Batman #23

Writer:  Scott Snyder

Art:  Greg Capullo, Danny Miki, FCO Plascencia

Get Caught Up...

Zero Year is in full swing.  A young Bruce Wayne has returned to Gotham and is putting into place his war on crime.  The mysterious Red Hood Gang is his target, and things are getting hairy.  It’s all really, really good.

What’s Good?

The opening scene of Bruce’s attack from the Red Hood Gang is great.  I really enjoy it when a story is told in such a manner that the reader gets a glimpse as to how the characters are feeling.  Snyder’s back-and-forth skipping from the attack, to the aftermath, to a flashback is extremely jarring, but in a good way.  I feel the disorientation that Bruce does as his attempted murder is taking place.  I feel the relief when Alfred is back in the picture, for a great character moment that sets the tone for their relationship.  Capullo’s art is rough here compared to the rest of the book.   It emphasizes those feelings, and everything comes together really well.

I read this issue yesterday, but really needed time for it to sink in so I could give it a fair review.  I wasn’t impressed at first, but it has grown on me after a second read.  It’s no spoiler that this series will cover some common ground with Frank Miller and Dave Mazzacchulli’s Year One story.  This is the first issue where that becomes abundantly clear.  It took me by surprise, as I wasn’t expecting it.  I wrestled with whether or not I approve, and I came to the decision that arguing about it doesn’t matter anymore.  Year One is twenty-five years old, and in need of a contemporary retelling.  It’s time.  Zero Year won’t detract from the old story, but the homages are very welcome.

What’s Not So Good?

I hope the team sticks to the homages, and doesn’t take many more story beats directly out of Year One.  The origin is being redone, I want to see a fresh take on it.  They would be doing a disservice to themselves by not embracing change.

There are a couple of scenes that didn’t work for me, mainly everything not involving Bruce Wayne.  Considering the ending of this issue, I would much rather have had the whole story focus on Bruce and his journey to that study.  It’s a powerful moment in comic book history, and the interlude with Bruce’s uncle and Nigma took me out of the flow.  The backup is the first in the series that didn’t resonate with me on some level.  It didn’t really show Bruce learning anything, and seemed to just be there to show him taking on many fights without resorting to killing.  Maybe I missed something, but it wasn’t indicative of him learning  the Batman persona beyond that.

 

 

The Verdict...

If Year One has to be redone, and I am of the opinion that it is time for an update, I’m glad it’s Snyder and Capullo behind it.  The first “chapter,” I suppose, of Zero Year has come to a close, and we’re ready to move on to the Bat next month.  I’ll be there.

Oh, Yeah, And...

The term Zero Year is being thrown around a lot.  Gordon even mentioned it in an issue of Batman, Incorporated.  I’m wondering if there is more to the title than there seems to be, and something expanding on the name will occur down the road..  I don’t recall characters ever referring to Year One explicitly.  That has always just been story arc name for the readers.  I’m curious to see if anything comes of this, or if I’m looking for clues where there are none.