Batman: Secret Files #1

DC Comics

Writers Tom King, Ram V, Jodie Bellaire, Cheryl Lynn Eaton, Tom Taylor

Artists: Mikel Janin, Jorge Fornes, Elena Casagrande, Jill Thompson, Brad Walker

Batman: Secret Files #1 is an anthology book consisting of five different and standalone stories by five separate creative teams. Each of the stories offers unique looks at different aspects of Batman; ones we don’t usually get in the main, ongoing series’. I am a sucker for anthology books, so I will say it right away – I enjoyed this book. It has its share of problems (which I’ll address soon enough), but overall – an enjoyable read.

The Ups

The book starts with a story by the current Batman writer, Tom King, and frequent collaborator Mikel Janin. Superman gives Batman a piece of Platinum Kryptonite – a newly added form of Kryptonite that gives the people who touch it all of Superman’s powers. It’s a really shocking turn of events, and it has the potential to shake up the DC status quo. We don’t know if Batman took the stone, we’ll have to wait for another time to find out.

The next story is written by Ram V, with art by Jorge Fornes. It follows a GCPD officer, affected by Scarecrow’s toxin, interviewed by a psychiatrist. It’s a really cool story with some interesting twists, as it subverts the reader’s expectations. The ending also implies that the story is not over yet and it may tie into the Batman: Kings of Fear mini. This is also the story with the best art. It’s really stylish and suits the “horror” atmosphere really well.

“Batman feeds crime in Gotham” is a trope that has grown really popular in the recent years. Cheryl Lynn Eaton’s and Elena Casagrande’s story, “One,” utilizes said trope, but it offers a new spin on it. There isn’t a villain that is reacting to the Dark Knight, or a poor, helpless soul that accidentally found itself between Batman and a rogue. Instead, the “villain” is Wayne Tech – Batman’s own, albeit underpowered, weapons and gadgets that are being used for nefarious purposes. 

The fourth story sees Jordie Bellaire and Jill Thompson take a crack at Batman’s paranoia. Bruce Wayne has heard reports of a monster in the mountains. Suspecting it to be Man-Bat, he goes to a cabin, alone, on a week-long hunt. The story is a really subdued and tense affair, and it offers some pretty interesting self-reflection by Bruce Wayne. 

Finally, Tom Taylor and Brad Walker’s story sees the Dark Knight team up with the World’s Greatest Detective – Bobo! Bobo needs help from Batman with a personal affair – the son of the man who freed Bobo (as seen in Dark Knights Rising: The Wild Hunt #1) has gotten tangled up with a bad crowd and Bobo needs to reach out to him before the boy gets in too deep. The story is also a really fun throwback to the third year of Injustice, which was also written by Tom Taylor. 

The Downs

While I enjoyed all the individual stories on the writing level, I did not enjoy the art. As mentioned earlier, I really loved Fornes’ art, and Janin did a decent job, as usual, but the remaining artist didn’t impress me. Casagrande’s art on “One” was somewhere between “meh” and “fine.” 

Jill Thompson’s art was rather clumsy, with Bruce Wayne looking like he was going to fall apart whenever he would appear in full form. There is something really off with the way Thompson conveys body language.

Lastly, Brad Walker isn’t really good at drawing faces, especially chimpanzee faces. Which is a shame, considering the number of close-ups we got in his and Tom Taylor’s respective story. Instead of getting a cute and funny chimp in a Sherlock-esque outfit, we got some nightmare fuel posing as a chimp-detective. 

Verdict

All in all, the book is interesting and fun. It’s always fun seeing other people taking a crack at a character, even if it’s in such a small form (about 5-6 pages per story). There aren’t any plans for a Secret Files ongoing, but DC should consider doing one. And hey, why do just Batman? I would love to see more anthology projects with other characters.