Comics Review: "BATMAN #4" Drops the Smoke

BATMAN (2025) #4

DC COMICS

STORY: Matt Fraction

ART: Jorge Jimenez

COLORS: Tomeu Morey

LETTERS: Clayton Cowles with Jorge Jimenez

EDITOR: Rob Levin

COVER: Jorge Jimenez

VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Jim Lee and Scott Williams with Alex Sinclair; Julian Totino Tedesco; Felipe Massafera; David Aja; Jorge Jimenez

36pp, Color, $4.99 U.S., (February 2026)

Batman created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger

Rating: 13+

“Drop The Smoke.”

DC Comics recently relaunched its Batman flagship comic book series – the third time in 14 years.  It is written by Matt Fraction; drawn by Jorge Jimenez; colored by Tomeu Morey; and lettered by Clayton Cowles.  DC is pushing the series as the dawn of new era in Batman comic books.

Batman #4 (“Drop The Smoke.”) informs us that “Torus” isn't really a criminal gang or a crime family.  “... it's a system. An algorithm of crime.”  And The Minotaur is the only one who can keep the entire equation in his head.

So while Bruce Wayne investigates “the Crown of Storms,” Batman pursues Anarky, who reveals a criminal conspiracy hiding in plain sight.  It will change the game for crime and for criminals in Gotham City… and maybe for the world.

THE LOWDOWN:  For years, I had a subscription to DC Comics' Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? ongoing comic book series.  It was quietly canceled within the last year, but I had 14 issues left in my subscription.  Midtown Comics in NYC, which manages DC Comics' subscriptions, gave me the option of choosing any new DC title I wanted to continue my subscription, so I chose Batman – just in time for this new era, and this is my fourth review of this new series.

I highly praised the first two issues of Matt Fraction and Jorge Jimenez's Batman.  They deserved it.  Some of the content of those first two issues reminded me of elements of Frank Miller's Batman: The Dark Knight Returns.

I enjoyed the third issue and this fourth, but both of these issues feel like they are in a holding pattern.  Fraction and Jimenez were full speed ahead for the first two issues, but now, they seem to be boiling the pot for a pair of explosive penultimate and ultimate issues in this initial story arc.  At least, I hope so.

That's it.  Keep reading this new Batman, dear readers.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Batman comic books will want to read Batman 2025.

B+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

[This comic book includes two previews of upcoming comic books.  The first is a five-page preview of “DC KO: Reed Hood vs. Joker” from writers Joshua Williamson and Scott Snyder; artists Dustin Nguyen and Mark Morales; and colorist John Kalisz.

The second is a three-page preview of “Titans (2023) #30” from writer John Layman and artist Pete Woods.]

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The first trade collection of this new "Batman" series, "BATMAN VOL. 1: DAYLIGHT," is available is due June 2026 and can be order at Amazon.

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