Batman: City of Madness #1 Review: A Haunting Gotham Tale

Eisner Award-winning artist Christian Ward summons more cosmic horror to the Batman mythos in his new Black Label series Batman: City of Madness. Set apart from mainstream Batman continuity, this new miniseries brings back a few popular villains while introducing a new darker version of Batman from the Gotham Below, a strange twisted version of Gotham from a new dimension. Ward's art is the highlight of the series, but it remains to be seen whether this comic can stand apart from other recent Batman stories involving either alternate versions of Batman or dark eldritch terrors. 

The first oversized issue reads remarkably quickly, with Batman and the Court of Owls both learning of a new threat to Gotham through separate means, while a young boy travels to the city for revenge and instead is recruited by a dark eldritch Batman. City of Madness is notably a Black Label book, set apart from DC continuity to allow Ward maximum freedom in picking and choosing which bits of Batman lore he wants to use. The comic is set apart from DC continuity in a few notable ways – Alfred is still alive, Arkham Asylum is still standing, and Batman is still based out of Wayne Manor. This is meant to be a more timeless version of Batman, albeit one that is still dealing with modern threats and challenges. In the first issue alone, Ward tackles climate change, police brutality and corruption, and economic inequities, using them all as signs of a corruption that Batman is poorly equipped to tackle. Keeping that in mind, it makes sense that the secondary villain of the series is the Court of Owls, who have discovered a gate to another dimension's Gotham has been breached by flooding of an underground river. 

Ward's artwork and coloring is as vibrant as ever, which is an interesting choice given that eldritch horror tends to use muted colors when depicted in comics. Ward's writing skills and dialogue (especially Batman and Alfred's narrations) remind me heavily of Grant Morrison and Dave McKean's Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on a Serious Earth, which seems to be deliberate as Ward has previously referred to this comic as a pseudo-sequel. The main issue with this comic is that, despite its 48 page count, there's still a feeling that Ward is trying to accomplish too much in this issue, from introducing the cast and enemies to touching on different iconic Batman locations and characters. Because of this, it feels like the comic is only just getting started when it comes to an end with a pretty compelling final spread. 

While I enjoyed City of Madness, I feel like the comic doesn't have the compelling hook it did a few years ago. DC has leaned heavily on "alternate universe Dark Batman" as a trope in recent years and the prospect of another story in that vein just doesn't hold much appeal. Likewise, the current Detective Comics has really leaned into eldritch horror aspects and angles and this comic (while definitely pursuing a different corner of that genre) seems like it shares tonal similarities, at the least. Luckily, Ward is a strong artist and this comic book can be enjoyed solely on the merits of his artwork. Hopefully, the next two issues of the series pick up the pace a bit, because Ward has set the tone for an epic story but has relatively few pages remaining to tell it. 

Published by DC Comics

On October 10, 2023

Written by Christian Ward

Art by Christian Ward

Colors by Christian Ward

Letters by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou

Cover by Christian Ward