Batman #50 Review: Superheaviest

** SPOILERS, BUT I FEEL LIKE IF YOU'RE READING A REVIEW YOU ALREADY KNOW THAT, RIGHT? **

Let's start with the new costume: less a refresh and more of a polish, right? There's not much to say about an outfit that looks more or less the same just with yellow trim, making Batman...less stealthy? I'm ambivalent towards it even knowing that this is one costume update that will very much stick around. On to the story itself. The tenth and final part of "Superheavy" is stuffed with narrative almost to it's own detriment. ALMOST. Scott Snyder deftly handles three plots that all intertwine, leading to the eventual takedown of Mr. Bloom: Bruce Wayne's return to the cowl, Jim Gordon's final act of heroism as the Dark Knight of Gotham, and Duke Thomas' confrontation with the real Mr. Bloom.

Where other issues may have collapsed under the pressure of so many interlocking narratives, Snyder has a talent for bringing together ideas in the end, only it's often not in the fashion readers expect. That said, "Superheavy" might be Snyder's least oddball ending since his run on Batman began -- though it's steeped in a sci-fi quagmire of cosmic jargon, the return of the original Batman and the final battle with Mr. Bloom play out rather predictably, though the specifics are rather interesting.

No one presumed that Jim Gordon would die at the end of Batman #50, so the constant reminders that Jim needs to get to a hospital before he keels over from his wounds get very old very quick. Sure -- that kind of build-up works in certain situations, but again; no one reading this issue thought Jim was going to actually die, so the whole practice becomes moot. This hollow tension makes Jim's monologue near the issue's end a bit stale and concocted. I know Jim was always waiting for Batman to return, but he didn't need to go all diva and recite the speech he'd obviously been practicing in the mirror for some time.

Batman -- the one and only -- is also a rather divisive narrative line in Batman #50. Last month saw Bruce Wayne stand up and accept who he is and what he means to Gotham City, yet none of that passion and/or drive seems present this month. As soon as Bruce jumps back into the thick of battle, Penny-One delivers some rather clunky exposition instead of Bruce's actions speaking for themselves. As much as I like Greg Capullo's artwork, and as fantastic as he's been for most of this series, Batman #50's fight sequences don't convey the same thrill they once did like in "The Court of Owls" or "Death of the Family". Perhaps it's my own bias coming into play having read every issue Capullo has pencilled for this run, but the whole "Batman is actually better than he was before!" angle works against the emotional nuance this issue could have had.

By transforming Bruce Wayne into a more perfect version of himself, Snyder has inadvertently ripped away part of what makes Batman Batman. Some people wear their scars like badges of honor, and while I don't believe Bruce Wayne sees them as such, he does appreciate that they represent something, and taking away the physical scars but not the mental ones simply means DC basically pulled a Marvel and de-aged Bruce Wayne. The difference, of course, being that Snyder is making it a narrative element, which only makes sense on a very basic level. Seriously -- what does this actually mean for Batman? He was already the most impressive human being on the planet (arguably), with a fascinating blend of a litany of martial arts talent, tactically-honed strategic subterfuge, and alarmingly adaptive mental dexterity. So, he's just more of these things now? That's it? I don't see the point other than Snyder fulfilling some dream to outdo Grant Morrison's colloquially-known "Bat God" by literally making Batman BETTER THAN EVER BEEEFFFFOOOOOORE!

All this said, Batman #50 is still a great issue that makes good use of the elements introduced since the finale of "Endgame". Jim Gordon's supporting cast -- Julia Pennyworth, Daryl, and Gerri Powers -- are all present and accounted for, while Duke Thomas plants himself even more firmly into Snyder's Batman mythos. Bloom himself is not really the point because, as Batman even points out, "anyone could be Bloom..." His or her identity isn't important. Very much like how, as we grow older, we come to recognize that much of what is actually said is of little consequence, and that how our words make others feel is what truly matters in the end. Bloom represents the paranoia and anger borne from tragedy and terror, the loss of hope that comes from watching your family, friends, and home burn again and again and again.

Jim Gordon did not solve the mystery of Mr. Bloom. We will never know if Bruce Wayne could have. But that's not the point. Snyder approached BatJim the same way he did Bruce Wayne; the Batman is for Gotham is for Batman, and so on. To Snyder, the two entities are mutually exclusive, and when Jim takes the mantle of Batman, the city doesn't respond well. Bloom is a metaphorical symptom for the militarization, privatization, and corporatization of the Batman ideals. As good a man as Jim Gordon is, even he cannot stop the gears of industry, finances, politics, and traditions from grinding through the wrench thrown into the machine.

SCORE: 8/10

REVIEW: BATMAN #14

(w) Scott Snyder
(p) Greg Capullo


And here I thought "The Court of Owls" was a big story. Silly me. "Death of the Family" gets expanded big time this week in Batman #14 (and in Batgirl #14). Scott Snyder reveals, with this issue, how well he knows both Batman and the Joker. Obviously, the Joker's absence from the 'New 52's first year was purposeful, but Snyder isn't letting the cat out of the bag all at once. But unlike the Clown Prince of Crime of the past, "Death of the Family" feels like it's going to be chaos with a meaning.

Joker is a villain who has always been unpredictable. So what's the best way to make a terminally unpredictable character even more unhinged? Make him do something Batman can see coming. Last month, Harley Quinn orchestrated a scenario to drown Batman in the same chemicals that turned the Joker into a psychopath. Bruce picks up on the hint and realizes that Joker is recreating their old encounters. Fans and critics alike have been debating for years whether Batman's crusade is effective, if he's actually making a difference in Gotham City, or simply abetting more crime. This is what speaks to Snyder's ability with the Dark Knight -- drudging up the past is the best way to get under Batman's skin, and Joker knows it.

Batman #14 is a stellar issue from beginning to end. Never before has Bruce's 'extended family' been such a focal point of a Batman story to such a degree. Obviously, Alfred Pennyworth was taken from Wayne Manor at the end of Batman #13, and Jim Gordon gets hit his month with a blood-thinning poison. Even without the big reveal at the end, I would highly recommend this issue. The final pages, though, change everything for Batman and the Joker. Scott Snyder is leading the march on a new era for Batman and his allies, and it's going to be a frightening, sadistic, horrifying, absolutely entertaining road.

GRADE

9/10

BATMAN #0

STORY: Scott Snyder
ART: Greg Capullo

It truly is astonishing how good Scott Snyder is on Batman. He has such an fantastic hold on the character - as both Batman and Bruce Wayne - that anything he writes seems so natural, so organic in it's flow and content. This is the 'New 52', and as such, it's not uncommon for things to feel awkward and out of place. Not Batman, though. While Snyder's epic "City of Owls" mega-arc spanned the first year of the title (not to mention most of the other Bat-books for a month in May), it was hard to gauge how this title could read on a less cerebral level. That is, could this Batman be personal, or would it continue to be Snyder's outlet for the more sensational Batman stories? While last month's "Bat Box" issue was incredibly satisfying, I truly missed Greg Capullo's artwork, which comes back this month, making Batman #0 the best of the two non-Owl themed issues yet.

I'd like to reiterate how great Scott Snyder is at writing this title because last week, I wrote in my review for Action Comics that there seems to be a few distinct types of "Zero Month" issues: the ones that gave a semi-comprehensive origin story (i.e. - Stormwatch, Animal Man, The Phantom Stranger, etc.), the ones that only focus on a particular episode from the past (i.e. - World's Finest, Earth 2, Action Comics), and the increasingly rare ones that find a way to balance both sides into a solid issue that offers some revelations into how things began, but don't resort to grand history lessons each page.

Batman #0 falls into this third category. Without an actual new origin, the writers of Batman books had to find new ways to exploit "Zero Month" - they don't get the luxury of rewriting history. In Detective Comics, we met Bruce's final teacher before he returned to Gotham. In Batman and Robin, we get a history of Damian's upbringing in the League of Assassins, and in Batman, we get Snyder's take on Bruce's earliest days fighting crime in his home city. He isn't Batman yet, and in fact, Bruce has moved him and Alfred from the mansion into Crime Alley because, "this is where I have to be, Alfred. This is where my war begins." It's a technically appropriate sentiment, but one that seems childish, even to Alfred at that moment. "And how is that war going so far, sir?"

In a surprising bit of fan service, Snyder has resurrected the original Red Hood! Yep, before Jason Todd took that moniker and built himself a cool looking red helmet, another villain had that name, albeit with a lot less swagger and talent. In Batman #0, the original Red Hood shows up with his gang to rob a bank and soon enough, he realizes that Red Hood Five is an impostor. In fact, it's Bruce Wayne trying to put a stop to criminal activity before taking on the cowl. Again, it seems childish and less thought out than we're used to from Bruce Wayne. But that's kind of the point of this issue, isn't it? Readers get a glimpse into how Bruce stumbled around before truly understanding who he was and how to fight the darkness spread throughout Gotham. This is an issue about uncertainties and how that leads to failure.

The only part of this issue that felt forced was the conversation between Bruce and Jim Gordon. After being back for three months, Bruce has moved himself into the most dangerous part of Gotham and hasn't been seen living the high life like all the other billionaires. Add to that sightings of a vigilante attempting to take the law into his own hands and Gordon begins to have a pretty good circumstantial case against the current Mr. Wayne. Of course, it's just that - circumstantial. In the end, Bruce denies everything and Gordon seemingly believes him without much of a huff. It feels like this is supposed to be Gordon eliminating Bruce Wayne as s suspect of being the vigilante (and eventually, Batman), but it feels cheap. If all these elements were adding up and equaling Bruce Wayne, what was stopping Gordon from looking into it further? The word of an insanely rich trust fund baby who just went missing for six years and now lives in Crime Alley? It all just seems a bit too much to suspend disbelief.  I understand that often, a comic book world is simply more fantastical than ours, but simple human deduction would have eventually led Gordon back to Bruce. Of course, there's always the possibility that Gordon just assumes Bruce is Batman without ever actually revealing his true thoughts.

Batman #0 does a fantastic job giving readers a history without being boring or unimportant. Batman-related books could have suffered terrible setbacks with these "Zero Month" issues. Instead, Snyder is leading the pack in terms of quality and type of story that should be told. Us readers already know how Bruce's parents died and how he becomes Batman, so these issues should be more about building up a world that leads into the present day, and Scott Snyder has done this in spades.

GRADE

A-