Batman: Secret Files #1 is a Collection of Humanity

Writer: Tom King, Ram V, Cheryl Lynn Eaton, Jordie Bellaire, Tom Taylor / Artist: Mikel Janín, Jorge Fornes, Elena Casagrande, Jill Thompson, Brad Walker / DC Comics I know what you’re probably thinking right now. We are so utterly inundated with Batman media right now that it’s kind of ridiculous. Between all of the different titles Batman has a starring role in, the video games that have come out this year, the movies that somehow continually get pushed, Batman is actually everywhere. It makes you question why we keep getting them and honestly, it’s simple: these stories are really good. Batman, despite the white privilege and billions of dollars at hand, is the embodiment of human determination. He is a character who somehow keeps up with literal gods and survives. Batman has been broken and mended more times than anyone could probably count. Batman: Secret Files contains a series of vignettes that explore this unrelenting determination and does a fantastic job of looking at that simple principle from various angles. The opening vignette of True Strength is King at his finest. Superman offers Batman a chance to ascend to a greater level of power with Platinum Kryptonite and what follows is a conflicted, wounded Batman imagining what that power would look like, seeing what he would become with that power. Janín’s artwork is absolutely incredible and remains one of the gold standard depictions of the Bat as well as Supes, even if he only has a brief appearance.

The Nature o…