Batman #21 Cover
If you know Batman, chances are you know his origin. Well, kids, that’s all well and good if we’re just talking about the classic canon. If you’re still a DC fan in the New 52, things are gettin’ all kinds of crazy in Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s Zero Year. Not to be confused (or maybe a little) with Frank Miller’s iconic Year One, this is a Dark Knight struggling to find who he must become in a Gotham that has been fundamentally altered. Bruce Wayne is about to be betrayed by someone a little too close to home.
Batman in Batman #21
Scott Snyder has, in the nearly two years since the start of the New 52, proven that he a “Bat-whisperer” of sorts. So far, he has penned what will likely go down in history as one of the most iconic and earth-shattering runs, in the form of Court of Owls. Now, he is breaking new ground with his own take in the first year of the Dark Knight’s struggle against Gotham’s worst. The writing here is quite new and fresh. The plot is thick and getting thicker every moment. The pacing is superb and the dialogue very human and natural. Well, at least as natural as Bruce Wayne ever gets. The characters are different, as they haven’t quite had the experiences we’ve all read about. In many ways he’s not quite Bruce Wayne, and this isn’t really the Gotham we know just yet.
Phillip Kane in Batman #21
Greg Capullo’s pencils are great in this, as with every other issue of Batman under his belt. Speaking of which, the new Zero Year Batman design has a few Easter Eggs from the original ’39 debut in Detective Comics #27 and the Year One graphic novel. Capullo’s pencils are exquisite in this issue, which has the feel of an action movie. Danny Miki’s inks add the appropriate amount of shadow and depth to the pages. FCO Plascencia’s colors also add a bit more, particularly where the villains are concerned. Overall, the art is fantastic.
Bruce Wayne and Phillip Kane in Batman #21
The issue gets a 5/5 for being a wonderful start to what I can only assume will be a breath-taking story arc.
DC Comics
Batman #21 Review
Writer: Scott Snyder
Pencils: Greg Capullo
Inks: Danny Miki
Colors: FCO Plascencia
Letters: Nick J. Napolitano
Nerd Coast 