I Am Batman #4 – John Ridley, Writer; Stephen Segovia, Christian Duce, Artists; Rex Lokux, Colorist
Ray – 8/10
Ray: From the start, this book has felt like it was separated from the main Bat-books, and that’s been both a positive and a negative. Major events happen and are not really reflected anywhere else, so it makes sense that Jace and his family will be heading off to New York and this Batman will get his own city to play in. Some of his supporting cast will be coming too, as this issue reveals that Detective Chubb is facing a disciplinary hearing for not shooting Batman last issue and will be transferred by Montoya to avoid being fired. Jace’s Batman doesn’t actually have much to do this issue, spending most of the issue fighting off rogue Magistrate goons and encountering the Seer. Seer seems to be one of the few connecting tissues in the line right now, trying to expose the dirty secrets of Gotham and the Magistrate program by any means necessary—which doesn’t exactly match up with the character’s past portrayal.
Jace is a fine lead, but I often find the other players in this book a little more interesting. Simon Saint, having lost control of the Magistrate program in Fear State, is released from prison and sees to be set up as the new main villain of the series—but appearances can be deceiving. New villain Victor Noonan, a ruthless arms dealer, is looking to take over and form an alliance with the Fox family and the government. The Fox clan continues to be the most interesting part of this book, with Tam potentially waking up from her coma and Lucius seeing his sanity slip in the aftermath of his torture by Punchline. This issue has some very interesting things to say about the way mental health is dealt with in Gotham, and I’m hoping this subplot is followed up on a little down the line. We’re still not at the point where I really know what the mission is for Jace as Batman, but it’s a strong ensemble book right now.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
