Batman Reptilian #1 Review
Writer – Garth Ennis
Art – Liam Sharp
Letters – Rob Steen
Publisher – DC Comics Black Label
I know what you are thinking, “really? Another Batman series?” And while there may be quite a few Batman titles out there right now, I promise you this is not just “another” Batman title. The creative team assembled for this series alone sets it apart from others with The Bous co-creator Garth Ennis writing the story and former Green Langern artist Liam Sharp coming off of one of the biggest Kickstarter campaigns ever, this book is jam packed full of mind boggling talent that separates this book from anything else out there.
Quick and Dirty is the name of this first chapter and I couldn’t think of a better way to describe this issue. Right from the beginning, Ennis delivers a Batman we don’t normally see, with the Dark Knight right up in the face of a monster trying to rattle his feathers to show he is more than what his attorney and the system have made him out to be. It’s not common to see the Bat involved in such a high profile way but as the story progresses, we learn very fast that this is not the Batman we have come to know. This Gotham is a much more dark and violent city and it’s Batman has been adapted to fit into it. As far as events, there really aren’t that many in this issue but the overall presentation of events is put together beautifully as Ennis uses the issue mainly for character development to show us the type of Batman we’re going to be seeing in the series as well as the twisted events we can expect. Ennis even goes as far as using Batman’s number one rule to entice fear in his enemies, when it’s usually used as a kind of buffer for peace and not crossing the line between hero and villain. It’s truly a quick and dirty story that not only excites the reader, but draws into true fear of the unknown and gives us just a taste of how mature this series is going to be. A true Ennis move to expose readers right away to show them what kind of world to expect and it does not disappoint.
With a story as dark and muddy as Reptilian, they couldn’t have picked a better artist than Liam Sharp to really bring the story to life before readers eyes. Sharp really goes above and beyond in this first issue, creating a lot of dark imagery that really reflects a nightmare almost, Sharp’s character designs are semi-realistic where it counts but he adds a dark twist to the characters at the same time, rivaling even the dark designs of the Tim Burton Batman world. The same feeling is echoed throughout Sharp’s design for Gotham as well, creating a dark ambience and horrifying aesthetic for these characters to exist in. Sharp uses a paint like style in this series which is another genius move as it delivers the cherry on top in a ways for the overall tone and emotions in bringing the story to life visually. Sharp also serves as the series colorist, which allows him to truly go all in with his designs and really sell that feeling of darkness and horror in his work. The pages and panels of this issue are just phenomenal overall and as a fan myself, I would buy up the originals in a heart beat as they are so obscure but just beautiful at the same time,
Overall, Batman Reptilian #1 checks all the boxes I could ask for in a Batman comic and adds it’s own boxes I never could have imagined needing. A dark and mature story that Ennis opens up with right away to give readers a taste of what to expect in upcoming issues and art that resembles that of a true nightmare that you don’t want to wake up from. I could easily see this series being one of the best Batman comics of this year for mature comic lovers as well as Batman fans in general.
Batman Reptilian #1 is available now so make sure to add it to the top of your read pile as this is one you do not want to wait on.
Let us know what you thought of the issue by leaving your comments below!
-WesGreer
Art – Liam Sharp
Letters – Rob Steen
Publisher – DC Comics Black Label
I know what you are thinking, “really? Another Batman series?” And while there may be quite a few Batman titles out there right now, I promise you this is not just “another” Batman title. The creative team assembled for this series alone sets it apart from others with The Bous co-creator Garth Ennis writing the story and former Green Langern artist Liam Sharp coming off of one of the biggest Kickstarter campaigns ever, this book is jam packed full of mind boggling talent that separates this book from anything else out there.
Quick and Dirty is the name of this first chapter and I couldn’t think of a better way to describe this issue. Right from the beginning, Ennis delivers a Batman we don’t normally see, with the Dark Knight right up in the face of a monster trying to rattle his feathers to show he is more than what his attorney and the system have made him out to be. It’s not common to see the Bat involved in such a high profile way but as the story progresses, we learn very fast that this is not the Batman we have come to know. This Gotham is a much more dark and violent city and it’s Batman has been adapted to fit into it. As far as events, there really aren’t that many in this issue but the overall presentation of events is put together beautifully as Ennis uses the issue mainly for character development to show us the type of Batman we’re going to be seeing in the series as well as the twisted events we can expect. Ennis even goes as far as using Batman’s number one rule to entice fear in his enemies, when it’s usually used as a kind of buffer for peace and not crossing the line between hero and villain. It’s truly a quick and dirty story that not only excites the reader, but draws into true fear of the unknown and gives us just a taste of how mature this series is going to be. A true Ennis move to expose readers right away to show them what kind of world to expect and it does not disappoint.
With a story as dark and muddy as Reptilian, they couldn’t have picked a better artist than Liam Sharp to really bring the story to life before readers eyes. Sharp really goes above and beyond in this first issue, creating a lot of dark imagery that really reflects a nightmare almost, Sharp’s character designs are semi-realistic where it counts but he adds a dark twist to the characters at the same time, rivaling even the dark designs of the Tim Burton Batman world. The same feeling is echoed throughout Sharp’s design for Gotham as well, creating a dark ambience and horrifying aesthetic for these characters to exist in. Sharp uses a paint like style in this series which is another genius move as it delivers the cherry on top in a ways for the overall tone and emotions in bringing the story to life visually. Sharp also serves as the series colorist, which allows him to truly go all in with his designs and really sell that feeling of darkness and horror in his work. The pages and panels of this issue are just phenomenal overall and as a fan myself, I would buy up the originals in a heart beat as they are so obscure but just beautiful at the same time,
Overall, Batman Reptilian #1 checks all the boxes I could ask for in a Batman comic and adds it’s own boxes I never could have imagined needing. A dark and mature story that Ennis opens up with right away to give readers a taste of what to expect in upcoming issues and art that resembles that of a true nightmare that you don’t want to wake up from. I could easily see this series being one of the best Batman comics of this year for mature comic lovers as well as Batman fans in general.
Batman Reptilian #1 is available now so make sure to add it to the top of your read pile as this is one you do not want to wait on.
Let us know what you thought of the issue by leaving your comments below!
-WesGreer
A Look Inside
