DC puts out a ton of Batman comics. It oftentimes feels like more than half of what they release involves Batman or the Bat family in some fashion (I swear I saw stats once confirming this). Hence, when I saw there would be yet another floppy focused on Batman I wasn't that intrigued. Then I saw it would have Jason Aaron writing and Dough Mahnke on art. That got my attention as when Aaron is on he's on and Mahnke is a stellar artist too. Reading the synopsis sounded a bit interesting too, with the comic focusing on Batman relatively earlier in his career and the first time he heads into outer space. I blogged about being intrigued. Having read the two first issues, I am having a really good time so far!
Aaron writes Batman in his usual stoic and skilled manner but doesn't hesitate to emphasize this is a man out of his element whose usual tricks don't always work when an alien's pressure points could very well be a body part humans have never heard of. Mahnke's artwork is just gorgeous with aliens that look imposing and surreal in the best possible way. The story follows Batman as he discovers an otherworldly threat to Gotham and takes to the stars to figure out just what he can do to best counter any dangers. The plot itself isn't too elaborate but the characterizations of other friends and foes our hero meets are quite fun. A robot designed only for punching provides a lot of comedic relief in these first two issues and a mysterious reformed-ish bounty hunter makes a nice foil for Batman to interact with. It's good stuff.
I was surprised how much I enjoyed the first two issues of, "Batman: Off-World," considering I've been burnt out on so many Bat-titles at some points. With a great hook and a stellar creative team, I perhaps should've expected this title would be a keeper! I can't wait for the third issue in this mini-series which is due next week!
5 out of 5 Stars.
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