Anyone with a craving for some philosophically-tinged Batman need to scour their catalogs no longer, as the seminal anthology series Batman Black and White returns this week with gusto, glory, and the occasional psychedelic loop that has become custom in this wacky compendium. The third such series of its kind, Black and White comes from the time-honored tradition of the old 8-page anthology comics of yesteryear, such as EC Comics’ Tales from the Crypt, and features a mix of the most celebrated names in comics as well as some new and exciting up-and-comers providing a set of diverse treatments on everyone’s favorite Caped Crusader. This new series starts off with a bang and features such luminaries of the field as Paul Dini, Andy Kubert, Emma Rios, Greg Smallwood, G. Willow Wilson, and a returning J. H. Williams, and the psychologically concentrated concoction is indeed something to behold.
Always a thought-provoking publication, Black and White originally premiered in 1996 as a four-part miniseries, featuring contributions from the likes of Walt Simonson, Brian Bolland, Neil Gaiman, Bill Sienkiewicz, and Bruce Timm. The subject matter of these stories is often harrowing, exploring mature and complex themes that arise within the dark night of Gotham. Often, these stories will focus on supporting characters or simple bit players instead of Batman. Sometimes funny, sometimes dark, sometimes philosophical, what unites them is their format: 8 pages, no colors save for the black of their ink and the white of their pages. Simple.
The 2020 rendition mixes this formula up with a phenomenal series of strips that tend towards the bizarre and monstrous. Perhaps the most anticipated, and the least outlandish would be the return of J. H. Williams to Batman after a 10-year absence to tell a story entitled “Weight”, a stylized overview that pays tribute to the Dark Knight’s many incarnations, including homages to artists Dick Sprang, Frank Miller, Neal Adams, and Bruce Timm. Using the current pandemic as a centralizing piece, Williams portrays the Dark Knight as a tireless protector in the face of this overwhelming threat.
The individual stories are not altogether poignant in that same vein, however. Longtime writer James Tynion IV spins a somewhat surrealist yarn entitled “The Demon’s Fist” alongside the cartoonish pen of Tradd Moore which sees an attack on Batman through the fanatical eyes of one of Ra’s al Ghul’s henchmen. The fine detail of Moore’s off-kilter newspaper-funnies art style endows the story with a dreamlike quality when presented devoid of color.
Spanish artist Emma Rios injects a little more abstract nightmarishness into this dream with a touch of Jungian psychology in her portion, “Sisyphus”, a brutal poem of symbolic death and rebirth set to Batman’s inner monologue. And if ridiculous comic book action is what you’re looking for, Paul Dini and Andy Kubert revive the ninja Man-Bats of the League of Assassins in a bizarre, but beautifully rendered tale featuring Swamp Thing called “First Flight”!
Black and White has always been a venue where great artists can tell twisted, tragic, and above-all hard-hitting tales, distilling the mythos of this culturally intractable icon through new and different lenses into a more pure and unadulterated form. Now slated for a 6-issue run, we can only wait and see what other creators will take a swing at Batman’s most starkly presented title. Batman Black and White is on sale now, wherever comic books are sold.