Some thoughts about Batman Annual #1

What happens in Gotham City during the Holidays?

Batman can't get a moment of rest no matter the festivities but still, he will realize there's always a bit of hope somehow.

Unlike most recent Annuals, DC has decided to use this one as an anthology focusing on a few writers with interesting stories to tell, or at least that was the intention since most of the stories are sadly just okay.

Let's start with the writer of the main Batman book Tom King. I haven't been a fan of his run so far for multiple reasons but fortunately most of his flaws are not apparent here. The problem is that the story itself is not that great in any regard. Is about Ace the Bat-Hound being reintroduced to the DCU and while it tries to be charming, it doesn't hit the high notes to actually achieve it (and at times Bruce can sound pretty dumb). David Finch handles the artwork and is pretty solid with expressive characters and clear storytelling.

Then comes a story written by Scott Snyder about finding hope even in the most desperate situations which is a cute premise with a decent execution but again, is not really great. Declan Shalvey is on art duties and the storytelling and clean style are the best part of it.

Later comes Paul Dini handling a character very close to his heart, Harley Quinn and her interactions with Batman and once again, is a decently told story with fun moments here and there but is not really remarkable and I feel I have more fun with her in her own ongoing. Neal Adams is in charge of the pencils and the expressions definitely sell some of the best parts of it.

Steve Orlando also creates a little tale about how Batman can't save people from everything but it kinda misses the point since Orlando uses this mostly as a premise for a villain he's going to use in the future that pretty much contradicts the idea he was going for. Riley Rossmo handles the artwork and is quite distinctive with great storytelling.

Finally comes my favorite part of the Annual with a story written by Scott Bryan Wilson which is a pretty creative way of using some villains from Arkham with witty, although a bit unnatural, dialogue. Bilquis Evely handles the artwork and it contributes a lot to the script thanks to the great storytelling and style.

Overall, not a must buy Annual but at least is not terrible.