Ghost-Maker leads a new era of Batman Incorporated in the dawn of this series!
Written by Ed BrissonCover by John Timms
Illustrated by John Timms
Colored by Rex Lokus
Lettered by Clayton CowlesFrom the pages of Batman comes an all-new, all-exciting adventure for Ghost-Maker and his Batman Incorporated team! The team’s trust issues and detective skills are immediately put to the test when someone from Ghost-Maker and Batman’s recent past is brutally murdered… Is this an isolated event, sending a message to the two? Or is this the start of something darker and more sinister? (Hint–it’s sinister and dark!)
The all-star creative team of Ed Brisson and John Timms chart a new future for Batman Incorporated in this exciting new ongoing series, loaded with adventure, excitement, and amazing new members and villains!
Branching out of the main “Batman” book, Ed Brisson brings Ghost-Maker and a collection of returning Batman supporting characters from various countries. The effort seems evocative of parts of Grant Morrison’s run on the stories of the Caped Crusader, but with a very different, seemingly focused bent toward new tales. In the absence of the eponymous Gotham City vigilante, far from that United States city, how does Brisson do with bringing “Batman Incorporated” #1 into focus for a new tale?
Taken on its own, “Batman Incorporated” #1 is an odd piece. While the vast majority of the eponymous team are members of the earlier incarnation, the primary focus seems to remain on Ghost-Maker himself, to the point that it appears as more of a “Ghost-Maker” series than a “Batman Incorporated” one. The plot of “Batman Incorporated” #1 primarily revolves around Ghost-Maker and people connected to him, with the team giving some commentary about his untrustworthiness and the makeup of the team itself along the way. Even the editor’s note within “Batman Incorporated” #1 directs readers back to an earlier issue of “Batman” that included Ghost-Maker’s origin arc, keeping the focus more on him than on anyone else. That said, the effort feels very strange on the whole, as the threat at play is not one that seems to require the aid of an entire team of vigilantes, being primarily focused on just Ghost-Maker (and by proxy Batman, who does not make an appearance).
About the team itself, Brisson relies on readers’ familiarity with the prior incarnation, barely even introducing the returning members. The character with the most definition, Knight, is mostly explained by way of her being in Britain, and beyond that is mostly examined through the lens of being the only woman on a predominantly male team (though that discrepancy is played for laughs in at least one instance involving another’s gung-ho attitude). Even Jiro, the Batman of Japan, is only really identified by the factors of him being a Batman who hails from and operates within Japan (albeit in a comedic way that draws attention to how he lacks a unique codename). In all, despite being ostensibly the name of the comic series, Batman Incorporated itself appears to be almost lip service to the idea of the organization. Far and wide, they are, while identified by some minor factors, not particularly intriguing in their own right. Instead of helping to reintroduce the group for a new audience, Brisson’s decision to lean on what has already been known causes them to be less interesting on the whole. By forcing readers to already know what is going on and why we should care, new readers are therefore alienated if they desire to know about the team over the relatively new addition.
The artwork provided by John Timms is very action-oriented, leaning on the speed of conflict. Even in moments of relative calm, such as conversations while standing around, the thin, quasi-rushed linework gives a sense of urgency to the entire piece, as if characters are blurred somewhat, faster than normal. Seeing as these heroes (and people of undisclosed morality) have their concealing costumes, this kind of style gives added characterization to how they seem to fit outside of normal society.
This use of speed is in direct contrast to the slower movements of the criminals that Batman Incorporated faces in each of their home countries, who seem to predominantly have their faces uncovered. While the heroes have masks covering part of or all of their faces, the bare faces of the criminal elements allow for much more detail in facial expressions, often leaning on anger or fear. As a result of being able to show this detail, Timms has the scenes focused on these characters move slower, letting the reader enjoy what is before them rather than use the hectic overall art style to push them forward. In all, while the heroes seem to be in a hurry, the focus on slower movement of the normal, non-superhero people emphasizes how these common criminals live day to day, almost helping readers to enter their perspective as gleaned through a lens in opposition to people such as Knight or Ghost-Maker.
Continued belowIn general, the fast pace of Timms’s artwork in “Batman Incorporated” #1 does some of the work in solving the problem of a lack of characterization. The semi-stylized imagery is intriguing, making even the odd banter a bit more fun and bringing some more genuine excitement to the entire debut issue as a whole.
As is typical of stories set in the overarching Batman-focused narrative, Rex Lokus uses a primarily dark color palette to emphasize how most of the physical conflicts between heroes and villains happen in the nighttime. There are bright spots or flares of light off of visors, such as those related to Ghost-Maker, but in general Lokus uses a darker shade that seems to accentuate the various figures regardless of the setting. For brighter lights, such as in a jungle or a far-off metropolitan locale, the members and apparent enemies of Batman Incorporated are still in focus, but the light seems to blend with them, oddly enough making them stand out less in spite of being theoretically better illuminated.
Final Verdict: 6.5– Despite the interesting artwork, this group seems to lack both Batman and incorporation, with little to easily draw newcomers in.
