Batman #25 Review

Written by: Scott Snyder
Art by: Greg Capullo
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: November 13, 2013

This in Your Life (Death)

Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo are taking us on a brand new stroll down memory lane.  Every time you think that you have figured something out, Snyder turns it on it's head, twists it and pulls it out so it is strange yet still familiar.  Zero Year is that good.

The Red Hood Gang have been defeated and Batman is getting some much needed rest, right?  Of course not!  The Riddler has plunged the city into darkness, there is a biological serial killer targeting Wayne Enterprise scientists on the loose and the GCPD have declared Batman Public Enemy number one through twenty.  Oh yea, I forgot that Superstorm Rene (ed note: not Superstorm Nocenti, Eric) is bearing down on Gotham city.  What is a new Hero to do?  Take his new car for a spin, infiltrate crime scenes, fight with a certain mustachioed Lieutenant and devise a plan to counteract the Riddler's plan before it happens.

Scott Snyder throws so much at the reader, but to his credit, everything hits the mark.  There are already so many smoke screens and red herrings  in Zero Year that half the fun is guessing if what you see is what it seems.  Old friends like James Gordon or Lucius Fox have dark secrets and may not be what you expect.   When an iconic Villain is shown in one panel, you can almost see Snyder winking at you behind the panel.  Then when an older Villain is reintroduced, it makes you giddy with anticipation.  Seriously, everything in this book is tweaked just enough to make it fresh and exciting.  

It goes without saying that Greg Capullo is a great artist.  It seems that every issue I say is my favorite, but this one is so good.  The shine of the new Batmobile, the look of a revisited Villain and everything in between makes this a book to admire as well as read.

The only complaint I have is the confusing beginning and end.  I have no idea of the how, what or why of these panels.  However, I have supreme faith in Snyder that all will be explained in the future.

Each Zero Year issue throws in a backup to justify the $3.99 price tag and this one by Snyder and James Tynion is pretty good.  It ties the other Zero Year issues up nicely in a bow and features an origin story of a certain tech guru punk gal who longtime readers will smile to see again.

 Bits and Pieces:

Batman #25 is a great issue.  Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo continue the history lesson and it is fresh and exciting.  Gotham's future is dark, but this book's is so bright it's blinding.  A must read.

9.9/10