REVIEW: Batman Incorporated #5 (DC Comics)

RECAP

The explosive conclusion to “No More Teachers”! Batman Inc.’s allegiances are split as Ghost-Maker and his former sidekick, Phantom-One, duel to the death. It’s winner take all! Will the fate of Batman Incorporated rest in the hands of…Clownhunter?!

CREATIVE TEAM

Author: Ed Brisson
Artist: John Timms
Colorist: Rex Lokus
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Publisher: DC Comics
Genre: Action, Drama, Mystery, Psychological, Superhero
Published Date: 02/14/2023

REVIEW

I’ve enjoyed reviewing this series for Comic Watch so far, and this issue is no different. Batman is one of my favorite characters from DC Comics; I love that this story is a “Batman without the Batman” story. It gives a familiar feel but opens the doors to new characters, chaos, and stories. Issue #5 ends up being the concluding issue of the current story (but not the series), and this conclusion is compelling for several reasons.

So far, the story has been one-sided for us as readers, where we only got Phantom-One’s versions of events. And there was no reason to question it either because, quite frankly, everything that Phantom-One shared seemed like the kind of thing that Ghost-Maker would do. In this story, we get a final showdown between Ghost-Maker, Phantom-One, and Clownhunter, with another showdown between the rest of the Batman, Incorporated and Phantom-One’s team (if they had a team name, it’s escaping me at the moment).

I loved how this issue flipped everything on its head for the opposing team and many readers. We see Ghost-Maker’s rebuttal on the events that led Phantom-One seemingly abandon, which makes him question if he’s been trying to kill someone based on a misunderstanding and personal blindness. Batman Incorporated pointed out Phantom-One’s team’s flaw in rationalizing the killing of Ghost-Maker, which left them speechless, but they were too angry to process it. This was a great case showing how there are many instances where violence should have been the last option instead of the first. But I definitely love Ghost-Maker’s character development here at the end.

The writing by Brisson here is fantastic. As I’ve said in earlier reviews, it’s a “Batman story without the Batman” with a Mission: Impossible feel to it. Timms’ artwork is always fantastic, and this is no exception. The layouts and artwork here are so emotionally charged and compelling that it matches the story’s tone the entire time.

The colors and letters by Lokus and Cowles add so much depth to the story that I can’t find many flaws at all. The creative team has done such a great job with this story and characters, and I honestly absolutely love everything about it.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I feel like this story has been slept on from the public eye. It is such a fantastic story that if you are looking for something that is exciting and new yet familiar, this is the series I would 100% recommend to anyone, especially if you are a Batman fan.