Review: Batman #4

My latest review has been posted to PopMatters.com. This one looks at the fourth issue of Batman.

To say the new volume of Batman is engaging is at best an understatement. The title in this New 52 period has been at times thrilling, at times thought-provoking and at times scary. But after three issues, the pacing must slow to allow readers to catch their breaths and also allow for the plot to set it hooks in the depths of the reader’s imagination. With issue four, Batman stops only briefly to let everyone in on what has become obvious – this “new” Batman is excellent.

In many ways the foundation for Batman has been to mix action, adventure, crime, horror and superheroes. The resulting framework has allowed for an aesthetic and tone that feels dangerous and spine-tingling at every page turn. There’s freshness to this 70-plus-year-old character that hasn’t been felt in a long time.

Much of that is due to a strong sense of character development in these early issues. This latest chapter expands on that, offering insight into just how this plot interacts with the character of Bruce Wayne and his alter-ego Batman.

Read my full review: Batman 4 is Character Development on Display