Batman: Fortress #1: By the Numbers

This feels like it was written for people that don’t regularly read comics. If someone came up to me this week and said, “I don’t read comics, where do I start?”, then I would point them towards this book. Gary Whitta is a great writer and shows his interest in these characters, but it seems like he spends the entire issue trying to show readers that he knows what he’s talking about. This might be the intention, but this feels like a “by the numbers” Batman story to the point that it feels corny. It almost feels like fan fiction. I can’t help but think of the Kevin Smith Batman story where Smith has Batman admit that he peed himself. At one point, Batman even says “This is why I dress up like a bat.” The majority of fans know why Batman dresses up like a bat. We don’t need to be told again, we especially don’t need to be shown Martha Wayne’s infamous pearl necklace again. 

The plot is fun but nothing new. You have probably read or seen other stories doing something similar. It seems strange for DC to release this book at the same time as Batman: One Dark Knight, which does the “Gotham is in a blackout” plot much better. As for the art, there are a few wonky visuals but for the most part, Darick Robertson’s pencils and Diego Rodriguez’s colors are a lot of fun and enjoyable. Robertson has a cool and distinct style that I think fits well with a Batman story. The use of inks is highly effective. If you are going to have a book about a blackout, it needs to feel like a blackout, and the use of the dark tones certainly does that. Simon Bowland’s lettering is great as well. As corny or redundant as the writing is, Bowland makes it work.