Welcome back once again to Chuck’n Comics where we are going to take a look at one of my favorite books of the new 52: Batman.
BACKGROUND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well, I would normally deliver a little backstory here but…it’s Batman. From Tim Burton to Christopher Nolan, we have heard the plot and background again and again so I won’t belabor the point.
Beware…spoilers.
Batman #1 follows the character we love as he undercuts a potential uprising at Arkam Asylum with the aid of the first Robin, Dick Grayson/Nightwing. The fight isn’t much of a test of Batman’s skills as both him and Nightwing (disguised as The Joker) deal with it pretty easily. From there we are taken to Bruce Wayne’s new project: The future of Gotham. There he meets a young, noble man with ambitions as large as Gotham itself, Lincoln March. Life is seemingly heading up until Bruce intercepts a call for Commissioner Gordon that involves a very brutal murder where in the only evidence are the murder weapons (throwing knives engraved with owls on the handles) and the DNA, under the fingernails of the victim, belonging to Dick Grayson.
This and Aquaman were the first books I got into when I heard of the new 52 and so far, I have been blown away by the artwork and the storytelling has ranged from action packed to creepy as all hell. Issue #1, written by Scott Snyder and pencilled by Greg Capullo, starts a little slow, luring you into a false sense of “here we go again” and throws you head first into a free fall which leads all the why down to the court of the owls.
My favorite aspect has to be Capullo’s artistic style. The self taught artist is in himself a great instructor as the artwork keeps the comic style while integrating a noir look to the book that isn’t overbearing but subtle and smooth. Action sequences aren’t just stimulating but deeply moving, such as Mr. Freezes expression from getting his helmet smashed by the bat. A great commitment to keeping characters engaged in the story keeps the reader engaged as well.
As a stand alone number one, it’s a really good book. I initially got a little bored with how easily he dispatched so many criminals but having read the whole story arc, it sets up the rest of the story very well.
Check it out! See you next time when we take a look at the real Avengers Vs. X-Men #1!
