Batman #25

Writer Scott Snyder Artist Greg Capullo

 

Introduction

 

Scott Snyder’s Batman will likely go down as one of the greatest successes fostered from the New 52. However, there is good reason why. His arcs have been some of the most consistently entertaining since the initial Court Of Owls epic. The biggest drawback to most of the stories on the proper Batman title thus far, has been the sloppy endings that do not seem to tie things together in a satisfying manner. It seems that this newest arc entitled Zero Year is interested in changing all of that really soon. With a slow start similar to that of a detective novel, Zero Year has just started to kick into high gear. #24 saw some fascinating revelations that propelled the book back into the heights that fans have really been missing. The one big component absent from the story though, is the inclusion of the Bat family at large. Many of the different titles have crossovers tying into the book add some new light on some of those characters, but Snyder promised some larger insight into the whole family present in the main Bat books. Readers have a safe bet that the expert writer can deliver with a set amount of time. Can the creative of team continue to deliver the goods on the last couple issues of the storyline?

 

Writing

 

After the author hit the gas in the latest two installments of the comic, this newest pushes think back down to a slow halt. There are a couple moments that make the whole package still entertaining, but it is still slightly disappointing to have such a quiet issue after an exponential bang. Character beats with the commissioner hit just the right notes, and show that the scribe has a strong authority on his voice as a whole. As a reader it is hard to get away from the big question of where all this is going. The story at the end serves as little else other than uniting the different characters for a crossover. The framing device used is very interesting, but so incredibly vague that nobody can guess where it is possibly going. The new serial killer that readers get a brief glimpse at, could add a really unique layer to the mythology of the Dark Knight. Once again, there needs to be a bigger mention of the larger bat family going forward, or this story is going to miss some massive potential.

 

Art

 

This book is split right down the middle with two very distinctive art styles, the first being the bright and hospitable aspects of Gotham. Artist Greg Capullo has always looked a little strange when his work is in broad daylight. This arc has seen him grow out of his current comfort zone, and submerge himself into a lighter territory. While I commend the penciller for taking such a massive risk with the property, these scenes consistently fall flat for me. I know for saying this that I will be in the minority, but Something is missing in those sequences that pop off the page during the night time. The third page of the issue is the best that this style gets, with some truly great composition from Capullo, as well as a stunning layout. A moment with fog and lightness gives a call back to one of the most important moments from the birth of the Dark Knight, it makes some of his motivations come to the surface. Frankly, it would have been a much better moment without the excessive dialogue from the writing. The new batmobile introduced in this issue, is wonderously designed, and the opposite what many readers will expect.

 

Conclusion

While it is extremely maddening to have yet another quiet issue of the Zero Year saga, all the build up is handled with extreme care. This may not be the Batman issue we need, but it is the Batman issue we deserve.