Batman #24 Review

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Batman, Batman #24, Bruce Wayne, Danny Miki, DC Comics, FCO Plascencia, Greg Capullo, Rafael Albuquerque, Scott Snyder, The Red Hood, The Red Hood Gang, Zero Year

Batman #24

Review by Paul Bowler

[Contains Spoilers]

Batman #24 marks the moment where Bruce Wayne finally becomes the Batman, donning the cape and cowl for the first time in his war against crime, in this incredible double-double sized issue. Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s new take on the Dark Knight’s origin continues to reach new levels of brilliance as the fourth chapter of Zero Year unfolds, with Batman hunting down the Red Hood Gang and their mysterious leader. Secret origins are revealed as major events alter the course of Zero Year and Batman’s life forever…

Bruce Wayne has taken to the streets as the Batman to track down the members of the Red Hood Gang, who have been stealing chemicals and materials from various locations across Gotham City. As the Red Hood’s reign of terror builds towards its endgame, following Alfred’s advice Bruce goes to Philip Kane and asks him for information about the Red Hood Gang. Bruce is shocked to learn members of the gang branded his uncle with his Red Hood designation number, after they learned he’d tried to contact the Police.

Back at the cave Bruce uses the key Philip gave him to access the tracking hub, it seems the Red Hood Gang have been targeting nearly every Wayne Depot, except for one, ACE Chemicals. Bruce decides to make a statement to the press outside ACE Chemicals, where he speaks of his hopes and aspirations for the future of Gotham, before revealing how the Red Hood Gang tried to kill him and are planning to poison the city with a deadly toxin they are manufacturing in ACE Chemicals.

The news report catches the attention of Commissioner Loeb, who sends one of his officers to investigate, Jim Gordon. At the scene, Gordon watches in horror as The Red Hood Gang launch RPG’s at the press conference. In the confusion Bruce manages to slip inside the building, where he is caught by the Red Hood. The Red Hood reveals how he intends to unleash the toxin the following day – the fifteenth anniversary of the murder of Bruce’s parents.

Alfred has been monitoring the situation from a van outside, he causes a power blackout, which helps give Bruce the opportunity to change into Batman. As the gang are left reeling from Batman’s attack, Gordon and his men burst into the building. Tragedy strikes for Bruce as the Red Hood makes for the roof. Evading Gordon and his men, Batman catches up with the Red Hood before he can escape and they plummet into the burning chemical plant to face each other one last time…

Its been a long wait, but from the moment you eagerly turn those first few pages of Batman #24 it becomes apparent that Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo have put their heart and soul into this issue. Dark City Part One not only gives us the first chance to see Batman in action in Zero Year, it also sees the culmination of the Red Hood’s plans, which lead to an explosive showdown in ACE Chemicals. Then of course we have the new design for Batman’s first suit, a sublime homage to Bob Kane’s original, a fusion of traditional styling with modern militaristic embellishments, snazzy gloves, and a sharper, more angular looking cape and cowl.

The suit is superb, the glimpse of a Batmobile covered by a sheet leaves your nerves tingling, the cave is being slowly equipped and assessed for expansion, and even Bruce’s close-cropped haircut shows how Snyder and Capullo’s new approach to the Bat-Mythology offers a clear insight into what Bruce Wayne’s journey to becoming Batman would be like today. As Zero Year is set six years ago, in terms of The New 52 continuity, this issue successfully reinvents itself though its present-day setting while reaming true to its time honoured past.

There are some really great nods to the past and the future in Batman #24, all effortlessly weaved into the plot by Scott Snyder. Members of the Red Hood Gang have already grown to fear Batman, speaking of him in hushed whispers, and comparing him with urban legends of witches and “Owls”. Alfred’s quip about Bruce not installing fire poles to access the cave, is a fun tip of the hat to the Batman TV series staring Adam West and Burt Ward, were Batman and Robin used to slide down the poles – inexplicably changing costume along the way – to get to the Batcave. Over at GCPD Bruce’s appearance on the news leads to a remark from the Commissioner about Harvey “Dent”, and we also see Gordon examining a board covered in pictures and clues pertaining to the Red Hood Gang and Batman. The explosive finale brings Gordon’s first encounter with Batman, yet another defining moment for Zero Year and the characters, where Batman saves Jim from a falling beam.

There are also some excellent character moments between Bruce and Alfred, with Pennyworth offering guidance as and when needed, as well as providing vital backup when Batman is inside ACE Chemicals. Bruce’s meeting with Philip Kane sheds new light on the Red Hood Gangs activities. They reconcile their differences, and although Bruce uncle’s motives may have been misguided, his attempt to redeem himself comes at a price.

The art by Greg Capullo and Danny Miki for Batman #24 is simply phenomenal, everything from the towering skyline of Gotham to the vastness of newly-equipped Bat cave and intricate detail of Bruce’s first bat-suit, Batman #24 looks amazing. The blackout Alfred instigates is beautifully accomplished by Capullo, a shadowy take on the bat-signal that rightly deserves its full page, and the sprawling network of gantries inside ACE Chemicals which lead up to the final confrontation between Batman and the Red Hood provide the ultimate payoff for Scott Snyder’s inspired approach to Batman’s origin.

Special mention must also go to the incredible colors by FCO Plascencia, which infuse this fourth chapter of Zero Year with an almost cinematic quality, serving up moody twilight skies as Batman stalks the Red Hood Gang across the rooftops, and making scenes between Bruce and Alfred in the cave feel epic as any blockbuster as FCO’s exquisite tones enhance the subterranean expanse that Bruce is rapidly transforming into his new base of operations.

As well as a superb cover by Greg Capullo, featuring our first glimpse of Batman’s cowl, Batman #24 also has a variant cover by Guillem March. This cover features the Red Hood plummeting towards a bubbling vat of green chemicals, with Batman’s image reflected in the red helmet as he reaches out to save him. Ever since the Joker’s origin story first appeared Detective Comics #168 in 1951, written by Bill Finger, “The Man Behind the Red Hood” has remained an integral part of the Clown Prince of Crime’s early years. Guillem March’s variant cover captures this iconic moment perfectly, indeed, as soon as it became clear the Red Hood would be a major player in Zero Year, speculation has been rife about whether the character would indeed become the Joker at some point.

So, the burning question is, does Batman #24 see the Red Hood’s identity stripped away, his flesh seared white and his hair turned green after his fall into vat of chemicals, emerging with a maniacal grin on his face? Well, not exactly, lets just say that  iconic scene above the vat of chemicals does play out up to a point, but with a surprising twist that will leave you wondering long after you‘ve finished reading this issue.

The coda for Batman #24, written Scott Snyder and James Tynion, with art by Rafael Albuquerque, where Alfred and Bruce discover some rather interesting facts about the Red Hood, casting yet more mystery and intrigue over his true identity.  The Riddler also makes a return, providing us a glimpse of his new costume. Finally we get a  taste of what the next segment of Zero Year may hold as Nygma broadcasts a message, unleashing a riddle that plunges Gotham into darkness.

The early chapters of Zero Year saw how the young Bruce Wayne struggled to rid Gotham of the Red Hood Gang, before finally embracing his destiny to become the Batman. The Bruce Wayne of Zero Year, newly returned  from his travels around the world to complete his training, has been portrayed as a much less disciplined character, prone to angry outbursts, and more than a little overconfident in his own abilities. Its been fascinating to see him slowly finding his way throughout these early chapters of Zero Year, with Alfred playing a crucial role in keeping him grounded. His fighting style as Batman is a little rougher around the edges to what we‘re used to, but what Bruce lacks in finesse he more thank makes up for with his youthful aggression and intimidating presence. The scene where he takes out the members of the Red Hood Gang, tying each one to a sign to form a bat symbol, is brilliantly staged as Batman swoops from the shadows..

Zero Year has enabled Snyder and Capullo to draw on many of the iconic moments from Batman’s past, offering a different perspective just as Miller’s Year One did in the 80’s and Christopher Nolan’s more recent Batman trilogy based the character in a more grounded reality. Although the setting are indeed similar, Snyder’s modernisation of Batman’s origin helps bring an entirely new and more relevant slant on the villains and gangs that Batman would now be facing in current times.

Batman #24 is a fantastic issue, loaded with stylish action, as well as some surprising twists, the fourth part of Zero Year delivers on every level. Just as the Nolan films rebooted the movie franchise, and with Fox developing a new Gotham TV series about Jim Gordon’s early years in the city’s police department, it is perhaps fitting that Zero Year is also readdressing Batman’s origins at this time. The legacy of the Dark Knight is continually evolving, offering writers and filmmakers the chance to expand on what has gone before, allowing us to revisit these character time and again, generation after generation.

Whether you agree that Batman’s early years needed retelling or not, Batman #24 is arguably a well measured attempt to update the story, insomuch that Snyder and Capullo have remained entirely faithful to the character – crafting a seamless fusion of past and present with a decidedly modern twist. Batman #24 not only manages to live up to the hype, it exceeds all expectations, and is a worthy addition to the legacy of the Dark Knight.

Batman #23 Review

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Batman, Batman #23, Bruce Wayne, Danny Miki, DC Comcs, FCO Plascencia, Greg Capullo, James Tynion IV, Rafael Albuquerque, Scott Snyder, The New 52, The Red Hood, The Red Hood Gang, Zero Year

Batman #23

Review by Paul Bowler

Batman #23 sees Bruce cornered by the Red Hood Gang in the flaming ruins of his home, battered senseless, and defiant to the bitter end. When Bruce manages to escape, he is left with no choice but to return to Wayne Manor. It is here, within the shadowy halls of the ancestral home he abandoned so long ago, that Zero Year makes history as we witness the moment where Bruce Wayne decided to become the Batman…

Scott Snyder takes us right to the core of the Batman mythos as Bruce Wayne’s life is reborn from the ashes of defeat. Having only just managed to escape with his life after the explosive attack by the Red Hood Gang, we watch as Bruce returns to Wayne Manor, his war on crime now a smouldering ruin as he tumbles into unconsciousness. He wakes to find Alfred has returned to help aid his recovery. It is here that Alfred recalls what happened directly after Bruce’s parents were shot, in a heart warming scene, Alfred pledges his loyalty to Bruce – no matter how much they ever fight or disagree.

Events at Wayne Industries also take a sinister turn, as the Philip Kane confronts Edward Nygma. So far the Riddler seems to have been content to watch events unfold, now his intricate web of riddles is about to close in on Philip Kane, and it appears that Edward Nygma has decided its time for him to step out of the shadow of his anonymity.

We also get some insight into the origin of the Red Hood Gang, including revelations about their connections to Gotham City, and how the murder of Bruce Wayne’s parents was instrumental in leading the Red Hood to form the gang. Although the Red Hood has targeted Bruce, he still takes the time to enjoy his moment of triumph. It seems that their lives have been inexorably drawn together, like moths to a flame, each consigned to a path that had already been written by fate to make them the complete antithesis of the other. This fearful symmetry is relayed through the dialogue, which is then punctuated by two deliberately placed gunshots, which slam home the Red Hood’s connection to Bruce Wayne and the night Bruce left the theatre with his parents. If over the course of Zero Year, the Red Hood is indeed revealed to be the Clown Prince of Crime, the events of Batman #23 will mark a significant milestone in the characters origin.

Scott Snyder takes the familiar origin story of Batman and enhances it with a decidedly high-tech twist, delivering something that is eternally faithful to Bill Finger’s origin story from the classic Detective Comics #33 (1939), whilst enabling Zero Year to offer an entirely new perspective on the iconic scene where the bat flies into the manor and changes Bruce’s life forever. Snyder and Capullo bring this moment to life in the most spectacular way imaginable; epic in scope and scale, these pages will leave you breathless as the grand visuals magically unfold.

The art for Batman #23 by Greg Capullo and Danny Miki charts every exquisite moment leading up to the scene where Bruce Wayne is inspired to become the Batman, together with the intricate colors by FCO Plascencia, this third instalment of Zero Year captures the epic nature of Snyder’s new take on the Dark Knights origin perfectly. Told through a series of intermingling flashbacks – signified by FCO’s sublime color palette that alters for each period of time the story jumps between – the chains that bind the gates of Wayne Manor shatter symbolically as Batman #23 shows Bruce at his lowest point since his parent’s brutal murder.

For all his training and dedication to his cause, Bruce has been unable to stop the Red Hood. Now as Bruce recovers from the near fatal attack by the Red Hood Gang, he finds Alfred has returned to tend his wounds, and after Alfred recalls the aftermath of the Wayne’s murder on that fateful night, he later walks the darkened halls of Wayne Manor a deeply troubled man. This voyage through what Bruce perceives to be his own failings is beautifully offset by his discovery of the cave as a child, and the moment when his father rescued him. In essence, it is Bruce’s fathers words that now call out to him from the past, in a moment of quiet reflection where Bruce searches the house for a way to banish his despair; it is the father who guides his son back from the brink of the abyss once more before the bat appears and becomes emblazoned on his soul forever.

Rafael Albuquerque provides the art for the back up story by Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV, where the young Bruce Wayne ends up fighting for his life in a death match in Norway. The Pit shows how Bruce endured a trial by combat, which lasted for over twenty eight hours, where his training and skills as a fighter were pushed to the limit by a relentless number of opponents. Even against these insurmountable odds, the young Bruce Wayne refuses to back down, and in the end his inner strength ensures that no man will dare stand against him.

The cover of Batman #23 by Capullo, Miki, and Plascencia shows one of Batman’s gauntlets as it is being pulled on, his other hand clasped tightly around the wrist, locking it into place as the full moon rises in the sky overhead. Batman #23 marks the momentous events leading up to the moment where Bruce will soon choose to don the cape and cowl of the Dark Knight, and Capullo’s cover beautifully captures the majesty  of this event and frames it against the gleaming orb of the moon. The variant cover for Batman #23 by Gary Frank (Shazam) and Brad Anderson is equally as atmospheric, and shows Bruce standing inside Wayne Manor – the building now fused symbiotically with the cave itself – silhouetted against the moonlit sky as the bats that inspired him fly in through the window while Bruce prepares to embrace his destiny swathed in a cloak of shadows.

Batman #23 is the most enthralling instalment of Zero Year so far. The narrative is rich and complex, Snyder draws together many elements – past and present – as the multiple storylines converge for the thrilling climax. This incredible final scene rounds off another excellent issue by Snyder and Capullo as Zero Year begins to spread its wings and the legend of the Dark Knight is born anew…

Batman #22 Review

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Batman, Batman #22, Bruce Wayne, Danny Miki, DC Comics, FCO Plascencia, Greg Capullo, James Tynion IV, Rafael Albuquerque, Scott Snyder, The New 52, The Red Hood, Zero Year

Batman #22

Review by Paul Bowler

Batman #22 delves even further into Bruce Wayne’s past as the second chapter of Zero Year sees Bruce taking drastic measures during his next confrontation with the Red Hood Gang. There is also some unexpected resistance from the Penguin, tensions run high when Alfred speaks his mind, and Bruce is caught of guard by Philip Kane – his uncle and advisor at Wayne Industries – who is secretly plotting with Edward Nygma to kill him.

Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s next instalment of Zero Year continues to explore the formative years of Bruce Wayne’s crime-fighting career, as he infiltrates the airship carrying Red Hood Gangs next target – Mr Luca Falcone. However, Mr Falcone’s faith in his subordinates proves to be his undoing. Although his disguise is soon compromised, it does afford Bruce the opportunity to finally get close enough to attack the Red Hood.

After the encounter in the skies above Gotham necessitates a swift exit, Bruce returns to his base of operations, but he is disappointed when the DNA sample that he managed to get from the Red Hood fails to proved him with any new leads. Frustrated that the Red Hood has managed to steal sonic weapons from Wayne Tec, and with Cobblepot also proving to be a dead end, Bruce is then forced to face up to Alfred’s doubts out his “war” on crime.

Bruce contacts his uncle, Philip Kane, and arranges to meet him at the museum at midnight to discuss the stolen weapons. He wants Philip to shut down operations until the Red Hood Gang is stopped, but his uncle is more concerned about persuading Bruce to announce his return to Gotham and come back to Wayne Enterprises. Philip Kane has one more surprise for Bruce, one that takes the decision out of his hands, and forces his nephew back into the limelight.

The night at the museum leads Bruce to an enlightening confrontation with Edward Nygma, where the deadly game begins in earnest as secrets and betrayals are finally revealed. Bruce decides that he needs to act fast, he returns home, only to  find that the Red Hood has arranged a deadly surprise of his own…

While the true identity of the Red Hood remains a tantalising enigma, this issue continues to embellish the mystery surrounding the character, with his dialogue sounding increasingly like a saner version of the Joker. It is entirely possible this is all just an ingenious red herring, one designed to keep us all guessing, allowing Snyder to push the boundaries of our expectations of Zero Year as we eagerly scour ever page for clues. I also really enjoy how Scott Snyder refers back to the discovery of the cave while highlighting Bruce’s bond with Alfred in the present, balancing the terror of the moment where Bruce explored the cave in his childhood with the mutual respect and trust he now shares with Alfred which serves to make their furious argument all the more poignant. Bruce is still young, inexperienced, and more than a little arrogant. So when Alfred voices his concerns it leads to a bitter exchange of words between them, a few home truths are vented, and the end result is perhaps exactly what Bruce needed hear at this point in his life.

Edward Nygma steps out of the shadows in Batman #22 to confront Bruce. In a brilliantly crafted scene, Snyder builds up the underlying menace of their confrontation, it’s almost as if Nygma is sparing intellectually with Bruce, and as a result their face-off seems even more bruising in the absence of costumes, fighting, and high-tec gadgetry. The wordplay here is outstanding, as Nygma and Bruce face each other, with Nygma’s pointed remark about the Egyptian Sphinx hinting at perhaps a more significant feline reference.

The art by Greg Capullo and inks by Danny Miki for Batman #22 are as fantastic as ever, their work on this story arc is proving to be some of their best yet on the series and the colors by FCO Plascencia are superb. Gotham City looks magnificent as the airship is attacked by the Red Hood Gang. The scene where the young Bruce discovers the cave beneath Wayne Manor is one of the standout moments of Batman #22, running parallel to his adult self’s difficulties in apprehending the Red Hood while adjusting to life back in Gotham, and Capullo ensures this iconic moment is absolutely breathtaking as we catch our first glimpse of the bats flying towards Bruce in the light of the visual mapper.

The scenes at the museum are another fine example of how Snyder and Capullo have made this title so successful. With the meeting between Bruce and Philip Kane initially playing out beneath the jaws of a T-Rex, with the exhibit of the Sphinx providing a nice link to this issues back up story, and Nygma’s first encounter with Bruce framed against the Egyptian game that depicts the circular Oroboros creature, Batman #22 brings together story, art, and legacy in a seamless fusion of past and present like never before.

The cover by Greg Capullo and FCO Plascencia for Batman #22 encapsulates how Zero Year is beginning to forge new aspects to the legacy of the bat, and the variant cover by Mike Janin is equally as impressive.

With a story by Snyder and James Tynion IV and art by Rafael Albuquerque, the backup story for Batman #22 features a secret event that occurred in Egypt, when Bruce was travelling the world in his quest to complete his training. Its an intriguing story, where an elderly Russian called Sergi teaches Bruce about sophisticated military technology, so he can find a way to use the components to escape from an airtight chamber beneath the Sphinx.

Batman #22 is full of action set-pieces and great character moments, the pace never seems to let up for an instant, and the exquisitely crafted build up to Bruce’s run-in with Edward Nygma is brilliant. In the space of only two issues Snyder and Capullo have already begun to expand on the full scope and potential that  Zero Year has to offer, infusing the story with enough symbolic imagery and subtexts to fill a batcave, and leaves us waiting eagerly for the next chapter as the cliffhanging ending brings Bruce’s world crashing down around him.