Review: Batman #5

Review




Batman #5
Scott Snyder - Writer
Greg Capullo - Pencils

It's good to see the Dark Knight so unhinged! It's been a good while since ol' Bats went a little nuts of his own accord. I don't mean he wanted to lose his marbles, but at least it's not at the expense of fear gas, neurotoxins or any other foreign agent; good, old-fashioned mind games that have sent Batman to the edge of his sanity.

Scott Snyder is seriously killing it on Batman and even for an issue very devoid of actual story progression, the audience gets so much! At the beginning of the issue, it's already been eight days since Bruce was dropped into the labyrinth. While Batman is going crazy, alone in the dark, Gotham is also going nuts without a Batman to stay the crime. It's a brilliant stroke of duality that really gives Snyder's story a fantastic cohesion rarely seen in modern comic stories.

Seeing Bruce confront hallucinations, his own mortality and the (apparent) potential loss of his 'story', or, his memories, his history as a Wayne and as a hero. While everything stays in the 'generally vague' category of explanation in this issue, next month's issue looks like it will give us some answers to the Court of Owls' motives and maybe their members!

Grade: A