Batman: Dark Age #1
Recap
Spinning out of the Eisner-nominated Superman: Space Age, Mark Russell and Mike Allred return to give audiences a look at Batman as a figure in American history fighting for justice in a world gone mad.
Meet Bruce Wayne, Gotham's favorite delinquent son. In an origin story like no other, witness the boy become a Dark Knight shaped by a city in turmoil as it marches towards its prophesied doom. Set against the backdrop of actual historical events, Gotham comes alive, filled with the iconic characters who’ve loved and hated Batman over the years like you've never seen them before.
Review
Batman: Dark Age #1 kicks off the latest story from Mark Russell and Mike Allred following the epic Superman: The Space Age series.
It is very evident from the first page of the issue that this story is going to be a different take on the Batman mythos while remaining true to the underlying things that the character is known for. The dichotomy of what Thomas Wayne planned for Gotham City to be and the current reality of what the city has become is established right away in both the narrative and art before the reader is taken into the year 2030 with an elderly Bruce Wayne living in a nursing home and establishing him as the stories narrator as he remembers his youth.
It is here that Russell begins to alter the events that shaped both Bruce growing up and his journey to becoming Batman. Within the first 14 pages, the relationship between Bruce and his father, what Thomas wanted for him, Gotham, and how they were intertwined. Following the murders of Thomas & Martha, the elder Bruce begins to talk about his relationship with Alfred as his guardian and the power play for Wayne Industries that is developing until Bruce comes of age to take over his rightful position.
Bruce’s origin diverges again as a young man he is not interested in becoming the dark hero bent on bringing justice to Gotham. Russell instead sends Bruce down a rebellious path where using his family fortune and influence to get himself out of trouble isn’t even a second thought. It is during this time that Bruce first crosses paths with Selina Kyle as the two have been both been picked up by the cops for separate offenses. This encounter sets the stage for the cliffhanger for the issue and provides a hook guaranteed to make readers want to return for the next installment,
Like their collaboration on Superman: The Space Age, Russell and the Allreds knock this issue out of the park. There are plenty of easter eggs in both the storyline and art that definitely make the issue one that requires multiple reads to catch them all.
Final Thoughts
Batman: Dark Age #1 perfectly sets up the next endeavor by Russell and the Allreds, hitting all the right notes that made Superman: The Space Age such an unforgettable story for a flagship character of the DCU. The only disappointing thing that could be said is that is half the length (page count) of the Superman installment, but if anyone can pull of a story in fewer pages, Russell is more than up to the challenge.
Batman: Dark Age #1
- Writing - 10/1010/10
- Storyline - 10/1010/10
- Art - 10/1010/10
- Color - 10/1010/10
- Cover Art - 10/1010/10
