Gotham’s Police Commissioner, Vandal Savage, is out for blood. Between taking over Wayne Manor and framing Batman for killing a cop, he’s a problem that needs solving, and like any good detective, Bruce does his research. Batman #8, brought to us by Matt Fraction and fill-in artist Ryan Sook, brings in the original Green Lantern, Alan Scott, to help piece together the puzzle that is Gotham’s immortal Commissioner.
Issue #8 is a story of three conversations. First, we have a political meeting between two seats of power in Gotham occupied by villains. Mayor Pamela Isley invites Commissioner Vandal Savage for a conversation about an old proposal she came across to declare war against Batman. It’s radical, sure, but she’s built her platform on “radical” and wants to give Vandal Savage a chance to make his case.
Meanwhile, Jack Dean and Huston Gray, an old reporter and a young witness to Vandal Savage’s deceptive actions, talk about morality and how, ultimately, you either hurt people or help them. Lastly, Bruce Wayne approaches the first-ever hero to face Vandal Savage, Alan Scott, in the hopes of cracking whatever goal Savage is hoping to achieve. Though the conversations all happen separately, they all come back to one thing: the constant struggle between good and bad in Gotham.
- Title: Batman #8
- Creative Team: Matt Fraction (Writer), Ryan Sook (Artist), and Tomeu Morey (Colors)
- Characters: Batman (Bruce Wayne), Alan Scott (Green Lantern), Mayor Pamela Isley (Poison Ivy), Jack Dean, and Huston Gray
- Villain: Commissioner Vandal Savage
- Format: Ongoing Series (Relaunch)
- Our Rating: 6.5/10 Stars
Why Does Batman #8 Ignore the Issue #7 Cliffhanger?
First, I need to address my primary complaint out of the gate: this issue does not follow up on the end of issue #7 at all. Matt Fraction’s run has been largely episodic, which has been a strength of the series overall. It makes each individual issue stand out even when isolated from the rest of the series and makes the larger overarching narratives more impactful when they happen. It still feels like we’re waiting for something more.
It seemed like Issue 7 was going to be a bit of that turning point, a throughline and cliffhanger that had to be addressed immediately, but there’s nothing of the sort. Not even a passing mention of his conversation with the Joker, not so much as a panel. There’s a couple of inferences that can be made between the end of the last issue and this one, but it nonetheless just feels like a glaring oversight.
How Do Matt Fraction and Ryan Sook Handle the Golden Age Connection?
With that frustration out of the way, addressing Issue #8 on its own merits rather than where it falls in the rest of the run, it’s solid enough. Fraction calling back to the first appearance of Vandal Savage back in the Golden Age of comics is a lovely touch, and it’s great to see Alan Scott interact with the larger DC Universe. The way Fraction writes the dynamic between Batman and Alan is equally compelling and endearing as the two superheroes strategize over coffee at a diner. The other two conversations of the issue, while not quite as compelling, do offer character exploration.
It’s great to see Poison Ivy show up as the Mayor of Gotham, though I do wish she had a bit more to say in the conversation, which ended up feeling more one-sided. Jack Dean and Huston Gray also have an overarching conversation about morality, which is well-written, even if it lacks concrete impact on the story as a whole.
Does Ryan Sook’s Art Style Fit the Current Batman Relaunch?
This also marks the first issue of the relaunch, with fill-in artist Ryan Sook partnering with the series’ regular colorist, Tomeu Morey. Sook does do some beautiful work on this issue; the introduction of Alan Scott is a lot of fun, and there is an absolutely stunning splash page in the conversation with Vandal Savage and Poison Ivy, but ultimately, I do think there’s a bit of a disconnect between the writing and the art. Fraction loves to write extended conversations and does so masterfully, but it really benefits from a simpler style.
Compare the diner scene between Alan and Bruce to the opening of Issue #6, and it’s clear just how much Jiménez’s exaggerated (almost cartoony) style adds to the book’s vision and these otherwise static scenes. Ryan Sook is a phenomenal artist, but his style does bounce off of this book notably. This also shows in the colors, which just don’t feel right on Sook’s art. Maybe this is a personal nitpick, but Morey’s love of putting almost a blush on everyone’s noses feels especially discordant when paired with Sook’s art.
Verdict: Should you buy Batman #8?
Batman #8 is an odd case. No one on this book is doing a poor job, not by any means, but it never really comes together. Between the writing feeling out of sync with the events of the previous issue and the clash between Ryan Sook’s style and the rest of the book, it ends up feeling like the weakest issue of Fraction’s run so far. A lull in an otherwise phenomenal relaunch of the series.
