Writer: Scott Snyder (& James Tynion IV)
Penciller: Greg Capullo (& Rafael Albuquerque)
Published by DC Comics
Holy. Cow. There’s not much I can say here other than that. It’s not often I find myself speechless due to awe. There was a reason this was an oversized issue. It was like I was reading a movie! Does that even make sense? I’m not sure; I’m still recovering from the awesome.
What can I say about Scott Snyder that hasn’t already been said? Dude knows his Batman. The underlying tones of emotion and deduction are stellar and nothing is better than a sassy Alfred. And then, when you add an equally sassy Bruce Wayne into the mix? I can’t handle it. The entire scene in A.C.E. Chemicals was…swell. It was absolutely swell, guys. There may have been a lot of words and dialogue for an average comic book, but I don’t see any areas that were completely overdone or unnecessary. And then that ending, when the Riddler popped in? I’m a sucker for the Riddler, and couldn’t stop grinning the entire time.
And the ART. Nothing less than museum-worthy, from pencils, to inks to colors, the whole way through. I know I’ve used this adjective before, but everything really had an amazing cinematic quality that I rarely seen pulled off correctly or well. That primitive Batsuit? Gorgeous in every way. I loved the black armor accents and long cowl ears. And that panel of Bruce reaching towards Red Hood 347’s mask was one of the most heart wrenching panels I’ve seen in a few months, and I loved every bit of pain it caused me. Also, Albuquerque’s pages were equally beautiful and shouldn’t be discounted period. Loved how he made Alfred and Bruce, and the half page of the city lit up in green question marks, I want a poster made of it.
But really, it would be an absolute crime to finish this review and not commend the talents of FCO Plascencia and Dave McCaig. While the art was breathtaking, the coloring really carried this book home.
Both sections of this novel were jaw dropping and fantastic. I can’t even think of the proper words of how awesome it all was. I literally have NO idea what these creative teams have up their sleeves next!
5 out of 5 nerds
Irwin Fletcher
I'm an LA journalist who really lives for his profession. I have also published work as Jane Doe in various mags and newspapers across the globe. I normally write articles that can cause trouble but now I write for FTN because Nerds are never angry, so I feel safe.
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