Someone is killing the mentors of Ghost-Maker, and they’re getting closer to the heroes of Batman, Incorporated. Your Major Spoilers review of Batman Incorporated #2 from DC Comics awaits!

BATMAN INCORPORATED #2

Writer: Ed Brisson
Artist: John Timms
Colorist: Rex Lokus
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Editor: Ben Abernathy
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: November 8, 2022

Previously in Batman Incorporated: Batman Inc. continues to investigate the death of Ghost-Maker and Batman’s mentors. Each new lead only begs more questions and threatens to unearth a shocking secret buried deep in Ghost-Maker’s past…

A secret that refuses to die.

ENTER THE SKY-SPIDER!

In the skies of Shanghai, Ghost-Maker clashes with his former teacher, Skyspider, trying to save her life whether she wants his help or not. There’s some bad blood to be had, as she reminds him, since he has personally killed one of his mentors in order to be the best at what he does, leading her to believe he’s behind it all. In British Columbia, Raven Red and El Gaucho work to find another of their new boss’s former teachers, only to end up being ambushed. Grey Wolf and Mister Unknown have an even worse time, as the person they’ve been sent to save is ready to kill them until an unknown costumed man arrives to save their bacon. Wingman and The Knight are outsmarted by a super-spy’s poisons, Dark Ranger finds evidence pointing to Ghost-Maker as the killer and two more mysterious masked folks arrive from somewhere, while Skyspider gets murdered… by Ghost-Maker’s former sidekick!

WAIT, MORE CHARACTERS?

The first issue of this book was somewhat concerning to me as the existing characters of Batman, Inc. were all used as backdrops for Ghost-Maker’s ongoing story. Given that the Club of Heroes was considered equal to Batman himself, it is truly frustrating to see Ghost-Maker patronizing the entire team. We continue to look into the murder of multiple characters without any context for who they are (there are some editorial notes requesting that readers check two other TPB collections for more information, which is unhelpful) and we have THREE different situations that end with the sudden appearance of a masked stranger of unknown provenance. Timms’ art continues to perplex me, with elongated forms and strange angles on every page. There’s a particular overhead shot in this issue where one of the antagonists is looking down at two of the heroes in a pit, with proportions making him look 10 feet tall and the pit two or three feet wide with tiny heroes trapped inside. Making things even tougher is the sheer number of capes and cowls in play, making for a confusing sequence where Wingman and The Squire are hard to tell apart, even though he’s a full head taller and they’re different genders.

BOTTOM LINE: ALREADY MIRED IN CONTINUITY AT ISSUE #2

The largest problem with Batman Incorporated #2 for me comes in the sheer amount of material that has no context for those who haven’t been following Ghost-Maker’s story for the last few years, making it hard to grasp the multiple moments where something is supposed to be shocking new information, combined with a hard-to-grasp art style for a disappointed 2 out of 5 stars overall. If the next issue doesn’t put some of the pieces in place, I don’t think I’ll be back for number four.

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