Scott Snyder's latest issue of Batman picks up eight days after last issue, with Batman trapped in the labyrinth of the court of owls. The last issue was a little slow, does this issue pick up the slack? Hell yes.
This review will spoil a little trick in this comic that was crazy awesome but might not have the same effect if you already know about it. So if you don't want to be spoiled just go buy this issue, I'm recommending it.
This issue of Batman was the best one yet. The issue consists almost entirely of a dazed Batman struggling to find his way through the labyrinth. He also might be drugged and since he's been in there for eight days he's getting paranoid and hallucinating. We get to see how much the court of owls really likes to screw with people's minds, and Bats has some trouble dealing with it.
This issue, more than any other, proves that Scott Snyder really gets Batman. Bruce repeatedly talks about he is a creature of the dark and how Gotham is his city. Snyder uses Batman's extensive knowledge of Gotham as a flaw; what happens when an enemy has been in Gotham longer than Batman? Batman refuses to accept that there is a greater power in Gotham than him, and one that has gone unnoticed all this time.
There's a lot of creepy rooms in the labyrinth that show how messed up the court of owls really is, some of which showcase portraits of all the people who have died in the labyrinth. The Talon is also seen in the background several times throughout the issue, giving off a creepy stalker vibe. Its great stuff. Also for those of you who love the awesomely creepy cover of Batman #6 (the one with Batman actually becoming an owl creature), that's not just a cover. That actually happens in this issue.
But the thing about this issue that impresses me most, besides the great art and the overwhelming sense of dread, is a trick that Snyder and co. play on us, the readers. It might be a little tough to explain, but I'll try to explain it anyway. The panels start off as traditional left to right, turning the right page to get to the next one. That shifts to a top to bottom format, which is not uncommon in comics, wherein the right page is on the bottom. Then, when it flips back to horizontal mode, its flipped backwards. So you're now reading the comic turned upside down, and you have to turn the left page to get to the next one. The best part about this is that it caught me unawares. I didn't realize I was reading the book upside down, and tried to turn the right page. So I wound up reading the same page again and thinking, "Huh. This is weird that they printed the same page again." I might just be an idiot, but Snyder successfully messed with MY head. Then you have to go back and read the book by turning the right page to progress the story, essentially reading the comic backwards, so it just feels unnatural and confusing. In other words, exactly like the labyrinth is making Batman feel. I actually felt just like Batman for a second; disoriented and feeling like I had already seen this. It was a truly great and smart twist to put on the book.
Overall this book not only has some great art and plot development with one of the best challenges to Batman in a long time, but is also impressive on a technical level. The book gets in your head. Absolutely fantastic.
10/10