Batman #1: Back in Blue

The Batman title has been all over the place in terms of reception since its last major relaunch back in 2016. The consistent burning of character foundations for the sake of telling “the biggest Batman story yet” has left readers tired—hungry for a run that simply builds the character and his world up with a taste of stability, no gimmicks required. Batman #1, written by Matt Fraction and illustrated by Jorge Jimenez, attempts to do just that but stumbles in the divide between its script and its art, the presentation suggesting a lack of confidence in returning to the “Caped Crusader” after the last decade of the “Dark Knight.”

What many will take away from this debut issue is the voice for Bruce that Fraction employs. It strikes a balance between the darkness of Batman’s present and the fun of his past, allowing his cold and calculated side to consider kinder solutions to the problems posed by Gotham’s biggest monsters. While the plotting of this issue lacks the setup depth we’ve come to expect from a new #1, its resolution feels more human than expected. It seems as though Fraction’s goal here was not to hook readers with any particular plot thread, but instead with a promise of character philosophy that he communicates with exuberance.

All the best moments of this issue come in the smaller beats—those intimate exchanges and quiet decisions that say more about Batman than the spectacle ever could. The conversations between Bruce and a newly introduced Alfred-inspired A.I. carry both warmth and melancholy, allowing readers to feel the weight of Bruce’s continued reliance on his surrogate father figure even in digital form. Likewise, his choices while under the mask demonstrate a deliberate restraint, a willingness to approach Gotham’s chaos with more compassion than we’ve seen in recent years. Even the introduction of his first new trophy within the modern Batcave resonates as a symbolic gesture, framing this series as not just another Batman relaunch but a conscious effort to reintroduce him as a true-blue superhero.

That being said, the lack of establishment with regard to any ongoing plot-lines really harms the excitement coming out of this issue. What’s here feels all too familiar to the last few runs, with an anti-Batman police force that leaves the Bat-Family operating against the law’s soldiers in a war for justice. The continued use of Jorge Jimenez—whose art works in individual moments but struggles to visually thread the narrative together—underscores that same lack of confidence in divorcing the title from its recent past. Aesthetically, little here suggests this issue will define the character’s next grand era.