Batman #1

By Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo and Jonathan Glapion
It's another trip to the grimy crime-ridden streets of Gotham City in Batman #1. A fresh start for new readers, the issue explodes with a break-out in Arkham Asylum (strangely mirrored in Batman Dark Knight #1). Fighting an army of his deadliest foes, Batman is joined in battle by the most unlikely of cohorts, the Joker.

The sequence of the Joker and Batman fighting side by side was definitely arranged for shock value, to get readers screaming 'Howe dare they!!?' at their comics. While Batman is depicted as a public enemy in Detective Comics, in this series hew is accepted by the police when he arrives on the scene to take control of the situation. It's very odd that editorially there has been so little consistency in the DCU. Characters seem to be living in different iterations of the same universe rather than a unified one. In the case of Batman, there are four separate ongoing books this month and they barely jive with one another. It's a little quibble, but it is hardly the best way to start a new line of comics.

Aide from a lack of consistency, another common thread in the new DC Comics is an over-reliance of extreme violence. From the dismembered infants in Swamp Thing to the serial killers in Batgirl, Nightwing, Detective Comics and here in Batman it seems that the new DCU is a far more violent world than ever before. In most cases, I don't have a real problem with this but as Warner Bros. as been heavily marketing their brand more than ever before, why include a scene where Batman inspects a corpse pinned to the wall by throwing knives?

Additionally, a pair of contact lenses that allow Batman to interact with the Bat Computer is a neat idea but quickly turns into the most elaborate form of exposition I have ever witnessed. Granted, the fact that he is surrounded by three young dark-haired white guys in tuxedos... maybe he really needs this kind of thing. Like our parents calling us by our sibling's name from time to time, has Batman ever called Dick 'Tim'? That would be awkward.

Like Detective Comics, this is another superb Batman book as it depicts our hero as a brilliant inventor and detective as well as an avenging dark creature of the knight kicking villains in the gut. It's Batman as he should be in a Gotham City more over-run by extreme crime than ever before. On the trail of a killer that has eluded both the police and the Dark Knight, the path seems to lead to the most unlikely of suspects, Nightwing.

The comic looks great with art by Greg Capullo who draws every member of Batman's rogue's gallery in superb flair. Likewise, fan favorite Scott Snyder has brought the goods here by delivering an exciting comic that sets the stage for horror, action and mystery all at once. I have high hopes that this series will be the hit that DC Comics has needed for a long time. Based on sales estimates for last month, it looks like my bet is a safe one.

Batman #1 has sold out but a second and third print are both available. If you'd rather read a digital copy, it is available for direct download at Comixology.