Sure, the Rise of the Batmen might be flawed but I could care less. This was just an awesome story. The premise of this book is so freaking rad in all its superhero/cyberpunk glory! Batman notices drones around Gotham and decides to put a team together. He gathers Batwoman to help him lead (as well as for other reasons) and recruits the people he knows are good but need more training to work on their own. Tim (Red Robin), Cassandra, Steph, and reformed villain Clay Face. This crew is strange but somehow, James Tynion IV makes it work!

Quickly they uncover that there is an elite fighting force mimicking the Dark Knight on the streets of Gotham. Their equipment, tech, and tactics are based on Batman's, but they're far more sophisticated than anything he's ever seen. Batman needs his own army if he's going to take down this new enemy but Batwoman doesn't know that the person behind this enemy is someone dear to both her and Bruce.

This arc had intrigue, heart, and even humor. And I really enjoyed the cyberpunk aspect of the story. Tech is such a crucial element to how Batman fights crime, I believe it is integral to any Batman story.

The artwork was fantastic as well.

Read this one.

It's a great entry point into the DC Universe Rebirth series. ( )

2651

Enjoyed this.
Will continue with the next book. ( )

The premise of this seems kind of crazy - Batman and Batwoman start their own homegrown team with Red Robin, Spoiler, Cassandra Cain (woof, is "Orphan" ever a superhero name that needs to go), and Clayface (yes, really) - but works insanely well. Tynion has a strong handle on the characters (skimming some reviews, some people think a particular heel turn is unconvincing - it didn't surprise me at all) and the art is really magnificent and surprisingly expressive. This does pretty well with its mandated Rebirth Tie-In(TM) too. Really good work. ( )

Thanks to a sale at BN, I finally picked up some of the Rebirth comics. Well it's certainly different. I haven't followed DC after the Flashpoint reboot because I had been too invested in the old continuity and didn't have the energy to learn a new one. (No, that's not try. I did read some of Gail Simone's Batgirl run because she's amazing -- both Gail and Babs.) A friend finally convinced me to give it a try, and that Rebirth was a good place to start again.

This was interesting. It was definitely different. I'm very intrigued with the team Batman put together, the larger role of Batwoman (who I honestly never really got too familiar with, but I might need to fix that), and how Clayface was now not a bad guy (WHAT???). Also, that ending! Okay, tentatively hooked and willing to read more. ( )