DC’s Immortal Legend Batman is easily one of the boldest reinventions in the Dark Knight’s history, often described as a blend between Batman and Power Rangers. But there’s so much more to Immortal Legend Batman than that, because this is a sci-fi future where Batman and his allies are “Immortal Legends” who battle against cosmic shadows of evil infesting the galaxy. Shockingly, Batman’s rogues’ gallery has been created by the Dark Knight himself when he unwisely tried to banish his own inner darkness. That’s right, this is a timeline where every iconic Bat-villain is an aspect of Bruce Wayne himself.
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Immortal Legend Batman #5, by Kyle Higgins, Mat Groom, Erica D’urso, and Igor Monti brings this story to a logical climax when Batman returns to the planet Gotham to face the greatest shadow of all – the Bruce Wayne who has become the Joker. He’s already created a murderous funhouse island on Gotham, and now unleashes an entire army against the Immortal Weapons. Batman is preparing for his last stand, but it turns out he’s underestimated the Joker… who claims the Batman belt for himself, becoming the Batman’s replacement.
This Joker Wants to Destroy the Immortal Weapons’ Legacy
Immortal Legend Batman is easily one of the most enjoyable Batman reinventions of recent years, and the idea of the rogues’ gallery as twisted Bruce Waynes is tremendous. The Man who Laughs – the Joker – is clearly the most dangerous of them all, already siphoning Bruce Wayne’s fortune to build his own twisted amusement park island and commit countless murders. Now he’s claimed the belt of Batman, which grants him access to all the power of the Immortal Legends.
We’ve seen villains adopt the mantle of heroes before in comics, of course; the Dark Avengers are an entire team of twisted supervillains who are basically cosplaying as heroes like Spider-Man and Captain Marvel. The iconic “Kraven’s Last Hunt” even had Kraven the Hunter dress up as Spider-Man, while Doctor Octopus had a whole era where he took over Peter Parker’s body and tried to prove himself superior. But there’s never been anything quite as invigorating as the idea of the Joker becoming Batman to ruin Batman, and it feels so very appropriate – especially in this timeline.
The story is helped by breathtaking art, which gives Immortal Legend Batman a unique, kinetic feel that’s a joy to read. This is one of the best alternate Batman comics on sale right now, and it seems to be building towards an unforgettable climax. Immortal Legend Batman #5 is an unmissable issue, and it’s on sale from DC comics now.
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