BATMAN #4 - Review

• Written by: Matt Fraction

• Art by: Jorge Jimenez

• Colors by: Tomeu Morey

• Letters by: Clayton Cowles, Jorge Jimenez

• Cover art by: Jorge Jimenez (cover A)

• Cover price: $4.99

• Release date: December 3, 2025

Batman #4, by DC Comics on 12/3/25, introduces the Minotaur, a criminal mastermind who has apparently woven Gotham's entire underworld into a perfectly functioning algorithm of crime, and if you think that sounds overly convenient, you're not alone.

First Impressions

The opening pages hit you with a barrage of news headlines and crime syndicate machinations that feel appropriately chaotic and visually arresting. Jorge Jiménez's art immediately pulls you into Gotham's gritty underbelly, making you lean forward even as your brain starts asking uncomfortable questions. There's a kinetic energy here that promises action, even if the premise already feels like it's asking for a lot of faith from readers who've seen Gotham "taken over" about a hundred times before.

Recap

Batman #3 opened with Huston Gray interviewing Miss Marjorie about Gotham's shifting identity, which quickly gave way to chaos as Vandal Savage planted evidence framing Batman for a crime scene. Detective Gordon struggled against political interference while Bruce Wayne visited Tim Drake in the hospital, where Bernard Dowd questioned whether Bruce's presence helps or hurts. Meanwhile, talk shows debated Dr. Zeller's experimental brain device funded by Wayne Foundation, with Hugo Strange calling out ethical concerns. The Riddler escalated his games at Arkham Towers, where Batman discovered Zeller's device had been used on patients, setting up Gotham's continued descent into anarchy with the Dark Knight painted as a target rather than a savior.

Plot Analysis

The issue opens with news broadcasts detailing overnight violence across Gotham: a firefight at the Port, a four-alarm fire in the Slabs, and three businessmen gunned down in Wolf Hill. In a high-rise meeting room, a mysterious figure called the Minotaur addresses his criminal organization, the Torus, explaining that a truck-jacking gone wrong has triggered a gang war between the Clanuri, Black Fang, and Thieves Guild. He freezes all their accounts and calls for a parley, establishing himself as the puppet master pulling every string in Gotham's criminal underworld.​

The narrative then shifts abruptly to Dr. Annika Zeller at the Wayne Experimental Sciences Building, where she explains her quirky "talk to Dr. Batman" policy (a stuffed bat) to a new colleague. She discusses her Crown of Storms device, defending its expensive titanographene construction as necessary for long-term treatment of mental illness. The scene ends with Bruce Wayne himself appearing, surprising Zeller and awkwardly asking her on a date for the following evening.​

At the Gothamtive newspaper offices, former journalist Boilermaker Jack Dean gives young Huston Gray a tour of the dying newspaper industry, lamenting capitalism and "money vampires" before being thrown out by the managing editor. Meanwhile, across Gotham, red steam pours from manholes in Little Tokyo, Alleytown, Wolf Hill, and the Bowery, with officials offering no real explanation. Batman tracks down Anarky (Lonnie), who had been paid to steal and dump the truck that started the gang war, and Lonnie reveals he wants to turn state's evidence because he's terrified of the new power controlling organized crime.​

The issue culminates at Old Wayne Manor in Bristol Township, where the Minotaur hosts the seven leaders of the Torus: the Capitolinas running vice, the Bezna family handling transport, Tozuki providing tech, the Penguin's Thieves Guild, Fáng Hei supplying weapons, La Penitenta managing drugs and manpower, and the Minotaur himself as the bank. He reveals he's holding their family members hostage to ensure cooperation, boasting that he's created "the world's first resilient criminal empire at scale" and that in twenty years, the Torus will control every revenue stream in the world. The issue ends with Lonnie warning Batman that the Minotaur has turned Gotham into a labyrinth of crime, and they're already trapped inside with no way out.​

Writing

Matt Fraction's pacing moves at a brisk clip, jumping between four distinct storylines without letting any single thread drag. The opening news montage efficiently establishes stakes, and the Minotaur's criminal lecture crackles with menacing corporate jargon that works surprisingly well. Dialogue ranges from punchy ("Coincidence only brings good fortune. This is a conspiracy.") to functional, with Lonnie's fearful rambling effectively selling his terror. However, the structure raises problems: the Dr. Zeller scene occupies multiple pages with charming banter about stuffed bats and titanographene but contributes absolutely nothing to the main plot. It's a time-wasting detour that feels like setup for something five issues away, shoved awkwardly into an issue already juggling too many plates.​

Art

Jorge Jiménez continues to deliver stunning work that almost justifies the cover price on its own. His panel compositions are dynamic and inventive, particularly the Minotaur's boardroom reveal and Batman's rooftop confrontation with Anarky. Tomeu Morey's colors shift expertly between the cold blues of the Minotaur's meeting room, the warm yellows of Zeller's lab, and the murky greens of Gotham's streets. The gang locations across the city are rendered with distinctive visual identities, making the geography of crime feel tangible. Every page rewards close inspection, and Jiménez's expressive character work sells emotional beats that the script sometimes undersells.​

Character Development

The Minotaur emerges as an intriguing antagonist, his calm corporate demeanor masking genuine menace, though his "I'm smarter than everyone" speech veers dangerously close to supervillain cliché. Lonnie's fear feels genuine and grounded, making him the most relatable character in the issue. Dr. Zeller's eccentric professionalism is charming but feels disconnected from everything else happening. Bruce Wayne appears briefly in his playboy persona, asking Zeller on a date, which suggests future plot development but adds little to this issue. Batman himself is largely reactive here, arriving after the fireworks and learning information the reader already knows, which undercuts his detective credentials. The various crime lords remain mostly interchangeable despite their distinct visual designs.​

Originality & Concept Execution

The Torus concept, seven criminal organizations bound into one algorithm of crime, has potential as a fresh take on Gotham's underworld. Framing organized crime as a corporate structure with quarterly projections and frozen accounts is genuinely clever. However, the execution stumbles on a fundamental Batman problem: how does another criminal mastermind completely take over Gotham without the World's Greatest Detective noticing until someone literally tells him? The Minotaur claims he's been operating for months, suppressing freak crime and controlling every gang, yet Batman seems oblivious until Lonnie spells it out. This strains credibility for a character whose entire identity rests on preparation and awareness. The issue ends on a statement of threat rather than an actual cliffhanger, leaving readers without a barely-perceptible hook for the next installment.​

Positives

Jiménez and Morey's art is absolutely the main attraction here, delivering page after page of gorgeous Gotham atmosphere and kinetic storytelling that makes even exposition-heavy scenes visually engaging. The Torus concept provides a genuinely interesting framework for organized crime that feels different from the usual Gotham mob stories, and the Minotaur's calm, corporate menace offers something new compared to the theatrical villainy of Gotham's usual rogues. Fraction's dialogue during the criminal summit crackles with dark humor and menacing efficiency, making the villains feel genuinely dangerous. The pacing across the action sequences keeps energy high, and the world-building around Gotham's various criminal territories adds texture to the city.​

Negatives

The Dr. Zeller scene is a glaring misfire that eats up valuable pages on workplace banter and Bruce Wayne flirtation with zero connection to the issue's main storyline. It feels like padding transplanted from a different comic. More damaging is the fundamental implausibility of Batman being completely blindsided by a criminal organization that supposedly controls all of Gotham's underworld, has been operating for months, and even suppresses the "freaks" to avoid attracting attention. The World's Greatest Detective learning about this threat from a scared teenager dangling from a rooftop is not a great look. Finally, the issue lacks any real cliffhanger or payoff; it ends with Lonnie explaining the threat rather than showing it, leaving readers with a whimper instead of a bang. For a fourth issue, the story should be accelerating, not still laying foundation.

About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.

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The Scorecard

Writing Quality (Clarity & Pacing): [2/4]
Art Quality (Execution & Synergy): [3.5/4]
Value (Originality & Entertainment): [0/2]

Final Verdict

Batman #4 is a gorgeous comic wrapped around a frustrating one. Jiménez's art is doing heavy lifting that would make most gym memberships jealous, and the Torus concept has real legs as a fresh approach to Gotham's criminal underworld. But Fraction's script undermines its own premise by making Batman look oblivious and wasting pages on scenes that go nowhere. When your big reveal is a villain explaining how smart he is for five pages while Batman learns information secondhand from a C-list anarchist, you've got a detective story where the detective isn't doing any detecting. If you're buying Batman comics purely for the art, this delivers. If you want tight plotting, satisfying payoffs, or any reason to believe the title character is actually the World's Greatest Detective, your limited comic budget is better spent elsewhere this week.

5.5/10

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