I AM BATMAN Series

@Samsonkillingtime

I would like to see a series that explore a second Bat family book involving the Fox Family with Tiffany, Luke, and Jace Fox as principle characters. It should be a team-family book and explore more of new york, especially one that is connected to the wider DC universe. Think of famous locations like the old Justice League sanctuary or the Titans tower.

I’d actually love to see a Fox family book!

As ever, Jace and the family is much more interesting to me than Jace as Batman. I could read about the family all day – that’s why I liked SECOND SON so much.

THE NEW YORK FIVE is one of my favorite comics series…

It’s kind of a slice of life story, so just do that with the Fox family too – which John Ridley has done well, but yeah, just do a whole other book that way.

And surely there’s enough room for another Bat book. :smiling_face:

John Ridley has of course always talked about the family, and now that they’re in New York…

In I Am Batman #5, it appears that Lucius Fox is poised to become more involved in Jace’s life as Batman. How important was it for you to repair and reestablish the relationship between Lucius and his son?

Restoring that relationship was very important. All of these stories, from “Future State” to Second Son and even I Am Batman has been as much about the Fox family as they’ve been about Jace. These stories have covered their relationship, their difficulties, and their estrangements, as well as their reconciliations. The drive of Jace and the action have been great, but moments like when Lucious and Tanya Fox are talking about mental health in the Black and Brown community are reflective of what’s really going on in the world, as is the struggle with representation.

It’s a very powerful moment of identity when Lucius tells Jace to never put his faceplate back on, represent, and never think of himself as a lesser Batman. He admits that his son has a lot to learn before he is Batman, but he reinforces that he is not a lesser person by any means. Some people have said that I’m doing Black Batman, and they mean it as a compliment. But I say that it is not Black Batman, but Jace Fox as Batman, who happens to be black. This family has to struggle with money, with representation, and with just being out in the world, and you will see much much more of that going forward as Jace and his family make the move to New York in I Am Batman.

In exploring Jace’s story, Ridley gets the chance to do a nice deep dive into the Fox family. As important as they are to Bat-history, we haven’t been given the opportunity to really meet them.

“There’s an element of franchise here. There’s instant recognition of that name, of the Fox name, but at the same time that franchise, and I mean this in the best way, have not been exploited in terms of who they are,” he said. “To be able to talk about the Fox family, you’ve got instant brand recognition. It’s not this whole new thing where people have to go ‘wait, who are these folks? It’s going to take me eight issues to even wrap my head around them.’ People are aware of them. It is the best of all possible worlds to have a brand that people are aware of, but one that they don’t really know.”

With the Foxes now established as one of the richest families in the DC Universe, Ridley also gets to focus on talking about wealth and power in a completely different way from Bruce Wayne’s influence.

“What does wealth, privilege, power mean to this family? I think it’s really interesting to be able to take a Black family and tell these stories from a perspective where you talk about privilege, but not necessarily the way people think about it when those conversations are had on the evening news,” he said.

Where Bruce is driven by his desire to keep others from suffering the same trauma he did, Jace is on a quest for redemption. These contrasting motivations make them completely different heroes.

“Jace’s story is the exact opposite. He didn’t lose his family, he was the driver of what caused loss in another family. He was the agent of chaos, and has struggled with that,” Ridley said. “He’s seen his father use all of his stature to protect him, and then begin to question wealth and power and privilege. Then in real time, where Bruce doesn’t have a family, Jace has a family and it’s a complicated family.”

“To me, that’s where the difference is, Bruce had his parents taken from him and doesn’t have family. Jace shattered another family, but he does have family, and everything he does has consequence in regards to that family,” he continued. “That’s where it’s different, that’s where it’s unique, that’s what I love about it. It’s not just the Jace Fox story. It’s a family drama. Every week to have the opportunity to excavate more and more of this family that people know.”

Though he’s bringing in his own mythology, introducing a new setting and taking Batman in a new direction, Ridley never loses sight of the character’s importance or legacy.

“It’s an awesome, and I mean that in every sense of the word, responsibility to be the shepherd of this real estate,” he said.

There are eight million stories in the naked city. A Fox family book could be one of them. :smiling_face:

And I guess they could bring Luke back into the fold, he’s been absent of late.

I guess John Ridley has been spending all the time getting everyone else in place and you only have so many pages in an issue.

It’s almost like they need another book or something. :smiling_face:

This is neat, from McFarlane Toys

Continuing one of the longest running collectible lines of all time comes the next iteration of Black & White Batman by Olivier Coipel. Based on his cover of ‘I Am Batman #2’, this statue depicts Jace Fox as Batman crashing in to descend upon a group of goons.

Standing approximately 10.9″ tall, with a dynamically sculpted cape, and peg to keep Batman elevated off the base, this statue is a must have for fans of this line as well as fans of Oliver Coipel’s work.

Product Features:

  • Highly detailed statue stands approximately 10.9” tall
  • Made of polyresin
  • Statue is based on the art of Olivier Coipel
  • Packaged in 4-color closed box
  • Collect all McFarlane Toys DC Direct Figures and Statues

They did a pretty good job…

I would have preferred one from issue #1, but this is nice.

I don’t have any toys (or statues or whatever), but I may have to think about this… :thinking:

And Olivier Coipel… what could have been – and if they had kept the faceplate. :smiling_face:

A preview for issue #11

Very nice.

And if Renee Montoya is joining the book, great. I like her as The Question. And she would fit in perfect with what John Ridley is doing.

I’m glad I stuck with this, this is my favorite comic right now.

Issue #11

It looks as though Detective Chubb is becoming a bit of a confidant for Jace.

And the Fox family drama…

Tiff and Luke are still not good with each other… :smiling_face:

I hope they do bring Lucius and Luke to New York.

And I hope Renee Montoya comes too, and it’s looking like she might…

And obviously Renee Montoya and Adriana Chubb will be a couple. :smiling_face:

No, I have no idea what whether Chubb is bi-sexual, or lesbian or anything else – I don’t believe her personal life has been shown yet…

And two things:

First, yes the Mayor is corrupt. This is obvious. :smiling_face:

And a corrupt progressive politician. Nicely done, John Ridley.

And the further formation of Tiffany Fox, The Kid-Sister Wonder™!

And two other things:

Two artist for this issue, and this must be Tom Derenick’s art – I see that he did about six pages in total.

Ah well… things happen, I guess.

Anyway, the plans for the “Bat-Helix thing” sounds fun. And they’re putting it in Harlem. That’s cool, I can live with that.

And Harlem is better than Brooklyn. Because with Brooklyn you gotta cross the bridge to come over into the city. With Harlem you just have to come down the street.

And I’m not sure if that Harlem Helix transportation hub thing is real or fictional. I’ve never heard of it, but it may have been a real thing.

Anyway, next…

I knew the Mayor was corrupt…

John Ridley could have maybe come up with a better name than Mr. Dreadful, though. But it’s cool in it’s “comic book-ness,” I guess. :smiling_face:

And I like him as the bad guy – and as the type of bad guy that I imagine Jace would go up against.

And the cliffhanger:

And a throughly satisfying issue comes to a close.

Everything is being put into place rather nicely. And really looking forward to the “Bat-Helix thing.”

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This definitely is a more exposition or dialogue focus issue but I don’t mind, Jace is new at being a detective and yet he has the hallmarks of one, maybe Renee would teach him a thing or two.

This is definitely headcanon as of now, but I do think that Renee Montoya confidence calling out the major bullcrap is valid but it’s almost likely that after the failure Magistrate from fear state, the commissioner was likely forced out of Gotham as a result of the failure of the department to protect the civilians.
New York may had offered her the job but I got the impression she was going to take it regardless of her feelings because whose seriously thinking Renee Montoya was going to keep her job as commissioner after the disaster in Gotham and how she was going to develop a new working relationship with the Bat family afterwards when she betrayed them.
I’m Just waiting for the mayor of Gotham next.

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If I could complain about the I am Batman series or rather the John Ridley Batman books in general is how inconsistent the art style is that it makes the solid writing the only good thing about it.

Like I really loved Nick Derington pencils and art from the start of future state.

Before being replaced by Laura Braga with largely realistic but occasionally too expressive characters

I am Batman had Olivier Coipel which arguably had the best artist in this run

Until it changes again with Christan Dunce starting in the empire state of mind arc, largely good at keeping the atmosphere and attitude of the book so it was fine.

Until we get Tom Derenick

This is honestly why I love the face mask as it hides some obvious flaws when it comes to character design
If DC Comics wants to get serious with Jace Batman than they really need to hire a consistent artists for the series.

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@Samsonkillingtime

Yeah, John Ridley has been a bit unlucky when it comes to the consistency of artists for his Batman stuff.

Of course, Olivier Coipel was the rumored artist when all of this was first… rumored to be happening – before “Future State” and everything. I can only suppose Olivier Coipel does commercial work or something that pays more than comics, and comics is just a part-time thing.

John Ridley had great art on THE OTHER HISTORY OF THE DC UNIVERSE.

https://www.dccomics.com/graphic-novels/the-other-history-of-the-dc-universe-2020/the-other-history-of-the-dc-universe

DC actually tried with that and it worked out pretty well, the first issue got an Eisner nomination for Best Single Issue.

His Batman stuff though I feel DC could do better on.

I’m guessing they don’t have much faith in the series (and given the sales I can’t really blame them), because every other Bat-book has really good art. While I AM BATMAN is getting the “we’re not giving you table scraps, but you’re not getting the good stuff either, though” treatment. It’s just getting kind of a middling treatment.

The BATMAN - ONE BAD DAY: THE PENGUIN one-shot that John Ridley is writing, he’s being paired with Giuseppe Camuncoli, his partner from THE OTHER HISTORY OF THE DC UNIVERSE.

I’m guessing Giuseppe Camuncoli isn’t a fast artist, otherwise put him and John Ridley together on a Bat-book. Either on I AM BATMAN, or yeah, just cancel this and relaunch another book and have him be the artist there.

Briefly on Renee Montoya:

Yeah, again, she would be great as a permanent member of the book.

And John Ridley obviously likes her…

And yes, she would be great for Jace.

EDIT:

Speaking of which…

And more EDIT:

The “New York” interview from back at the beginning of the year…

Before we wrap up, I’d like to address Renee Montoya, a character you’ve written quite a lot of recently. Your Other History of the DC Universe retold her story seen in Gotham Central and 52 of a woman who was disillusioned with the police, and left to seek her own truth as the Question. But, in Second Son and I Am Batman, we’ve seen a very different side to Montoya as police commissioner, enforcing laws she doesn’t even seem to believe in herself. How did Renee get here? Has she forgotten her ideals, or is there something we’re not seeing?

Renee is a character, just, her longevity and her progress has been remarkable. One of the things that’s great about comic book storytelling is even outside of the spaces I’ve worked in, there’s progression of these characters. They’ve been around a long time, but there’s progress. And Renee has gone from being a beat cop, to being a detective, to being on the Major Crimes Unit. We’ve seen her struggles with herself, with her identity, with her sense of loss. With her partner, and that feeling of guilt. And one of the things that for me was very interesting was it’s one thing to be outside, adjacent to, or part of a system, but not really a decision maker, and gripe about how decisions are made. It’s a whole other thing to then be a titular person in a system and realize it’s not that easy. There are compromises. There are things you have to do.

You know, you watch shows like The Wire, which I loved, or American Crime, they are very much about systems. And you can be an idealist all you want, and we see it every campaign. But you get in there and you realize it’s not that easy to lead. That’s what I really loved about it. It was an opportunity for Renee Montoya. Just that ascension itself was just an honor to write. But fresh from The Other History, to be able to say, “Now, how do you put all this into practice? What do you do with all this? How do you actually manage?” And to see Renee have to make compromises. To see her even have to say to Adriana Chubb, “Look, I’ve got to make some tough choices right now. And the toughest choice: I need you to be a pawn, because it’s part of the endgame, and that’s me having more authority in running the police department if you’re not here.” And Chubb going, “Well, I don’t get this.” “Well, it’s not for you to get, this is the system, and the way it works.”

I love Renee. I was so honored to introduce her as commissioner. I love where she is in the overall DC Universe right now. And without giving away too much, there are more plans afoot for me with Renee. And I could not be more excited to have the opportunity to continue building on the legacy of so many people who’ve made her one of the most interesting characters at this point in the entire DC Universe.

I mean, to many, it’s surprising that she came back to the police at all, after all she’s been through.

Yeah, sometimes it takes somebody who’s got a little scarred flesh, and can endure, to do that. But I cannot think of a more perfect person to have step in. She’s the least amoral person in an immoral world. That’s why I loved her as the Question, you know? She questions her own identity. She questions the world. She’s very philosophical. She understands very deep things. Everybody loves Jim Gordon, but every once in a while, you’ve got to renew what’s going on. And Renee is a renewal, but it’s consistency as well.

Yeah, she’s coming to New York – as if there was much doubt. :smiling_face:

One review made me smile a little…

First this…

Character work is the name of the game with this issue, with key characters meeting and talking throughout. Ridley progresses relationships and the information the reader needs to understand the drama between them well. Characters can get to talking a lot, to the point where it feels like Ridley spends too much time focusing on dialogue and not enough time on action or advancing the plot visually.

A two-page scene between Jace and Vol is a good example of how this series is more of a procedural with lots of dialogue than action. It’s neat to see them discuss where the headquarters for Batman could be in New York, but it also reads like the scene could have taken place over two panels rather than two pages, or at least had them doing something in the scene beyond standing around.

I felt they could have done two more pages of Jace and Vol just standing around and talking. :smiling_face:

That was one of the best parts of the issue to me.

And…

Speaking of, much of this issue focuses so heavily on character drama that it seems to have lost sight of Batman patrolling the streets, fighting crime, and villains needing vanquishing. It’s becoming much more clear that this isn’t a Batman comic or about Jace anymore, but more about the supporting cast. That’s a bit of a bummer, as seeing Jace take on the mantle of Batman in a new city was the main selling point of the series.

I Am Batman #11 is a good character drama, but lacks Batman fighting villains and criminals in general. There’s a promise of more superhero stuff, but expect to dig into character relationships more than anything else.

Yeah, that’s pretty much how he’s written all of this. :smiling_face:

The first issue of THE NEXT BATMAN: SECOND SON going forward has been this way – plenty of drama and not much of any super-hero stuff.

This is a slow burn, almost slice-of-life series.

That’s like perfect, isn’t it… I think it is… :smiling_face:

And I guess I’m projecting my own lack of interest in seeing Jace dressed as Batman, but it seems like John Ridley kind of rushes through it too, in order to get back to the drama.

It’s like, “Yeah, he’s Batman, but I’d much rather write about this other stuff.” :smiling_face:

Normally I am not a big fan of Derenick’s art. I will say, though, that he has an interesting Jim Aparo vibe going on with his pages in this issue. Not sure if it’s intentional but his action scenes in particular really felt like Aparo.

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@Locothedog123

Yeah, it was a really odd choice to me.

But I guess it’s because he was available and is fast… ? And instead of delaying the issue for a week or two in order to let Christian Duce finish up those pages, let’s just throw in an artist whose style is nothing like the regular artist’s style. :smiling_face:

Ah well…

Anyway, a random thought on I AM BATMAN #15:

Since it’s a late addition…

Also revealed for the first time is that I Am Batman #15 from writer John Ridley, releasing in November, will connect to Dark Crisis. Story details and full creative team will be announced at a later date.

I’m a little worried about this, because this take on Batman doesn’t really fit in at all with any of that DARK CRISIS stuff.

Then again, I have no real idea what’s going on with DARK CRISIS because I’m not reading it, but I just suspect that what John Ridley is doing with Jace doesn’t really fit in with whatever they’re doing. :smiling_face:

And that’s what’s a bit worrying to me, that they’re going to change I AM BATMAN and turn it into more of a regular super-hero comic.

A silver lining though is maybe they’ll just relaunch it and have Jace be in his own separate timeline or Earth or whatever. Jace doesn’t interact with any of the other Bat-people anyway, so it’s not like he’d be missed.

Just do a reverse of what 5G was going to be: instead of Bruce Wayne going off into his own little world with Superman and Wonder Woman, just send Jace off into his.

It’s not like it would sell worse – I think it’s already the lowest selling Bat-book. :smiling_face:

No, who knows what’s going to happen post-DARK CRISIS.

Of course, I was hoping that DARK CRISIS was going to be a total reboot. Then they said that it’s wasn’t going to be a total reboot, and it not being one immediately led me to having no interest in it. Now it seems like it’s not a reboot but a “rewrite”… or something like that?

Whatever it is, just get to end of it. Let me see what happens afterwards, that’s what I’m interested in…

An article on the “Bat-Helix”…

It is not technically a cave, more like a transportation hub. Still, its design is unique, allowing Jace the secrecy he needs to operate as Batman while providing ample room for his base of operations. More importantly, the hideout, coined “the Bat-Helix” by Jace, suits his style of vigilantism by keeping him close to the people he’s trying to stand up for.

The Helix also has a unique structure. It’s built on rotating platforms to separate its three levels, two of which are underground. This gives Jace the ability to operate in total secrecy. Additionally, it puts him in a position to easily defend himself in the unlikely event someone tries to attack his base. The two underground levels would act as a staging ground to work on cases and develop tech. Most importantly, it gives him access to New York’s subway tunnels, so he can travel around the city quickly.

What makes this place perfect for Jace’s Batman, however, is the intent to use it as a satellite office for his mother’s impact fund. It would allow Jace not only to help his family do good work but also put him front and center to hear the problems that the people of New York have. Jace’s Batman isn’t limited to battling super criminals. He remains dedicated to standing up to the elites of the world.

Hopefully they just call it the Helix, but “Bat-Helix” is fine too, I guess.

I was wondering if they were just going to have Jace use his father’s money and buy an anonymous building or something and turn that into some type of base of operation.

This solution works better though, I imagine – although it is kind of a similar thing…

The Helix was built in the seventies and designed to be a transportation hub connecting Harlem to subways and airports. However, New York’s bankruptcy period forced its backers to abandon the project. Almost half a century later, the building has been forgotten even by the few people working on it. So, right off the bat (pun not intended), the building is perfect for a secrecy-minded vigilante like Jace. It has anonymity, having fallen through the cracks of New York’s records, and there is little reason for any city official to suspect that Batman is using one of New York’s abandoned projects as a base.

Either way, I like what John Ridley came up with.

And this kind of gives me a little of the “Applied Science Division” idea or vibe that Christopher Nolan used in his movies. I’m guessing this might (or I’m hoping it will, at least) have a minimalist or Brutalist architectural style; just clean and simple.

It would be fun if they went old 70s DC Comics and gave like a layout or something in the back of the issue once it debuts.

After DETECTIVE COMICS #38

That was the sensational character find of 1940.

Here’s the sensational character find of 2022 (at least sensational to me)…

From the October solicits…

I AM BATMAN #14
Written by JOHN RIDLEY
Art and cover by CHRISTIAN DUCE
Variant cover by HOWARD PORTER
1:25 variant cover by CAANAN WHITE
$3.99 US | 32 pages | Variant $4.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 10/11/22
The mystery of a pair of brutal murders is solved, a hero is born, and a mantle is passed. The conclusion of the intense “She Got Next” saga will reverberate from New York all the way back to Gotham City as it sets up the next chapters for both Jace Fox and Renee Montoya.

Tiffany Fox, The Kid-Sister Wonder™!

The sensational character find of 2022! :smiling_face:

Preview time…

First thing first…

Yeah, Christian Duce just does not draw a good Batman, in my opinion.

I mean, how do you get hired as an artist at DC and not draw an insanely good Batman?

That was would seem like it’s part of the hiring process: what’s your name, and let’s see how you draw Batman. :smiling_face:

Anyway, obligatory whine about Jace dressed as Batman aside, nice preview.

Tiffany Fox in Washington Square Park. Get 'em, Tiff!!!

I went to NYU, and John Ridley as well is an alumni, so we know Washington Square Park.

Nicely done on that front, Christian Duce – I still don’t think your Batman is that good, but nicely done on the park. :slightly_smiling_face:

And Riverside Park nicely done. And he draws everyone else well, except for when Jace dresses up as Batman. Weird.

Anyway, 12 issues in… Probably 6 to 12 issues to go before the bitter end, but I’m there.

Issue #12

That brief conversation between Jace and Lucius actually made me a little giddy for some reason.

It was fun.

And now Tiffany…

And interesting what John Ridley is doing with Morris Caulfield…

Wow. Holy ripped from the headlines, Batman.

And potentially creating some more Fox family drama. Oh yes. :smiling_face:

I had a theory that I wasn’t serious about, and that was about Jace potentially becoming The Question…

Curious… nothing beyond that, though.

And The Helix is up and running, and I’m glad they’re calling it just The Helix…

Exposing Vol to The Question though I guess is something that we’ll just look past because it’s a comic book. :smiling_face:

Interesting back and forth regardless.

And god, so much in this issue, the High Line

Sweet. And nice job, Christian Duce.

And big sister advice from Tam. Nice.

And “power to the people” or whatever…

Setting up the mystery.

This was a jam packed issue. A lot going on.

Nice Jace and Renee momment…

More Tiff…

And the cliffhanger…

Solid issue. Fun issue. The kind of issue that I like. A lot of stuff happening.

Good job, John Ridley. Very well done, as usual.

And now the long wait until the next issue.

Speaking of issue #13

The solicits:

Batman and the Question’s investigation into Anarky’s murder puts them directly in the crosshairs of a rogue police unit set up to deal with the radical activist, and which is willing to kill to keep their secrets. At the same time, as she watches a friend being lured back into a life of crime, sitting on the sidelines is no longer an option for Tiffany Fox.

So yeah, I guess it’s Kayln that will get Tiffany off the sideslines and give us Tiffany Fox: The Kid-Sister Wonder™!

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Really enjoyed #14 of I am Batman.

I think with new legacy heroes, they might have the problem of occasionally being too self-righteous but I do love the moment where Renee tells Jace that the evil Jace is chasing may not be clear black and white because not everyone is a villain. Rather evil could be just people with biases supported by bad systems and most days people’s human nature. It’s Greyness that Jace will be fighting and it’s only going to get worse.

I loved it because Jace’s form of justice to me anyway is heavily influenced by guerrilla movements, following the idea of fighting against injustice of the system. A system that affects minorities but more importantly benefits people with more power. Jace wants to change the system as Batman but he is going to face problems like this where you can’t simply stop corrupt individuals and face resistance from people you are trying to save.

The next issue will reportedly deal with Sinestro and Jace’s fear, so hopefully it will confront his frustration over his Father influence in Jace’s hit and run case that caused Jace to want redemption as Batman. Sinestro is a complex character as well so hopefully we could see his insight of Justice be contrasted with Jace’s that he might hate or sympathize with.

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The funny thing with me and I AM BATMAN is that I’ve dropped it again. Issue #12 was my final issue, so I gave it a year.

I tried, and I was determined to stick it out until the bitter end. But Jace dressing as Batman has been a hangup for me since day one, and try as I might I just can’t get past it.

I like that he does things differently, and if only he was dressed different it would be perfect to me.

If John Ridley does a Tiffany mini series or something (and even though from what I’ve seen I don’t like her costume, but it can easily be changed), but I’d buy a Tiffany mini series from him in a heartbeat.

I guess the introduction of DC Universe Infinite Ultra was the final straw for me. Since you have to pay for the whole year up front, I’m too cheap to do that and buy I AM BATMAN monthly too. :smiling_face:

So I’ll read it whenever I get around to reading it. (And GCPD: THE BLUE WALL is going to be the only thing that I currently buy monthly; everything else I can easily wait a month for… )

Interesting that SUPERMAN: SON OF KAL-EL is ending after issue #18. I had pegged that to go at least 24 issues. And I AM BATMAN I assumed was going to come to a close after 18 issues, but it may go to at least 24.

Or when the February solicits come out it may say final issue then. And then DC may do a 6-issue thing with Tiffany, or with Jace and Tiffany or something. And maybe I’ll get my wish then and they’ll have Jace dressed as something other than a version of Batman. Or they may just stick with the Batman thing and keep him as that forever, and he’ll just show up occasionally as that and that’ll be that.

Anyway, it was fun.

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I totally agree with that.

It’s not that I don’t like Jace because I do and think he’s a really interesting character. My only complaint is that he’s Batman. :laughing:

Batman is a role that has pretty big shoes to fill and with Jace it’s like he’s finding that mantle as a after thought. There are times where I feel like he is limiting himself to be something better. I miss a lot of the setting in Future state because it’s where he was most significant, now it’s like because he is afraid associating with the main Batman he is quite literally distancing himself from the wider dc universe.

It’s funny I did a post about Luke Fox a while back

I discussed how his new identity crisis recently with Batwing could be a opportunity to become something greater now that technically his father and him are the richest men in the world and Bruce is not. Luke could focus on being someone like Bruce Wayne where he helps not just ordinary people but other heroes. Luke Fox could fund and manage superhero teams, develop tech for them, and use his public image to support them against people like Lex Luthor who usually fights them with his corporate influence.
I argue now that if Batwing’s role is left open than I could see someone like David Zavimbe or even Jace Fox taking over the role.

Anyway you’re post was awesome and really got me interested to read other stuff from John Ridley and I’m definitely going to be looking at his GCPD: Blue Wall series next because that looks really interesting.

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I am ecstatic to discuss #16 of I am Batman and got a lot to say about it. But first let me be brief about last issue of #15 of the series where for the second time since fear state I Am Batman is in actual continuity.

Issue #15 of I am Batman series focused on the dark Crisis, it involves Jace Fox encountering sinestro, the yellow lantern who controls fear. This will probably be the first time Jace faced a actual DC villain rather than a human criminal, and Jace is obviously outclassed. It’s worse by the fact that this version of the character is influenced by Pariah to be slightly more powerful now, able to effect reality to a small degree now. Fighting Sinestro fear powers, Jace confront his Imposter syndrome being a second Batman, the man he killed, and inability to be honest to the ones he love. Things that can be resolved with a good old fashioned villain beatdown

Narratively speaking there isn’t much to say. The interaction between a villain who is known to be manipulative like sinestro was not shown here. Even under the excuse that technically under Pariah’s influence it’s not really him. It’s definitely the weakest of the series.

However #16 is something entirely different, excelling at bringing the drama and social commentary that has become a hallmark of the series.

It begins with a murder of Tanya Fox assistant, someone important enough to her that Lucius Fox has to come to New York.

With the family more or less together again, Jace and Tiff finally have a conversation about her recent superhero activity with Tiffany Fox telling Jace that she knows he is Batman as well. Jace Fox tells Tiffany that he trusts her but because he believes he will screw up as Batman some day and he doesn’t want to be the brother who let her down. But as Tiffany remarks “A lie is still a lie. And this family has got to many.”

Any other person would call her a smartass but in truth she’s the wisest person here besides Hadiyah in Jace’s life.

This part is honestly one of my favorites. The next scene occurs in Downtown Brooklyn, it’s something that the caption make explicit should be a ordinary day, but it isn’t. A shooter starts killing people in a corporate office and one woman scared for her life, hides behind her table and calls her mom to tell her that she loves her. Shooter finds her and just when he is about to kill her, his gun jams.


I don’t know why this scene gets to me. Maybe because it felt more real than seeing people get poised by fear toxins. Maybe it’s the person calling her mom and it made me emotional. This scene shouldn’t be unusual in comics but to me it was and I found myself thinking about while writing this.

It’s my favorite because right after he fails killing her, he runs out on the streets where he runs into Batman. And for a moment I swear I said quietly to myself, “Bruce?”
It wasn’t and I think for the first time since this whole saga of Jace began that I felt Jace finally became Batman for me.

Likely helped by the fact his face was kept in shadows, even for a moment Jace was Batman.

In Second Son, Jace discovers information that allowed him to access the armored Bat armored
“The family of Bat.”
It’s not really something that stands out but after reading through this story I could see Jace’s family of Bat, the ones who knowingly or unknowingly help him to become the hero he is.
Vol, Tiffany and Hadiyah and even Lucius are there to be Jace’s Bat family and that they provide their own perspectives on whether Jace honestly is sure on what he is doing and how it relates to his goal of seeking redemption through Batman.



As we approach the end of I am Batman with this arc I’m left feeling largely glad that it’s still kicking around even for a while. I wouldn’t mind seeing Jace in other titles but it’s gotta be written with a larger goal in mind. Jace Bat family needs to expand and stop metaphorically hiding in the shadows of New York.

I would like to leave this post with a perspective on something entirely different but relevant.

Seeing Jace get guidance from their Bat family in this crucial time is almost heartbreaking if anyone read anything from Batwing. Jace’s younger brother Luke lacked that support structure when he had a similar crisis when Tamara got kidnapped and soon after Tiffany from ratcatcher. He kept himself level-headed but you do watch him lose control that Batman has to check up on him.



It did cause Luke to become discouraged by heroism as seen in future state, so hopefully one day Luke’s arc there could be more fully realized in the future and get the chance to receive that treatment Ridley gave to Jace.

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This will probably be the last post I make of this series, so I would like to thank @ds090ddsl for giving me interest enough to read about this character. It was a interesting read, heck it was a journey, but I’m just going to summarize #17 and 18, and be done with it.

#17 was not the best issue. I admire the drama for what it was throughout in I Am Batman but at this point the Fox family should be stronger together than ever. Coming together to save Jace’s biological mom. Watching Jace have a tantrum in front of his family is not the way to do that.
He’s not only judging his parents, his siblings, but he is criticizing his father affair as a abuse of power. What?!

In my head I thought Lucius Fox did have a affair, yes, but with a co-worker in Wayne Enterprises. Perhaps it was far-fetched to assume this but I didn’t imagine it was possible to make Lucius Fox a worse person by saying he took advantage of his power. Lucius Fox one of the noblest person in the Bat-family is now a terrible person. Considering there a few to minimum nuclear African-American families together in comics, I thought Ridley, a liberal writer, would help fix that perception that African-Americans come from broken homes by writing a family unit like the Fox Family but nope. Ruined the few positive African-American families in comics for cheap drama.

For this second to last issue toward the finale. I couldn’t be sure before but I freakin hate Jace here. I thought he was better than this. He was passionate about his beliefs sure, be was more reserved, a man with a strong moral compass who believes in restorative efforts. He was better than this. Watching him blame his family, debate saving his biological mother, and argue he’s losing a fight because he doesn’t believe in it, is completely asinine to read about an adult acting like a brat.



Tiffany was more of a hero than even her older brother. It’s funny how Ridley could write a female hero better than he can write a lead male character.

And here is my biggest complaint here. Towards the part where Jace and Tiffany are losing to probably the most forgettable villains so far. The moral Authority and King. Jace and Tiff are saved by a mysterious person, a hero who I thought it was something cool. I could imagine Renee Montoya Question, a Robin like Tim Drake, Luke Fox finally appearing to save his family. Freaking OG Batman! No. No. No. Nope.
We got Nobody. Literally.

It’s supposed to be Jace’s love interest Hadiyah who is a new Question, but what a lackluster introduction. Damn! This issue made me mad. :angry:
It’s somehow possible to kill a interest in a character like this than in one issue. Thanks Ridley!

Issue 18 comes around and I swear even though I was finished with this series, I thought why not finished what I started. Jace Fox has a decent conversation with his biological mother. Making Jace mother be Asian would obviously mean he is biracial and I thought that was interesting, but at the same time, I hate the way it was done.


The cops will work on putting the heroes of New York on a special task force, Jace leaves his family for good to spend more time with his biological one, and Jace and Tiffany are now working together as a new dynamic duo in New York.


It’s a better issue than the last one, but that doesn’t mean much. I cannot excuse the treatment for ruining the Fox Family here. I hate how it goes against what John Ridley was saying about the dynamic of the Fox Family and how it would be different from Bruce’s Bat-family.

Jace is the exact opposite. I have a family, I’m estranged from my family. I had issues with my dad. I’ve held secrets from my mom and my sister. So for me, it was really about not just making it a Batman story. It’s a family story. It’s a family dynamic. It’s the kid who’s pushing away. But at the same time, what you’re pushing away from in some ways, well, if you’re pushing away from your dad, you still got to acknowledge your dad is a big part of your life. If you’re leaving Gotham to be with your mom and your sister, what happens when you have these secrets from your family? So for me, it was really, that was the differentiator. It wasn’t just, Oh, he’s black Batman. He’s Jace Fox.

Far As I can tell John Ridley made a perfect hypocrite. Jace held his secrets from his family, but when one that is not his own confronted to him, he walks out on them instead of working through it and accepting it. The fox family is far more fractured now than anything else, and what’s worse is that this is the finale. Can’t be fixed for some time and we don’t know when that’s going to be.

It’s funny, Luke Fox portrayal in Next Batman: Second Son as somebody who hated his brother for walking out on them in their time of need and warning his family he will do it again was ironically and inevitably right.

Jace honestly walks out on his family again. Lucius gave Jace the equivalent of another chance as Batman, giving him the tools, resources and advice to do vigilante work on the streets, and he still walks out on them. With that context, I’m kinda glad in a way this happened. Now Luke Fox my favorite character could be proven right and his current globetrotting away from the Fox Family in New York is the same as him saying I told you so.

Look, this Batman character desperately needs another writer. John Ridley seemingly killed any interest in him and needs to overhauled with a new vision in mind. I could appreciate John Ridley rewriting of this niche character from the 70s into something complex and modern. I could appreciate this series for giving me extra interest in Luke Fox simply as a alternative. I could appreciate a lot things it did to make a different way of reading DC comics. I can’t appreciate the results by the end.

Thank you again @ds090ddsl for creating such a interesting post and allowing me to vent. Going to look forward to the finale of GCPD: Blue wall. The much better John Ridley book currently out.