In typical Grant Morrison fashion, Batman, Incorporated: Leviathan Strikes! #1 is an intense reading experience that requires your utmost attention and patience. In fact, it's almost a requirement to read through it at least twice to take in everything Morrison throws at his readers. But if you devote your complete attention to the book, then you'll be rewarded with one hell of a prelude to the upcoming Leviathan war starting in 2012.
It's no secret that it's been a really long time since the last issue of Batman, Inc. shipped. Therefore, it's very easy to forget what's happened in the series up to when Leviathan Strikes! #1 takes place. That's why, in rare fashion, I'm going to recommend you flip to the back of the issue first to read the 8-page recap that covers the formation of Batman, Inc. and the pertinent information from the entire series up until this point (just don't mistakenly see the final page reveal!).
Honestly, if I'd known this was included, I would have done the same and the book would have made a lot more sense during my first read-through. This recap also does a marvelous job pointing out all the bread crumbs Morrison has thrown on the ground over the course of Batman, Inc., stretching as far back as Batman R.I.P.
But let's get to the actual issue itself, shall we? [Editor's Note: This one-shot takes place pre-Flashpoint and the New 52. Have fun with that continuity!] Batman, Inc.: Leviathan Strikes! #1 is broken into two separate chapters. The first focuses on Stephanie Brown's time at the St. Hadrian's school for girls, while the second picks up in medias res with the Bat-family at the doorstep of the Leviathan organization. Outside both chapters featuring members of the Bat-family investigating how deep Leviathan runs, they feel very much detached from one another, as if they were originally meant to ship as two separate issues.
However, because of delays and the New 52 relaunch, they got slapped together into one issue. So if you were expecting Leviathan Strikes! #1 to feel like one cohesive whole, almost like a mini graphic novel, it unfortunately doesn't have that effect. With that said, all the content found within is very much enjoyable.
Morrison also does a fantastic job making the threat of Leviathan truly feel insurmountable. We thought The Black Glove was bad. Man, Leviathan makes them look like school bullies with inferiority complexes. We also finally find out who the mastermind is behind Leviathan. It's someone we should have seen coming, as it fits perfectly with the rest of Morrison's Batman work, but the reveal still comes off as a pleasant shock to close out the book.
Since this issue is split into two separate chapters, two different artists handle the book's interiors. Longtime Morrison collaborator Cameron Stewart draws the first chapter spotlighting Stephanie Brown. This is the book's most visually attractive section. Stewart's line work is precise and ultra detailed. Every panel is easy to decipher, and the action has a masterful flow to it.
The book's second chapter is drawn by Chris Burnham, who follows Morrison in lock step down the trippy rabbit hole. There's a lot going on in nearly every panel of Burnham's chapter, requiring you step back from the story to really soak in everything you're looking at. But Burnham has proven himself over the course of Batman, Inc. that he makes a great fit for Morrison's quirky and trippy stories. They seem destined to work together far into the future.
If you've been following Grant Morrison's extended Batman epic over the last few years, Batman, Incorporated: Leviathan Strikes! #1 is not to be missed. This is the prelude to the final phase of Morrison's epic that's been years in the making. Leviathan Strikes! #1 might feel disjointed due a haphazard shipping schedule, but the end result still provides plenty of comic goodness to enjoy.
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