Anyone who’s been reading this site for the last six months knows we’ve got a pretty serious case of “the boners” when it comes to Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s Batman book. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: This book is the best thing being published BY ANYONE right now, and if you’re reading comics and not picking this book up monthly, YOU’RE DOING IT COMPLETELY WRONG. That said, maybe we can convince the last of the hold-outs to pick up the hardcover trade coming out in May. Hell, I’m going to buy the thing myself despite the fact that I own all the single issues and would throw myself on a grenade to protect them. And when I say “myself” I mean “Nuv.” So are you ready? Here comes the convincing!
Top Ten Things You Missed in the First Five Issues!
No. 10 – Batman Fist-Fights His Entire Rogues Gallery
Both Paul Jenkins and Scott Snyder opted to open their books with a crazy rogues-gallery-on-the-loose scene. The difference being that Snyder wrote it better and Capullo drew it better than David Finch. Mr. Freeze and Clayface look amazing and Two-Face is super gruesome! Nothing beats how rad Killer Croc looks and when Batman boots his knee in, well, that’s just the icing on the cake. GOLD!
No. 9 – Batman Gets High (So High)
From the opening alley-fight to the Batcave, most of the first issue is super confined. Near the end though, Snyder gets Batman swinging up over Gotham and it’s really the first scene where you see what Capullo is capable of. People were worried that he’d go too over the top with a ridiculously long cape (like in Spawn) but he restrains himself. The care taken in choosing a great angle – and the inclusion of some well placed bats – make this a beautifully dynamic page.
No. 8 – Helicopter Smashed-In Motorcycle Jump
Too many writers focus on Batman the angry, broody nutcase. Snyder, on the other hand, has really played up the stuntman adventurer and it’s made the flagship Batman title infinitely more thrilling to read than any of the other three. Case in point: Issue #2 where Batman launches his motorcycle from the top of a train into the front of a helicopter. BAD ASS.
No. 7 – The Sad Tale of Alan Wayne
Early in the re-launch, Scott Snyder said his main goal was to drag Bruce Wayne from a place of comfort and confidence into the gutter of paranoia. The first time we see this is when he begins to realize that not only could the Court of Owls exist, but they may have been tormenting the entire city (including the Wayne family) for generations.
No. 6 – Those Sneaky Bastards!
Oh WHAT?! Not only do the Court of Owls exist, they’ve been occupying secret floors in all the Wayne buildings all over town for decades. Yeesh.
No. 5 – SHA-SHA-SHAKA-BOOOOOOOOOOM!
I’m a sucker for a great explosion and man, does Greg Capullo ever deliver a great one at the start of issue #4. Batman looks pissed right off as he flies through the air, and how cool is Snyder’s narration? “Most people assume the danger of a trip-wire lies in the blast. Not so. The real threat from a tripwire comes later…in the aftermath. The truth is, a trip-wire is a greater instrument of fear than violence. It demoralizes and terrorizes everyone in range, suggesting that the enemy knows the terrain better than you do, that this is their home, and they’re everywhere at once… ” Epic.
No. 4 – Bruce Wayne, Boy Detective
There’s a great aside in the fourth issue where Bruce (still in denial) tells Dick he knows for a fact that the Court of Owls never existed because he investigated them himself, as a child. Then the story cuts to a cool flashback of Lil’ Bruce, after his parents death, investigating the rumour of the Court to see if they had anything to do with his regrettable orphanization. Not a real word Microsoft Word? Whatever!
No. 3 – Bruce Through the Looking Glass (Or, As it Turns Out, Wall)
I guess it’s kind of hard to keep denying the Court when their Big Bad aka The Talon successfully stalks you through the sewers like a punk and puts your ass through a wall. Plus while you were flailing around he stole your utility belt like he was taking candy from a baby. Embarrassing! Also, you know I like a lot of black in my comic books. Batman stories should have a lot of shadow, and Capullo keeps it BLACK and makes sure that his readers get shoved down the well with their hero.
No.2 – That Creepy Goddamned Eyeball!
The fifth issue finds Batman trapped in a labyrinth for days, wrecked on drugged water and tormented by room after room of light he can’t hide or sleep in. The pages rotate willy-nilly throughout the issue setting up a very creepy experience for character and reader alike. What’s really creepy, though, was the decision of Snyder and Capullo to bust out one of Batman’s eye covers and leave one crazed eye exposed all issue. It’s a trick we’ve all seen a bunch of times with Spider-Man, but there’s something so alarming about it happening to Batman. Eerie, unsettling and awesome.
No. 1 – The Best Cliffhangers Since the Movie Cliffhanger
Apparently Scott Snyder is a huge fan of Stephen King and it really shows in the way he ends almost every issue with a big fat cliffhanger. King ends almost all of his chapters with a shock too, and the next thing you know you’ve been up all night reading friggin’ Cujo or whatever. Anyway cliffhangers done properly are one of the most entertaining literary devices going, and at this point it’s safe to say Scott Snyder is doing it TOTALLY RIGHT. Did you enjoy watching the Court of Owls torment poor ol’ Batman to the point of insanity? No? Okay, well now we’re just going to stab the crap out of him and leave you hanging for a month. Sound good? JESUS SNYDER!
And that’s it! Another bad-ass top-ten list courtesy of a guy who loves making lists about comics instead of writing real articles on meaningful topics. But hey, it sure-as-shit beats all this football talk. Amirite? Batman #6 comes out in two weeks!
Put one in the air!
– Ian
This comic is amazeballs.
Snyder’s Batman is right up there with Slott’s Amazing Spider-Man, in that it just never lets me down. If I could only have a pull list of two, those would be my books.