guys icl I'm actually kind of heartbroken about howww bad the Matt Fraction Batman run is turning out 😭
First of all, this was one of the first runs I ever collected as single issues and not trades because I thought all the covers were so beautiful. The first few issues of the run made me think it was going to be an all-time favorite.
And then, of course, because nothing gold can stay, it all went to utter shit 💔
First, the positives of the run in my opinion:
The ART bro!! Shoutout to Jorge Jimenez because the art is incredible. I think the amount of emotion and life he breathes into his drawings is absolutely generational. What Dan Mora is for Superman is what Jorge Jimenez is for Batman. There are panels of this run that will FOREVER be in my brain. Honestly, when Jimenez was off the run for those two issues, it was when I kind of acknowledged to myself that the run is really really not the best 😭
I actually like the episodic feeling a lot of it has!! It makes every comic feel like its own story in a way that just makes single issues super fun. Some of the issues are honestly peak in my opinion -- #2 when Tim learns to drive the Batmobile, and #5 when there's the whole car chase thing stand out to me in particular.
Some of the new bad guys introduced are really really fun!
I actually like Annika Zeller. I know Bruce already has too many love interests as it is but she's really sweet and their chemistry is adorable.
I like that the tone of the run is overall lighter with a lot of moments of character study. It's just that the character study is kind of ass
That being said... the negatives:
The mischaracterization is RAMPANT. "People never change" - Batman??? Walking in on Damian hitting a punching bag until he bleeds and instead of comforting him or handling him carefully he just yells at him about the very thing Damian felt so guilty about??? Just in general the regression of his relationship with Damian?? Batman being in a coffee shop in broad daylight?? Tim leaving for a relationship even though he's famously workaholic about crime fighting??? The handling of Talia Al Ghul??? And those are just the ones coming to mind first and foremost :(
The run doesn't really feel like it's... going anywhere. It's like when you read old comic runs and they say they're going to continue the events in the next issue but they almost immediately just do something else instead?? Like especially the stuff with Joker popping up and then going away was wild. As much as I dig the episodic vibe it's just weird that it doesn't feel like it's building towards anything but pretends like it is.
Overall, I think the best issue of this run was actually the very first one. If that tone and quality had been kept up, I would love this run as much as absolutely WANT to love it. And, obviously, if you love this run I'm not trying to yuck anyone's yums. You're totally entitled to your own opinion and honestly I think if I wasn't attached to the prior characterization of these figures I wouldn't be mad either. Honestly, even if just for the art I might keep collecting it. I just hope the feedback gets back to Fraction and he rights some of his wrongs. I DO think he's clearly a talented writer, he just doesn't understand these characters or their dynamics. I've loved several other runs of other comics he's done (like Hawkeye and Sex Criminals) but this one just blows and I can't keep sticking my hands in my ears going "LALALALA" about it anymore.
