Batman Rebirth #1
Written by Tom King
Scott Snyder
Art by Mikel Janin
Ladies and gentlemen, raise your batarangs. To new beginnings! After months of talk and speculation, Rebirth is finally here and we are getting a glimpse of a brand new DC Universe. Whether you were a fan of the last few years or not, there is no debate that Scott Snyder was the constant, gold standard of those years with his work on Batman. Enter Rebirth, and enter former CIA agent Tom King to work with the World’s Greatest Detective. So what is so different about this book?
From the very beginning, you can sense a different tone. There’s a new attitude for Batman, and it seems, a different outlook. Right away we get thrown into the deep end with Calendar Man (which isn’t a spoiler, because it’s in the solicitation.) While Batman is dealing with that, there is a BIG reveal about a MAJOR Bat villain that I will not reveal here. You get the sense that this may be the springboard for the beginning of a new story, and it’s a big one. We also see another familiar face from the Batman mythos, but in a very different role. MINOR SPOILER… If you’ve read Batman And Robin Eternal or We Are Robin, you should be familiar with who it is. It’s in the interactions between Bruce and this character that we get something we don’t normally get from Batman…hope and cooperation. I’m not sure if this is a new leaf, or new operating procedure, but it is certainly a tenor that we have not had in a long time. In true one-shot fashion, we do get a conclusion to the Calendar Man story, but we also get a feel of what’s to come.
From the very beginning, you can sense a different tone. There’s a new attitude for Batman, and it seems, a different outlook. Right away we get thrown into the deep end with Calendar Man (which isn’t a spoiler, because it’s in the solicitation.) While Batman is dealing with that, there is a BIG reveal about a MAJOR Bat villain that I will not reveal here. You get the sense that this may be the springboard for the beginning of a new story, and it’s a big one. We also see another familiar face from the Batman mythos, but in a very different role. MINOR SPOILER… If you’ve read Batman And Robin Eternal or We Are Robin, you should be familiar with who it is. It’s in the interactions between Bruce and this character that we get something we don’t normally get from Batman…hope and cooperation. I’m not sure if this is a new leaf, or new operating procedure, but it is certainly a tenor that we have not had in a long time. In true one-shot fashion, we do get a conclusion to the Calendar Man story, but we also get a feel of what’s to come.
The second I saw Tom King’s name attached to the character, I was perfectly at ease. His work so far just screams Batman, and this is a man who knows how to write this character. It’s hard to follow someone like Snyder, but you really get a sense that everything is going to be just fine. You also get that sense from Bruce himself, which is really a welcome change after what he’s been through with Zero Year and End Game recently. Mikel Janin is such a striking artist, I can’t help but selfishly wish he were staying on for the main run. I really cannot wait to see where the story goes from here, especially with the reveal that I just cannot spoil for you. A solid start to one of the anchors of the upcoming Rebirth.
RATING: PULL / BUY