Batman’s Tech Just Got a Game-Changing Upgrade the DCU Shouldn’t Overlook

Matt Fraction’s run on Batman is telling an all-new Dark Knight tale, and is including a fantastic visual element that adds a whole new layer to Batman’s technology, weapons, and assorted gadgetry. Batman #1 kicks off a new volume for Batman as a singular DC Comics title, following the Dark Knight on a new mission while also providing flashbacks that put his origin story and that of the Bat-family (particularly the numerous Robin mantle-holders) under a new lens. With Fraction as writer alongside Jorge Jimenez as artist and Tomeu Morey as colorist, Batman #1 is a shining example of DC Comics doing what it does best presenting all new and completely different versions of its core characters, not unlike the ongoing parallel phenomenon of DC’s Absolute Universe.

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Batman #1 also adds a detail that would seemingly be a throwaway element, but which really highlights Batman’s tech-savy and brains as essential tools that he wields. Put simply, Batman #1 presents a new, highly descriptive format outlining Batman’s tech and its capabilities as a storytelling device. This one addition both elevates Fraction’s Batman run to great heights right out of the gate, and provides readers with a new and fun way to appreciate Batman’s tech as they’re along for the ride on his new mission, not to mention opens up a whole new world of tech that live-action adaptations shouldn’t ignore.

The Dark Knight’s Bat-Tech Is Showcased in a Whole New Way in Fraction’s Batman

The flashy panels and shots of Batman deploying Batarangs, smoke pellets, grappling hooks, and other crime fighting tools are a staple of the action scenes of any Batman comic book. That element is still present in Batman #1, to be sure, but with the added bonus of each Bat-tool or Bat-weapon being given a descriptive word panel every time they are put to use in the issue. It is also not a one-off gimmick deployed for just a handful of weapons or tools, with Fraction, Jimenez, and Morey really putting it to work virtually every time the Dark Knight pulls a crime-fighting gadget out of his utility belt.

Batman’s “Vo-Com” is the first major example of that practice being put to use in Batman #1, the panel providing a detailed description of the tool as a wireless communications device to the Batmobile (Batman able to command the car to put the car into autopilot mode to protect a pair of girls he just rescued in this instance). Batman’s night-vision cowl lenses also get the same treatment, with the word block providing an outline of his night vision lenses function and capabilities. It is later seen again with Batman’s electro-gauntlets built into his gloves, with the panel providing key info the gloves function and the voltage they’re capable of discharging into an opponent. That kind of illustrative upgrade is a real highlight of not just the narrative strengths of the intro to Fraction’s Batman run, but also of the importance of Batman’s tech and weaponry in any Batman story.

Bat-Tech Is Constantly Evolving in Comics & Other Mediums

Batman is well-known as a superhero combining both brains and brawn with both utilized to their maximum potential by the Dark Knight. In the case of Batman’s tech, the Caped Crusder’s genius as a technological innovator provides writers and artists with a vast playground to constantly re-work and re-imagine the Batcave, the Batmobile, and all other Bat-vehicles in completely new and fresh ways. Likewise, the kind of tech Batman carries in his utility belt or as part of his suit’s defensive augmentations are also constantly being re-worked in new ways.

The fun part of this side of Batman is how much freedom his technological know-how gives writers and artists to constantly introduce all new Bat-devices, along with putting new spins on already existing ones. Even something as inseparable from the Dark Knight as his classic Batarangs are being illustrated and reconceived in new ways all the time, while completely new Bat-tech in being integrated into his arsenal all the time in ways that really pop out each time. With a mind like Batman’s combined with his vast martial arts training and great physical dexterity, the Dark Knight scoffs at the idea that a lack of metahuman powers should be a hindrance to him, as have the many writers and artists who have told his stories.

Why the New Portrayal of Bat-Tech Is Such a Great Touch in Batman #1

The high tech nature of Batman’s weaponry and Bat gadgets does not tend to be highlighted in a particularly flashy manner in most cases. Batman, of course, prioritizes striking fear into the hearts of Gotham City‘s villains and crime bosses, a goal that would surely be completely undercut by Batman adopting an Iron Man-style approach to crafting his body armor and crime-fighting arsenal. With that said, it’s still always great fun to see how the gears turn as far as Batman’s methodology and how his technology functions in his nightly crime-fighting missions. Batman #1 clearly understands that and goes all in on committing to it.

With just a few descriptive word panels, readers get a real sense of how Batman’s supplementary tech in his suit provides key areas of crucial tactical aide and assistance to his approaching to crime fighting. Whether as a tool of automotive protection and escape, detecting enemies from afar or in poor light, or as a means to add much more literal shock to what is no doubt already a strong punch from the Dark Knight, Batman always has his bases covered with Batman #1 providing a real glimpse into the extent of how he has facilitated that. With that one addition, one of the most fun and engaging elements of Matt Fraction’s Batman run will surely be the continued use of word boxes providing readers with a quick but vital glimpse into the functionality and power of every tool of crime fighting put to use by the Dark Knight.

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