Since its relaunch back in September, the highly anticipated Batman run by Matt Fraction and Jorge Jiménez has been largely episodic. A couple of one-off stories that, while building upon one another, have stuck with smaller scale plots that are wrapped up in an issue. Batman #6, however, bucks this trend by building heavily on every element set up thus far while providing promises for the future.
Following the disaster date between Bruce Wayne and scientist Annika Zeller, Batman has much more on his plate. Between Damian Wayne casually calling Bruce “Father” in front of Zeller to GCPD corruption being at an all-time high, this issue shows the mounting and overwhelming amount of evil plots and emotional conflict that Bruce has to deal with on a day-to-day basis. As Huston Gray goes to Harvey Bullock with proof of Vandal Savage’s corruption, Hugo Strange breaks off from his criminal allies after their failed assassination of Dr. Zeller in the previous issue. On the personal side of things, Bruce struggles to understand how to reign in Damian while Tim Drake looks to retire from the Robin mantle to pursue a future with Bernard. To cap off the issue, we even get a peek into the life of Dr. Zeller, who seems to be attempting to rehabilitate none other than the Joker himself.
How Does Batman #6 Advance the Matt Fraction Storyline?
Wow, Matt Fraction does not waste a single page in this issue. Acting as almost more of a filler issue, Batman #6 has to do a lot of heavy lifting compared to the issues around it. It both checks in on a number of floating plot points while also throwing in new elements like the Joker, conflict with Damian (including his acceptance to Gotham University), and Tim’s retirement. It’s frantic and for a single issue can definitely come across as unfocused, but it’s made all too apparent by the end of the issue that it was Fraction’s intent, ending with Bruce remarking “God. What a night.”
As a result, Fraction perfectly masks the scattered nature of the issue as a look at Bruce’s life. How overwhelming the moving pieces can be and how hard it is to keep up. The pacing is also saved by Fraction’s use of beat panels and moments of silence to contrast the constant flow of new or developing information. Even at its most hectic, it never feels totally unapproachable.
The Visual Impact of Jorge Jiménez and Tomeu Morey
At this point, it’s not controversial to say that Jorge Jiménez is one of the best Batman artists to touch the main series. His style has developed along each run, each better than the last, and these most recent issues have been no exception. The character designs are cartoonish with just enough realism to ground the stories, and the figure work and posing remains as incredible as always. Where the art is especially impactful is in the action. The scene of Batman fighting Hugo Strange’s monsters is weighty and kinetic in every panel.
There is a degree of dissonance, however, in the designs Jiménez has for both Damian and Tim, who feel especially young despite the writing and plot beats giving both a strong degree of maturity and growth. It’s just a bit bizarre to see Damian looking so young while also having a college acceptance letter sitting in his trash.
Tomeu Morey on colors is doing spectacular work, giving a brighter and more vibrant aesthetic for Gotham than we’ve ever seen before. Though the series remains largely grounded in bold Earth tones, there is plenty of contrast, especially in the newest iteration of the Batsuit going back to the classic blue. The specific shade that Morey uses on the suit is nothing short of iconic and bold and is a big part of why this direction for Batman works as well as it does. The lettering by Clayton Cowles does a solid job of conveying the information needed, opting to not ever take attention away from the art or story.
Final Verdict: Is Batman #6 Worth Reading?
Batman #6 is an excellent continuation of Fraction’s run as it starts to pull in even more elements from prior issues to help the run feel more connected than it had in the past. It does a lot of the dirty work that was necessary for the series, and though it doesn’t make for a thrilling single issue, the work it does to prop up what came before and what’s to come after is more than enough to keep the momentum going forward.
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‘Batman’ #6 | Matt Fraction and Jorge Jiménez Redefine Gotham Chaos
Batman #6 is an excellent continuation of Fraction’s run as it starts to pull in even more elements from prior issues to help the run feel more connected than it had in the past. It does a lot of the dirty work that was necessary for the series, and though it doesn’t make for a thrilling single issue, the work it does to prop up what came before and what’s to come after is more than enough to keep the momentum going forward.
