- October 12, 2022
Batman Incorporated #1 Review
Written by: Ed Brisson
Art by: John Timms
Coloring by: Rex Lokus
Lettering by: Clayton Cowles
Editing by: Ben Abernathy
Batman Incorporated has a history of putting the spotlight on characters who wouldn’t normally get the time of day. Grant Morrison’s New 52 run with the title made me a fan of Beryl Hutchinson‘s Squire and then Knight. To see her again amongst a cool and colorful cast of D-list characters is exciting in a way Thunderbolts was trying to be.
Most books would buckle under their own weight by having so many characters, and while this first issue doesn’t get to everyone on the team, it establishes a personality for most of them. It’s important to establish dynamics that will work together and rub up against each other to maintain interest. The creative team does that well, with the script making sure that each character has a unique voice to match their unique look.
And while this book is technically called Batman Incorporated, each character has a distinctive look. You won’t mistake any of these characters for Batman or for each other, which is a testament to the art. The art and the coloring make each character pop off the page while giving real dynamic weight to every action scene. I didn’t expect this book to be as fun as it was, with how it also juggles a new mystery and action into its dense pages.
If you’ve never read a Batman Incorporated book before, you’ll be fine reading this one. It might help you know who each of the characters are, but you’ll be able to follow them quickly enough. The plot of this book has little to do with the previous series anyway. It’s more of a way to see these characters who wouldn’t show up in a book otherwise.
This, in many ways, is what the book Detective Comics should be. A cast of detectives trying to solve a mystery, not a second Batman book. That means it’s certainly doing a good job.