Batman #8 – Matt Fraction, Writer; Ryan Sook, Artist; Tomeu Morey, Colorist
Ray – 9.5/10
Ray: A new era begins in Gotham, as Matt Fraction’s Batman catches up with all the recent status quo changes. One Robin has quit, one may be estranged from Batman after a harsh confrontation between them, and Joker has been found – and warned Batman that something far worse is coming. But Batman’s biggest new threat might come from the towers of Gotham. Police Commissioner Vandal Savage, secretly an immortal barbarian with a blood grudge against superheroes, was only slightly restrained by the Mayor’s authority. But now, the Mayor is Pamela Isley (in a twist that has still not been fully explained), and he’s ready to make a pitch to her that it’s time for the city to devote its full power and authority to bringing Batman and Robin in dead or alive. While Ivy has made a lot of strides towards being an antihero, she seems to be backsliding now – and the idea of open season seems very tempting to her.
This story is told through three different subplots. The first, the parlay between Savage and Ivy, carries the most plot weight, while another follows an old Black man leading a youth home on the subway as they observe the disturbing changes in Gotham. The third, though, is the one that hints the most at what’s to come. An axe-wielding gang tries to rob an older man, only to discover that it’s Alan Scott when they’re disarmed by green energy. Batman emerges to invite Alan out to a cup of coffee at a local diner so they can discuss strategy. Alan Scott, of course, has encountered Savage many times before, and there’s an incredible two-page spread by Ryan Sook as he explains what makes Savage so dangerous against a backdrop of the many lives Savage has lived over fifty thousand years, all bookended by violence. This run has been very promising so far, and now it seems like it’s about to hit a new gear of intensity.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes
