Batman: Europa #1 Review

By Jesse Schedeen

The past few months have been productive ones when it comes to publishers finally releasing long-gestating projects. Hot on the heels of Captain America: White and Miracleman by Gaiman and Buckingham comes Batman: Europa, a series that was first announced way back in 2004. This first issue hardly lives up to 11 years of anticipating, but it offers a fun detour from the rest of the Batman franchise.

Europa is a story that takes Batman out of his usual stomping ground and on a whirlwind tour of Europe with a rather unusual sidekick. There’s a darker thread pulling Batman along in his journey, but the emphasis is more on globetrotting adventure than grim and gritty superheroics. This series develops a strong premise by the end of this issue. The problem is merely that it takes that long. This first chapter moves too slowly and devotes too much time to setting up the core dynamic between Batman and his new partner. The issue starts off strongly enough thanks to a brutal fight between Batman and Killer Croc, but it never quite regains momentum after that point.

Europa offers an intriguing blend of American and European creators. Matteo Casali and Brian Azzarello developed and co-wrote the story, while this first issue feature none other than Jim Lee drawing over Giuseppe Camuncoli’s layouts. The Camuncoli/Lee collaboration is a treat to behold. Camuncoli has long since established himself as an impeccable storyteller on his various Spider-Man projects. His dynamic page layouts meld nicely with Lee’s sleek, iconic superhero figures. Normally Lee’s work suffers from an overabundance of lines, but that approach actually suits this issue. There’s a scratchy, frenetic quality to the art. Alex Sinclair’s colors enhance that feel and give the book a dreamy, otherworldly quality. The visuals wind up finding a middle ground between Lee’s traditional style and the gorgeous watercolor segments from Hush. Sadly, Lee won’t be sticking around after this issue, but Camuncoli should be more than capable of carrying the book on his own.

Azzarello’s voice is less apparent in this collaboration. This certainly isn’t the sort of hard-boiled noir one might expect from the writer. Nor does it feature his familiar pun-filled wordplay. It might have been nice to see a more overt influence from Azzarello, as this issue’s main problem is that it’s over-written and too preoccupied with Batman’s monologue. The captions don’t add a great deal to the story, and Batman’s extended reflection on Berlin and its troubled history reads like it should be coming from a different character entirely. As slow as this story moves in its first chapter, Europa would do well to downplay the narration and pick up the pace.