Book: Batman #31
Writer: Scott Snyder
Penciler: Greg Capullo
Inker: Danny Miki
(There are some spoilers ahead, but nothing to devastating)
Summary from Comixology: “Unraveling the mysteries set forth by the Riddler, Batman must learn to work with his new ally, Lieutenant Jim Gordon, and do whatever it takes to survive! “Zero Year” part 11.”
I want to start of by saying that I am a HUGE Scott Snyder fan. I believe he is one of the best comic book writers out right now, and I tend to have everything he writes in my pull box. Right now my two favorite books are both Batman and American Vampire. You should totally check out A.V. if you haven’t already. Snyder knows how to both terrify you and leave you wanting more, and I normally hate anything horror related. This issue of Batman doesn’t leave you terrified, but it does leave you wanting more.
The Good
What I really enjoyed about this issue, and Zero Year, is that it’s a very fresh and new look at the origins of a character that we love so much. In Frank Miller’s Batman: Year One we got a really gritty look at how the Bat came to be, in Zero Year, it’s much more colorful and modernized. This issue flips between a young (my guess is high school aged) Bruce trying to solve a math problem, and a early version of Batman who is working along side Gordon for the first time. My absolute favorite part of this issue was Batman fighting two lions. Let me tell you, its 100x more awesome then it sounds, and it sounds awesome. It’s the “Goddamn Batman” fighting lions! I also have to say, Greg Capullo is in my eyes, the best comic book artist out there right now, and he really shines in this issue. His art is top notch.
The Bad
I’m going to be honest, as awesome as this book is, I’m growing tired of this story arc. At one of my local comic shops Comix City Too, I was talking with a fellow blogger about how this series has just gone on for too long. As great as it is, 12 issues is a little bit much. If this was 7 issues long, I personally feel that the story would have been stronger. I look forward to the final issue so that I can catch a glimpse of what’s to come to Gotham when Zero Year wraps up.
The Final Say
If you are a die hard Batman fan, or just a casual reader looking for something fun, I honestly do recommend this book. It’s not a good jumping on point if you havent read Batman in a while, pick up with issue 21! If you are reading this story arc its a very pivotal issue so you need to go pick this up. For a final score I give Batman #31 a 3 out of 4. As I said before, my only problem with this issue is the fact the story is so long. I think it’s a pretty good sign if my only problem is the fact the story is long and detailed.
Go get this at your shop and let us know what you think of issue #31 in the comments.