Next Batman: Second Son Digital Series Discussion and Spoilers

We got to see Jace Fox as Batman in the pages of various future state series, and while Infinite Frontier is starting next week today is the start of the Digital first series telling the origins of Jace becoming Batman. Now I understand that issues will be physically be collected in April, but I would like to talk now about what we can read today then wait that long, but of course if you want to wait for April and come back feel free to.

Alright so what is Jace's backstory? Well we don't get to into it but we do get into Jace's job before coming back to Gotham and its basically private military vigilante if that makes sense. He's clearly trained to be a black-ops mercenary, trying to break in and apprehend a shady businessmen with ties to mysterious crimes, Jace thinks its trafficking but the target tells him hes way off after Jace gets into a brawl when the op gets busted. It is honestly interesting because it feels like Ridley is trying to tie into the old Jace stories where he had a problem with Wayne when he was lead to believe that Bruce was a slumlord, tying into his hatred of those who are rich and abuse their power.

So the Op goes south and Jace has to punch his way out as he surprisingly does not use guns, I'm assuming so that he has some shared traits with Bruce's Batman. He gets away but not without a death threat put on his head so I'm assuming his rich target will be on him later, and may tie into things later.

Now I think the ending is interesting because not only does it get to him coming back to Gotham but I think it speaks to the difference between him and Bruce but that it also speaks volumes about his relationship with his dad.

[spoil] Lucius sent Grifter to pick up Jace, and Grifter pretty much tells him that he better not fight him and come along with him to Gotham as his parents called him back post Joker War. I think its interesting in two ways, first its funny to think that someone who will become a Batman did not choose to come to Gotham but was forced back to Gotham. Second, I think its telling that Lucius instead of sending Family or going himself to speak with Jace he instead sent an armed dangerous superhuman vigilante to drag him back. That is kind of messed up. [/spoil]

Overall I think its a good start to our Next Batman Origins and getting an idea of in the present how he handles himself and likely had training to be Batman.

I get that they crop these digital first book to make it seem like we are getting more for our buck, but I really wish they’d let us read the pages in a normal format. I don’t mind it’s just a few pages, I just had this weird cropping DC does.

As for the actual story, it was good. I’m surprised we are already moving away from Tim’s days away from Gotham in just the first chapter. Fun seeing grifter so involved in the fox family also.

I read it and liked it. It would be funny if his call sign was "Vulture".

Oh that explains why he's in Gotham

Didn't know this was out, I gotta check it out

Issue #2 is out digitally today and if I were to describe it, it’s a reunion issue. After last weeks issue there is no fight to bring Jace home, he just comes home and it’s a lot of dealing with his family, with a little Batwing action to break it up.

Basically he’s got issues with his entire family except Tiffany, though in fairness Tamara was upset with him for something he said so that might have been on him. In fact in an interesting turn of events Jace doesn’t think he should have come home at all but not based on what his family did but because he still feels guilt over what he did and how it hurt the family, which of course we still do not know what it is he did. But yeah this was basically establishing his family relationship, which Ridley did say would be a big part of his writing this series.

Enjoy seeing the differences already between Jace and Bruce, very curious to see how the Bat-motiff comes into play for him. Lots of playing up on the tragic that impacted the family.

Another week another dysfunctional fox family outing, because this digital issue we finally see Jace talk with Lucius....and it goes about as well as you’d expect but maybe not for the reason you think. Basically what we learn is that whatever Jace did, which apparently he did when he was 17, he’s still in some kind of legal trouble for because Lucius immediately talks to him about a deposition and how he needs to speak with lawyers. The part you may not see coming is that Jace doesn’t want lawyers, he wants to cop to what he did and take full responsibility for his actions which Lucius is actually apprehensive about because of the damage it can possibly do.

I have to say it’s very interesting watching this, not just seeing someone who we know will be a new Batman trying to throw himself at the mercy of the court for the crime he committed but also Lucius in a way. We’ve read Lucius Fox for decades now so it’s odd seeing him kind of being so distant from his son, but also we don’t have full context as to what Jace did exactly and we have to remember what is all going on with Lucius post-Joker War. I mean he hired Grifter for crying out loud.

I will say this though there is one character that Ridley writes very well and it’s Tiffany. Because not only is it nice to have a family member who is trying to get along with everyone but also the fact that she knows Luke is Batwing means she kind of has an idea of how to deal with him when he really starts to lay into Jace. She’s probably the best character I’ve seen out of Ridley’s Batman writing.

I am enjoying this book so far, but I do think that they may be taking too long to tell the reader what Tim, I mean Jace did.

The way that the family talks around what happened in the past are making their interactions repetitive.

[QUOTE=ZuLuLu;5421112]I am enjoying this book so far, but I do think that they may be taking too long to tell the reader what Tim, I mean Jace did.

The way that the family talks around what happened in the past are making their interactions repetitive.[/QUOTE]

I wonder if we'll learn why Tim even changed his name to Jace, I get he's ashemed of wahtever mystery thing he did, but why specifically name himself jace? Hope that gets answered.

Is there perhaps an editorial reason for the name change? Like not to confuse him with Tim Drake? I admit, it's getting old fast how almost every time we've seen him, there's some kind of "It's not Tim, it's Jace" dialogue.

I assume there has to be some story reason as to why he chose Jace, mainly because he persistent that Jace is his name and that it means a lot to him that you call him by his name.

New issue out this week and if you thought last week had some family issues, well expect more this week because Tamara is in a coma again as her old Batwing injuries resurfaced. If you didn't know she got hurt in Batwing...well to sum it up Rat-catcher kidnapped Tamara and Tiffany and nearly killed Tamara, and now she had relapsed. Unfortunately the family are all blaming different things, Lucius blaming the toxins from A-day, Tanya's blaming masks, and Luke is blaming Jace because maybe emotional disruption of the family caused her too much stress. He doesn't outright say it but its pretty clear that people in the family catch his meaning and later call him out on it. The only stable one of the family is Tiffany who basically tells Luke get off his butt, go be Batwing and find Rat-catcher and either find his poison so it can be analyzed or make him pay for what he has done. Like I have said before, Ridley really can write a family that feels natural with the troubles they have and yet Tiffany is still my favorite with how mature and smart she is.

Oh and while that is happening Vol calls up and let's Jace know that his mission has come to Gotham, which causes him to have to do one of the things that he really doesn't want to....work with his father.

Besides this we also get to meet those two officers that we saw in Future State, so I guess they will also get to be a big part of Ridley's story instead of just random cops he wrote into the story.

[QUOTE=sifighter;5432248]Tamara is in a coma again as her old Batwing injuries resurfaced.[/QUOTE]

Why is that thing still canon, again?

[QUOTE=Restingvoice;5432256]Why is that thing still canon, again?[/QUOTE]

Probably because Luke is still Batwing and from what I've read in Other history of DC Universe and Superman Red & Blue Ridley appears to be one of those writers who thinks that everything that has happened in comics to a character, good or bad, did happen and is part of their continuity.

So to Ridley if Luke had a big story arc with personal consequences that hurt his family then that happened and plays a part in his present day story. In fact he's been playing with it because that is how Tiffany knows Luke is Batwing.