Batman's first issue of the 'new 52' era gets things going with a bang. Written by Scott Snyder, a guy making a big name for himself in the comic book world, deservedly so too. His previous work on Batman (check out the brilliant Black Mirror story) was a huge hit, for all the right reasons, which isn't always something you can say for big selling comics.
The art behind the title of this blog, is by Greg Capullo, an artist I've been a fan of since his days drawing Spawn, he is perfectly suited to capturing the Batman tone and giving the characters the look and feel you expect from the classic characters in this book.
The issue starts at a fast pace, with Batman being faced by several big name villains. Only to be followed by what appears to be Batman fighting alongside the Joker to take care of them all. Within the space of 5 pages I was already made to double take twice just to be sure of what I was seeing!
This is followed by the familiar rooftop rendezvous between Jim Gordon and Bats, discussing how what just happened was the result of an investigation into a crooked guard at Arkham Asylum who sprang the doors to stop Batman in his tracks. There's a really cool bit of wry humour in this part, the Batman/Gordon dynamic should always be a big part of any Batman book.
The real story at the heart of this new arc takes its first steps when we see Bruce Wayne unveiling his plans for new skyscrapers in Gotham, redeveloping the city's most derelict areas and investing in Gotham's future. Typically, whilst mingling with the masses at the event and talking business, Bruce uses a new toy of his to lip-read Jim Gordon. After finding out what Gordon was saying, Wayne makes his excuses and leaves. Back to being the real him, Batman. The crime scene Batman ends this issue at is a grisly murder, a man stuck to a wall with several throwing knives sticking out of his dead body. Each knife has an owl logo on the hilt, a hint of things to come.
I won't spoil the end of the issue for anyone who reads this. I'll just say that if the issue started with a bang, it ends with a slap in the face. I can assure you the end of this book will leave you open mouthed.
At the time the new 52 was announced I was incredibly sceptical about Batman starting back at issue #1. In Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo DC have put the book in very capable hands. This is genuinely an exciting start to the new era and if you haven't already checked it out, I encourage you to do so. This is Batman at his finest and this is just the start!
My next review will be of issues #2 - #5. No idea when I'll post it, but it'll be before 2013 for sure. This is the first time I've written a real review of anything, I'm sure my shoddy work will improve in time. Hopefully, this will encourage a few people to check this great start to a huge comic reboot.
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