Little Batman: Month One #1 – Morgan Evans, Writer; Jon Mikel, Artist; Ian Herring, Colorist
Ray – 8/10
Ray: “Merry Little Batman” was one of the oddest DC projects in recent years – a full-length animated movie set in an AU where an older Batman has successfully neutralized crime in Gotham and has retired to raise his son with the help of Alfred, and Damian is a hyperactive and loving grade-schooler having a normal childhood who really, really wants to follow in his dad’s footsteps. In some ways, it was very charming, and in others it felt so far afield from the characters we know that it reminded me of a kitschy unauthorized Christmas special that the Bat-kids would put on every year to annoy Bruce. But the writer, Morgan Evans (not to be confused with Kelsea Ballerini’s ex) is getting a chance to expand on his project with this miniseries with this miniseries that finds Damian settling back into normal life after helping to defeat the Joker – and wanting to get back into the fray more than ever.
Evans does a great job of capturing the irrepressible spirit of this kid, who sees his father’s mission as a grand adventure but missed out on all the grit and nastiness that it took to get there. Bruce as this friendly, burly lumberjack of a man is fun (although not the beefiest Batman anymore!) and the bond between the two of them is the best part of this issue. Bruce continues to train Damian – but with the villains neutralized, that mostly means doing tame good deeds around Gotham. It also involves learning how to navigate high society at a Wayne gala, which Damian is far from enthusiastic about – especially as he has to sit at the kids’ table and listen to other kids make fun of Little Batman. But then the outside world comes crashing in via a surprisingly intense segment, and we’re reminded that for all his bravado, Damian is very much a little kid. It’s still an odd universe, but I’m finding myself being won over by its unique vibe more and more with each installment.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
