- Title: Batman #1
- Comic Vine: link
- Writer: Scott Snyder
- Artist: Greg Capullo
I had a mixed reaction to Batman #1, as I do in any issue where Batman has to be saved by some outside force. The entire issue involves the Dark Knight Detective preventing a plane from going down in the heart of Gotham City. While I don’t mind that the greatest mind in comics is willing to let himself die to save others I do have some qualms about why Batman wouldn’t be able to save himself (such as couldn’t Batman have jumped free once he got the crashing plane above Gotham Harbor?). There are also nagging issues I have such as Batman and Alfred using real names over their comms (something that seems far too amateurish a mistake for Batman to make).
Despite these issues, the comic itself is a tense story that certainly sells the self-sacrifice (if not the ingenuity) of its hero. The main objective, however, isn’t to present Batman with a problem he couldn’t solve but provide the introduction of a new pair of super-powered heroes to the Gotham landscape. While plenty of vigilantes, both as part of the Batman Family and separate, have worked the streets of Gotham they have been normal (or what passes for normal) people relying on skills and training to get the job done. I guess we’ll see what happens when you add those with powers to the equation. For fans.
[DC, $2.99]