Previously…
Just before the New 52
reboot, DC comics had a horror writer by the name of Scott Snyder penning most
of the Batman stories and adding his unique brand of scary goodness to the mix.
When the New 52 started, he became the full-time writer for the main title and since then he has made Batman feel fresh and new again, so when he started the Year
Zero story arc I decided to give it a whirl hoping to see more of that
freshness.
Situation
We open up six New 52
years’ past, with Batman wearing something I feel would be better suited on Green Arrow. Bat’s saves a kid from some unknown gang
and in turn, the kid tells him that "He" thinks Batman is dead and
that this mysterious "He" killed the city. Five months earlier, Bruce
Wayne (in disguise) has been pissing off the Red Hood gang by stopping their
leader from executing several business people who refused to join. Afterward,
we're privy to Bruce testing out some new boots that allow clinging to ceilings
before his uncle, Philip Kane, visits him about running Wayne Industries. Bruce
declines of course and goes about his way; the last few panels introduce a
staple Bat villain, before he was an actual villain, talking to Philip about
how Wayne Enterprises should continue.
Story
I enjoyed this issue even if the
time difference from this and that of the New 52 don’t make any sense.
The conversation between Bruce and Philip about the company, with Bruce stating
that he and his uncle are strangers that want completely different things. I
like the idea of the Red Hood Gang, a man who blackmailed rich people into
joining him in corporate sabotage. The fact that no one from this gang knows
who the leader or each other really are makes them more of a threat and harder
to take down. I also love that since Snyder has started writing Batman he's
been saying that rich people are evil, and that is awesome in my book. The
backup story was a nice touch, in which we learn where Bruce Wayne picked up
his crazy driving skills, adding another piece to the puzzle of how Batman was
born. This, like Snyder's other Bat stories, has the makings of a great
mystery. I just hope it ends like Night of Owls and not Death of the
Family.
The Pictures
Greg Capullo has been rocking with Snyder since the New
52 started and I hope he never leaves. In the past he’s had some issues
with consistency, but he’s been killing this Batman. So far, my only complaints
are that Bruce Wayne looks aloof all the time especially in front of Alfred and
Gotham City is just New York with a giant penny in front of a building. FCO
Placenia colored this wonderfully from the vivid reds of the Red Hood Gang’s helmets to the
envious green of our surprise villain’s shirt popping off the page.
The Real
For the first issue of a new arc
it's looking good, and as long as DC's editorial let's Snyder steer it in the
right direction we should have another Black Mirror on our hands, from
which we can all walk away satisfied. If they don't, we might have another Death of the Family on our hands
where we went in expecting a large shake up and instead nothing happened at
all. I'd love Snyder to really take the reins on this one, adding that suspense we
love and bringing the detective elements back to character as he does so well.
Rating 4/5
All images credited to Comic Book Resources
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