Batman the imposter

Screenwriter Tomlin (Mother/Android) presents in this standalone a vulnerable, grounded version of the caped crusader, which lays bare the psychological damage that drives and defines him--and owes significant debt to Frank Miller's Batman: Year One­. The plot is straightforward: an imposter wearing Batman's costume is killing criminals, and Batman needs to solve the mystery. But unlike most superhero adventures, it's not certain he'll escape alive. Tomlin also takes the familiar aspects of the mythology and twists them into something alien and hostile. In this version of Gotham City, Commissioner Gordon is in exile and butler Alfred, unable to handle young Bruce Wayne's violent rages after his parents' murder, abandons the boy to a boarding school in Moscow. The result is a lonely hero born of isolation, and Sorrentino's inky artwork, reminiscent of Jae Lee's, creates a gritty ambiance. Tomlin also strips away Batman's mystique by detailing his theater: Batman may look like a giant bat soaring through Gotham, but in fact he uses a series of zip lines strung up across skyscrapers and a network of black motorcycles hidden in alleyways. But Batman's personality largely manifests in a checklist of diagnoses described by a psychiatrist; it's literally a clinical approach. Fans will still dig this strange and nightmarish take on the quintessential super-vigilante. (Feb.)