Batman 89 #2 Review - Bruce Wayne Vs White Privilege

Writer: Sam Hamm | Artist/Cover: Joe Quinones | Publisher: DC Comics

I wasn’t exactly blown away by Batman 89 #1 and I’m sad to say that this issue doesn’t get any better. I had several problems with this issue. Some are personal biases others are with the story itself. The criticisms may be unfair depending on perspective but it's my blog and I gotta be honest.

The first problem is that this story isn’t Batman 89 at all. Aside from Harvey Dent vaguely looking like Billy Dee Williams there isn’t much that ties the story to the Tim Burton Batman films.

The second gripe is with DC comics in general. Whenever a Black Character is given a platform in a DC comic social ills become the driving force behind their motives. This isn’t an issue in itself but when you’re releasing several issues covering the same ground it gets tired, really tired.

Bruce/Batman doesn’t get much to do here. Batman isn’t presented in the most heroic light. He inadvertently causes the death of a kid while on patrol. The death causes him to reflect on his responsibilities as Batman and a change in his approach to fighting crime.

Harvey Dent is still attempting to catch Batman but has also taken up the BLM position against the GCPD. This causes officers to call him “Two-Faced” in his backhanded approach to law enforcement.

While the situation between Harvey and Batman escalates Tim Drake gets the goofiest character intro ever. If this was the version of Robin Tim Burton was going for I’m glad the character was cut altogether.

I don’t have anything positive to say about this comic. The comic has a stock art style that doesn’t stand out and as someone that lived through the Burton Era of Batman, this issue is as vapid as you can get. This comic feels more like Batman 2022 than anything from the 80s or 90s.

In short: Batman 89 has been a huge disappointment so far as Current year politics continue to override any ideas Tim Burton may have left on the cutting room floor.