Rating: 2.5/5 – Witness a rehashed version of Batman’s origin!
Batman Zero year is supposed to be a “new and exciting take on Batman’s origin”. Is it though? Maybe, but you can’t tell it from reading Batman #26.
New? This issue seems to be drawing from the modern day “Batman Origin Story” checklist for it’s inspiration.
1) Conflict between Jim Gordon and Bruce Wayne/Batman.
Like in every Batman origin, Gordon doesn’t trust Batman and neither does Batman trust Gordon. I have no problem with that, even though this conflict has been told time after time. In this issue the conflict is so forced and so out of the blue that it’s pretty obvious there is only conflict because there as to be and that’s how the characters have to behave. Is there no alternative? Why can’t they be friends from the start?
2) A bad guy who follows the Batman villain checklist: Scientist–accident/fired from job–swears revenge.
3) We get the good old “My body is broken but I have to defend the city!”
Instead of something meaningful or original we get a story that feels like a filler arc on the way towards the Riddler storyline that is the centerpiece of the Zero Year titles. Instead of shining light on lesser known character traits or telling the better known ones in original ways, everything is shoved in the reader’s face and the story feels like a complete mess. Exciting? Capullo’s art is. The backgrounds reflect the situations perfectly. Always new and different things going on in every page. If only Scott Snyder’s story measured up to the art in this issue.
Reviewed by: Gilad Levin – gilad@comicspectrum.com
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