Bruce Wayne and Doctor Zeller are on a date! No, they’re not! Or wait, yes, they are? No, no I don’t think they are. I’d ask them, but a) they’re fictional and b) it seems they can’t decide either. In Batman #5, readers can ring in the new year by seeing zero Batman but 100% suave Bruce Wayne. This issue is funny to come a month before Valentine’s Day, because it’s one of the most fun and charming issues of Batman I’ve read in a while. Here, we see Bruce and Dr. Zeller maybe/maybe not go on a date before being ambushed by ninjas and a new character, mysterious Ōjō, created by Matt Fraction and Jorge Jiménez is also introduced as a new threat. But the question is, who is she a threat to? Bruce or Dr. Zeller?
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This issue is one of the rare examples where a book thrives on being fast paced. While some books that move this quickly feel too rushed and suffer as a result, this one doesn’t. Seeing Bruce drive what looks a lot like the Neal Adams Batmobile, but as his muscle car, feels like the perfect vehicle for a high-speed car chase with a potential date who may or may not become a villain. Throughout the story, we see the pair become forced into a corner with Bruce in a less-than-ideal situation to don his cape and cowl. As a result, the issue’s pacing feels very fitting as the story is built on the premise of Bruce being stuck between a rock and a hard place as he’s forced into conflict while being unable to do much of substance about it. As the story unfolds, the tension all but ripples off the pages throughout the issue, making for a very captivating story.
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Jorge Jiménez and Tomeu Morey, how I love your art together. Jorge Jiménez’s animated art style serves the issue well – high-stakes fight scenes are drawn with a sharp swiftness that helps illustrate how rushed Bruce feels as he only has moments to protect his secret identity. Additionally, Morey’s colors help light up the night’s sky and fill it with vibrant life. Also, I would be remiss if I didn’t talk about Ōjō’s incredible design. While we don’t know much about Ōjō yet, I really appreciate how Jiménez and Morey ensured the character had an intriguing character design and fighting style that doesn’t overly reveal what her motives or background may be. Altogether, the story was full of spectacular art and introduced an exciting new character that remains a bit of a question mark.
Batman #5 is a very captivating example of how fun comics can be. I was very curious what direction Matt Fraction would take the series, and I can truthfully say I am going to stick around for this fun ride. With one more issue left in the series’ first arc, Batman has felt fun again. While the episodic narrative direction of the series may not be for everyone, I like it. I don’t have to scratch my head wondering what happened last month. Instead, every issue has been self-contained while picking up on only the necessary threads from its predecessor. And when read as a whole, the series feels very energetic and hopeful. To put it another way, this series feels like the comic embodiment of Batman: The Animated Series. And this issue is just another example of why readers should rush to their local comic bookstore every month to read Batman.
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