The Batman (Issue #7): A Slightly Lost But Beautiful Soul Finds its Perfect Home

 

When midnight comes and the day can no longer be denied, people approach the conquest of their Wednesday in a plethora of unique ways. Some picture a desert—endless and infinite. This sand-covered hellscape proves time and again that it holds the world's most honest economy. It is measured not by census data, but by overwhelming rivers of crimson blood and salt-coated waves of human tears, shimmering as they meet the blinding rays of a horrid, torturous sun. This nightmare’s primary import is lost souls; its only export is death.

Some shout, "Hump day!" desperately trying to inflect hope. Others whimper, "We are only halfway, Steve..." before collapsing from exhaustion.

But a brave few adore this day to a point bordering worship. I consider Wednesday the one day I fully allow myself to wake up and live as intended—a giddy man prepared to transform into my real self. I become the turbo-nerd comic boy-man, free of the cumbersome adult mask I wear to conduct business, take my children to school, and wave to the neighbors. This "family man" cowl is a heavy, necessary burden for the survival of my offspring, but I love shedding it. In short: I love comics, and I really love great comics on Comic Day.

​ To put it another way: this Batman—the non-legacy numbered (yet) rinse-clone-keep-the-outfit-only and maybe Joker (but it better be good! Look at Snyder! His Joker is Satan! Literally Satan! Shape-shifting Satan! He even hates jokes! Beat that!)—is just starting to feel like it has some real life to it; maybe even a soul. This issue shows off the kind of writing that I always love to experience from Mr. Fraction; his works have always been [s*x]criminally great (shout out to my man-crush, Mr. Zdarsky). 

 

        

Also, in one bold statement, Jorge Jimenez is spectacular in both his artistry and his quality with his speed never suffering from the huge demand for his hand that he relentlessly delivers with not an ounce of diminishing return.

The first handful of issues could have easily become a "Bat-mess" trope-fest in the hands of a lesser writer. But the subtle pivots here are giving me "the feels" similar to that famous turn in issue six of Invincible. That is a very great thing. I will once again don my heavy cowl and blend in with the general populace, waiting in great anticipation for the next issue.

The Final Verdict: A Mandatory Pull

This isn't just another retread of the Cape and Cowl; this issue is the moment the series finds its pulse. If you’ve been hovering on the fence, waiting for a sign that this run has something meaningful to say—this is your signal.

I am officially "all in," with my fingers crossed that this momentum only continues to build. If the storytelling remains this sharp and the emotional pivots stay this purposeful, we aren't just looking at a good Batman story—we’re looking at a definitive one.

Now, it’s time for me to pull that heavy "family man" cowl back over my head and return to the civilian grind. But you can bet I’ll be counting down the seconds until the next Wednesday sun rises.