2025 has proved to be very strong for the Dark Knight. The script for Matt Reeves’ The Batman: Part II is finally finished, The Penguin cleaned up at the Emmys, season two of Amazon’s Caped Crusader is in development, an ambitious new Lego Batman game was revealed, and DC’s relaunch of Batman sold 500,000 copies (an almost unheard-of milestone in modern comics). It’s easy for other titles to get lost in the shuffle, but Immortal Legend Batman continues to Bat Charge its way through the upper echelon of great comics this year.
Issue One proved to be a fantastic setup that told you pretty much everything you needed to know about this version of Batman. The creators crafted a world that wore its toku influences on its sleeve but was still distinctly Batman. In Issue Two, however, the balance shifts just slightly. The tokusatsu elements take a backseat to a more traditional Batman tale involving a heist, a (familiar) disguise, and a plethora of DC characters, both heroic and villainous. There’s still a henshin, there’s still special moves, but it doesn’t rely quite a much on Japanese superhero elements here.
Kyle Higgins and Mat Groom introduce several new takes on classic characters, while also fleshing out the world more. To be honest, it’s a little TOO much of an information dump. I had to re-read some lines of dialogue several times to ensure I gathered what they were trying to say. Sometimes, especially in modern comics, less is more. That being said, the direction this book takes are still stellar. Higgins and Groom feel like they’ve perfectly replicated the voices of Bruce Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth (who is a robot now!), and plenty of others. The duo excels at dialogue, and making the characters feel natural while driving home the sort of “hyper existence” Toku shows secrete.
The art continues to be the strongest part of the book. Erica D’Urso’s pencils along with Igor Monti’s colors continue to give you that melancholic pit in your stomach that radiates from certain Batman media, it feels hopeless but injected with just enough life to convey the stakes. It’s very manga inspired, which seems appropriate since tokusatsu is so prevalent in this comic. Dan Mora’s art with Tamra Bonvillain’s colors is the perfect counter, the tone shift when Batman transforms is euphoric. Batman and his foes explode through your retinas as if the book itself is a firework. It’s nothing less than gorgeous. I think this becomes most effective in the epilogue portion of the book where we get a better look at Nightwing and Robin. These characters pop, and color is very integral to this version of Nightwing.
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The letterer, Becca Carey, does so much for this book. Each character, or in some cases type of character, has their own distinct speech bubbles but when its relevant to the lore, that changes. Batman typically has a sort of yellow green type of bubble while the villain has a distorted jet black one. As the final battle progresses, and you learn more and more about the origins of Batman’s powers, his speech bubble begins to change colors. An impeccable touch.
Part of the fun of this run is seeing which classic member of The Dark Knight’s rogue’s gallery will be the “Monster of the Week.” Last issue, it was quite the surprise when the first Shadow we encountered was this universe’s take on Two Face, known here as The Two-Faced Man. This issue is no different, but I won’t reveal it here. Although, eagle eyed readers may catch a clue on this issue’s cover. It is a fantastic choice, and the design of this issue’s adversary is superb, and chock full of detail that constitutes as easter eggs. I’m very excited to see who else manifests from the shadows, and how will Thomas Elliot aka Hush (introduced in the stinger of the last issue) fit in?
Overall, this book is still a great read. It perfectly captures the spirit of the World’s Greatest Detective but with a distinct spin. The world building continues to enrich the comic, but tip toes on being overkill. There is a lot to process in this book, but it never feels truly bogged down by it. I felt less of the toku vibe in this issue, but it doesn’t diminish the fantastic story. If you like Batman, I can’t recommend this book enough.
Overall Score: 9/10
Despite the toku elements taking a backseat, Immortal Legend Batman Issue 2 continues to be a phenomenal and refreshing take on the Dark Knight.
