Batman #119

While I much enjoyed King's and Tynion's Batman runs, I am finding Williamson's story to be a refreshing change of pace. After Williamson's epic Flash run, I have high expectations for his Batman run. And so far, he's not disappointing. And I am totally enamoured with Kerschl's backup story with Maps. Batman #119 has been an utter delight all-round. Read Full Review

Josh Williamson has a tough task ahead of him, following up a quartet of the most acclaimed extended Bat-runs in memory. Based on these first two issues, the veteran horror writer might just join them. Read Full Review

BATMAN #119 is a well-written, balanced, fortified story with just enough action and suspense to keep the reader on their toes. Plus, Williamson provides a few answers to keep fans invested but supplies new questions and intrigue to keep you locked in on this run. Read Full Review

A stellar second issue of a promising new run, incorporating a return-to-classic feel with more modern dynamics and relationship developments. Bringing Lex Luthor on board as a Batman foil, even temporarily, is honestly long overdue and I hope to see it continue in some form for a long time to come. Read Full Review

This creative run-on Batman has been encouraging and a welcome change of pace from some of the previous teams. Read Full Review

Batman #119 is a must-read issue, as bringing Batman face to face with both a legendary villain and a brand new creation is a masterstroke. Engrossing from the very first panel, every page is filled with beautifully rich dialogue from Joshua Williamson that pulls the reader into this world. Only 2 issues into this new era, it looks as though this flagship title is in the safest of hands moving forward. Read Full Review

This issue is, on every page, a breath of fresh air and while I do still have some reservations about Abyss, I'm eagerly along for the ride. Read Full Review

There's a lot going for Batman #119 between the primo art, the great backup, and the continued intrigue of Abyss. While the art can be jarringly different from scene to scene, the mystery and where Batman ends up is enticing, and you'll be thirsty for more. Read Full Review

A strong lead story and a strong backup make for a strong issue of Batman. There's great character work all around, especially for a back-to-basics Lex Luthor, and the mystery at the heart of the main arc is genuinely interesting. The art in the backup is phenomenal, as you'd expect from Kerschl, and while Jann and Molina both turn in some great pencils, their styles don't gel as well this time around. Even so, I'm back to recommending the flagship title for the Caped Crusader, and it feels good to be saying that again. Read Full Review

Batman #119 is a solid issue that dials things back and gives us something that feels much more like a detective story. It also makes sure to remind us that this is a Batman who is generally stripped of his greatest tool, his wealth. With a nice mix of action, verbal sparring, and an intriguing villain, this continues an intriguing direction. Read Full Review

All of the artists deliver some great visuals. The meeting between Luthor and Bruce stands out for its visual details and the Abyss fight has some great moments of visual tension. Read Full Review

Batman #119 continues the solid but slow start to Williamson's Batman run.  This issue is more about the setup of a multi-pronged mystery than wowing the reader with explosions, punches, and kicks.  I may not be as excited as I hoped to be, but I am still interested in what's going on here. Read Full Review

The main Batman story is good stuff, building a new mystery, creating a new villain and putting Batman through his paces. The series seems to be in good hands. But for my money, the back-up feature starring a new Robin makes this issue more than worth the price of admission. Read Full Review

Batman #119 was a nice, solid second chapter that built on the mystery around the returning Batman Inc concept. The interaction between Bruce Wayne and Lex Luthor along with the Batman vs Abyss fight certainly helped the main story keep the interest high in what happens next in this story arc. The back-up story with the returning Mia Mizoguchi from Gotham Academy series added further value to Batman #119. Read Full Review

The issue also includes an unrelated back-up story involving Mia Mizoguchi to try and justify the higher price and page-count. Read Full Review

Gavan

Jan 14, 2022

It’s nice to finally have a Batman writer again that doesn’t make him either talk to much or be a simp every issue

Robin

Jan 04, 2022

Again a banger by the amazing writer Joshua Williamson, using what batman is made of into a villain against him is great. Batman has not been fully BATMAN for a while so it is good to see him be that again. really looking forward to who abyss is and especially about Shadow war in March.

Stormwrath

Jan 04, 2022

Incridible writing, the detective part was good and Abyss was a thretening when it showed up, the Bruce and Lex moments were great too. Great art, but I'm not a huge fan of it changing during the issue, even though all artists did well

Danilo Silva

Jan 06, 2022

This issue was definitely better than the first one of this run. Art was great in the most part, and all Lex and Abyss story let me very interested in the reading. Can't wait for next issue, and to see Lex and Bruce working together - it has potential to be very chaotic in a good way.

Hydro-Man

Jan 08, 2022

Another great issue!!! Thank you, Williamson, for saving Lex from the Superman titles. Such a great foil for Bruce (like Osborn was for Stark during the Fraction run). Absolutely loved when Lex spilled the wine just to be a dick. Total Lex. Also enjoyed the little Batman TAS “Blind as a Bat” easter egg at the end. One minor critique is the art was a little inconsistent. At times, it looked like Jim Cheung. Other times… it didn’t. I dunno, it was just a little jarring.

Comics Code Authorities

Jan 18, 2022

Another well done issue from the so far satisfying talents of Williamson and Molina. As Superman books seem to be spiraling out of control into becoming 100% excrement it is nice to see the Batman books heading back to a more enjoyable level. Even the Tower saga in Detective is proving to be decent. Williamson also deserves a hearty pat on the back for presenting Luthor as he should be. The evil billionaire with his own obvious, yet secret agenda. So much better than when he's a mad scientist or trying to be a supervillain. Maybe they should consider this guy for a Superman run (providing there'll be anything left worth writing within the next year). It's been a long time since he's been up against a Luthor this crafty. One thing I must h ave missed is how'd he learn Batman's identity? We also finally got to meet Abyss. Looks like Batman's up against a new enemy who may be too much for him. I just hope this guy doesn't keep coming back over and over for the entirety of Williamson's run. Today's writers have a bad habit of doing things like that and a new character with promise quickly outwears his welcome (Yes, I speak of Tynion's spotlight stealers throughout 2021). Still, this issue, like the last was a good one and I'm looking forward to what's up next. It's been a while since I could say that in Batman. more

daspidaboy

Jan 04, 2022

As my first review of 2022 i got to say. This issue did not dissapoint me. Great art and writing as well as good chemistry between bruce and lex. I also likr how this shows bruce detective skills.

Psycamorean

Jan 04, 2022

So far, still good! I'm pleasantly surprised by Williamson's work here.

Loafy Trophy

Jan 06, 2022

There's a whole lot to like here as Williamson continues his story that is very Grant Morrison influenced, both in plot and tone. The argument between Lex and Bruce was clearly the issues highlight. Positioning Lex as a foil to Bruce directly, rather than Batman was a stroke of genius that I hope (and expect) we'll see explored more going forward. The way Lex knew exactly how to push Bruce's buttons was great, attacking everything from his wardrobe to his surrogate son and you could see Williamson clearly having fun writing the sequence. The proper introduction to Abyss was also enjoyable and well illustrated by Molina. Williamson and co have built a good bit of mystery in around the new villain that's been missing for a bit from the title and I'm 100% here for it. more

Bats44121

Jan 07, 2022

Surprisingly good issue. I was on the fence about continuing after seeing Lex Luthor appear in the last issue, wary of another lame stunt. But I am pleasantly surprised to see that Williamson has a pretty good story here. I also liked the backup story by Karl Kerschl, as Mia "Maps" Mizoguchi (founder of "Detective Club") is a sympathetic character. This is the way The Batman stories used to be written with actual heroes fighting villains, not villains being glamorized. Hopefully, this trend can continue. Imagine a young character who does not hate the Batman. But best of all, Batman and Bruce Wayne has shaved and looks like himself, not like a bum. I like how Bruce would not tolerate any disrespect from Luthor towards Damian, even if I think Damian is a mess. (The Abyss storyline would also have been great for Dr. Mid-Nite.) With the history of the Gotham Books disasters, I was sitting there mulling if Batman #119 would be worth $5.00 to see where this story goes. It was a good purchase, something that I have had a lot of trouble saying over the past year or two. more

Merlyn

Jan 04, 2022

A pretty good second issue, I especially liked the very good art and the interactions between Lex and Bruce, I've always seen them as Sherlock and Moriarty. Bruce was pretty patient here, I would've punched Lex just for spilling that wine, very weird flex there. But in his defense he's right about Nightwing, he is an idiot for throwing all the money away without any real plan. I have to say though, not impressed with Abyss so far, we've seen very little of him in two issues now. And that backup was pretty bad. All in all, I'm happy I can enjoy Batman yet again and hope the next issues will start to provide more answers, so far we've got some interesting hints.

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Batmanaholic - Jan 7, 2022

So who do you think abyss is ? I have some weird feeling it's a girl from Bruce's past. Rachel Caspien would be an awesome fun callback if they go that route, and the costume does look a little bit like reapers did 🤷‍♂️ I'm just thinking after the Batman inc callback and abyss saying " you created me " then it makes sense.

Batmanaholic - Jan 7, 2022

The reason I believe abyss is a woman. The costume has the slim waist and then the baggy pants and big chest plate to hide a woman's curves. Abyss doesn't seem overtly tall or muscular. And honestly I think it would make the arc more fun if it was her and she went off to be the nun but ended up at some crazy cult, and ended up as abyss eventually.

Merlyn - Jan 7, 2022

I think he's someone who was part of Batman Inc. I don't want it to be a woman because that would just be a copy of the Phantasm. I'm hoping for something original here.

Batmanaholic - Jan 7, 2022

See I'm ok with it being a semi copy of phantasm since phantasm was partially based on Rachel originally 🤷‍♂️ Jsut go Re read any article about abyss and they seem to go out of their way to never say he, and I doubt it's because abyss worries about pronouns like some in this comment section would lol.

Merlyn - Jan 7, 2022

They probably avoid referring to Abyss as "he" because for idiots today that would be considered "oFfEnSiVe". Abyss may not worry about that but the morons that write those articles probably do. Honestly I care very little if it's a "he" or a "she", mainly because so far in two issues I have very little reason to care about the character, it's actually my main gripe with Williamson's Batman so far.

Merlyn - Jan 7, 2022

Like I said, I don't think we need another Phantasm but whatever, I just want it to be an interesting character with strong motivations to antagonize Batman.

Mingthemerciless - Jan 7, 2022

The scene where the room goes dark was drawn and written so well. The coloring is great too. The back and forth with Lex was fun as well. I agree we don't need another phantasm but it's great to see a Batman book the likes the character and has fun with him. In 2 issues Williamson and Janin have given a better batman story than King and Tynion could in 2 years. And the batman Inc uniform rocks.

Batmanaholic - Jan 7, 2022

I don't mind not knowing anything about the bill in so far, since it's kind of how villains see Batman as this mysterious creature from the darkness, now he has to deal with the same thing. I just hope when the villian is revealed I'm like " that is a sweet choice great callback " And not " oh well that's ok I guess " And I just went back and I did find one article molina called abyss a guy, so my theory is out the window already now.

Merlyn - Jan 7, 2022

Yeah, I think I found that same article but really didn't want to rain on your parade. :))

Tempra16v2.0Turbo

Jan 04, 2022

Está bem até aqui, diria que o melhor que vi de Williamson até agora.

Toonstrack

Jan 07, 2022

Solid action and a nice continuation from the last story. This is a good example of a new writer using what came beforenin an interesting way without feeling derivative. A little slow but it picks up at the end. Art is once again gorgeous. The back up story is pretty fun thought I'm not familiar with the character.

Skywolf

Jan 08, 2022

The art and story are both great. Hope that the new villain Abyss is not some sort of replacement for the Scarecrow. Also quite enjoy the art in the backup feature, with attractive drawing and painting.

REYNARD

Jan 11, 2022

The arts pretty good and the plot is more interesting than anything Tamaki or Tynion have done in all of 2021.

Criminology.

Jan 05, 2022

Not as interesting and fresh as the last issue, but still perfectly enjoyable read. I liked the detective and mystery elements the most and the introduction of Abyss was great and suspenseful, thanks to the great art. Honestly the art is a big selling point for me. The stuff with Luther, while very curious is only going to get more interesting with the story progressing in my opinion.

Costa Rica Comic Club

Jun 23, 2022

Ilustrado por Jorge Molina con Guion de Joshua Williamson, en esta segunda entrega seguimos con el misterio que se nos presenta en Batman 118 sobre el asesinato de The Abyss por Batman Inc. Lo bueno El dibujo de Molina es lo principal en este minirun de Batman, por parte de Williamson sigue jugando la carta de la nostalgia en los lectores con flashback sobre Alfred y diálogos perfectamente colocados para la escena presente. Lo malo Otro issue sin que pase completamente nada relevante, un par de palabras entre Lex y Bruce, una escena de acción del obviamente no muerto Abyss y todo por lo que el arco se desarrollo en un inicio pues se cayo en este segundo issue y con un cliffhanger pésimo por parte de Williamson con un Batman con los ojos afectados pero que en situaciones dos arcos atrás hemos visto como pelea con un vendaje en la cara. De parte del club no es un comic que podamos recomendar es lento y sin una historia con un peso real sobre nuestro murcielago. more

Quinn

Jan 04, 2022

This isn't a bad issue, but it is an issue whose plot tropes push my buttons. I am especially tired of the villain saying "you'll see things my way and we'll be allies" cliche. The issue starts with Batman, the female detective and Lex Luthor talking. Lex explains why he funds Batman Inc. now that Bruce Wayne is broke. Sorry, I mean living in reduced circumstances. This is strike one. We have never really been shown what exactly those circumstances are and how they work. Is he broke. Is he living trust fund check to trust fund check? If Lex can say that the Wayne fortune was lost with the stroke of a clown's actions, how is that money lost. That's the thing about electronic money. It's not real. Deals that are done via unsrupulous mea ns are easily undone. If it is public knowledge that the Joker stole the Wayne fortune, then the Wayne fortune really hasn't been stolen. We also find out that the police force in the city Batman is operating in has a shoot on site order for any Batman. They shoot and Bats escapes. He later meets Lex at restaurant, saying that he got the subtext of Lex's talking about Bruce Wayne. Lex shows off by emptying a $12 million bottle of wine on the floor. I will admit this is an interesting way of dick measuring. Lex also chides Nightwing for giving away his fortune without a plan. Bruce grabs Lex and then disappears. But the gist is that Lex says the world needs a Batman and Lwz will fund a Batman Inc. (I always thought Batman Inc was a stupid idea. The liability issues alone could bankrupt Bruce Wayne, even when he had his fortune. It also gave criminals a convenient target. Have Batman Inc troubles, cut off their funding by hitting Wayne Enterprises offices. Bankrupt the company, end of problem). Bruce then goes to the morgue steals the body from the police and is engulfed in darkness after examining the body. A strange person attacks Batman in the special dark where Batman can see his body, but nothing else. The stranger explains he comes from Batman and hacks Bats up. We are left with the lights on and the detective standing over the battered Bruce body. So this issue ticks a couple of my boxes - the we're the same one and the let's expose Batman Inc one. The whole Luthor saying Bruce will come around to my way of thinking just doesn't hold up. We all know that's not true. I also hate the hero and villain team up angle. It's a cliche and I like superhero stories that are about the hero. The villain is just flavoring. When you concentrate too much on the villain, it makes the hero look lame. Lex has kept his fortune, destroyed Gotham and been elected president. All under the noses of the heroes. It makes them look lame and ineffective. I also don't think the writer knows what preserving a crime scene actually means. Bruce using gas to escape the cops shooting at him automatically contaminates the scene. The various shell casings and debris from firing bullets also contaminates the scene. The cops walking on the carpet contaminates the scene. You get my point. So to sum up, Lex knows Bruce is Bats. Lex rubs Bruce's nose in the fact that Bruce lost the family fortune by emptying a $12 million bottle of wine on the floor. Batman Inc. is under Lex' control and they are wanted for murder, and yet another killer is on the loose because he somehow is created by Batman. We also see that Lex is able to buy whole police departments. He, apparently, knows how to get a proper bang for his bucks. Am I the only one who has a problem with these issues I've brought up? The whole Bruce is living under reduced circumstances seems to have no lasting impact. He can still fly a bat plane around the world. That has got to cost a small fortune, just buying fuel and maintaining the plane with parts and storing the plane. The whole Batman creates villains is one, counterproductive because when he does that, it really shows us that Batman does more harm than good. I don't think that's the message DC wants to present. Two, it's been done to death, starting in the early 1950s, when DC gave the Joker the Red Hood origin. I read that when I was 12 and I didn't like it then and I still hate it now. Given all the people the Joker has killed (it must be in the tens of thousands) that means Batman has vast amounts of blood on his hands. Again, I don't think that's the message DC wants to present. I liked the art. Didn't like the fact that Luthor could push Bruce's buttons and have Bruce grab Lex by the throat. Again, shows that Bruce is out of control and easily manipulated by the villain. Another message that DC probably shouldn't be presenting. So I stuck in the middle. I suspect I am not going to like this story for reasons I've stated. But I could be wrong. more

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Toonstrack - Jan 7, 2022

Wayne being broke is due to the Joker war in the previous run, its explained pretty elaborately there but the cliff notes version is a group of villains manipulated things to force Bruce Wayne to transfer virtually all of his assets, and/or have them repossessed.

myconius

Feb 10, 2022

story is kinda ok. sort of. just a bit on the generic side. not a lot happens in this issue, except Lex wastes some expensive wine. the cliffhanger ending is absolutely cringe.