Batman: Off World #1 review

Aliens! Spaceships! Batman!

That’s right folks, it’s Jason Aaron’s first outing writing the Dark Knight, and I for one couldn’t be more stoked about the premise! Anyone who knows me or my work knows that I’m a MASSIVE fan of the Brave and the Bold cartoon for its silly Silver-Age-ness, and that’s EXACTLY what Off-World promised. Did it deliver? Well…

First things first

I liked this book! It’s a fun romp, and always a good time to see Batman in an environment where he not only doesn’t have the upper hand, but is actually the bottom of the ladder. I came into this as a massive fan of Aaron’s work on Doctor Strange. It felt like this book should have been a natural successor, taking a relatively “straight man” type hero and putting them in a bunch of wacky situations. I love this idea. Batman doing a Lost in Space, even, could be a really fun idea. That’s why I had such a blast with this book.

I mean, come on. Look at this page. This rules. Batman using space tech to beat space robots so he can beat up space baddies. THIS is what I was hoping for.
It’s just a shame about, well…

The rest of it

We start incredibly strong with a kick-ass fight scene, Batman trying to figure out how to navigate this society of incredibly powerful alien warriors, before he ruminates, with the help of what I can only assume will be a love interest for this story, on the reason for his stellar travels in the first place. Was he teleported by a zeta beam? Was he fighting a mad scientist on his starbound rocket and launched into space? Maybe he was tracking a human-smuggling ring and stowed away aboard a pirate ship?

Nope! Those ideas would have been good!

Surprise! Batman’s actually out here so he can learn to fight and beat every alien ever! He’s using this Time to Prepare, you might say. He’s found him self some

Prep Time™️

I’ll see myself out.
Really, though, I don’t know if I can properly express my disappointment with this. You have a pitch, “Batman in Space”, and the perfect means to explore what it looks like when the character is completely out of his element, on his back foot, and forced to adapt to places and foes literally incomprehensible to him. Instead, his primary motivation is that he is continuing his quest to be the Super Coolest Guy Who Can Beat Everything Ever. It’s a boring take on a boring characterization of a character who needs a shakeup like this.

Thank god for Doug Mahnke

At least the art is good! Doug Mahnke is firing on all cylinders this issue, channeling his inner Kirby (especially for those space scenes!), and with Jaime Mendoza and David Baron’s help, those space scenes feel RIGHT out of the 70s.

I’m absolutely in love with how this book looks. All the aliens are weird and gross, which is always a plus in space stories. I mean, who isn’t tired of the galaxy just being filled with multicolored humans?
My only nitpick with the art, really, is that Batman has the exact same stoic expression for 90% of the book. I realize he’s supposed to be grim and gloomy, but surely there were a few other faces he could make. Like I said, it’s a nitpick.

Recommended if…

You’re a fan of Jason Aaron.
Prep Time™️ fantasies float your boat.
You’re looking for something genuinely pretty different than DC’s usual Bat-fare these days