DC Rebirth, Batman Book Reviews

This is part of a series looking at the DC comics relaunch Rebirth, which we have started receiving in trade (a graphic novel form).  In this we will take a look at some of the comics in the relaunch, and get an idea of how good of a fit they might be.  We will be using a 1-10 grading scale with the following breakdown

1-3  This is not recommended unless you are a big fan of the series

4-7 This is pretty ok, a good leisure read.

8-9 This is great comics, definitely pick it up if you like comics.

10.  This is so good, I don’t care whether or not you like comics, you should pick it up anyway.

Part 1: The Core Bat Books, “Detective Comics” and “Batman”

To begin with we will look at two of the longest running comics in DC’s lineup, Batman and Detective Comics.

First let’s take a look at the “Batman” book itself, written by Tom King and Drawn by David Finch and  Mikel Janin.  The first volume “Batman: I am Gotham,” follows Batsy as he and his new sidekick Duke Thomas recover from the Calendar Man’s attack on Gotham to face a strange new adversary who seems to be manipulating things from behind the scenes.  In addition, there are two new vigilante superheroes, with powers that seem to rival Superman’s, who are starting to fight crime in Gotham, but lack experience in crime-fighting.  This comic examines the choices that lead heroes to crime-fighting, and the repercussions of going into the vigilante business unprepared, no matter how powerful you are.

This comic is well paced, moving, action packed, and an all around great comic.  Also it is a great book to pick up if you are interested in starting to read Batman, as there isn’t any backstory that is ‘not explained internally in the story.

9/10

Next up is “Detective Comics: Rise of The Batmen,” by James T Tynion IV, with art by

Al Barrionuevo, Raúl Fernández, Alvaro Martinez, Eber Ferreira, and Eddy Barrows.  This volume follows a team of Batman related characters put together by Batwoman and made up of Red Robin, Orphan, Spoiler, Clayface, and Batwoman herself.  The team encounters an army of “Batmen”, who seem to be spying on all of them and hurting Batman’s friends.  Batwoman is the focal character for this volume, giving the book a different tone than the Batman volume.

All told, this is another highly recommended volume, with good pacing, and incredible action.  This isn’t a very good book to pick up if you aren’t familiar with Batman’s universe, but otherwise a very fun read.

8/10