Batman #4 – Matt Fraction, Writer; Jorge Jimenez, Artist; Tomeu Morey, Colorist
Ray – 9.5/10
Ray: Matt Fraction’s run so far has been fascinating in its structure, with each issue taking on a very different tone and style, but a larger story is starting to come together. This run is all about the evolution of Gotham – for good and for bad. On the good side, you have Dr. Annika Zeller, who is working with Arkham’s villains and revolutionizing mental health treatment in Gotham with her Crown of Storms, a device that can calm troubled minds without affecting brain function, and worked wonders on Riddler last issue. Now, Bruce Wayne has taken an interest and wants to work with her – and maybe have a more social connection. I’m usually fairly skeptical of any new love interests for Batman given what a long shadow Catwoman and Talia cast, but this is an interesting dynamic we really haven’t seen before, and Zeller is an intriguing and likable character so far.
But for every light in Gotham, there has to be a darkness – and that darkness comes in the form of the Minotaur, a powerful new criminal mastermind who has slowly taken control of the city’s organized crime scene through the most powerful tool around – banks and stock markets. He’s overseeing a collection of seven criminal families, each of which is on the verge of war with the others, and he knows exactly how to manipulate them to his interests. His control over Gotham is growing, and it runs afoul of Anarky – Lonnie Machin, back from the dead without explanation. The teen criminal radical is terrified, something that’s rare for him, and we see why once the Minotaur makes clear to the other criminal leaders exactly how he plans to ensure compliance. This is a great example of how to introduce a new villain and raise the stakes for the entire run going forward as a result.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes
