COMIC REVIEW: FTN reviews Batman #38

Written by Scott Snyder

Art by Greg Capullo

Colors by FCO Plascencia

Published by DC Comics

Being overly prepared for any situation has become synonymous with the legend known as Batman. He has contingency plans for every member of the Justice League in case they were to go rogue; plans that include a little something for Superman himself. There’s an age old question that has yet to be answered after 75 years of tales of the Dark Knight…what happens if he doesn’t have a plan? What would Bruce do if the world around him were crumbling beneath his feet and he had no idea what to do? In Batman: End Game part 4 Scott Snyder and company try to answer that question in a way that’s going to make your jaw crash to the floor. No spoilers!

I’ve long been a fan of Snyder’s work on Batman. So much so that I didn’t think there was a way I could love this run even more than I already do…wrong! Month after month Mr. Snyder figures out some new, twisted way to put Bruce through the wringer and test just how far his limits are and I think in issue #38 we may have found his apex. Batman and the Joker go together like PB & J, but very rarely does a Batman story portray Joker to not only be Batman’s equal, but in many ways his superior. I’ve always had faith that in the end Bruce will find a way to come out on top, and while that faith is still there, I’m definitely hesitant to say he’ll be the “victor” at the end of all of this. Snyder’s Joker just always seems to be a step ahead!

Greg Capullo has been drawing the best Batman in years since his run started at the beginning of the New 52. While Snyder absolutely puts Bruce through the wringer, you don’t grasp the magnitude of just how bad things are until you see Capullo’s timeless work in each and every panel. Never mind Capullo’s nearly OCD attention to every little detail of the Gotham surrounding Batman. In this issue he steps his game up to another level by introducing a freakin’ TANK into the story! Gotham is truly a warzone now and it seems to be Team Bat vs. the world.

I think this creative team gets overlooked because they’ve been so consistently good for so long. Many of the original 52 titles are long gone from DC’s line-up, but the Snyder/Capullo Batman has lived up to its namesake and has found a way to not only be the best title at DC, but one of the best titles in all of comics. I said in my last review that if Death of the Family was a love letter to Batman that End Game is a scorned lover back to get revenge and that juxtaposition comes full circle in a sick, beautiful way in this issue…you’re going to love it! I’ve read nearly every classic Batman title that’s been put out; The Long Halloween, The Dark Knight Returns, Hush, and Year One just to name a few. I would put End Game onto that list of titles that I’ve grown to love so much over the years that I visit over and over again.

5 out of 5 nerds