In this review of Batman #2, the Teen Wonder is in a world of hurt and a world of trouble with the GCPD! Can Batman come to his partner’s rescue in time?
Batman #2 main cover by Jorge Jiménez (DC Comics)
BATMAN #2
Written by MATT FRACTION
Art and Main Cover: JORGE JIMÉNEZ
Variant Covers: JIM LEE, JULIAN TOTINO TEDESCO, JORGE JIMÉNEZ, MICHAEL ALLRED, DAVID AJA
Page Count: 40 pages
Release Date: 10/1/25
This review contains spoilers
Batman #2 begins with a brief flashback at the former Wayne Manor years ago. Bruce is getting ready to train Tim to drive the Batmobile, to the delight of Alfred and displeasure of Damian. To prepare him properly, Bruce instructs Tim on how to drive a stick-shift manual truck, which Tim has difficulty getting the hang of.
Cut to moments ago in Gotham, some armed robbers hold up a delivery truck. One of the gunmen gets nervous and shoots the driver. Another flees, and gets dropped by Robin (Tim Drake). Just as he’s inspecting what he thinks is a new narcotic but is actually baby formula, GCPD officers arrive at the scene. The gunman starts to run and gets gunned down by the cops. Robin begins exiting the scene as well but gets shot in the side while in mid-air, knocking him out. He awakens handcuffed in the paddy wagon, surrounded by uncuffed goons. The cops – under the employ of Commissioner Vandal Savage – are determined to prove they’re tough on crime and don’t need Savage in Gotham but “rough riding” the prisoners harshly throughout the streets of Gotham. Despite the harsh ride and the attacking thugs in the back, Robin manages to hold his own long enough for Batman to arrive on the scene, taking out the paddy wagon with some “Batspikes” which shred the armored car’s tires.
Freeing his partner from the back of the wagon, the Dynamic Duo are again held at gunpoint by the crooked cops. They manage to disable the cops just as they’re shot at, resulting in the policemen hitting each other. As Batman’s back is turned, the more aggressive of the two cops fires a blast from his shotgun right at the back of Batman’s head.
Temporarily knocked unconscious, Batman comes to and is led by Robin to the Batmobile, the latter having bandaged up the bleeding cops on the ground. Robin takes the wheel, dismayed that the current edition of the Batmobile has thirteen gears installed on it. As the two speed throughout the night, word of the destroyed paddy wagon and the shot police officers make the evening news. Savage arrives at the scene where one of the policemen has had his bandages removed and he’s died from his injuries. Savage returns to GCPD headquarters and ties the dead policeman to Batman and Robin, brandishing a bloodied batarang as evidence of their criminality.
Analysis
Batman #2 is a very solid, straightforward Batman comic, confidently told by a writer who clearly loves the characters and is leisurely pacing out the story because he enjoys playing in the world of Gotham. Issue #1 of Matt Fraction’s fresh new run had Batman take on Killer Croc – establishing his new suit, gadgets and detective skills. This second issue continues presenting the reader with new gadgets for both Batman and Robin, telling a fun tale of instructing Tim on a skill he now needs to save his and Bruce’s life. It’s a somewhat standard “Batman vs. the Gotham City Police” story, but it’s presented in a fun enough way that any sense of well-worn tropes or cliches goes unnoticed by this longtime fan.
In fact, most stories that have Batman against the cops haven’t really gone down as detailed as this issue does, with the relatively genteel nature of Batman and robin allowing two everyday police to get the drop on them. For a while, I was questioning Robin actually suffering damage with his gunshot wound, as the Bat-suits have now long been established as being generally bulletproof. Of course they still hurt, but to immediately draw blood was somewhat questionable. Even though Tim later confirms that most of his armor his shield his body from the worst of it, he’s bleeding all throughout this issue. It’s not that big of a deal, because it help showcase how both he and Batman operate on the backfoot when the odds are against them. It’s also rare to see both Batman and Robin battered and bleeding in the same story, slowly making their way to the Batmobile and briefly arguing on who’s in worse shape. It’s a fun, detailed bit of writing and nice showcase for the Caped Crusaders.
Of course, Tim Drake fans are eating with Batman #2, seeing their favorite Boy Wonder back with the Dark Knight. I’m personally not a reader of the ongoing Batman and Robin series, with Damian not ranking terribly high on my list of favorite Robins. And while it is certainly a step back for Tim to just fall back into the sidekick role with Bruce, I love seeing these two work together. I think in terms of Batman and Robin partnerships, the original Bruce and Dick team may be my favorite, but Bruce and Tim is also right behind it. While Tim enjoyed many solo adventures in his original ongoing series in the 90s, Chuck Dixon also wrote Batman and Robin regularly together during his run of Detective Comics. This doesn’t read exactly like that, mainly because Tim was younger then and much older now, but it’s just plain good to see them work together here.
Tim knows Bruce, he knows what he’s both good and bad at, and he can reason and communicate with him better than most. I also loved seeing him break out of his handcuffs and outfight the thugs in the armored car all on his own. Most stories don’t tend to show off Tim’s fighting skills, leaving that to the acrobatic Dick or tough-as-nails Jason or Damian. Tim is in his late teens/early twenties, and as such should be a much more accomplished martial artist, so it was not only enjoyable to see that on display but also logical. I will say, speaking as a Tim fan, I don’t think Fraction got his voice exactly right. Lines like “Man, you really got your bell rung.” and him yelling about the thirteen gears in the Batmobile sounded more like a generic Robin reaction than something Tim would say. It’s not a huge demerit, not like Tim was made to look bad or anything. Just something that jumped out at me.
Jorge Jiménez is mostly the star of this book, sprinkling in fun artistic details like the info-dumps on the various new gadgets (I love the Batboots) and even subtle shots like the Batmobile riding into the night and the faint visages of Batman and Robin through the window. I have to say, the exact designs of Batman and Robin I’m of two minds on. While I like that they’re both quite colorful, I wish the bright blue on Batman wasn’t so blue. He’s not looked this bright since the Jim Aparo days over thirty years ago. Love blue on Batman, but this is a touch much for my exact tastes. And I don’t love the haircut Jiménez gave Robin. While I’m also not a big fan of the red/black look that’s been assigned to Tim for years (I never thought those colors spoke to Tim, they’d work better for Jason), I do like the design of this new suit. Less so for the “R” insignia, but the blacks on the shoulders and armpit are pretty neat. Also the red bo staff is a cool fresh touch. It’s also cool that both he and Batman now have matching belt designs for once.
I thoroughly enjoyed Batman #2. It’s my favorite characters at their best, with a cliffhanger that’s almost traditional every now and then, leaving me excited to see what happens next. It’s a pretty bog standard issue of Batman, but done with style and flair, while being new reader friendly. Fraction, Jiménez and crew are two for two as far as this fan is concerned.
