so do the means. Does Dr Zeller's invention, the Crown of Thorns, cause more trouble than good? And how is Vandal Savage using his position as police commissioner to help the residents of Gotham? Let’s don our armored capes, leap into Batman #4, and see!
Story
Seemingly small events can ignite all-consuming conflicts. As night falls on Gotham, it's not the assassination of an archduke, but the attempted theft of a truck that spurs a gang war when the Gotham City Police impounds a stolen vehicle. As his subordinates fight, the Minotaur grows concerned about how this will interrupt his plans. So, he arranges a meeting to reiterate the need for cohesion.
Amid the chaos, Huston Gray strives to enlighten his troubled city in Batman #4. The boy seeks the help of a former reporter. Unfortunately, Jack Dean comes with baggage. He may struggle to overcome his past. Yet instead of embracing positivity, as Dr Zeller might counsel, Jack views himself and the city as damaged goods.
Like the Minotaur, Dr Annika Zeller thinks long-term in Matt Fraction’s story. She hopes that someday, her Crown of Thorns will be commonplace, helping people like Jack Dean deal with their problems before they end their careers. Yet she claims Wayne Experimental Sciences has no oversight or input on her work, despite keeping an office in the division that funds her pilot program.
As Bruce Wayne investigates an instrument of torture that he funded, Batman investigates the event that incited a gang war. Batman is surprised that the culprit couldn’t pull off the theft. Ironically, the culprit’s name is the opposite of how a powerful organization is reshaping Gotham. But whether Vandal Savage is the architect of Gotham’s transformation, a trusted lieutenant, or merely a pawn, remains to be seen in Batman #4.
Art
Work lights shine like miniature suns as a truck enters the wrought iron gates of the Port of Gotham. When a plan goes wrong, red streaks and splatters fill a panel as guards become silhouettes. Two other silhouettes watch violence erupt on a wall of monitors. Faces fill the screens, along with a chalk line on bloody asphalt. Then, a shadow looms large as the Minotaur departs the control room.
As Tomeu Morey lavishes a loaded palette on Jorge Jiménez’s art, Dr Zeller wears pink while interfacing with pink holographic displays. Once again, a blue stuffed animal with a pink heart makes a statement about Gotham in Batman #4. While red smoke rises from the underground, Huston wears a red jacket as he approaches a tower adorned in bronze, silver, and gold. Inside, an altered Eye of Providence seems to keep watch over the boy and the disgraced reporter. When night falls, Batman questions another youth of Gotham, dressed in red and gold.
Clayton Cowles and Jorge Jiménez fill dialogue balloons and narrative boxes with black uppercase letters. The letters grow bold for intonation and shrink for lowered voices. Reporters’ words appear above flat-screen TV images adorned with colored logos. Large and small white letters in gray fields accompany icons identifying Batman’s tools of the trade. White letters and symbols in black boxes help the reader navigate events in Gotham through time. Sound effects accompany Batman protecting a culprit from his attackers, and a visionary leader ushering in a new era. Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this story with us.
Final Thoughts
When something we rely on doesn't seem to work right, and our tinkering doesn't fix the problem, we call in a professional to set things right. But there's a difference between repairing and replacing. Batman #4 contemplates the popularity of charismatic leaders who pledge to introduce bold new eras by ignoring the carefully constructed systems of their predecessors.
Rating 9.6/10
To look inside see my preview of Batman #4
To relive how this series began, see my review of Batman #1.
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