Zero Year is over. We are now back in the current time, but we are eased back into things. Almost like taking a long breath after a run. Not that I would know anything about a long run. I’m a comic book geek for Crom’s sake. Snyder and Capullo have taken this issue off and we are given the creative team of Gerry Duggan and Matteo Scalera. Well, Snyder shares story credit with Duggan so his fingerprints are still there.
Having someone else playing in Snyder and Capullo’s yard is a little odd at first. Mainly because Scalera’s art is so drastically different than Capullo’s. Not that it is bad, far from it. The good thing is it doesn’t take long at all to get used to his style and realize that it is a perfect fit for a Batman story.
We have a serial killer that is targeting the patients of a specific Doctor. Batman investigates and tracks him down the way the world’s greatest detective can. There is a great sequence when Batman finally confronts the killer that is highlighted by Scalera’s dynamic art. We also get to see some fun dialog between Batman and Bullock, which is similar to what we have seen over in Batman Eternal. The only problem I have with the story is, outside of a double page spread that mentions what is going on in the Batverse, it could have taken place at anytime.
After I got over the initial shock of such a different looking book than what I am used to, I lost myself in the pages and just enjoyed what I was reading. A solid, stand alone Batman story. I’m mostly familiar with Duggan from his work on Nova, which has a lighter tone, so I was surprised to see his name on this issue, especially since the solicitation had it written by Scott Snyder. He does a great job. There is one somewhat light moment, but it made me smile and didn’t feel out of place in a rather dark Batman story.
A recent interview with Duggan had him talking about this issue and there is actually more here than meets the eye. In it he mentions that this issue lays down some foundation for Duggan’s upcoming book, Arkham Manor. With that in mind, if you squint, you can see what he’s talking about during one sequence. Especially if you are reading Batman Eternal and know that Arkham Asylum has been taken over by supernatural forces.
I liked what I read here, but I do miss Snyder and Capullo. Next month we have a Future’s End story then they return in Batman #35 and it’s been very hush hush with what is planned.
Story: Scott Snyder and Gerry Duggan
Writer: Gerry Duggan
Art: Matteo Scalera
Colors: Lee Loughridge
Letters: Steve Wands
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