One Year Later: How Fraction & Jiménez's Batman #1 Actually Turned Out
When we first covered this launch, it was still a September promise: a new Batman #1, a new era, superstar names attached. A year and well past a dozen issues later, here's how it actually played out, and why it's worth a second look for your longbox.
Matt Fraction taking over as writer with Jorge Jiménez staying on art was only the third time in Batman's history the flagship title reset to a new #1 (after the New 52 in 2011 and Rebirth in 2016). Jiménez has now carried the book through three different writers, Tynion, Zdarsky, and now Fraction, and colorist Tomeu Morey's neon-and-shadow palette gave the launch a genuinely different visual identity than anything DC had done with the character in years.
The first issue split opinion. Some reviewers called it a stunning reintroduction, others found the opening Killer Croc plot thin and the new Batmobile design unremarkable. But the consensus shifted fast. Six issues in, critics were describing the run as a "revitalization," fresh and enthusiastic, with Fraction laying groundwork for something longer than a one-arc stunt. Alfred is still dead (a Bane kill from Tom King's run that DC has stuck with), handled here through an AI hologram workaround rather than a cheap resurrection. Vandal Savage running Gotham's police is the kind of odd, ambitious swing that's become a hallmark of the run.
The numbers backed it up. Batman #1 landed as DC's second best-selling comic of 2025, behind only Marvel's Deadpool/Batman crossover (more on that below). A collected edition of the first six issues hit shelves in June 2026, which tells you this wasn't a flash-in-the-pan launch. It's a run with staying power, and that matters for anyone thinking about picking up first printings or variants now rather than after the hype settles further.
That's really the story with any "new #1" relaunch: the first issue always spikes, but the ones worth holding are the ones where the run holds up. A year on, this one has.
What to look for:
First printings of Batman #1 (September 2025), especially variant covers
Anything from the opening Killer Croc arc, since that's where the new visual language and costume redesign debut
Early issues before the collected edition release, since trade paperbacks tend to soften demand for loose singles
We've got a rotating selection of graded and raw modern DC keys in stock, including recent Batman era books. Worth a look if you're filling in this run or just want a piece of one of 2025's biggest relaunches.