Ricky Church reviews Batman #1…
“I AM GOTHAM” Chapter One
No one has ever stopped the Caped Crusader. Not The Joker. Not Two-Face. Not even the entire Justice League. But how does Batman confront a new hero who wants to save the city from the Dark Knight?
CAN’T MISS: Superstar artist David Finch returns to the Dark Knight alongside writer Tom King for this five-part storyline.
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A new era of Batman has begun as Tom King takes over one of DC’s flagship titles with artist David Finch illustrating this new story. There’s a lot of pressure upon this title after Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s famed run, but if Batman #1 is any indication, this new direction with King and Finch should lead to some great things.
King’s understanding of Batman and his world is immediate in the opening pages as Batman attempts to stop a deadly attack on the city. His depiction of Batman is much in line with the incarnation many fans have gotten used to over the years; he’s intelligent, skillful, plans contingencies moves ahead and is willing to do whatever it takes to protect his city. King utilizes that last aspect of Batman to particular effectiveness here as he crafts an emotional conversation between Batman and Alfred, showing that he not only has a good handle on the character of Batman, but of Bruce Wayne and the humanity within him as well.
David Finch’s artwork is great to look at. The action scene as Batman works to save a falling plane is easy to follow and has some nice looking visuals that display just how awesome and resourceful the Dark Knight can be. The artwork also differs from some of Finch’s previous work as well with his lines looking a little less rough than usual. It just goes to show how much difference an inker makes to a comic and Matt Banning does really well to make the artwork stand out. The same can be said for colourist Jordie Bellaire, who excels at making Gotham City look like a vibrant and lively place to live in from a bird’s eye view, differentiating it from his ground level view.
Though they have big shoes to fill following the last creative team, King, Finch and the rest of the team show Batman is in good hands. This story did well to examine Batman’s immense intellect and his humanity, but the ending shows potential to examine just how much good he can do without superpowers now that other heroes have shown up to the scene. Batman fans will surely get a kick out of King’s portrayal of the hero and what he has in store.
Rating: 9/10
Ricky Church
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Originally published June 21, 2016. Updated April 15, 2018.
