Rating: 5/5 – Consistently great, deservedly best selling.
Month in and month out Batman proves why it’s consistently one of the best sellers…it’s consistently great. Snyder and Capullo are telling the story of Bruce Wayne’s first year as Batman and although we’ve seen it before, we haven’t seen it done like this. Snyder is weaving so many of Batman’s supporting cast and villains into this arc while never making the story feel cramped or rushed. After the wrap up with the Red Hood from last issue, here we get to see more of the Riddler, a new and creepy introduction to an old Batman villain, and something going on in the middle of a desert.
It’s a big issue. Capullo handles the majority of the art on this issue and he’s really producing the best work of his career. Without repeating so much that has already been said about his art, I will go back to my opening sentences and talk about consistency. Capullo’s art is consistently amazing. What he’s done, and doing over the course of these twenty-five issues is truly something special. His Batman may go down as one of the best interpretations of the character. I don’t want to go too far into hyperbole, but I do think it’s true. There’s so much detail in each panel, pose and page. He’s putting so much effort into this work and it’s so great to see reader’s reactions, and the critical acclaim for his work. And he’s not showing any signs of slowing down.
There’s a lot of story in this issue. It opens and ends with new mysteries that will surely be explored in later parts of this Zero Year storyline. In this issue we’re also introduced to Dr. Death who goes back to Batman’s earliest days (Detective Comics #29 – 1st series), but has never been seen like this. As Batman and the GCPD investigate these deaths, were given cameos from multiple characters like Lucius Fox, Poison Ivy and a young Gordon and Bullock. At no times do these character’s appearances feel forced. It all flows naturally with the story. There’s a great cliffhanger to the issue that will have us guessing until next month.
If you’re not reading this title, you should be. It is simply one of the best titles being published today…consistently.
Reviewed by: Shawn Hoklas – shawn@comicspectrum.com
https://comicspectrum.com/ Covering the full spectrum of comics culture
Follow ComicSpectrum:
ComicSpectrum Comic Reviews 