Batman #26 Review

Death is all around you, little bat.........................

As Bruce surges from one stage to another in his quest to stop everything that plagues Gotham, the past will be revealed and futures will be decided.

With Gotham highlighted as the bleak city it is, with people more concerned with saving themselves than upholding the common good, Capullo captures all the grim insanity inside the people of Gotham.

Snyder provides fresh twists and hints toward a very different past of the Wayne murder. While I will reserve my judgement of one development until I know more, Gotham has never felt more beyond saving and Bruce more vulnerable than this issue.

SPOILERS FOLLOW..................

We first take a glimpse into the past as we find a very young Bruce Wayne seeing Zorro in an empty hall when Gordon comes in (the film-reel paneling is brilliant!). First off, I have to say I like that Snyder has kept the Zorro bit in there as it’s a very big part of the batman mythology (see the end of Batman RIP).

It also seems like Snyder is expanding on the young Bruce – Gordon dynamic (which seems to also be the case with the new Gotham show) by making them interact more before the murder.

Then, in a series of scenes reminiscent of Batman RIP, we shift from a closer past to the current stage where Fox apparently gave Bruce an antidote to Death’s serum. As we get some interesting biological facts from Death (Snyder really seems to be highlighting everyone’s quirks in this way), Gordon arrives at the scene.

As much as I must commend Capullo for the really terrifying visuals, it is Snyder who gives flesh and bone (pun intended) to Death. Even as he breaks Bruce’s head, he’s mouthing off factoids about bone maturity.

Again we flashback to the past as we see Bruce trying to fight the angst in him before coming back to the present as we find that Bruce is in a hospital, Death is in the wind and Alfred is on the scene.

As Gordon arrives, we get more light on their first meeting. Bruce is heart warmed to see the policemen (Gordon and Dan Corrigan. Corrigan seems to be similar to the one who killed Crispus Allen during Infinite Crisis) as they stop at a place and Corrigan returns with very good trench coats and dresses. Never suspecting there is anything sinister to it, he believes the people gave Corrigan those for being so helpful.

Now knowing better, Bruce lashes out at Gordon and leaves the hospital. While I hope Bruce saw only one side and Gordon has his own story to tell, a corrupt Gordon still seems a little too much.

Knowing that Death is targeting his research team,(and Gordon gets a Riddle card at the hospital) he arrives at Dr. Deeds’ place where it is already too late. And sadly, the police arrive at the same time and we get a graphic shot of Bruce getting ‘riddled’ with bullets.

Things must get worse before they get better.

SPOILERS END.......................................

With things looking bleaker and bleaker for both Gotham and her special son, it will be interesting to see how the Riddler story comes in full force and more reveals of the past.

If it had been a retread of the normal boy-over-dead-parents scene, I would have been disappointed. 

But Snyder is giving a more layered twist to it, and I wish for more past and present at the same time.

With great pencils from Capullo and some great plot pacing from Snyder, this is an engrossing read. If you like good comics, pick this up!

So, I give it 9.5 out of 10.

+Death is really terrifying

+Gordon-Bruce dynamic given more layers

+Some really good sinister dialogue from Snyder

+A well known past given fresh twists

-Still on the fence about some Gordon centric reveals