Batman: Bad Seeds Sunset kicks off the big 2026 Batfamily event. This big event is happening because the relationship between Mayor Pamela Isley, aka Poison Ivy, and GCPD Commissioner Vandal Savage has deteriorated. That is on top of Poison Ivy losing a big part of the support in Gotham City that helped her become the Mayor of the city. With all that in mind, how will things kick off for the latest Batman event? Let’s find out with the Batman: Bad Seeds Sunset one-shot.
CREATIVE TEAM
Writers: Matt Fraction and G. Willow Wilson
Artist: Giuseppe Camuncoli and Cliff Rathburn
Colorist: Tomeu Morey
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
BATMAN: BAD SEEDS SUNSET SOLICITATION
“THE BATMAN: BAD SEEDS EVENT STARTS HERE! MATT FRACTION, G. WILLOW WILSON, GIUSEPPE CAMUNCOLI, AND CLIFF RATHBURN KICK OFF AN ALL-NEW BATMAN EVENT!
Gotham City’s new mayor, Pamela Isley, deserted by her allies both political and arcane, is about to make a last-ditch power play that will leave Gotham decimated by daylight. Having already declared war on the Bat-Family and flooded the streets with his private, paramilitarized police army, Police Commissioner Vandal Savage sees an opportunity to solve two problems at once. Storylines converge in Batman: Bad Seeds, a Gotham City event spanning one long, dark night in Gotham that threatens to turn the entire city into a hostile world of prehistoric plant life unlike anything on Earth for millennia, at a time when its greatest heroes are hunted and in hiding.
As the sun goes down and Gotham loses power, Matt Fraction (Batman), G. Willow Wilson (Poison Ivy), Giuseppe Camuncoli (Absolute Evil), and Cliff Rathburn (The Walking Dead) deliver an unforgettable opening chapter that shows the only thing scarier than the night just might be the morning sun…” – DC Comics
REVIEW
Batman: Bad Seeds Sunset does exactly what it sets out to do by kickstarting the latest big event crossover that will consume Gotham City. Right from the start, there’s a strong sense that Gotham won’t be the same once this Bad Seeds crossover is all said and done. That is exactly the tone this opening chapter needed to set.
Credit goes to Matt Fraction and G. Willow Wilson for getting across that this event is a payoff to the current direction of the Batman Family titles. That comes through right away with the opening, as Poison Ivy and Vandal Savage establish their respective sides of the conflict. Neither one is positioned as the protagonist. Instead, both are clearly emphasized as antagonists, with neither trying to hide their supervillain tendencies from those around them.
What sets them apart is the reactions to Poison Ivy and Vandal Savage’s actions get. We obviously get the terror that comes with Poison Ivy turning Gotham City over to the Parliament of Trees, including the fear from her own mayoral cabinet. That contrasts with the majority of Vandal Savage’s GCPD, as those in his special police force follow his orders without hesitation. The only outliers are officers like Jim Gordon. Through these key differences, Fraction and Wilson emphasize the extremes of the power grab both Poison Ivy and Vandal Savage are making.
All of this firmly places the Batman Family in the middle of a war between two supervillains. At this point, all the Batman Family can do is respond to the chaos taking over Gotham City. And while the attack catches them by surprise, we see the benefit of the Batman Family being united, as they are quick to act. Even with Poison Ivy disabling most forms of communication, Batman is still able to contact Nightwing, Spoiler, Robin, Signal, and others. It is handled in a way that sets up where each Batman Family member will be during the various tie-ins to this event.
The one thing that holds Batman: Bad Seeds Sunset back is how heavily it relies on continuity to get the full impact. Fraction and Wilson do not really hide the fact that their respective Batman and Poison Ivy series are required reading. Without the context from those books, you’ll miss the nuances of the different character dynamics on display. This especially hurts Poison Ivy, who is in full villain mode here, since much of the context for why she pulls the trigger the way she does is missing from this one-shot.
The artwork by Giuseppe Camuncoli and Cliff Rathburn is solid, though a bit inconsistent throughout Batman: Bad Seeds Sunset. Even with the credits making it clear they were each responsible for different parts of the artwork, there is still a noticeable difference in styles. At times, there are so many shifts in the designs that it feels like more than two artists worked on the comic. That does not get in the way of the overall flow of the story, though. They still nail the big moments needed to emphasize just how much of an impact this event is having on Gotham City. For the start of an event that is what they needed to nail.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Batman: Bad Seeds Sunset does its job selling why this crossover is going on and how the various tie-ins will factor into the story. The heavy reliance on continuity does hold it back from being friendly to all readers, especially if you haven’t been reading the Batman or Poison Ivy ongoings. That said, how well Poison Ivy and Vandal Savage are spotlighted in their full supervillain selves helps set up a epic mountain that the Batman Family need to overcome to save Gotham City. Now it will be up to all the comics that follow this start to make sure the momentum is picked up with each chapter of this crossover.
Story Rating: 7 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 6 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 6.5 Night Girls out of 10
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