Batman #106 Review

by Wes Greer on March 02, 2021

Writer – James Tynion IV
Art – Jorge Jimenez 
Colors – Tomeu Morey
Letters – Clayton Cowles
Publisher – DC Comics




Well, it’s been an interesting last two months with DC putting all of their focus into Future State and while Future State has been a fun new take on these characters we all now and love, I’m excited to get back into the main titles and Batman #106 is an exciting way to get back to the main line. 

Batman #106 starts a fresh new storyline for the series after the Joker War and Ghost Maker arcs kind of threw readers all over the place and had lots of mixed reception. With the launch of Infinite Frontier however, Batman seems to be on a fresh new course and I couldn’t be more excited for the new direction Tynion is taking the story. This issue serves as a new beginning not only for the series, but as well as a new Batman who has had to change everything about his operations. With Bruce losing his fortune due to the events of Joker War, we see a Batman who has had to start from scratch and the way Tynion has set it up is an interesting new take on the character that we haven’t really seen before. In this issue, we see a new Batmobile that appears to have been put together by Bruce himself, as well as a new base of operations which we find out is just his garage. Granted, he is not the billionaire he once was, it still looks like Bruce is living better than most and Tynion sets up an example of this in the story with one of his neighbors which I think is a clever addition to build the story beyond the basics for readers. The story of the issue bounces from one point in time to another as well which I feel is an interesting take and is an exciting build up for the reader as Tynion lays down the ground work to inform readers on how the story got to the point in which it starts, a classic how did we get here method of story telling that he executes beautifully, leaving room for future development in the story. I also noticed a lot more adult themed language in this issue than previous ones. There is no direct swearing but there is a lot more than usual with the swear words being spelled out with bats vs the usual method of scrambled characters and we see this several times in this issue where previous issues may have done it once or twice Max. This issue also gives us a glimpse at what some of the other characters in the bat family are up to now, including Harley who makes a brief cameo in her new design from her new ongoing series. The issue reads a lot more like Tynion’s creator owned stories and I can honestly say that I am excited after reading this to see where Tynion is going to take the series as it feels he has a bit more control than he has on previous arcs.

The art of the issue is simply stunning. I know that’s a pretty simple term to use in a review of a comic but it’s true. Jorge Jimenez returns to Batman with this issue after a brief absence following his work on Joker War and with a fresh new story, you couldn’t ask for a better artist to come in than Jimenez. His work in Joker War was some of the best visuals we’ve seen to date and is honestly what kept me involved in the entire arc as the story I felt fell flat. If you thought what Jimenez delivered in Joker War was top tier, this issue sees him raise his own bar again. The character designs have all been fine tuned with even more detail and anatomy and Gotham has received a facelift as well. You can tell Jimenez has really found his grove with this world and has added even more time and energy into bringing it to life his second go around. The complete work is just flawless and I can only imagine it will continue to get more and more refined as the seroes profresses. Tomeu Morey also returns for the coloring of the series and his colors are the chefs kiss to the overall visual of the story with his brilliant highlights and sales that bring Gotham Coty to life and echoes the realistic tones of a dark city and truly delivers readers a realistic visual. The lettering by Clayton Cowles is easily read and very fluid throughout the issue, making it a simple read through for readers without any hesitation. An all around incredible job by this creative team that creates a beautiful and cohesive visual. 

Overall, Batman #106 is the Batman issue we’ve been waiting for Tynion to deliver. It echoes the feelings of his creator owned work that blends incredible well with the world of Gotham and leaves readers satisfied and excited for the story moving forward with a stunning overall visual from Jimenez and Morey that brings the emotions of the story to life visually, bringing Tynion’s story to life. Batman #106 is available today so hop into your batmobiles and head over to your local comic shop to jump into the beginning of a new adventure in Gotham! 

Be sure to let us know what you thought of the issue by leaving your comments below 

-Wes Greer

 

Our Score:

8/10

A Look Inside