Batman '89: Echoes

Batman '89 #7-12

by Sam Hamm, Joe Quiñones (illustrator)

This is your chance to dive into the follow-up to the Batman ’89 graphic novel, which continues the enthralling adventures of the Dark Knight from Tim Burton’s classic movie Batman. Featuring issues #1-6 of Batman ’89: Echoes, this is a must-read for all Batman fans!

Genres: Graphic Novels, Batman, Comics, Dc Comics

152 pages, Hardcover

Published October 7, 2025

About the author

Sam Hamm is an American screenwriter, perhaps best known for writing the screenplay for Tim Burton's Batman and an unused screenplay for the sequel. As a result of his work, he was invited to write for the Batman comic. The result was Batman: Blind Justice, which introduced Bruce Wayne's mentor, Henri Ducard, who later appeared in Batman Begins. Hamm's other screen credits include Never Cry Wolf and Monkeybone. He also wrote unused drafts for Planet of the Apes and Watchmen adaptations.

Reviews

[Jayson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review to come...

(B+) 77% | Good
Notes: Review pending re-read. Individual reviews for included issues can be found here:
- Batman '89: Echoes (2023-2025) #1
- Batman '89: Echoes (2023-2025) #2
- Batman '89: Echoes (2023-2025) #3
- Batman '89: Echoes (2023-2025) #4
- Batman '89: Echoes (2023-2025) #5
- Batman '89: Echoes (2023-2025) #6

[Nathan Bissett · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the first two issues as they came out and just read all 6 now, so the release issues didn't affect the story in the way it has for a lot of people, but that's only because I gave up on it being released reliably.

There are a lot of great ideas presented in the first 3 issues which are just not followed through on, at least not well

The end of whole story just HAPPENS and then you turn the page and it's over. Babs is Batgirl for 5 frames? Why does He show up in the final issue? This should have just been Scarecrow and Harley, 8 issues could have probably done the job to make the ending make sense.

If a third series is greenlit, I hope that it's a different creative team, because this is such a rich universe for storytelling that they just shit the bed with. Even if it is a new team, I'll likely wait until the trade is released.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a lot of fun, and the art was fantastic.

I hope they keep making these, surely they must have one or two story arcs left in the clip.

[Thezachespinoza · Rating 4 out of 5]

following up the success of Batman '89 (the comic, not the original movie) is hard thing to do. however, when you consider that this book would've replaced the hideous Batman & Robin movie with George Clooney, then you can understand the themes within the movie. Michael Keaton would've been an aging star (ancient for action stars, mind you) and the Batman Franchise would've need a fresh set of characters, and a richer world to explore, should the studio want to expand into its Hallmark IP. all this to say, this book should've been the movie we never got, and quite frankly, Sam Hamm and Joe Quinones' storyboard is wonderfully and cinematically displayed in yet another gripping mystery. I hope I love to see the day this movie is fully realized

[Ryan · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is dreadful … only for those who are curious if Sam Hamm can derail a Batman story on the level of Frank Miller.

The initial “Batman ‘89” run was a unique idea — returning to the Tim Burton universe, giving that storyline a new life and sending Schumacher films to the dustbin.

At least the Schumacher movies are fun.

“Echoes” is a near-incomprehensible story, something with Harley Quinn and Jonathan Crane mixed up in the death of Hugo Strange and … Firefly for some reason. With Bruce Wayne posing as the latter. Catwoman shows up. And Ra’s al Ghul.

It’s all a joyless mess.

[Justin Biondo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one I don’t

[Alan · Rating 2 out of 5]

An absolute mess plot wise and, like its predecessor, so far tonally from the Burton films it supposedly carries on the story of that it should've really just been its own thing. Absolutely baffling ending as well, its so rushed considering the final issue took like a year to come out (although in fairness I waited until everything was out to read so wasn't neccesarily waiting on just the conclusion)

[Darik · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do respect what this book was going for, but it feels like a middle chapter rather than a self-contained story.

A very OVERSTUFFED middle chapter.

I appreciate that writer Sam Hamm was trying to get away from the typical trappings of the genre and tell an interesting psychological thriller story here, with Bruce robbed of his gadgets and mystique going undercover in Arkham Asylum as a patient. I also appreciate Hamm's very writerly intention to tie together the origins and M.O.s of a bunch of Batman's rogues gallery into a single thread: the asylum and its experiments with pharmacology and "persona therapy".

Ironically, however, in trying to make the hoards of distinctive Gotham supervillains more narratively neat, Hamm has to weave an ABSURDLY complicated web of plot, which involves Wayne R&D funding amnesia drugs, Dr. Hugo Strange dying offscreen, Catwoman taking therapy sessions with Dr. Harleen Quinzel, and-- of all possible twists-- RA'S AL GHUL engineering the whole scheme with Strange for his own ends. It's all so very messy.

Still, it can be a fun read, and it's got some interesting ideas at play! Turning Harley Quinn into a fame-seeking television pop psychologist nicknamed "Dr. Q" is a masterstroke (even if her subplot is almost entirely divorced from the rest of the story). And for all the Batman villains and supporting characters Hamm crams into the story, artist Joe Quinones has a delightful, period-appropriate casting choice for his artwork... giving us a Barbara Gordon who's clearly Winona Rider, Dt. Bullock as played by Bob Hoskins, Jeff Goldblum as Dr. Jonathan Crane, Madonna as Dr. Harleen Quinzel, Martin Short as a proto-Riddler, Arnold Schwarzenegger as Blockbuster, and even Ricardo Montalban as Ra's al Ghul. It's just a shame Winston Drake/Robin doesn't look more like Marlon Wayans...

The ending is extremely abrupt and it doesn't quite work as a self-contained narrative-- clearly teasing at least one more adventure to come-- but I dig what it's going for, and I wouldn't mind seeing at least one more of these to wrap up the narrative. As long as it doesn't suffer the same kinds of delays THIS book had...

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

The second book in the "Batman '89" series that continues following the characters from the film and "Batman Returns" starring Michael Keaton.

The fact that the original screenwriter Sam Hamm wrote these two books brings a level of authenticity to the story in the sense that he gets these characters and is in a good position to understand where they might be following those films.

I enjoyed this, but it wasn't as good as the previous book since that had an interesting take on Two Face and racial issues in general.

I'm also not a huge fan of the stories where Bruce stops being Batman, but I do like that "Robin" has an army of helpers out in the streets.

In terms of the art, it's great. Both Batman and Alfred look like Michael Keaton and Michael Gough for the most part, and I think I recognised a few "actors" playing characters here. I'm pretty sure one of the inmates was Martin Short, Tommy Lister was one of the guards, Oded Fehr looks straight out of The Mummy, Arnold Schwazenegger seems to be Blockbuster, and Eugene Levy makes an appearance. I think Ricardo Montalban is supposed to be one of the characters too but wasn't sure.

I wasn't 100% sure on Harley Quinn, though she definitely has Madonna like qualities, and Scarecrow I couldn't tell, though occasionally he looks a little like Jeff Goldblum.

Overall it's an interesting experiment and I'm curious to see where it goes.

[Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another miniseries that took TOO LONG to release...

Issue #1 released November 2023
Issue #6 (as of this review) is scheduled to come out May of 2025

-----that's a year and a half of total wait time

So, this review will be of the first 5 issues...and I officially throw in the towel on this series. If there's drama behind the scenes in DC, I hope they take care of it. Either the writer, the artist, or both need to get released from their contracts.

They decided to add even more celebrities to this sequel series... that never really ends. We have Madonna as Harleen Quinzel. There's Martin Short as the Edward Nigma (Riddler). Harvey Fierstein cameos ...as an ACN TV producer. Jeff Goldblum even pops up as Jonathan Crane (Scarecrow).

It's a continuation of the Batman 89' series, but did we really need it AND did we need to wait that long?
====
Bonus: This is an extremely sanitized Burton-verse. Meh.

[Marty McSkywalker · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bit of a dud after the first Batman 89 trade. boring, convoluted story, hardly any actual Batman, would make for a terribly boring film. The first Batman 89 story seemed to fit in the Batman 89 universe along with the novel Batman Resurrection by John Jackson Miller,but this one doesn't seem to anymore, evident especially with Gordon looking like the traditional thin mustachiod version and not Pat Hingle, and the artwork is sub par at best,looks cheap. On the plus side I did like the Batman undersuit I thought that looked cool.

[Jonathan Waugh · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was hoping it would read better collected than in single issues, but it makes the final issues even worse this way.

This starts off pretty strong and then just becomes an absolute mess. So much just falls apart or happens off panel. Hamm learned nothing from the issues of the finale of the previous volume, and I will absolutely think twice about picking up another volume of this if they do one.

It’s a bummer here cause Joe Quinones’ art is fantastic and he’s having a blast casting 90’s actors here. After so much work getting this made, to have THIS be the end result is embarrassing.

[Daniel Clausen · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was nice to see Michael Keaton as Batman again, even if it was just in comic book form. There is certainly the beginnings of a good Batman movie here. There is a lot of intrigue, callbacks, and original Batman movie story beats. However, the story suffers from typical problems of sequels -- too many villains, too many subplots. Also, this time (much like some other Batman sequels), not enough Batman.

[Shajmil Sultan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Starts off good, but tries to tell too many stories and wraps up abruptly with a baffling ending. The artwork and designs for the characters are amazing though, especially Harley Quinn. It's prevalent that something went wrong during the production of this series, you see it climb unique heights just to nose dive with a salad of substories.

[Robert · Rating 1 out of 5]

It trails so long behind the first installment that little is remembered, and the storyline is an overstuffed mishmash of too many characters, plot points stolen from the Nolan films, and to much material left abbreviated or completely unsupported in a six issue run.

[John]

What an absolute mess. Starts well with the Scarecrow and a unique take on Harley Quinn but spins its wheels for several issues and then ends with a terribly paced cameo filled rush to the end. Something definitely happened behind the scenes

[Who Watches · Rating 2 out of 5]

Worse than the first entry. An utterly uninteresting and scattered story, which hardly even resembles the Burton mythos in style save for cutting and pasting characters from the films into the comic. Nothing about this makes any sense or is fun to read. Pass on this.

[Sam Nicholson · Rating 4 out of 5]

7/10

[Joshua Cacciatore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly kinda mid. A lot of cool ideas that were poorly executed

[Carl Archambault · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is soooo bad, not good AT ALL. It's a mess, too long to get to the point. Too much characters and I don't know what's going on.

Didnt finish it... stop after 3 issues.

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the first could of issues but by the end, it became a mess.

[Skum Back · Rating 3 out of 5]

nice to see what the movies couldve been:(

[Chase B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as the other Batman '89 but anything in the Batman '89 universe...I'm going to love it a decent amount.

[Saoirse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Johnny Crane, my beloved.

[Kristi · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5