Batman #25 Review

Writer: Scott Snyder

Artist: Greg Capullo

So far this series has been outstanding and easily one of my favourites and so far Zero Year has been an amazing series, and a brilliant retelling of Batman's early years, and if it keeps up this pace it could easily become one of Scott Snyder's best Batman stories yet.

Plot

As Gotham is in a blackout created by the Riddler a series of strange murders start happening, reintroducing an old villain in a new way.

Review

This was yet another brilliant issue in the Zero Year story, as although unlike last issue it didn't justify the price increase, it was still very enjoyable with Scott Snyder setting up the future of the story perfectly. Snyder would also do a brilliant job of adding a lot of suspense and drama to this issue, as although the events of the issue weren't quite what I hoped they'd be, having very little Batman appearances, it would still have a lot of tension and excitement throughout the issue. Snyder would also do an amazing job of keeping the same dark and sombre tone that the story has had so far, adding in some light when needed, as it gives the perfect vibe to these early years of the Dark Knight.

The artwork in this issue would also yet again be outstanding with Greg Capullo doing an amazing job. The detail in his artwork is simply spectacular as although I'm still not overly fond of the hair style to this younger Bruce Wayne, the detail itself is very consistent throughout the issue, with it being to a very high standard. The layouts from Capullo would also be fantastic, adding a lot of depth and drama to the issue, as well as helping to add more suspense. The overall tone of Capullo's artwork would also be amazing, with the overall dark and mysterious tone being perfect for this issue, especially given the fact that Batman himself doesn't have a huge role in this issue.

We'd get to see a new version of Batman's Batmobile in this issue, with this version being a modern take on an earlier model. The car itself was simply spectacular, as although nowhere near as awesome as some of his more classic Batmobile's, it was the simplicity and the odd bit of technological spectacle that made it brilliant. I also loved the racer like gear stick as well as the racer like steering wheel and the harness like seatbelt, all of which would give a more realistic feel to the Batmobile. On top of that the look itself was that much different from the classic look for a Batmobile that it made it feel like the first model that it is.

There would be a new villain introduced in this issue, and it would be none other than the first villain that Batman would ever face in the earlier comics, Doctor Death. Now I've never been a huge fan of Doctor Death, but the fact that he was the very first villain that Batman ever faced made his appearance in this story very fitting. I also loved the reaction from the Gotham City Police Department towards Doctor Death's actions and I am looking forward to seeing Batman square of against him later on in the story.

This issue would also see one of Batman's more well known villains feature, with Poison Ivy making a cameo appearance. Now this would be prior to her becoming Poison Ivy, being plain old Pamela Isley but the fact that she made an appearance was very interesting, as it was nice to once again see Poison Ivy prior to becoming a villain. I also liked the way that her addition was handled in this issue, as it would work perfectly along with the developments within this issue, and I hope that cause of this we'll get to see the transition into Poison Ivy during Zero Year.

Final Verdict

This was a fantastic issue and although the price increase didn't quite feel worth it, the issue was still amazing, setting up the future of the story perfectly. On top of that it would also have a lot of mystery and suspense as although Batman himself doesn't have a huge role in the issue, it would still be very dark and exciting. Due to all this I'd highly recommend this issue as well as the story so far, and if you're short of cash and can't get the story so far, this is a great jumping on point.

Rating: 8/10

Batman: Detective Review

Writers: Paul Dini & Royal McGraw
Artists: Don Kramer, J.H. Williams III, Joe Benitez & Marcos Marz

I have been going through my Batman stories over the last few months, mainly focusing on the key modern stories, having started with Hush, and progressed from there. This however is my first review of a story that's purely Detective Comics, though it's also my tenth Batman review in total since Hush.

Plot

Batman has to solve a series of cases, with some notorious Gotham City criminals getting in his way.

Review

This was a fantastic collection of comics, all being very unique, and entertaining. Most of the issues in this book are written by Paul Dini, with Royal McGraw writing the second last issue. Both writers did an excellent job in this book, but I have to give most of the credit to Dini, as besides writing all bar one of the issues, most of his were also much more exciting. What I loved most about the writing throughout the book though was how diverse it was, as although I love a story that progresses through a book it's nice to get a collection of one-shot stories, especially when they're all very unique and entertaining. I also loved how each story also had a slightly different style, and pace to it, as if one didn't appeal quite as much as you'd hope the rest most likely will. The action throughout these stories was also handled perfectly, as although some finished a bit suddenly they were all extremely exciting.

The art in this book was also brilliant, as although there was four different artists each one suited the story, or stories that they worked on. Don Kramer would be the artist to work on the most issues, having done three out of the six issues collected with the legendary J.H. Williams III, as well as Joe Benitez, and Marcos Marz working on one issue each. It's hard to pick who's the best artist out of these as they are all amazing, but Williams III probably just gets it, as his artwork is simply beautiful. Kramer however being on the most issues caught my attention more, and I especially loved seeing him draw the Joker as he looked as crazy as ever, and Kramer's tone made the story a lot more fun. All the artists also did a brilliant job of showing the characters facial expressions, adding a lot of depth to the issue as well as making it extremely easy to tell what they were thinking.

With a title like Detective you'd expect a lot of detective work to be going on, and you'd be right. It's always nice to see the Dark Knight doing what he does best, as although having his family, and technology has made it so he doesn't have to do quite as much detective work, it's always nice whenever he does. All the different cases that Batman investigates in this story are interesting, and I love the monologue narrative that we get from Batman during it. I did however feel that some of these investigations had rather abrupt endings, as with all the fantastic build-ups some of the endings felt rushed. This however is expected from stories that last one issue, and the ones that were brilliant all the way through were truly astonishing.

The second story in this book would see the Riddler turn over a new leaf, becoming a private detective. Now with Riddler being one of my favourite villains of all time I always like to see him make an appearance, though unfortunately he's not always used to his strengths. I however felt that this would be a great turning point for the Riddler, as although the concept would be played for too long, it was nice to see him go against the Dark Knight in a different fashion, sticking to the law. I also loved the dialogue from Riddler in this story, and also enjoyed seeing him continue his private detective job in the background of the remaining stories in this book.

This book would also see a lot of Batman's classic villains make appearances, with the key three noticeable ones being Joker, Poison Ivy, and Penguin. Now I'll talk about Joker's appearance a bit later, but it was nice to see both Penguin, and Ivy in this book, and I especially loved the way that they were used as it was so different to how they're usually involved with Ivy needing Batman's help, and Penguin trying to turn legit. Both encounters were extremely entertaining, with Ivy's being really exciting, and Penguin's being fun, and slightly humorous.

My favourite story in this book however would be the last one, which would feature Joker kidnapping Robin (Tim Drake). Now it's been clearly established that Joker likes to torture, and kill Robin's, even going out his way to try and kill Black Mask for taking his job when he killed Stephanie Brown. This story was however extremely lighthearted, reminding me of Batman: The Animated Series, which Dini was one of the key writers for. I also loved seeing my favourite Robin put in this position, as although I'd have been really upset if he somehow died, I enjoyed seeing him try and work out a way of escaping, and defeating the Joker.

Final Verdict

This was an amazing book, collection some outstanding stories, and although some were much better than others it was very fun, and entertaining. The style, and uniqueness of each story showed that this was written by Paul Dini, as it had a very similar feel to Batman: The Animated Series which he was a key writer for. The stories themselves were also extremely dramatic, and exciting, and I'd highly recommend this collection to anyone, especially if you were a fan of Batman: The Animated Series.

Rating: 8/10

The next Batman book I'll be reviewing will be Batman and Son.