The New Opus of The Dark Knight
Last year, Scott Snyder undertook an epic that gave Detective Comics its finest storyline with The Black Mirror, in which he put former Batman Dick Grayson face the worst Gotham City has to offer. As the issues progressed, it became evident that his writing was tailor-made for Batman stories, as he concluded The Black Mirror and Gates of Gotham, with co-writer Kyle Higgins. Now, with DC Comics entering Week 3 of The New 52, Batman sees itself being written by one of the most talented comic book writers out there today, and being drawn by Greg Capullo, who was previously known for drawing Spawn to exemplary results. Take these two highly gifted talents, and what do you get? Quite possibly, a comic book issue that's the start of the stuff of legends. Grab your cape and cowl, and join me, as I review the second volume of Batman #1.
The Good
If there's one thing Scott Snyder excels at, it's providing a great beginning to a story, and with Batman #1, he reinforces this talent with unforced splendor. Snyder invites the reader into trying to reacquaint with Gotham City, as a whole. Then he immediately gets the action in the book underway, with a great contribution from Greg Capullo. First things first, Snyder did an amazing job in the script of the book. He manages to sweep readers off their feet, in multiple facets. If he doesn't catch you off-guard with the splendid opening salvo that was the fight at Arkham Asylum, he excels in demonstrating his ability to provide perfect dialogue between Batman and his cadre of operatives and friends. He even manages to juggle a bit of humor amidst the serious tone of the script, without alienating the issue. More importantly, he managed to achieve all of this, while keeping the book beginner-friendly. Long-time readers will be pleased to read this book, as well, for Snyder drops his fair share of Easter eggs and cameos that touch on the long history of the Caped Crusader, while adding new players that are sure to leave their mark on Bruce Wayne. Seriously, this book is easy to access; just grab it, read it, and be taken away by the quality of the script, which already provides a cliffhanger ending that makes it that much more imperative to obtain Issue #2 in October. Take it as a bold, brash claim, but this is true, Scott Snyder is possibly one of the greatest Batman writers of all time. I dare anyone to object to this statement.With that being said, let's touch on the art. Greg Capullo, Jonathan Glapion, and FCO Plascencia, all did their part in providing some of the most diverse visuals in a Batman comic book. From the bloody fights, to the luxurious parties, to the sleek nature of observing Batman watching over Gotham, Capullo's pencils do a wonderful job of matching Snyder's quality script. Glapion and Plascencia managed to add the finishing touches over Capullo's interior work, with some modest, yet visually attractive inks and coloring.
