FULL VIDEO REVIEW:
Writer: Scott Snyder
Artist: Greg Capullo
Colorist: Fco Plascencia
Price: $4.99
Publication Date: July 223, 2014
What I Liked
✔Excellent ending to this very long story arc
✔Lots of great dialogue that added depth to Bruce Wayne-made good connections with audience. Lots of people understand what it’s like to want to be someone else
✔Great showdown between Riddler and Batman. A true battle of wits
✔Liked seeing Batman fully accept the mantle of Gotham’s “lightning rod”
✔Good action, but this finale was far more about brain than brawn
✔ Pacing was good, story filled with lots of dramatic tension that kept me locked in while reading the issue.
What I Didn’t Like
✘Not a huge fan of this particular art style
✘Would’ve liked to see more Batman stomping a mudhole in Riddler, minor gripe
Themes
The theme for the conclusion to Batman Year Zero that struck me the most is taking the rotten, rancid, horrible things that come our way in life, and using them as a source of strength, for inspiration to solve problems and make the world a better place.
Bruce Wayne sought to have his mind wiped to forget about his parents and to transform himself into someone else so he could avoid dealing with the pain of his loss. But he didn’t finish the procedure. He chose the harder path, letting that pain and suffering be a positive force in his life.
The pain transformed from suffering into purpose. Batman wasn’t Bruce Wayne’s alter ego, it was who he really was, and he came to accept his life, his calling, his purpose for living.
Learning this lesson can be extremely tough. Pain sucks. It’s not pleasant, nor is it fun or amusing. But it’s not meaningless, nor is it useless, if we look at the bigger picture to see what positives might come out of the crappy hand we’ve been dealt. Rather than wallow in self-pity, perhaps pain and suffering can help us find a problem in society that no one else can solve, and we can make the world a better place.
Overall: 9 out of 10