Review: The Next Batman- Second Son
Quick Summary
Pros: The main narrative is compelling, and uncovering the mysteries within this narrative is interesting. The way the book addresses social issues is great and makes the work feel unique.
Cons: The storytelling, particularly pacing and dialogue, is a little off at points. The action scenes are somewhat disappointing. The artwork is generally lackluster.
Overall: This is a fresh take on a Batman story that, unfortunately, stumbles in a few places. The main narrative follows a storyline that hooks readers in with a mystery, defines itself with a unique take on social issues, and manages to stay interesting the whole way through. The only problem is that there are a few storytelling and presentation factors that weigh this otherwise solid read down. Readers looking for something compelling and different from a Batman story, and are able to overlook a few problems, will find plenty to enjoy here.
Story
The Next Batman: Second Son, by John Ridley, is an intriguing start to a new Batman story, even if it doesn’t always hit its mark. The chief positives come from the way mysteries unfold and the book’s unique approach to social issues. This creates a compelling family drama that is enhanced by all of the turmoil within Gotham City at the moment. Together, these factors make the book feel different and keep it interesting from start to finish. However, there are a few storytelling hiccups and the book’s approach to action is generally a let down.
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The most compelling aspect of Second Son is the way the story and the mystery surrounding it unfolds. The comic essentially dives headfirst into an intense family drama played against the backdrop of a city questioning its own identity. Learning about Jace’s past, seeing how Batwing is addressing crime, and watching the GCPD undergo a radical change is all very interesting. The progression of each of these plot points feels fresh and had me hooked right up to the book’s cliffhanger ending.
The other great feature of Second Son is the way it addresses social issues. The book doesn’t have many traditional heroes or villains, instead, it has various flawed individuals who are all trying to do what they believe is right. It asks you to question if you should root for the officer who refused to arrest Batwing or for Renee’s new policies and if Jace should be forgiven for the mistakes in the past or if his family should be punished for covering them up. The entire situation brings in questions regarding legal accountability, vigilantism, and even race in an interesting way.
The biggest problem in the book comes from places where the storytelling feels lackluster. There are places where the way the narrative jumps between different POVs feels clunky. There are also places where the dialogue is downright weird, like when a character exclaims “Somebody hashtag that” while watching an assault take place.
The other problem here comes from the book’s action scenes. In general, Second Son does really well when it comes to creating drama and intrigue through politics and individual interactions but is lackluster when it comes to actual fighting. Most of the book’s action scenes end up feeling like filler between the book’s real content. It seems like the book should have either minimized the action scenes entirely or simply focused on having one or two great ones.
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Art
The artwork in Second Son never really rises above mediocre. At its core, Travel Foreman’s visuals are solid. They look alright and are laid out in a way that allows the story to flow well. However, the minimalist approach to backgrounds and scenery makes nearly every room seen here feel like a hospital room, which doesn’t work for this book. In addition, there are places where character depictions look a little strange and a few pages where the inking becomes far too heavy. Unfortunately, the art here doesn’t work very well, particularly with the story being told.
Continuity
The Next Batman: Second Son continues plot points from two separate comics. It continues with a storyline about the Fox family that was featured in the “Family Ties” story from Batman: The Joker War Zone #1, part of the Joker War (Reading Order) event. It introduces a narrative following Jace Fox that was previously introduced as a flashforward during the Future State (Reading Order) event.
The story here continues in the I am Batman series.
This volume also references other comic books, detailed below:
- A number of references are made to the recent Joker War (Review) (Reading Order) event.
- The cause of Tamara Fox’s previous hospitalization is detailed in the New 52 Batwing (Reading Order) series, specifically in Batwing Vol. 4: Welcome to the Family (Review) and Batwing Vol. 5: Into the Dark (Review), both volumes are collected in Batwing: Luke Fox.