Batman Vol.3 #4

Oct 2012. Cover price £2.99.
76 pages. Full colour contents.
Titan Magazines.

Cover p: Greg Capullo, colouring by FCO Plascencia.
r: cover from Batman (DC Comics) #10 (Aug 2012).

Contents:

 2 Justice League in-house advertisement

 3 Contents Page

 4 Batman pin-up; p: PAT (Patrick Gleason), i: Mick Gray, colouring by John Kalisz.

r: cover from Batman and Robin (DC Comics) #06 (Apr 2012).

 5 The Real Me w: Peter J. Tomasi. p: Patrick Gleason, i: Mick Gray, lettering by Patrick Brosseau, colouring by John Kalisz.

r: Batman and Robin (DC Comics) #10 (Aug 2012).

25 Subscribe

26 Batman pin-up; p: Greg Capullo, colouring by FCO Plascencia.

r: cover from Batman (DC Comics) #10 (Aug 2012).

27 Assault on the Court w: Scott Snyder; p: Greg Capullo, i: Jonathan Glapion, lettering by Richard Starkings & Comicraft's Jimmy Betancourt, colouring by FCD Plascencia.

r: Batman (DC Comics) #10 (Aug 2012).

37 Missed an Issue? Back issues.

49 My Brother's Keeper w: Scott Snyder; p: Greg Capullo, i: Jonathan Glapion, lettering by Richard Starkings & Comicraft's Jimmy Betancourt, colouring by FCD Plascencia.

r: Batman (DC Comics) #11 (Sep 2012).

73 Win an Awesome Batman: The Dark Knight Rises Bat Vehicle competition.

74 Batman Letters readers' mail

75 Next Time! in-house advertisement.

76 Batman: The Dark Knight in-house advertisement.

Promising much yet, alas, delivering very little, The Real Me could have been a stellar story, though pulls back from anything radically different than we have seen dozens of times before in Batman narratives, falling into a rut when it should have been carving out a fresh path. It is pointless, at this remove from the character's inception, to expect any different, but the sheer level of carelessness in creating what should be a tense thriller is a sign that the era of the bat is well and truly over.

The pin-ups, here, are fine - while not displaying any true sign that there is something more than crass commercialism in mind, they fulfill their role in adding to an otherwise unimpressive collection of stories. Relaunching the Batman line could have been the impetus for a complete overhaul of the tired and redundant elements, bringing a freshness to the character, in line with the cinematic overhaul instigated by Christopher Nolan with The Dark Knight, though instead we are presented with material which is undistinguished.

While this might, superficially, feel like great value for money, it lacks a sense of vibrancy which really should be present in a new title.

#03

Batman Vol.3

#05