As some comics readers will certainly argue, DC has been juggling a lot of things in Batman’s orbit. The characters and concepts tied to Bruce Wayne have only continued to grow, and in the hands of the right creative team, those elements can blend together into an effective potpourri. This week’s Batman Incorporated #1 aims to be the latest comic book to do so, introducing a new global espionage adventure for various new and old Batman-like antiheroes – and becoming too cluttered for its own good as a result. Batman Incorporated #1 is a scrappy, but alienating take on the margins of the larger Batman mythos, one that is just barely saved by its crop of characters and some aesthetic choices.
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Batman Incorporated #1 follows Ghost-Maker and the rest of the team on a globe-trotting adventure with dire consequences. As the team fights to destroy every Lexcorp lab made to create new Bat-vigilantes, they realize a mysterious force is trying to do the same — while targeting some of the mentors that Ghost-Maker and Batman trained under in their youth.
If that description wasn’t clear, this new era of Batman Incorporated weaves in an eclectic array of DC’s mythos, from the previous incarnations of the title, to stray parts of Rebirth-era Batman, to those training days in Batman: The Knight. As a result, it feels like individual readers’ mileage will vary wildly, especially as the issue doesn’t go to great lengths to catch readers up to speed. Text boxes citing other books and issues are used with no rhyme or reason, while characters are only awkwardly named through heavy-handed exchanges of dialogue. If you’re someone who has been clearly following the ins and outs of every Batman and Batman-adjacent comic for the past fifteen years, you’ll feel happy that you’re not being pandered to. If you’re not (which the vast majority of readers probably are), you’ll be left wanting more context.
Under Ed Brisson’s script, there are inklings of clever dynamics among the clutter – Black Mist and Knight have fun addressing the lack of women on the team, and there’s a novelty to seeing Clownhunter engage with a larger group of Bat-inspired heroes. The entire concept of destroying Lexcorp labs, and some characters’ treks in the jungle, feel like sendups to some underrated DC arcs from the past. But when the crux of the issue is essentially vignettes of the team trading quips as they investigate across the globe, it takes so much more effort to become invested, and to regard the group as a true team. Likewise, the narrative decision to continue threads of Batman: The Knight is compelling, but the scorched-Earth nature of some of the mentors being killed off makes the book feel even more closed off and scrappy than it needs to.
Where that scrappiness works is in John Timms’ art, which manages to find a cohesive style for the hodgepodge of elements within the issue. Timms’ rendering of the various superhero costumes is just enough of a blend of house style and distinct sketchiness, and there are some genuinely clever decisions made in terms of panel framing and focus. Considering the fact that the vast majority of these characters don masks over all of or most of their faces, it’s impressive that some necessary inklings of emotion are still conveyed so well. Rex Lokus’ color work is a dynamic compliment to it all – the use of jewel-toned blues and reds is particularly inspired. And Clayton Cowles’ lettering is as excellent as ever, particularly with accenting key words of dialogue, or adding an extra quirkiness to Clownhunter’s speech bubbles.
For better or for worse, Batman Incorporated #1 is nowhere near as accessible of a comic book as it could be – but there are just enough elements to save it from being an absolute wash. The debut issue takes up too much real estate introducing its various characters and concepts, but its frantic way of doing so neglects key items in the process. That isn’t to say that this new era of Batman Incorporated can’t grow and become something epic, as its kinetic art and cast of characters possess potential, but this first issue is no guarantee.
Published by DC Comics
On October 11, 2022
Written by Ed Brisson
Art by John Timms
Colors by Rex Lokus
Letters by Clayton Cowles
Cover by John Timms
