The Geeks Insight

DC’S “ALL IN” CONTINUES TO THRIVE!

Pictured: Batman (VOL 4, ISSUE #1 by Matt fraction, Jorge Jiménez and Tomeu Morey, published by DC COMICS)

Announced in February 2025, the current run of batman comics is coming to an end this August, to be swiftly followed by a new ongoing series in September. This current series has seen many creative icons at the helm since it’s 2016 inception.

Fastly approaching its conclusion with Issue #163, the current series will run it’s final race helmed by the recognisable team of Joseph Loeb and Jim Lee. This offers a entertaining (though notably flawed, at times frustrating) conclusion to this era of Batman comics in a sequel to the famed 2003 “Hush” storyline.

A team that is allowed some stability and longevity to develop these characters is what the industry needs more of right now (Tom Taylor and Nightwing being a great example). Though the current run has had many memorable stories, it has at times suffered from fluctuations in its creative team.

The new narrative will be helmed by Matt Fraction, who is best known for his creative re-invention of Hawkeye in his Eisner winning 2012-2015 run. Bringing the story to life with glorious control is Jorge Jiménez, Who is best known for his work on Nemesis (Dark Horse comics), Super Sons, and the current Batman run. He will be joined by Tomeu Morey on colours and Clayton Cowles on lettering. it’s worth mentioning that this is only the fourth re-launch in over 85 years. (try to see if your local comics supplier can secure you a copy as this will sell fast!)

An essential ingredient when working on a project like this is passion, something that this team seems to have in droves. When asked about the new run, Fraction stated that “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Batman”, followed by, “All the stuff that makes Batman the coolest character in comics, we want to celebrate it all”.

WHY NOW? – ALL IN:

The revolutionary “ALL IN” initiative that DC introduced in late 2024 has brought fresh blood to many of it’s iconic characters while staying true to what lies at their core. The “Absolute” series’, which serves DC’s Answer to Marvel’s Ultimate universe, has sparked new and old readers to flock to comics stores globally.

This offered an open door to softly reboot the series. The preview panels released above indicate it’s a new day in Gotham and a new day for the Bat-family. That includes the attire. Artist Jorge Jiménez stated that “for this new chapter, we’re crafting a revamped aesthetic, bringing back Batman’s blue suit in a definitive way”. Jiménez has really flourished over the last few years working on the current run. An overlooked element of his art is that he has a way of drawing the same character in several ways depending on the context of the story. Batman to a child, is different than Batman to a criminal. If these preview panels are anything to go off, his stylish storytelling flair is not going anywhere.

Considering all the classic “Blue suited” Batman stories were before my time (I begun reading mid “NEW 52” ERA), I immensely look forward to seeing how the team thematically blends it into the world of modern DC.

Pictured: Batman and Robin – Tim Drake (VOL 4, ISSUE #2 Cover by Jorge Jiménez and Tomeu Morey)

It has also been announced that Tim Drake will be the primary Robin in this series. Tim has seen a resurgence in discussion amongst fans in recent years, namely due to several controversial stories. In one of these, Tim even for a brief time went by the ever elusive codename of…“Drake”.

However Chip Zdarsky’s “Failsafe” arc brought Tim back into the mainstream of Batman comics, so it ultimately makes sense that he will be joining Bruce Wayne at the heart of this story. This run also offered a lot of room for Bruce to mature alongside his Batman alias, which is a trend I would like to see the new team continue.

Launching September 3rd, the sun rises on a brand new day in Gotham city. Now is the best jumping on point readers will get for some time and I highly recommend doing so. I cannot wait to see what this new team has up their sleeve, and what they will ultimately add to the Batman Mythos.

Signing off until the next story breaks,

-Nick Roberts, July 2025