REVIEW: ‘I Am Batman,’ Issue #2

I Am Batman #2 is written by John Ridley, illustrated by Stephen Segovia, colored by Rex Lokus, and lettered by ALW’s Troy Peteri. It is published by DC Comics. Following up on the end of the first issue, Jace Fox hunts down the mysterious Seer, unaware that he has other problems. Seer has convinced a group of Gotham’s citizens to form the “Moral Authority”-and take justice into their own hands, by any means necessary. One member of the Moral Authority has already killed the villain known as Anarky, and now they are setting their sights on the new Batman.

This issue is also billed as being part of the Fear State event, though that connection is tangential at best. Scarecrow is only mentioned in a passing line of dialogue, and this series has been confirmed to be taking place at the beginning of the DC Future State timeline. While I have no problem with series having tie-ins to line-wide events in comic book publishing, those tie-ins should have a substantial link to said event. Otherwise, they should just continue to stand on their own. I do appreciate that Ridley tackles the nature of fear in his script: Jace learns that much like the original Batman, he can use fear to his advantage and the Moral Authority formed out of a fear of the masked beings who prowl the streets and the influence of the Magistrate.

Segovia takes over from artist Olivier Coipel, and his artwork is a sight to behold. Images from the book include Jace descending from the shadows, his cape fluttering around him and his eyes narrowed in a cold glare. The fight scenes between Batman and the members of the Moral Authority are immensely brutal; Batman uses an assailant’s momentum against him and stabs a knife into his leg, then steps on the thug’s leg in order to wring information out of him. Another sequence features Batman diving through the air on his motorcycle and ejecting one of his retractable batons, striking an opponent in the face. Suffice it to say, Segovia has a flair for dynamic action.

What adds to the dynamic artwork is Lokus’ colors. The majority of the book takes place at night, using darker colors for the streets and the fatigues the Moral Authority wears. Batman himself feels like a shadow come to life, which compliments his ability to strike fear into the hearts of criminals. And the word captions often switch color, depending on the narrator: the Moral Authority uses green, while Jace’s captions are grey with black lettering.

I Am Batman #2 may not be a big part of the Fear State storyline, but it still manages to delve deep into Jace Fox’s mindset as Batman. With the issue ending with the promise of a confrontation between Jace and the Moral Authority, the new Dark Knight has his work cut out for him. And hopefully, the next issue will feature stronger ties to Fear State.

I Am Batman #2 is available wherever comics are sold.