Batman: Daylight (Comics) | Review

Gotham gets a wide open new dawn and Batman fans finally get the jumping on point they have long been asking for since the last re-launch left too many threads dangling without any real payoff.

Batman Volume 1: Daylight collects the opening six issues of the newest flagship re-launch, pairing a fresh blue and grey costume with a rebuilt Batmobile, new gadgets, new allies and villains built for a modern Gotham.

Writer Matt Fraction (Fear Itself: Invincible Iron Man, Invincible Iron Man: Unfixable) takes the writing reins on this new era, bringing the same self contained yet slowly building structure that made his acclaimed Hawkeye run so beloved, now applied to Batman with sharp confidence and patience.

Artist Jorge Jiménez (Batman: Failsafe, Justice League: The Totality) handles art duties throughout the entire volume, delivering kinetic action sequences and moody Gotham atmosphere that make every single page feel cinematic, giving this re-launch a visual identity distinct from recent Batman runs.

The story opens with Killer Croc breaking free from Arkham Towers in the first issue, immediately signaling that this version of Gotham refuses to treat its rogue's gallery as background noise waiting quietly for their next scheduled reappearance.

Police Commissioner Vandal Savage anchors much of the early intrigue and casting him as a corrupt figure inside the GCPD rather than his usual immortal conqueror role feels like a deliberate twist worth watching closely.

By the second issue, Riddler resurfaces with a scheme tied to Dr. Annika Zeller's Crown of Storms device, hinting at experiments on people that quietly escalate into one of the volume's sharper subplots by issue three.

A new assassin called Lady Death Man enters the fray fairly early on, and her ongoing presence hints at a longer game being played against Bruce Wayne rather than a simple one issue disposable villain arc.

The fourth issue introduces The Ōjō, a masked assassin whose fight with Batman and Bruce Wayne during a night out with Zeller turns into one of the volume's most visually striking extended set pieces.

The true architect behind these converging threads turns out to be the Minotaur, a masked figure running a sprawling criminal conspiracy from what the story frames as an infernal labyrinth hidden deep beneath Gotham itself.

Organized crime across Gotham reaches new levels the city has rarely seen before, forcing Batman to confront threats that operate through boardrooms and backroom deals just as much as through dark alleyways and rooftop chases.

Damian Wayne factors into a pivotal moment when Robin accidentally calls Bruce "Father" in public during a rescue, a slip that exposes Bruce's double life to Zeller and sets off real fallout at home.

Tim Drake gets a standout conversation that closely echoes his earlier crisis from Detective Comics number 940, openly questioning whether he even wants to continue as Robin at all going forward from this exact point.

The sixth issue brings Hugo Strange into direct conflict with Batman as his Monster Men attack a petrochemical facility, adding a chaotic new threat right as the Savage and Minotaur plotlines are reaching a boiling point.

By the volume's end, the Gotham mob bosses who back the Minotaur start growing openly disenchanted with him, a fracture that suggests his criminal empire is far less stable than it first appeared to be.

Jiménez draws Gotham with a scale and confidence that makes every rooftop chase and underground confrontation feel massive, using dramatic angles and lighting choices that elevate even the quieter character driven scenes throughout the book.

The redesigned costume and Batmobile translate beautifully onto the page, giving Jiménez plenty of room to experiment with silhouette and motion without ever losing the grounded weight readers have long come to expect from Batman.

Fraction balances quippy dialogue with real emotional beats, never letting the humor undercut the stakes and his pacing across all six issues manages to introduce this much new material without ever feeling rushed or overstuffed.

Where the creative team truly shines is in the transitions between quiet character work and explosive action, a rhythm that keeps every single issue feeling distinct while still serving the larger ongoing narrative running beneath it.

Batman Volume 1: Daylight succeeds as both a jumping on point for brand new readers and a rewarding read for longtime fans who want to see this character pushed into unfamiliar emotional and narrative territory.

The Minotaur makes for a a sharp, intriguing new threat and the seeds planted around Tim Drake and Damian Wayne suggest this creative team has much bigger plans than a simple villain of the month approach.

Fraction and Jiménez prove an excellent creative pairing, balancing scale and intimacy in a way that makes this re-launch feel earned rather than forced, setting a confidently strong tone for whatever comes next in Gotham.

The volume closes on a gut punch as Joker turns up alive in a containment tank addressing an unseen ally directly, a final panel tease clearly built to carry momentum straight into whatever volume two brings.

Batman: Daylight is collected in Batman Vol. 1: Daylight, which gathers Batman (2025) #1-6. Physical editions, including paperback and hardcover formats can be purchased through local comic-book shops. Digital readers can pick up the collection on Amazon Kindle, ComiXology, DC Universe Infinite and Google Play Books platform.