Batman Incorporated #5 – Ed Brisson, Writer; John Timms, Artist; Rex Lokus, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: This has been an entertaining, pulpy comic with a ton of Hong Kong-inspired action scenes and countless rogue Batmen across the globe, but it also has some very interesting and thorny issues. Last issue finally revealed the origin of the rogue sidekick Phantom-One, who shared the story of how Ghost-Maker trained him, and then left him to die when he failed. It certainly seemed like an unforgivable crime by the assassin—and Phantom-One wanted Clownhunter to strike the killing blow as part of his initiation. But it’s no surprise that there’s more to the story—and Ghost-Maker’s narrative reveals a tale of an arrogant young vigilante who caused more destruction than necessary, put countless civilians in danger, and forced his mentor to choose between saving his life and saving the lives of the innocents. The he-said, he-said structure is a very clever way to peel back the layers of this story.
Then there’s the story of the other vigilantes Phantom-One has been using as part of his plot, and they have interesting backstories as well—each being harmed at some point by the criminals that Ghost-Maker and Batman used as mentors. This is vaguely reminiscent of the concept of the First Victim and their team, but in a story where it’s even clearer that there are no “good guys.” Ghost-Maker is a ruthless assassin who is only now starting to commit to some higher principles, and Phantom-One is a reminder of what he used to be. The uneasy detente that the two groups find at the end of the issue is a nice way of driving that home, and it seems like word of this conflict might filter its way back down to Gotham City. This first arc was an excellent way to set up a huge cast of characters and position Ghost-Maker as the potential DC headliner he deserves to be.
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