After finding a highly decomposed body in a small apartment, Batman must enter the mind of the dead to determine who killed him. Minor spoilers for The Batman’s Grave #1 follow.
“Who needs another Batman series?” That’s probably what most people were thinking when they heard The Batman’s Grave announced. Just on comic stands right now there’s Batman, Detective Comics, Batman: Curse of the White Knight, Batman/Superman, Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III, Batman vs. Ra’s al Ghul, Batman: Universe, plus so many Batman adjacent series. There’s nothing wrong with one thinking that there doesn’t need to be another Batman series. Since there is though, it’s great that it’s being helmed by Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch, the creators of one the best comics series ever The Authority. And after reading this first issue, there’s a lot going for this series and it feels wholly different than most every other Bat-book on the stands right now.
For all intents and purposes, this series feels much more like a Black Label series than the main continuity Bat-title. It’s hard to put into words, but it just feels, different. This is the Batman and Gotham that we know and yet, it’s not. They feel familiar, yet not quite the same. It creates this uneasy feeling while reading that is absolutely perfect for what this book is going for. It’s attempting to set you down into a comfortable feeling, but instead, you know bad things are going to happen. As the name implies, if Batman isn’t dead by the end of this 12-issue series, it’ll be shocking.
The main part of this issue though has to do with Batman actually being a detective or, as they put it in this issue, thinking like the victim. How they portray Batman’s process for solving the crime, as well as finding the perpetrator, has been done before. In fact, where the murderer is found is reminiscent of an episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine. The difference is how it’s executed. It focuses on Bruce’s obsession and his ability to feel empathy. It’s something that is shown very often, but that’s why he’s such a great detective. He thinks like the victim therefore finds empathy in their problems, which helps lead to finding those that hurt them. It’s a brilliant way to execute something that has been done countless times.
Bryan Hitch’s art is also perfect for storytelling decisions in this issue. His art is often very focused on a widescreen, cinematic style and he does so here. It creates a larger than life feel for Batman, making him almost feel like a god. It captures the feeling of Batman and Gotham in such an authentic way that is reminiscent of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy.
However, where Hitch’s art truly shines is during the deduction scene mentioned above. It becomes smaller and much more intimate, slowly detailing Bruce’s transformation into the victim. It’s a wonderful piece of visual storytelling that manages to create interesting visuals and providing insight into Bruce’s mindset.
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