Review: Batman #12

In this review of Batman #12, as Batman ponders the new entry into his life, Verity Pennyworth, five assassins slaughter freely in Gotham.

BATMAN #12
Written by MATT FRACTION
Art and Main Cover: JORGE JIMENEZ
Variant Covers: DUSTIN NGUYEN, JORGE MOLINA, RYAN SOOK, JORGE JIMENEZ, MARCIO TAKARA, DAVID AJA
Page Count: 40 pages
Release Date: 8/5/26

This review contains spoilers

As Batman #12 begins, Bruce watches Damian and Verity Pennyworth on the couch, talking to his Alfred ghost/hallucination, revealing he’s not yet read Alfred’s last wishes. Ghost Alfred reveals that the Society of the Midnight Key exists to help heroes like Bruce. Still suspicious, Bruce is surprised when Verity gets Damian to laugh deeply.

In Robinson Park, an elderly assassin called Der Giftmorder (Prof. Anton Anker) murders a man with a poison-laced chess piece. In the Neapolitan hotel, a mobster in witness protection falls prey to Lord Fantome (Thomas Doinel). A wrestler called King Panther brags to Vicki Vale about defeating and exposing the murderous Sr. Sueño (Cesario de Diaz Hermanos), but falls prey to Sueno instead. At the restored Monarch Movie Theater, a predatory film director is killed via scorpion in popcorn by Vector (Dr. Amelia Danton). A bluebeard-esque playboy on a blimp is blown up by Spyder Black (Ludlow Durand).

Batman, Damian, and Verity analyze why all these master assassins are taking hits in Gotham now, theorizing it’s linked to the contract on Bruce himself.

At the West Side Beacon Hotel, Der Giftmorder fights Lord Fantome in a glass elevator when Batman crashes in. Though both assassins are deadly with poison and blades, Batman subdues them both, dryly telling people to take the next elevator.

In the Financial District at the Bank, Minotaur tortures a Yakuza who tried to go to the police, but he’s warned that his car has been bombed, so he sets off the trap with decoys.

As Verity sews him up, Bruce and Damian argue about the ethics of holding the two assassins hostage themselves instead of turning them over to the authorities. Verity reveals she was behind the assassins meeting each other, so Batman wouldn’t have to fight all five at once, impressing both Batman and Robin.

At Arkham Towers, The Joker receives an unseen visitor who tells Joker that he (the visitor) isn’t going anywhere.

Analysis

Matt Fraction and Jorge Jimenez’s run on Batman continues with an issue that, despite being heavily advertised as the introduction to Verity Pennyworth as a character, mostly spends its energy on five super-assassins (though unpowered). Verity does impress Batman and Robin multiple times in the issue, particularly in her having two assassins meet and fight each other to give Batman an advantage, but nothing specific of her training, history, and little of her personality really shine through yet. There are a lot of plates spinning – the wave of assassins coming for Bruce Wayne, the Ojo’s place among them, the Minotaur, Vandal Savage – but this issue feels a bit deceptive in not giving us very much meat of Verity herself.

Aside from that frustration, though, Fraction and Jimenez provide a diverting cast of wacky assassins, a vicious and very cool fight between two of them and Batman on a glass elevator, and two mysterious pieces of the Minotaur and Joker ongoing threads. Is the Minotaur going to pretend to be dead? Was it Batman visiting Joker in Arkham Tower? We’ll have to wait and see!

Despite the strong action and creativity, Batman #12 is one of the first issues in Fraction’s run that feels a bit short and not quite sufficient in itself. There’s something missing amidst all the murders and punching and Batman posing epically. The sheer number of characters leaves none of them quite feeling as real as one could hope. But Fraction and Jimenez will very likely deepen them all in the coming issues, after Bad Seeds takes over the title for the next two months! It is a bit odd that nothing in this issue seems to lead to Bad Seeds at all – not even an editorial final caption at the end.

Series artist Jorge Jimenez’s main cover features Verity Pennyworth’s blonde self on a platter, all ready to buttle for Batman! (also available as a virgin foil variant for a surcharge) Going with a similar concept, Dustin Nguyen’s latest in his watercolor series of covers for this run features Verity with a Bat-cowl on a platter in the cave. Jorge Molina’s cover shows Batman standing a bit Frank Miller-like – grimacing, thick with muscle, with graffiti behind him. Ryan Sook’s cover features a neon-lit Batman on a chessboard of villains, Gotham in the backdrop – a very nice bit of urban gamesmanship! David Aja’s 1 in 25 incentive variant features one of the many assassins from the issue, holding a red knife and standing in red. Jorge Jimenez also provides a Verity Pennyworth Design variant, showing his clear joy in creating this new figure for the Batman universe. And in a similar vein as Jimenez and Nguyen, Poison Ivy artist Marcio Takara creates a Verity cover with Alfred looming in the background, a pink bubblegum popping on her lips, and a platter of tea in her hand, highlighting the modern nature of our new majordomo!

Final Thoughts

Though it offers several intriguing pieces in the ongoing puzzle of Fraction’s Batman story, this issue doesn’t quite illuminate enough of its central advertised figure to satisfy yet.

Ian Miller

A latecomer to comics - I started reading Bruce Wayne: Murderer, Birds of Prey, Hush, and War Games in college. Over a decade and a half later, I'm still inspired by Batman, and especially the Bat-Family (Stephanie Brown!) I started out listening to BTO, then Stella drew me to TBUCP, I volunteered to write reviews, and the rest is history! Love recording the podcast, especially with my amazing cohosts. Also a huge fan of Jane Austen, C. S. Lewis, Tolkien, and many more books!