Batman Incorporated Special #1 Review

Given how little the international heroes of Batman Incorporated have appeared outside of this series in the New 52, it was all but certain that the organization would be folding once Grant Morrison wrapped up his run. But if anything, the Batman Incorporated Special suggests that there could have been a future for the series beyond Morrison. This issue doesn't really add anything to Morrison's saga, but it provides a fun spotlight for these characters.

Last time Chris Burnham took a stab at writing a Batman Incorporated spinoff tale in issue #11, the results left something to be desired. But this issue has two advantages. For one, it's not intruding in the middle of the climax to Morrison's story. For another, the anthology format ensures that every story is quick and to the point.

Burnham again chronicles the exploits of Japanese Batman Jiro and and his sidekick, Shy Crazy Lolita Canary. Again, the shorter format really works wonders here, as does the fact that he's illustrating his own story. His altered style offers a welcome nod to old-school manga storytelling while still retaining the pop art flavor of the earlier issues of Incorporated. The villain, Inside-Out Man, is a bit too similar to Lord Death Man, but still entertaining.

For many readers, the highlight of the issue may be Joe Keatinge and Emanuel Simeoni's look at Squire's transformation into the new Knight. While well written and attractively rendered, this tale does disappoint slightly in that it doesn't mesh well with Morrison's final issues and fails to bring Ranger into the picture. Luckily, Ranger appears alongside Nightrunner and El Gaucho in a fun team-up from writer Mike Raicht and John Stanisci. Visually, the most memorable segment comes courtesy of Nathan Fairbairn and John Paul Leon, who craft a dual narrative focused on the more real-world struggles Man-of-Bats and Little Raven.

And finally, this issue is rounded out with a silent tale from Dan DiDio and Ethan Van Sciver about the most important Batman incorporated member of all -- Bat Cow. If that doesn't justify a purchase, I don't know what does.

Jesse is a writer for various IGN channels. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter, or Kicksplode on MyIGN.

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