Batman: The Imposter collects issues 1-3 of the DC Comics series written by Mattson Tomlin and art by Andrea Sorrentino. One of the better Batman comics to come out in the past several years. It’s being touted as a “jumping-on point” for fans of the Matt Reeves movie (though whether any of this is in continuity with that universe remains to be seen). Dark and gritty without succumbing to the nihilism of the Snyderverse. Strong YEAR ONE and GOTHAM CENTRAL vibes, with a few f-bombs thrown in for the grownups.

The theme is not unseen but the whole atmosphere- think the Joker movie with Joaquim Phoenix, even darker- kind of makes it stand out. And yes, I do like these depressing noir stories. Don’t ask. I’ve worked on Batman as a supporting character in a couple of books, but this was the very first time I had the chance to work on a Batman title, and it was amazing,” added artist Andrea Sorrentino. “I’ve been a huge fan of Batman ever since I was a kid and saw Tim Burton’s Batman movie in 1989, so having the chance to work with Mattson and Jordie on this take on the Caped Crusader was like an early Christmas present!” DC Publicity (July 14, 2021). "Batman: The Imposter - A Gritty, Noir Version of Gotham City Greets the Dark Knight!". DC Comics.com. DC Comics . Retrieved February 17, 2022.So much of what [Reeves] was doing was already set," Tomlin told SYFY WIRE. "And I spent so much time thinking about Batman that year, that I kind of felt like, 'Man, I have all of these ideas, and kind of things I would have done, or ways to go that just never applied to the movie, because it was its own thing.' And I ended up calling the folks at DC Films and kind of sheepishly asking them, 'Hey, I'm really interested in comic books. I actually really, really loved the 'books. So is there anybody at DC that I could talk to?' And they were very, very generous, and they set me right up." Bryan, Carl (2021-11-25). "Review: Batman: The Imposter #2". Dark Knight News . Retrieved 2022-11-24. Couch, Aaron (2022-02-22). " 'Batman: The Imposter' Writer Mattson Tomlin Hasn't Let The Dark Knight Go". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved 2022-11-22. All the property destruction and chaos caused by Batman's war on crime is unlikely to endear him to Gotham's wealthy and powerful, who in turn pressurize the police into taking a tougher stance on the vigilante.

Keeping Batman on his heels for The Imposter also meant projecting a lot of strength onto the Leslie Thompkins character. A pillar of various Batman stories and a frequent ally of the Wayne family, Thompkins is a Gotham City hero in her own right, and it was important to Tomlin to place her front and center in this tale as someone who wouldn't be a Bruce Wayne enabler, but a Bruce Wayne interrogator. I love Batman: Earth One for this reason, because it felt so real. It just kind of felt like there’s room for some more of those…[and] the movie is so much Matt Reeves, and there’s ideas that I was having that don’t apply to the movie. So I found myself wondering what would just my version look like? What are some of the things that I would do? Awesome book. It is a good story, a bit obvious in places, great artwork, and a decent amount of action as well. It is a good idea to coincide with the movie release to draw Bruce Wayne to look more like Robert Patterson.

Instead of using an ostentatious vehicle like the Batmobile, Batman gets around Gotham inconspicuously using an elaborate network of ziplines and hidden motorcycles. Even this isn't inconspicuous enough, however, since the GCPD finds and confiscates many of the motorcycles and cuts the ziplines. Foil: Detective Blair Wong serves as one to Bruce Wayne. They were both orphaned at an early age, with their parents being murdered by criminals. However, while Blair followed her father's footsteps into the police force, waging her war on crime on the right side of the law, Bruce chose to become an outlaw vigilante. Blair is also far more emotionally healthy than the damaged and disturbed Bruce.

It’s tough to talk about because of the the Writers Guild of it all. I had a wonderful time working with my friend and then found myself in this place where I was like, “man, I love Batman and I’m still thinking about it and I have all this brain energy that I’ve put into it, and nowhere to put any of this stuff.” So it was a while later, months after any of the time that I had with Matt Reeves. It then became, “actually, I think that there’s something that I could do here that could kind of be its own thing” and give me my time in Gotham where I really can go “this is what I have to say about this character.” And in a way that was really rewarding and lovely for me to get to go into it on my own terms like that. But it was definitely disconnected from from any of [the movie stuff]. Mattson Tomlin employs shifting narration to allow the central mystery ("Who is the second Batman?") to play out from multiple perspectives. This narrative element works superbly, keeping the reader on their toes as bits of knowledge are revealed. Batman himself isn't necessarily a bit player, but he's also not the lead - always welcome. I like a Gotham City that's populated with more than just superheroes and freaks. This is okay. Feels like it's longer than it should be, and there's a romantic development that is foisted upon the reader, unconvincingly.Localized print versions of the series will also launch day and date in the following territories: Spain, Germany, Brazil, Mexico, Italy, France, Russia, the Czech Republic, Poland, Japan, South Korea, Turkey, and Argentina. DC Publicity (July 16, 2021). "DC CONNECT #15 - SEE WHAT'S COMING IN OCTOBER!". DC Comics.com. DC Comics . Retrieved February 17, 2022.