Batman: Lost #1
Writer: Snyder, Tynion IV, Williamson
Artist(s): Mahnke, Paquette, Jimenez, Mendoza
Publisher: DC
Trapped in the Dark Multiverse, Batman is transported back to his first case (“The Case Of The Chemical Syndicate”). Â But the story is not a straight path for Batman as he battles his way out of this broken memory.
This book is a master class as far as art and story. Â It’s amazingly beautiful, transitioning seamlessly between dark/brooding and colourful/vivid sections. Â As a result, the medium allows the story to flow smoothly, the pieces of Batman’s memory stitched together in a way that makes it super readable and easy to follow.
The book really shouldn’t be this good. Â Don’t get me wrong – I’m happy to be wrong. Â With the amazing list of people involved in this book – its hard to figure out how they can mesh. Â The DC page only shows Snyder for writer and Bengal and Coipel for artists (which is incorrect). Â However, the cover reads like a comics who’s who listing with 10 people listed: Snyder, James Tynion IV (writer), Joshua Williamson (writer), Doug Mahnke (pencils), Yanick Paquette (inks/pencils), Jorge Jimenez (inks/pencils), Jaime Mendoza (inks), Will Quintana (colours), Nathan Fairbairn (colours), and Alejandro Sanchez (colours). Â One note: this book was originally shown to have art by Coipel and Bengal in the solicits (they left the project due to a “problem with schedules and deadlines”) with Coipel only having the cover art. Â Kind of dramatic, no?
This is the way that comics should be nowadays. Â Quality paper (yes – that’s a thing), agreat story and fantastic art. Â The story drags you along through Batman’s emotional turmoil while not losing the reader to inconsistent art. Â I’ve complained about some books in the past that change their look to portray a specific feel or theme and as a result it takes the reader out of their comfort level and thus the story. Â This book, for the first time in a long time, does it without jarring the reader’s enjoyment.
At this point, if you haven’t jumped on the Dark Knights Metal train – get on. Â We’ve reviewed a ton of the main books as well as the side stories and its probably one of the most cohesive events in recent memory. Â Nothing feels tacked and and it’s all building to something the feels like it could be ground breaking. Â Check out our reviews for Batman: The Drowned, Batman: The Murder Machine, and Batman: The Red Death.