If writer Scott Snyder was looking to put Batman as far down a hole as possible, he has accomplished that in spades with Batman #29, the end of the second arc of Zero Year. Edward Nygma has shown his hand, and with that, has proven he is superior to this first incarnation of the Dark Knight. Could the plan The Riddler puts into place have thwarted the Batman of today? Doubtful. This, however, is not the Batman of today.
Snyder’s entire Zero Year run has been built on expanding the Batman origin. In an interesting turn, Snyder has expanded our hero into a failure. I don’t mean in the writing or the story, but more in the actual failure of Batman to beat the bad guy. Riddler wins in issue #29, Gotham falls, and nothing Batman can do, nothing he has, and none of his training can save it. Falling victim to hubris, ego, and self-pity, Batman has brought the city he swore to protect to its knees.
A savage super-storm has hit Gotham. Rain, flood, panic – it’s all moving through the streets as Jim Gordon and his tiny crew attempt to evacuate the citizens. Where is the rest of the GCPD? Meanwhile, Batman, who is convinced he knows Riddler’s plot, is racing to find a weather balloon, one that could allow the question-mark-enthusiast villain to control all of Gotham’s power. Batman has turned to a fancy device in his Bat-Blimp, and his self-assured idea that putting brute force into a situation will cure it.
Problem is, he’s wrong. Batman’s idea of what Riddler is thinking is way off. At this stage of the game, the world’s greatest detective has yet to exercise his intellect as much as his love of gadgets and his ability to fight. Batman refuses to turn to friends, he refuses to count on anyone, he acts before thinking, and it all comes back to bite him in the ass. Batman #29 is an all-out action issue, one that rolls like a freight train.
However, just behind the complete chaos is the narrative thread Snyder has used to link this entire story. Batman is not ready to be Batman, and that failure is going to cost everyone. As I said, Snyder has expanded Batman into a failure. Most origin stories show Batman as flawless once trained. Zero Year turns that idea on its head, and looks at a Dark Knight driven by rage, not mission, and all the pitfalls that brings. Snyder has decided to go epic, and he is not kidding.
Greg Capullo once again hits nothing but net with his art. You can’t argue with style, and Capullo has it in spades. His pencils are his own, a unique combination of pulp art, comic book art, and fine art. The blend works perfectly to bring out the chaos of issue #29. The sense of movement in the panels, the savagery of the storm, even the panic permeating Gotham, Capullo brings it all to life. I must also tip my hat to the very awesome Dark Knight Returns splash page homage.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Snyder and Capullo, the Lennon/McCartney of Batman.
