ICYMI! Batman/Wonder Woman: The Truth #1: To Be Loved

Batman/Wonder Woman: The Truth #1 is a weird comic. Its attempting to build off the legacy of Jeph Loeb‘s most important DC work of the 2000s, simultaneously functioning as both a nostalgic throwback to his work on Batman/Superman, as well as an epilogue to Batman: Hush. Got all that? It leans heavily on the tone and character dynamics that defined that era, but winds up feeling effortlessly vanilla in its execution. What it adds to Hush is nothing exemplary, and its use of the classic superhero team-up is wildly disappointing with how Wonder Woman acts more as a vessel for Batman‘s arc, than a character herself.

There is a clear intent to tap into the emotional residue of Hush, particularly the lingering trust issues and guarded vulnerability that have long defined Bruce’s relationships. In the aftermath of him calling it quits with Catwoman, he’s silently struggling to hold on to his heart. Diana, and the fabled Lasso of Truth, acts a catalyst for him to confront his lingering love for the thief. On paper, its a strong, character driven theme that has the potential to peel back some layers on the character and face a gaping wound head on.

The problem is that this emotional framework only ever fully belongs to Bruce. Diana is positioned less as a counterweight and more as a mechanism to extract his internal conflict. The dynamic is enjoyable on a surface level, and the dialogue has a satisfying banter to it, but it consistently funnels back into Batman’s struggle without giving her any meaningful presence of her own. She is present in the story, but not granted the same sense of character weight that would make the pairing feel equal.

This imbalance becomes more apparent when the story introduces its most interesting beat. The idea of Joker being subjected to the Lasso of Truth suggests a far more ambitious interrogation of our hidden truth than what the issue ultimately delivers. It opens a clear narrative door that could have expanded the thematic scope of the book, but it is ultimately treated as a minor beat rather than a structural opportunity. Instead, the issue remains focused on extended verbal sparring between Bruce and Diana that entertains in the moment but rarely develops into anything more substantial.

That said, the book is still consistently enjoyable on a surface level. The plot moves with a familiar rhythm that feels reminiscent of a lost episode of Batman: The Animated Series, and there is real energy in how the story is staged even when the ideas remain undercooked. You can have fun with this in the same way you would a really good, standalone summer annual.

Jim Cheung taps into that energy in a big way. The pages are dense with dialogue, but the visual storytelling cuts through that noise with brilliant, poster worthy shots. It is beautifully colored by Jay David Ramos, with each panel rendered like a painting. This does leave the book struggling, visually, to build momentum from moment to moment, but succeeds in delivering strong individual images where it matters.