Batman #5 – Matt Fraction, Writer; Jorge Jimenez, Artist; Tomeu Morey, Colorist
Ray – 9.5/10
Ray: Every issue of Matt Fraction’s Batman has been a done-in-one adventure – of sorts – but he’s also doing a great job of adding new characters and ongoing subplots that weave from issue to issue. And the most significant new addition is Dr. Anika Zeller, a brilliant scientist who is doing what few have tried in Gotham – actually addressing Gotham’s crime and mental illness epidemic at its roots, with a combination of therapy and technology. She’s impressed Batman and Bruce – so much that he’s asked her out to dinner. Whether this is a date or not is ambiguous, but she certainly thinks so, and the two head off – only to be interrupted by an army of assassins led by a mystery villain, one who has recently had her name changed but may still have ties to one of Batman’s deadliest foes. And so begins the most intense and action-packed issue of Fraction and Jimenez’s run yet.
Aside from our mostly silent assassin lady, this issue doesn’t have too many characters, but it does have a very fun dynamic. It’s mostly about Anika and Bruce – who is out of costume the whole time – trying to survive, while Bruce saves the day as best he can without giving away that he’s actually Batman. This is something that’s been missing from the Bat-books for a long time, with Bruce Wayne’s secret identity being sparingly used at most. But here we get a fun update of the classic “Brucie Wayne” persona, casual but still competent, as he actually forms a new relationship with a woman he respects in both guises. But that dual relationship makes it trickier as he tries to help them both survive the onslaught of assassins. The stakes are high, but the tone is light – and then comes the final page, which has a twist ending and reveal that I really didn’t see coming but it’s kind of amazing it’s never happened until now.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes
