Batman (2025-) #2

Batman (2025) (Single Issues)

by Matt Fraction, Jorge Jiménez (Artist)

Injured, cuffed, and tossed in the back of a GCPD paddy wagon with a half dozen uncuffed and violent criminals, Robin (Tim Drake) will have to use everything he’s learned from the Dark Knight if he hopes to survive his own dark night.

Will Batman arrive in time to help him, or will this mission change the way the city and the GCPD view the Dynamic Duo forever?

Genres: Comics, Dc Comics, Batman, Comic Book, Superheroes, Graphic Novels Comics, Graphic Novels

30 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2025

About the author

"How he got started in comics: In 1983, when Fraction was 7 years old and growing up in Kansas City, Mo., he became fascinated by the U.S. invasion of Grenada and created his own newspaper to explain the event. "I've always been story-driven, telling stories with pictures and words," he said.

Education and first job: Fraction never graduated from college. He stopped half a semester short of an art degree at Kansas City Art Institute in Missouri in 1998 to take a job as a Web designer and managing editor of a magazine about Internet culture.

"My mother was not happy about that," he said.

But that gig led Fraction and his co-workers to split off and launch MK12, a boutique graphic design and production firm in Kansas City that created the opening credits for the James Bond film "Quantum of Solace."

Big break: While writing and directing live-action shoots at MK12, Fraction spent his spare time writing comics and pitching his books each year to publishers at Comic-Con. Two books sold: "The Last of the Independents," published in 2003 by AiT/Planet Lar, and "Casanova," published in 2006 by Image Comics.

Fraction traveled extensively on commercial shoots. Then his wife got pregnant. So Fraction did what any rational man in his position would do -- he quit his job at MK12 to pursue his dream of becoming a full-time comic book writer.

Say what? "It was terrifying," said Fraction, who now lives in Portland, Ore. "I was married. We had a house. We had a baby coming. And I just quit my job."

Marvel hired Fraction in June 2006, thanks largely to the success of his other two comics. "I got very lucky," he half-joked. "If it hadn't worked out, I would have had to move back in with my parents.

- 2009. Alex Pham. Los Angeles Times.

Reviews

[Machiavelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

This issue kicks off with a rare Bat-family moment — Tim thrilled to finally get a driving lesson, Damian grumbling about chores, Bruce grounding it all. Then the story cuts to the present: a botched hijack, stray bullets, and Tim caught in the crossfire.

Flashes of that first lesson thread through the chaos as Tim’s cuffed in the back of a truck, criminals turning on him, Bruce bleeding from a neck wound, police closing in. When it matters most, Tim takes control — behind the wheel and in the fight.

The contrast between youthful nerves and present-day resolve makes this one hit. It’s sharp, tense, and surprisingly heartfelt — proof this run is already delivering.

[Mia · Rating 2 out of 5]

ACAB but otherwise im not seeing what you'll are seeing.

[Molly™☺ · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun Robin centric adventure that flips between the past and present to highlight the dynamic between Bruce and Tim. The pair work well off each other, and it is nice to see the two together again in mainline Batman. Unfortunately, the premise feels pretty undercooked when compared to the previous entry, and the cliffhanger doesn't quite hold the weight it feels like it should have. That being said, despite the slight lack of narrative polish this time around from Fraction, Jiménez delivers once again in the art department, and there's some good stuff sprinkled throughout to keep the hype for the series alive.

[Alex Baguley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even better than the first issue they brought back the goat Tim Drake! Matt fraction is my hero this run could be generational

[dusty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know we’re still early into this Batman run, but this is almost exactly how I’d want to see Batman depicted in live action for James Gunn’s DCU.

I’m on the edge of my seat with every issue. Opening with a wholesome Batfamily moment and then diving straight into a story about police brutality in Gotham was such a bold and effective choice. Tim Drake is quickly becoming one of my favorite Robins — I love his spirit and the dynamic he shares with Bruce as true partners. And that suit? Absolute perfection.

I can’t wait to see the new villains this series introduces, and what’s next for the iconic characters we already know and love. I fully trust Matt Fraction’s vision and couldn’t be more excited for where this story is headed.

[James DeSantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent second issue, not as good as one. I like the moments a lot with Tim and Bruce being popa and kid. But the fact Batman gets shot in the head makes no sense to me.

[Clint · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t pay attention to what is happening in the main universe of DC (or its competition for that matter), but when I heard of this (too late!) I was intrigued.

Last week, I found myself in a great little comic shop in Asheville, NC and scored a first edition of issue 1 and 2.

I read both last night and I am enjoying this take on Bats. I dig the Bat-Gadgets, the neon-noir Gotham, the self-contained stories. This is great stuff.

It has earned the honor of being one of the few comics added to my physical pull box.

[Rizwan Khalil · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW...this is even better than the first! A full-on Tim Drake as Robin centric second issue with plenty badass actions (a gutshot, bleeding, handcuffed-to-the-back Tim fighting six hands-free huge criminals in the back of an excessively rough riding police van, and coming up on top!), laugh out loud humors (the interactions between Tim, Damian and Bruce set in the past, while Alfred watching from afar and commenting with his dry-wit), warm fuzzy feels (from both Bat-Family of the past and how the flashback eventually connected tonight's happenings), and a timely plot of police brutality and continuing demoralization of the GCPD by Vandal Savage as the commissioner (cops were the main villains in this issue, so many aggravating and increasingly outrageous behaviors against both petty criminals and BnR, truly showing how Savage had been destroying the morale of Gotham cops who were once friendly with Bats). Looks like the now outlawed Batman & Co. against Savage's corrupt GCPD (plus mercenaries) is going to be the overarching storyline, and I'm all for it.

Lastly and most of all, I LOVE the fact that this one is another complete story that just barely connects with the first issue's story, as we the readers know what Bruce was upto earlier while Tim had his busy night but if anyone who skipped the first issue reads this one they would still get the whole immediate picture without any problem. Matt Fraction is keeping his promise of standalone issues connecting together for an underlying larger narrative, and I can hardly contain my excitement, especially in this age of more and more needless decompressions.

And dare I say, the street-smart grounded storytelling balancing witty humor and gritty dark tone giving me a serious vibe of Fraction's legendary Hawkeye run, undoubtedly one my all-time most favorite comicbook series. I can't even remember since when last I had this much freaking FUN reading a mainline Batman run, leaving each ending of issues feeling both immensely satisfied and immensely impatient for the next one!

If Fraction and Jimenez (who's detailed kinetic explosive colorful visuals are ABSOLUTE FIRE here by the way, surprising no one) can stick the landing that come even close to what Fraction and David Aja achieved in their seminal Hawkeye run, dammit I'm practically salivating at the prospect of what a treat we're in for! Here's hoping at least, fingers crossed. Let's just enjoy the ride while it lasts.

10 out of 10, A+.

[Madison Head · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Tim and Damian so much.

[Abel Allwein · Rating 5 out of 5]

This new Batman run is really continuing its high note. The art is phenomenal and has the right amount of camp you want in a Batman story with more Bat-fam interactions this issue and more gadget intros. Also love the doubling down on the commentary about cops.

So excited for the next issue.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story, harking back to older Batman stories while still telling a new and so far intriguing story. Love Batman's new colouring.

Still not a fan of half the book not being part of the Batman story and instead being previews of other stories I'm not interested in, though. Will give the third issue a go and if this hasn't changed, I'll cancel my order and get the TPB when it comes out. I paid for Batman, not Batgirl or The Justice League!

[Colin Post · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m totally charmed by this book. Fraction nails the relationship between Bruce and Tim, seasoned with some incredible bits of dialogue - love the bit about the Batmobile needing 3 quantum gears for spatiotemporal crises. The action is superbly illustrated and very gripping.

[Craig Schorling · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good issue building up the relation between TIm and Bruce. The action is top notch and the direction this is going with the GCPD declaring war of our duo is a good start.

[sam banach · Rating 5 out of 5]

this art is insane

[Zoey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tim Drake is the Robin of this franchise, and I’m so excited to see how they handle the cruel Commissioner Savage.

[zachariah · Rating 5 out of 5]

thinking about redecorating my room to be Batman themed #donttellmywife

[•♡︎Cᴏsᴍᴏᵐᵘᶠᶠⁱⁿ♡︎• · Rating 5 out of 5]

"'Secret Gear'" Robin said, "what does that even mean?!"

"It means I have the coolest car in the world, NOW DRIVE IT."

Love them 😭💗

[Garth · Rating 3 out of 5]

2026 - 365 Days of Whatever Is On My Comic Book TBR
Day 65

Meh. Definitely a let down from the first issue. And this has to be the first time I did not care for Jimenez’s art. I felt like I was reading a One Piece book, especially in the flashbacks. Not my taste.

[spencer · Rating 5 out of 5]

gaaaaas

[Jadyn❀ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked Tim and Bruce in this issue in both the past and the present, and the way the bat-technologies Fraction & Jimenez came up with are showcased. I did not like how Damian is portrayed. He’s written like Tom King writes him. He was an arrogant brat in the past, and I know that’s when those scenes are set, but he’s always had a more proper way of speaking, so I don’t know where this idea came from that he’s a user of swear words.

[Cybernex007 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alright was this issue meant to show off batman and Robin’s skills…or the Batmobile’s skills? Because the Batmobile got out of this issue looking amazing, and while the art remains top tier, this was a super rough issue for Bruce and Tim. Just a terrible night all around, lol. This issue actually cuts between two points of time. One takes place in the past as Bruce walks Tim through driving the Batmobile. But you can’t just jump into the deep end like that, Bruce starts him small on an older truck. Specifically because just like the Batmobile…it’s a stick. The other point in time is the present, as we pickup from last issue as Tim calls Bruce on the emergency line. A few guys dressed up in anarky gear (and one of them possibly anarky?) set out and raided a transport truck…ending with the driver shot dead becsuse he wasn’t following orders. Two of them got away, but Tim was able to take down the one who snagged a package. Only to find that he was trying to steal baby formula. But just then the cops show up and make everyone freeze. Robin throws his hands up, but the guy tries to run…and one of the cops guns him down. With Commissioner Savage’s new super police force, it seems that this guy is trying to prove himself ever so harder. And that also means shooting any Nat family “freaks” he comes across. One thing I continually love about this series is the showcase on gadgets. They don’t just show off a gadget, but show exactly what it is to the reader. The cop tried to arrest Tim, and he responded with a mini flashbang and some moves with his bat boots to get to the top of the building next to them. Only for the cops to recover just in time and shoot him in the side just as he was about to make it. Page 6 in this comic is INSANE, just a red and black shadowed image showing Tim fall with a bullet wound from a few stories up. Brutal.

But at the least we have the past to look back to. Damian is being a pain as he would rather try and learn how to drive the Batmobile than continue to watch Tim fumble it. It’s a nice story about Tim getting out of his own head. He’s struggling so much with the clutch because he keeps thinking about what will happen if he has to use it in the field in an emergency situation, and that causes him to choke up. But as Bruce assures him in the past and we see in the present day, when it comes down to it there is no one to trust more than Tim in a tough spot.

And welcome to tough spot central. The cop with the power complex handcuffed Tim behind his back, then shoved him in the back of they transport van for “resisting arrest,” alongside eight completely uncuffed gang bangers that want nothing more than to rip him apart. As the main cops partner questions of they should really be doing this, the main cop takes it a step forward by driving the transport van as rough as possible in the Gotham streets. I have to admit, he may have saved Tim’s life by doing that. With the van throwing everyone around in the back, even with Tim bleeding, he is in his element: he is able to spin around while everyone falls, and he was even able to provide enough pressure on his handcuffs to break free. But what finally put this to an end was a strip of bat spikes batman put down to pop the tires on the transport. The hilarious thing is that it just looks like a row of batarangs connected together.

With the transport disabled, Batman was able to pull Tim out of the back. But this cop just won’t rest until he gets his shot to take them down. He ran around to the back with a shotgun in hand pointed directly at batman as his partner tried to get him to calm down, after all batman and Robin are on their side. Although batman would disagree with that, as the police brutality and murder this cop has shown tonight puts them on opposite sides. Suddenly we find ourselves in a standoff as the bad cop aims his shotgun at Batman, and his partner aims his gun at the bad cop to get him to stop. Batman and Robin wait with a patient glare, right as both the cops fire off…the two vigilantes jump in and use their capes to deflect the bullets and disarm the weapons as fast as possible. Unfortunately it wasn’t enough to stop all the bullets. The bad cop ended up shot in the side, and the other cop ended up with a round in his leg. Batman seemed to check if the bad cop was still alive then walk over to try and get Tim out of here, as he is still bleeding out. But it seems batman didn’t check hard enough, as the bad cop picked up his shotgun and put a slug right into the back of Batman’s head before passing right back out. Batman’s entire skull was rattled and he woke up seeing a few Robin at once before he could see clearly again. OW. Robin was able to patch up the cop as best as he could until the EMTs arrive, but it’s time for them to leave. And of course, Tim would be the one to drive, can’t have Batman driving with a rattled noggin like that. The hilarious thing, is even after all his practice…this Batmobile has 13 gears!

Robin: “WHAT THE HELL DONTOU NEED THIRTEEN GEARS FOR?!”

Batman: “Don’t yell. S’got the nine standard. Three quantum gears for use during spatiotemporal crisis events. Then theres the secret gear. Thirteen.”

Robin: “‘Secret gear.’ What does that even mean?!”

Batman: “It means I have the coolest car in the world. Now drive it.”

Hahaha, can’t wait for the secret gear to come back. As the issue comes to an end our duo drives home as we see commissioner Savage arrive on the scene. The reporters try and get a word from
Him about the events, and he has one of his special officers remove them by braking their cameras and jaws. We then see as Savage addresses the rest of the police force, and the attack on their own. He then proceeded to pin the entire event on batman and Robin, showing a bloody batarang as evidence that they killed one of their own and will now be considered criminal combatants of the GCPD. Oh no, when is that other cop going to wake up in the hospital and clear this up? How long will it take after that for savage to jump on another chance to put batman and Robin in their crosshairs? How long will it take for commissioner savage to be ripped out of his office?

[mello doc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cool to see more of a softer Batman, great to see Tim Drake. I enjoy the action however I am sorta disappointed that it felt pretty short. Maybe I’ll wait a little while until the series progresses so I can binge read it.

[scarlet♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

batman survived a bullet to the neck but guess who didn't

[Isaac Calef · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este Batman sigue rompiéndola! Me alegro que voy “al día” y pueda disfrutar mes a mes este run que sin lugar a dudas va a perdurar mucho tiempo.

Este fue el número de Robin. De Tim Drake, y sigue demostrando porque se perfila para seguir siendo uno de o el mejor de todos. Me gusta que la historia sea sencilla, de un momento a otro. Dos policías lastiman a Tim y lo arrestan. Herido queda atrapado en un camión lleno de delincuentes. Y eso es todo. De ahí se genera todo lo demás.

Ahora, me gusta como meten este flash back donde Bruce le enseña a manejar al Batmobile y como en el clímax este detalle cierra de manera perfecta.

Y bueno, creo que sin lugar a dudas lo que hace esta serie o premisa de run algo increíble es el arte. Jorge Jiménez están logrando sin lugar a dudas su mejor trabajo secuencial, de composición y de diseño. Me encanta sus planos, sus perspectivas, su secuencias de movimiento. Los colores de Morey también está súper acertados. Es increíble que este tipo de gráfica sea en Batman. Creo que aún no se puede describir del todo como es porque en un futuro esto será la base y ejemplo de una manera de contar historias.
Me encanta igual también el detalle de las cajas de texto donde explican todas las herramientas de Batman, los gestos y los momentos graciosos, épicos y exagerados.

Todo está bien con este cómic. Y eso me pone muy pero muy feliz. Solo espero que los cliffhangers de cada número sean un puente al siguiente y ya. Y no se conviertan en tramas y tramas que al pasar la serie se acumulen en el fondo. Ya en unos días sale el tercero y estoy tentado a leerlo pirata y no esperar que esté en DC Infinite jajaja.

[luz · Rating 4 out of 5]

still warming up to this run, but i do like what i'm seeing so far. there was a good mix of humorous & weighty moments. i also enjoyed the parallels between the flashback & present day—and i'm really hoping to see more of damian. crossing my fingers he gets written well, if ever. and speaking of the writing, i'm liking (& hopeful about) the direction its taking so far with the way it could potentially tackle relevant current issues. i think it's especially important for such a prominent popculture icon to be intentional with the messages it relays to its audience which is why this is much appreciated. ofc, it's too soon to really tell if fraction will actually go into the meat of it, but! i am hoping!! please let this be a good run.

[Jerry Aguirre · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome. We have a cool Robin scene inside a cop car, as well as a wholesome back story between Tim and Bruce. This book shows the following things:

- Batman and Robins funny back and forth jabber that shows their comfortable-ness with each other

- Tim and Bruce’s close relationship. Very close. Very wholesome. Bruce will protect.

- The cops are on edge because they don’t want to lose their jobs to the new squad, so much that they shoot an innocent man and each other

- Batman got shot, and it was funny haha

- Ras has made them enemies of the police. Did he also plant evidence at the end?

Questions for the future:
~ did he plant evidence

~ so who were the guys that were trying to take over the truck? Who hired them and for what?

[Nicolo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tim Drake Robin is back! The best Robin (arguably), whose job interview and audition for the then vacant position of Batman's sidekick was the thesis, "Why Batman Needs a Robin".

Chip Zdarsky was already using Tim Drake as Robin in the snippets of his Batman run that I read, but having Batman and Tim front and center on the cover of the second issue of the new Batman title that premiered in 2025, Fraction made the case for his choice of main Robin.

Bruce teaching Tim to drive a truck with a manual transmission is the most dad thing ever. I'm here for it. There's more to Batman that just beating Gotham's criminals senseless, he's got to raise his Robins too.

[Vinny Albano · Rating 3 out of 5]

there’s a lot I love. First off, the art and paneling is of course top notch. The moment when Tim and Bruce are stopping the cops is masterful paneling. Incredible. I love the focus on Tim. Liked the little we get of Damian. All of that is great. But there are moments that the dialogue feels weird for these characters. Which is what I said about last issue. The whole “It means I have the coolest car in the world. Now drive it.” rubbed me off the wrong way. Maybe it’s how I’m reading the delivery in my head, but it doesn’t feel right. Regardless, I’m liking this approach to a new series.

[Madison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This issue was really good! There’s still some set up cause you know we’re only two into the run with the introduction of Tim and Damien but the overall is really strong!!
And how Batman and Robin are now being hunted down actively??? Yikes!! Good stuff.
And the entire thing of Bruce trying to encourage Tim to trust himself and that Bruce trusts him totally and knows he won’t let him down—just so good. I loved the driving lesson and then Damien blasting Tim in the head with water lmao

[Langston Lardi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great read from Matt and team, only complaint is that these single issues go by so fast. Can’t wait to get my hands on the hardcover graphic novel of this run. The artwork still remains some of the absolute best, the new Batman suit and Batmobile are still beautiful to look at, the old school blue cowl and cape have been long overdue. And the fact that we are getting some much needed Tim Drake spotlight is great. I cannot wait to see where this story takes our characters.