Batman #7
Written by Scott Snyder
Pencils by Greg Capullo
Inks by Jonathan Glapion
Review by Bobby Shortle
Scott Snyder’s Batman has been all about history. The genealogy of the Wayne’s, the building of Gotham and, above all, The Court of Owls have acted as the back bone to this run of The Dark Knight. So, it should come as no surprise that Batman #7, a book full of startling revelations, draws heavily on the past to render the modern Caped Crusader in a whole new light.
Batman may have been the least changed of all the New 52 characters, but Snyder, without gimmick or forced continuity purge, has altered our hero in fascinating and crucial ways. He has torn down Bruce Wayne’s psyche, made him afraid of something and more over, has made him realize that the city he so long thought his biggest ally is really his most devious adversary. Snyder has a fearless way of writing that, while not blasphemous, has a healthy disrespect for history. This is most evident during the book’s gutsy opening.
Frank Miller’s Batman: Year One is a seminal work of comic book fiction. It re established Bruce Wayne’s origin and is widely considered to be one of, if not the best Batman story of all time. So, for Scott Snyder to not only recreate the moment where Bruce Wayne’s decides to become the Bat, but to fundamentally change it’s context, reaffirms this run as one of the best. For those ready to cry foul before reading the book, know that Snyder hasn’t touched the scene itself, just added a tag that calls into question Bruce’s very thinking in dawning the persona he has used all these years. It’s daring, energetic storytelling like this that has caused me to fall in love with this book.
I also adore the way Snyder writes Dick Grayson, chiefly because he makes Nightwing feel like a superhero Dr. Watson to Batman’s Sherlock Holmes. Grayson understands Bruce in a way others do not, and this allows him to enlighten us on aspects of Batman’s personality we would otherwise be ignorant to.
I do have one major gripe and it comes in the form of a random encounter Batman has with a young lady. During this run in there is a line uttered to the effect of “I told you to leave me alone,” which implies our hero has met this strange female before. Being that I’m a little forgetful from month to month I scoured past New 52 Batman issues and found nothing. It took a little Google searching to discover that she is a brand new character named Harper who will be important going forward. This confusing reveal is a very uncharacteristic black mark on an otherwise perfectly structured run.
VERDICT
Buy It – Not as much happens as in previous issues, but what it lacks in action it makes up for in big character reveals and gutsy storytelling. I continue to be floored by Scott Snyder’s writing and Greg Capullo’s art. This is a must buy for Batman fans and comic book fans alike.
