Batman #51 Review

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Alfred Pennyworth, Batman, Batman #51, Batman #51 review, Batmobile, comics, Danny Miki, DC Comics, DC Rebirth, FCO Plascencia, GCPD, Gotham, Gotham City, Gotham Is, Greg Capullo, Jim Gordon, Scott Snyder, The Bat-Cave, The Court of Owls, The Joker, The New 52

Batman #51

Review by Paul Bowler

In the wake of recent events Batman #51 sees the Dark Knight facing a new challenge. Batman has battled so often to protect Gotham from his deadly rogues gallery of villains over the years, from everyone to the Joker, the Court of Owls, and now Mr Bloom, so how will Batman deal with a quiet night in Gotham City..?

Scott Snyder has written for three different characters who have worn the mantel of the Bat, including Dick Grayson during his initial stint on Detective Comics, to Bruce Wayne on Batman, and Jim Gordon in the recent Superheavy arc. Now as Scott Snyder’s incredible run on Batman with artist Greg Capullo concludes in Batman #51, we can reflect on how their collaboration on this title has transformed it into a modern classic, and their tenure in Gotham is sure to down in history as including some of the finest Batman stories ever told.

Now that Mr Bloom is presumably pushing up daises somewhere, Batman #51 presents the Dark Knight with an unusual challenge – a seemingly uneventful evening in Gotham City! Scott Snyder’s final story in this run is a clear love letter to both the character of Batman and the fans themselves as past and present become one. Centred around the powerful resonance of a small life-styles piece in the Gotham Gazette, Gotham Is delves into the world of Batman and the Gothamites he has vowed to protect in a way quite unlike anything we’ve ever seen before. From the wonderful opening scenes in the Bat-Cave featuring Bruce and Alfred, which Snyder makes both emotionally moving and brilliant fun; wounds old and new are simultaneously healed via a patchwork quilt of new developments, before Batman races away into the night on a clear road to Gotham in spectacular fashion!

Of course, we all know there’s no such thing as a quite night in Gotham City, or is there? A sudden power outage soon brings with it some more pressing concerns and a new threat to the city. Scott Snyder’s dazzling writing style and excellent characterization makes Gotham Is an absolute joy to read, we are treated to a wonderful scene with Jim and Batman next to the Bat-Signal, there’s an intriguing mystery right at the heart of the story for Batman to solve, and plenty of our old Arkham favourites are on the loose as well!

Needless to say, Greg Capullo’s artwork for this issue of Batman is as stunning as ever. From those stylish and fun moments in the Bat-Cave, to the dramatic face-off in Arkham, Capullo channels the narrative of Gotham Is across a wondrous montage of interconnected scenes that beautifully addresses elements from previous arcs, and sets everything up for a glorious final page that will simply take your breath away. Danny Miki’s inks brilliantly highlight every nuance of Capullo’s work, but it is in those shadow swathed scenes during the blackout, on the rooftop of GCPD, then deep below ground, and high over a silhouetted Gotham skyline where Danny Miki really excels. FCO Plascencia’s colors infuse this issue with an uncanny blend of vibrant and muted tones throughout, with flashes of bright purple enhancing the inside the new cape while the vivid yellow of the new Bat-Insignia on Batman’s chest that skilfully blends the old with the news almost leaps off the page at you, and that stunning final scene… Quite frankly, this issue looks incredible!

Featuring a stunning regular cover by Greg Capullo, Danny Miki, and FCO (Which, incidentally, I think would make an brilliant poster, please make this happen guys!), as well as a terrific variant cover by John Romita Jr. , Batman #51 concludes in the most fan pleasing way imaginable, as Scott Snyder rounds off the narrative of his previous story-arcs in fine style, and effectively brings his tenure with Greg Capullo on Batman full circle in the most heartfelt, exciting, and moving way imaginable. It’s a thoughtful, funny, intense, dialogue-heavy issue, and to say more would spoil it, but suffice to say I enjoyed every single moment of it – even though my enjoyment was tinged with a little sadness that Batman #51 is Snyder’s and Capullo’s final issue.

DC’s Rebirth event has initiated a major wave of change throughout the DCU that is going to herald some big developments in the Bat-Universe. Even though Scott Snyder is indeed moving on from DC’s flagship Batman title, he isn’t leaving the Dark Knight behind completely; in fact, Snyder will now be fronting the brand new monthly series All Star Batman that will also feature art from some of the finest talents in the industry: including John Romita, Jr, Jock, Sean Murphy, and many more. With its epic storyline All Star Batman allows Snyder to use some of the villains that he never got to focus on that much before, such as Two-Face, Mr Freeze, and Catwoman, together with a rotating roster of superstar artist, and back-up stories featuring Duke Thomas. Meanwhile, Greg Capullo will be busy over the next six months working on an uber secret project with Mark Millar, and that’s certainly something that we will all be looking forward to as well. Scott Snyder has also confirmed that he will be working with Greg Capullo again on a new project for DC Comics in 2017 at some point, and I’m sure we will all be excited to see what that will be.

So, as we say farewell to Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo with Batman #51 and their brilliant run on Batman with Danny Miki and FCO Plascencia, there’s still Batman #52 written by James Tvnion IV to look forward to before this current volume of Batman ends and everything changes in the Rebirth event. With Tom King taking over on Batman, while James Tynion IV helms Detective Comics, with Tim Seeley on Nightwing, and with Scott Snyder writing All Star Batman, these are certainly exciting times for Batman fans!

I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing nearly every issue of Snyder’s and Capullo’s run on Batman. Their take on Batman got me back into reading comics regularly again with Batman #1 (2011). Actually, I was still recovering from badly injuring my left hand at the time – a glass broke while emptying the dishwasher and sliced right though my middle finger, palm, and thumb – but their amazing storylines helped inspire me though that particularly dark time, and now I’m writing and reviewing comic books and stuff here on my blog, and on other sites now as well. So, thank you Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo for your legendary run on Batman, because thanks to you guys, for me, and I’m sure for many others besides, Gotham Is: “Batman, fan, forever.”

Publisher DC Comics / Writer: Scott Snyder / Art: Greg Capullo

Inks: Danny Miki / Colors: FCO Plascencia / Letters: Steve Wands

Cover: Capullo / Miki / FCO / Variant Cover: John Romita, Jr.

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Batman #49 Review

Tags

Alfred Pennyworth, Batman, Batman #49 review, Bruce Wayne, comics, James Tynion IV, Jim Gordon, Mr Bloom, Nathan Fairbairn, Scott Snyder, Superheavy, Superheavy pat 9, The Bat-Cave, The New 52, Yanick Paquette

Batman #49

Review by Paul Bowler

With the chaos unleashed by Mr Bloom engulfing Gotham, the time has finally come for Bruce Wayne to reclaim his past in Batman #49, as he descends into the Bat-Cave to face his destiny. But can Bruce truly find it in himself to sacrifice his new life free of the shadow of the bat that easily? Can he embrace the legacy of the Bat again, to confront the past and become one with all the horror, madness, and violence that consumed him before as Gotham’s Dark Knight Protector. Now, in this special issue the fates of Bruce Wayne and Batman converge once more, and the Dark Knight’s world will never be the same again…

Last issue saw Gotham’s new Batman, Jim Gordon, captured by the gargantuan Mr Bloom, while the new super-villains super-powered-seed army emerged to wreak havoc. Meanwhile, Bruce Wayne, having begun to recover the memories of his former life as Batman, suddenly encountered the Joker, whose memories of his past life as the Clown Prince of Crime have also seemingly been wiped away like Bruce’s were after their violent showdown in Endgame. Now in Batman #49, part nine of the Superheavy arc reaches a major turning point, as writer Scott Snyder and co-writer James Tynion IV, together with artist Yanick Paquette, and colorist Nathan Fairbairn, bring us Bruce’s darkest, most challenging ordeal so far as he prepares to risk everything to become the Dark Knight once more…

It has all been building towards this moment, now its here at last! Alfred is now all that stands in the way of Bruce Wayne rediscovering the full knowledge of who he really is in Batman #49, as Scott Snyder and co-write James Tynion IV steer Bruce on a journey that will encompasses a myriad of infinite possibilities which will test his resolve, willpower, and perhaps even his sanity, as an inexorable date with destiny looms.

The copious multi-layered aspects of Bruce’s life that Snyder and Tynion IV have spliced into the ongoing narrative of the Supeheavy arc in this issue are mind bogglingly sublime. At times it almost feels as if we’ve sidestepped into the Martrix, with all the fragments all jostling for our attention, before two clear junctures in Bruce’s life slowly begin to run parallel to one another… Alfred is now all that stands in the way of Bruce Wayne rediscovering the knowledge of who he really is in Batman #49, unfolding at Wayne Tower and Wayne Manor as time itself simultaneously becomes a portal to save the future and the last barrier to lock away the past. Its heartrending stuff, the scenes between Bruce and Alfred are truly moving, but with the machinery that will restore Bruce’s mind in such a dire state of disrepair, the key to Bruce’s resurrection rests with what is perhaps the most unexpected – yet ironically obvious – act of trust and foresight of all.

With Greg Capullo busy getting ahead with Batman #50, Yanick Paquette (Wolverine, Batman, Swamp Thing, Wonder Woman) and colorist Nathan Fairbairn (Batman INC, Multiversity, Wonder Woman: The Trial of Diana Prince) take over the artistic duties for Batman #49, and what an awesome looking issue it is! I really like how Yanick Paquette alternates the more futuristic scenes with those in the present day, with the multiple projections of Bruce’s lineage often coalescing like temporal thought bubbles, and the uncanny symmetry between the dual entrances into the cave are both magnificently epic and ominously foreboding.

Yanick Paquette brings this gloriously mined seam of craziness that Scott Snyder’s and James Tynion IV have created to life with such vivid detail, the sheer power of the emotional scenes will take your breath away, while the stunning rendering of Bruce’s struggle across fracturing realities unfolds over numerous two-page spreads that will simply blow you away with the sheer scope and scale of it all. Batman #49 also features some of the very best Nathan Fairbairn colors you can possibly imagine, Nathan Fairbairn makes every scene come alive in exquisite detail, utilizing a rich pallet of colors that complement the story perfectly.

The final moments are heartbreaking in the extreme. Although we all knew this moment was coming, now that we are finally here, the reality of Bruce’s struggle, along with the sacrifice he’s prepared to make, are really hammered home. This is no mere sci-fi cliché resolution either. Scott Snyder has kept us guessing every step of the way with the Superhavy arc, we’ve had a glimpse of the man Bruce might’ve been if he’d never set foot in crime alley as a child, but now the time has come to pull the trigger on that new found life and happiness, and the way in which this point is finally reached is guaranteed to break everyone’s heart.

Batman #49 is a superb issue from Scott Snyder and James Tynion VI. It’s one that mixes truths and consequences, where raw emotion and devotion cascade towards the memorial waterfall of a time immemorial, until we reach the threshold of the one line that even the Batman cannot cross… The haunting cover by Yanick Paquette and Nathan Fairbairn is like a Bat version of The Scream with a side order of Nosferatu to send a chill down your spine, lets hope they do a poster or print of this stunning cover one day, its brilliant, and there’s also a terrific Neal Adams variant cover to look out for as well. Batman #49 is a fantastic instalment of the Superhavy arc; everything is now set up for the momentous 50^th issue. Hell yeah, its time to go to work!

Publisher: DC Comics / Writer: Scott Snyder & James Tynion IV

Artist: Yanick Paquette / Colors: Nathan Fairbairn / Letterer: Steve Wands

Cover: Yanick Paquette & Nathan Fairbairn / Variant Cover: Neal Adams

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