Batman (Vol. 6): Abyss by Joshua Williamson

Title: Batman.
Volume: 6.
Story Arc: Abyss.
Universe: Rebirth.

Writer(s): Joshua Williamson & Karl Kerschl (short story) & G. Willow Wilson (short story).
Penciler(s): Jorge Molina, Mikel Janín, Adriano Di Benedetto, Howard Porter, Jorge Fornes, Karl Kerschl (short story) & Dani (short story).
Colourist(s): Tomeu Morey, Dave McCaig (short story) & Trish Mulvihill.
Letterer(s): Clayton Cowles & Karl Kerschl (short story).
Publisher: DC Comics.

Format: Single Issues.
Release Date: August 2nd, 2022.
Pages: 176.
Genre(s): Comics, Superheroes, Science-Fiction.
ISBN13: 9781779516565.

My Overall Rating:

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Previously in the Batman (2016—) series:
Batman (Vol. 1): Their Dark Designs by James Tynion IV.
Batman (vol. 2): The Joker War by James Tynion IV.
Batman (Vol. 3): Ghost Stories by James Tynion IV.
Batman (Vol. 4): The Cowardly Lot Part One by James Tynion IV.
Batman (Vol. 5): Fear State by James Tynion IV.

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When accustomed to a world where crime surges from the darkest alleys, it is difficult for heroes to find respite, recuperate, and return to the battlefield fueled with an overwhelming sense of justice. Always looking out for the smallest sign of trouble, always hoping to find ways to prevent crime before they even occur, heroes remain tormented and obsessed with their raison-d’être and that alone is enough to keep evildoers away from their usual activities. With writer James Tynion IV’s run completed, the mantle is now given to writer Joshua Williamson, only temporarily, until writer Chip Zdarsky takes over, the canonical Batman series as this story arc collects Batman #118-121 and #124 to fill in the gap and keep fans on the edge of their seats with the introduction of a new villain who turns the darkness into the Caped Crusader’s greatest threat.

What is Batman (Vol. 6): Abyss? With Gotham now having survived Fear State, the Magistrate out of sight, and Scarecrow sent to the newly-constructed Arkham Tower, Batman is left wondering what he should be doing with his nights as everyone is out celebrating. Upon learning that Batman Incorporated, heroes that form the Club of Heroes (Dark Ranger, The Hood, El Gaucho, Bat-Man of China, and Man-of-Bats), has been arrested for the murder of a dangerous night-crawling monster called the Abyss, the Dark Knight leaves Gotham on a brand-new adventure to Badhnisia where he must confront Batman Inc.’s new benefactor and solve the mystery around this murder.

“However, I hope you remember just as you will find enemies that also call the darkness home, you will also find… There are enemies who hide in the light as well…”

— Joshua Williamson

This was no surprise. Writer Joshua Williamson has yet to write anything inspiring and whenever his name pops up, my expectations are at their lowest, as he comes up with some of the most typical stories to tell. It does help to know that he was never meant to stay long with Batman but that doesn’t make what he does write any less boring. From the very instant that Batman Inc. was mentioned, trouble was around the corner and not because of the reintroduction of Grant Morrison’s creation but because Joshua Williamson was clearly never going to properly utilize the international heroes within a forgettable five-issue story arc. As much as I would have liked to see him surprise me, what occurs in this tale is a bunch of ah-ha moments that never quite land their punches, told too fast, and with too little care in the world. If anything, this allowed him to create a new villain while maintaining the status quo. For DC, that’s probably a win-win situation, allowing the next writer to not get to work with unstable foundations.

As much as I’d like to say that the artwork saves this volume from being any worse than it is, I can only say that the artwork alone is brilliant, detailed, and grandiose in style. If it was void of the words that guided the events, it might actually be quite impressive, especially when you’re following up on artist Jorge Jiménez’s artwork on James Tynion IV’s run. The concept design behind Abyss is also decent but nothing mind-boggling, mostly looking like a hybrid between the already-new Ghost-Maker and Batman, very much like a cartoon-ized version of the Grim Reaper. With that being said, the artwork might indeed be the only reason to push on forward until the epilogue teases the upcoming stories within the DC Universe.

This volume also contains two short stories, completely unrelated to the main story and simply there to mix things up, definitely not to carry the volume and bring home big money. The first story, written and drawn by Karl Kerschl, is split into three parts and is a Gotham Academy adventure featuring Mia Mizoguchi, a young girl, dressed up as a Robin and out to solve the mystery around her missing friend Lindsay Okamura as the case leads to the discovery of kappas and their devilry. The second one-part short story, written by G. Willow Wilson and drawn by Dani, is found in the final issue and serves as a prequel to Pamela Isley’s own comic book series, quickly brushing over her future as Poison Ivy following the events in Fear State. Cute and inconsequential, these stories are also meaningless and irrelevant at the end of the day.

Batman (Vol. 6): Abyss is a mediocre and forgettable filler uninspiringly reintroducing Batman Incorporated and unveiling a new and uninteresting villain called Abyss.

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