Batman: Full Moon #1
Chad Burdette
Recap
An ancient and supernatural force stalks the streets of Gotham City — a Lycan so powerful it’ll defy Batman’s most trusted resources: his brilliant mind and extensive gadgetry. But are Batman’s physical strength and resilience alone enough to put the creature down for good? Or will this fight strip him down to his very bones? Even powerful magical allies like Zatanna caution that Bruce might not walk away from this one unscathed…
Review
Batman: Full Moon #1 is the Black Label Batman story that has the Dark Knight chasing a vicious killer in Gotham that turns out to be a werewolf.
The issue begins with a solid opening as a man in an asylum suddenly transforming into his Lupine form as his internal dialogue talks about his struggle with his curse he relieved while fighting in the war in Europe.
The scene shifts to Batman out on patrol, when Alfred contacts him saying he is supposed to be on a date with Zatanna. Barnes’ dialouge between the two is very playful with Zatanna getting the better of Bruce and bringing up her other on again off again relationship with John Constantine.
Barnes and Stubic also lean into the freedom that the Black Label imprint allows, not shying away from the blood and gore that the werewolf leaves in it’s path. Barnes also touches on Batman’s detective side as he examines the scene of what turns out to be a victim of the werewolf.
There is a fun exchange between Batman, Commissioner Gordon, and the Fire Chief as the three are discussing who should be in charge of the arson/murder scene, with Batman ultimately calling the shots.
Readers are given the werewolf’s orgin in this issue rather than having to wait for it to be shoehorned in at the end of the series. It will be interesting to see how deep the werewolf’s origin goes.
Zatanna isn’t the only other DC character to appear in the book as John Constantine and Kirk Langstorm / Man-bat make appearances. It seems like Constantine will play a bigger role in the series, along with Zatanna. Barnes and Stubic add a nice touch with a splash page that shows Zee with here Justice League Dark compatriot. Langstrom was also a nice addition since not only is he a doctor who studies genetics, but can transform himself into a monster.
Stubic’s art takes the book to a new level with both the panel layouts and color plattet.
Final Thoughts
Batman: Full Moon #1 starts strong as the Dark Knight must uncover the cause of some brutal murders while trying to balance his relationship with Zatanna. It was nice to see most of the "Who, What, When, and Where" addressed in this opening issue hopefully leaving more page time for the story to fully develop.
Batman: Full Moon #1
- Writing - 8/108/10
- Storyline - 8/108/10
- Art - 10/1010/10
- Color - 10/1010/10
- Cover Art - 9/109/10
