Batman Vol. 4 #6 review time, and let me tell you, Bruce Wayne’s life is currently a logistical nightmare that makes my worst days running SAP look like a vacation. If you read my Batman Vol. 4 #5 review, you know Bruce’s date with Dr. Annika Zeller ended with an assassination attempt by The Ojo, and Damian Wayne slipping up and calling Batman Father right in front of her.
I spent a month wondering how Matt Fraction was going to write Bruce out of that massive InfoSec failure. Now that issue #6 is here, we finally have the answer, and honestly? It is brilliant.
Let’s break down the fallout, the Monster Men, and why this issue keeps Fraction’s run at the top of my pull list.
The Father Cliffhanger Resolution
If you are dodging spoilers, skip to the next section. For the rest of you asset managers, here is the intel: Dr. Zeller does not figure out that Bruce Wayne is Batman.
Instead, she connects the dots in the most hilarious, cynical way possible. She assumes Bruce is just a careless, irresponsible billionaire father who allows his young son to run around Gotham playing sidekick to a dangerous vigilante. It is a fantastic piece of character writing. It protects the secret identity while giving Bruce an entirely new, deeply uncomfortable PR problem to manage.
Trying to explain why your kid is hanging out with Batman without admitting you are Batman? That is a conversation I wouldn’t wish on anyone.
Hugo Strange and the Petrochemical Bottleneck
While Bruce is failing at fatherhood, Hugo Strange is throwing a tantrum. Furious that the hit on Dr. Zeller failed, Strange unleashes his giant, green Monster Men on a Gotham petrochemical facility.
From a tactical standpoint, this is a massive supply chain disruption. Batman has to intervene at the ports, but the board is rigged against him. Commissioner Vandal Savage has successfully planted evidence framing Batman for killing cops, and Harvey Bullock is the only one who seems to be catching on to the setup.
When a massive police task force shows up to slaughter both the Monster Men and the Dark Knight, Bruce has to literally smash the Batmobile through the police line just to escape.
Jorge Jimenez absolutely carries this sequence. The Monster Men look terrifying, and Tomeu Morey’s coloring makes the fiery destruction of the ports leap off the page. The action has weight, speed, and real stakes.
Jorge Jimenez is Carrying This Run on His Back
I have said it before, but Jorge Jimenez is the secret weapon of this book. The Monster Men don’t just look scary; they look wrong. Their proportions are off in a way that makes your brain scream this isn’t natural. The petrochemical facility burning behind them? The flames have actual physics.
Tomeu Morey’s coloring makes the green monsters pop against the orange fire and black night sky. It is the kind of visual storytelling that makes you forget you are reading a comic. Jimenez is drawing with the confidence of someone who knows exactly how this run ends, and it shows.
Collector Value: Key Issue or Skip?
From a pure asset management perspective, this issue has two points in its favor. First, the Monster Men are a classic Hugo Strange creation returning after years away. Second, the Zeller resolution is a structural pivot for the arc.
Is it a key issue? Not quite, there are no first appearances or deaths. But if you are pulling the Fraction run, it is a solid hold. Bag it, board it, and don’t skip it. The value is in the art and the escalating tension, not in speculator hype.
The Verdict: Is Batman Vol. 4 #6 Worth Your Money?
If you were worried that Matt Fraction couldn’t balance the gritty detective work with the absurd superhero action, this issue proves he can. We get great character moments with Zeller and Tim Drake, balanced immediately by giant green monsters smashing shipping containers.
Don’t skip this. It is a highly entertaining chapter that pushes the Vandal Savage and Hugo Strange plots forward while delivering top-tier Jorge Jimenez art.
Not everyone has the shelf space for a massive physical long box, and I get that. If you just want to read the story without adding to your physical inventory, you can grab the Batman (2025-) #6 Kindle Edition on Amazon.
If you are still on the fence about whether digital makes sense for you, check out my guide on Comic Collecting For Beginners.
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So, what did you think of Dr. Zeller’s conclusion about Bruce’s parenting? Drop a comment below, because I’m still laughing about it three coffees into my morning.
