Hey there friends, well you all finally pushed me, told me, begged me, and pestered me about why haven’t I been reading the new relaunch of Batman, I’m currently reading one series involving the Bat, which is Batman & Robin which I had been enjoying seeing the combination of Bruce and his son Damian as partners rather than Dick and Damian, which was just a great. So today (Thursday October 20th) I went back to my local comic shop and purchased the first two issues of BATMAN, which thankfully the second printing came out so I could catch up on what I would have missed had I picked up only issue 2. So is what many saying true, is this the best of the best of the new DCU. No need to provide backstory, its Batman, anyone can tell you his backstory. What I can say though that in this new universe/timeline, Dick Grayson and Tim Drake WERE Robin at some point, which apparently in this universe was somewhat of an internship, with now Damian Wayne as the current Robin, I’m not sure if Jason Todd was in this world, I have not and nor any intention of reading Red Hood and the Outlaws. Alright with all that said let’s see how this Bat holds up.
Batman #1- Written by Scott Snyder and Artwork by Greg Capullo
Story: Batman talks about what Gotham means to him as he takes out who’s who Arkham’s finest villains until one giant sumo dude hurls Batman into the cell of Bats greatest foe, the Joker, who unexpectedly teams up with the Bat and takes care of the prison riot. Batman and Gordon discuss about how the riot was caused by a good cop gone bad, Gordon asks if Batman really teamed up with the Joker, which it turned out to be Dick Grayson using a new digital mask to make him look and sound like the Joker. Bruce and his crew of Robins attend a big shindig to help test out a new interface of crime solving, and this party involves a who’s who of Gotham’s wealthiest, where Bruce proposes the plans of changing Gotham, to make it into a shining example of good rather than be riddled with crime and poverty. Bruce is then introduced to a mayoral candidate who wishes to support Bruce in this huge endeavor. Just as they are talking, Bruce notices Gordon getting a call about a murder, Bruce leaves and heads to the scene of the crime where he meets Bullock and go over the crime scene, a man pinned to the wall of his apartment, they find a message that Bruce Wayne is going to die Tomorrow and the DNA of a the killer….DICK GRAYSON!!!!!!
Batman #2: Batman chases down some criminals who hijacked a helicopter, doing a risky move by jumping straight at them and taking them out with ease. He finally heads to the city morgue to look over the victim from issue one. We learn that the man was a trainer for criminals but got killed by a person associated with a mysterious group that is an urban legend in Gotham city called the “Court of Owls”. Bruce then confronts Dick about the murdered man. Dick tells Bruce that he did meet the man but he didn’t kill him, that he was attacked after the party and still has the scars to prove it; Bruce trusted him but wanted to make sure. Bruce meets with the mayoral candidate at old Wayne tower where they are soon attacked by a mystery man who has “killed Wayne’s” before Bruce as they fight one another, Bruce safely lands but the mystery man “dies” but soon revives himself and drives off in the Ambulance.
Reviews: Well you guys were totally right, this is an AMAZING down right PERFECT title and going to be one of my top picks for the year. Scott Snyder is pretty much the best thing going for this series. I love the way it blends the 90s animated series style of storytelling with a film noir aesthetic, giving us a Batman that is the most perfect form imagined. The first issue gives us a good amount of setup, the new lenses Bruce wears give him access to data profiles of various people, so it more or less allows new readers to know some of the key characters are and what they do. The moments at the crime scene was pitched perfect seamlessly blending the drastic characters that Batman and Bullock represent, Batman aka Bruce, seeing the light that at the end of the tunnel for Gotham’s future and Bullock as the dark and dreary side of Gotham, that it will come back and stab you in the back when you’re not looking. I love how the blend of technology mixed in with old fashion detective work mesh perfectly, seeing Batman using the best things money can buy but not limited by using his own instincts and know how.
Issue two is where things better and more is there to explore. Gotham gets more history and backstory that the Wayne family has great influence in it, the history of the Wayne tower is one of the best moments of dialogue in any comic I have read, Snyder doesn’t over explain it, but tells us the bare essentials, allowing the events of the murder and the new threat to play out as it did. The Nightwing reveal was essentially a big red herring, giving readers of issue 1 a reason to continue reading, but it is nice to see that it wasn’t him since Bruce always trusted him. The introduction to the new villain or villains the “court of Owls” is pretty symbolic because Owls prey on bats. Once one of them is revealed at the Wayne tower and fighting Bruce was really awesome and the ending keeps you wanting to read.
Artwork: If Scott Snyder was Peanut Butter, then Greg Capullo is Chocolate, both go perfectly together. Capullo’s artwork is hands down some of the most beautiful and some of the best style I have seen, he and Cliff Chiang are neck and neck for best art in the DCNU. The art style he gives this blends in the 90s animated Batman and a bit of Frank Miller influence to add in a dark and grim look on Gotham while Bruce’s outlook on it is bright and hopeful.
Grade: Both of these issues are given A+, both are strong, super solid, well done, perfectly written, amazingly drawn, and a pitch perfect example of doing a reboot done right.
So yes this series is locked as one of my reads, I will continue to read and review this following issue #3 and so on. You guys were right about me picking this up, glad I finally caught up with ease. Catch you all later.