Batman vol 1 by Tom King

Batman (2016), Vol 1: I am Gotham, illustrated by David Finch and Mikel Janin

Batman saves a little boy and his parents right before they’re killed in the same manner as his own parents, and, in turn, the little boy grows up wanting to be just like Batman. He and his sister become Gotham and Gotham girl and fight crime trying to save the city. Batman isn't sure if he can trust them, so he puts them through some training and tests to see if they're superhero material.  Wouldn't it be nice to have Justice League - level superheroes right in Gotham, rather than having to call Superman and Wonder Woman all the time?

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This first volume of the Batman Rebirth storyline seems like a run-of-the-mill Batman story, with nothing earth-shattering or timeline-altering. But a volume one of Batman cannot resist reliving how Bruce's parents met their end.  Rather than rehashing Bruce's story, though, we get a slightly different version of it applied to another young boy's parents. There's not much about volume one that will carry over into volume two, so hopefully, we'll see more set up of the overarching story relatively soon. 

The art is also very typical of Batman comics with a few double-page spreads of great detail and richly colored.  As with many Batman titles, there is some violence and blood, but there isn't much of the psychological thriller component that usually accompany Batman storylines.

Sara's Rating: 6/10
​Suitability Level: Grades 9-12

Publisher: DC Comics
Publication Date: January 11, 2017​
ISBN: 9781401267773 (Paperback)

Tags: Rating: 6/10, Suitability: High School, Comicbooks, Superheroes, DC Comics ​