Batman #26 Review


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Batman #26 is another perfect example as to why this book is the top seller in comics. Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo are certainly putting their own stamp on the Batman origin and it’s one that will stand the test of time.

Official Description from DC:
ZERO YEAR continues! With Gotham City thrown into total chaos by The Riddler, Batman and Jim Gordon must learn to work together!.

Issue #26 kicks off with the conclusion of Bruce’s fight with Doctor Death and the explanation as to why Lucius committed what seems like an act of utter betrayal. That fight reveals much but Snyder also love to poke the reader with the twisted and macabre which results in a simple but terrifyingly squeamish scene between Lucius and a hypodermic needle. Capullo also holds nothing back as he makes Doctor Death one of the most grotesque villains we’ve seen in quite some time and directs the action as expertly as ever. He matches Snyder’s skill of tension, word for pencil stroke.

BM_Cv26300pxThe second act has much less action but builds upon a tension lying in wait to explode. A surprising confrontation between Gordon and Bruce is served up here and this backstory is a unique and unsettling look through Bruce’s eyes on Gordon and the rest of the Gotham P.D. It’s an eye opener but really a no-brainer in hindsight and Snyder knocks the tale out of the park with incredibly strong dialogue and growing hatred we’ve never seen before between Bruce and Gordon.

It finishes up with a severally physically damaged Batman back on the Riddler case and another display of Bruce’s untapped rage that drives him. Capullo again shows off his creative muscle with a new design of the Bat boat and another new fresh take on Batman’s ingenuity and technology. I won’t spoil what comes next for Batman once he gets to his destination at the weather center, designed to weaponize weather, but needless to say it’s a payoff and cliffhanger that will have you busting down your comic book shops doors when the next issue hits shelves.

Capullo and Snyder are literally crushing this new take on Batman’s origin and for those fearful of a lackluster story in the show of Year One should take solace in the fact that this story stands on it’s own and has carved it’s own niche in Batman’s utility belt. This story has been beyond epic so far and there’s no reason to suspect that the best is yet to come!

5/5

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