Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

Batman #25Batman #25
DC Comics
Snyder, Capullo & Miki

Batman's story, "Zero Year" continues as Snyder lays the groundwork for a new villain. The strength of this series really isn't that the storylines are all that groundbreaking and this issue is proof of that. The beauty of this series is twofold: 1) deep character work and 2) fantastic artwork. This particular issue comes in at about thirty pages but with the inflated cost of $5. This marks, I believe, the third issue in a row at a higher price tag for a Scott Snyder penned Batman comic. A trend I'm not thrilled with but at least the contents are not affected. With at the cost I encourage folks to give this comic a shot.

The book contains a fantastic opening sequence as the police monitor Batman as he zips through Gotham, straight towards their blockade. This works well on a lot of levels. The police aren't on the same page as to whether they should work with Batman or not or trust him or not. Also, the layouts present some good tension in the lead up. However, the joy of this opening is in the artwork.

This is the trademark of Greg Capullo's artwork: his ability to adapt his style for the story. This opening is something straight out of Dark Knight or Year One. The style is simple in its approach but hugely effective in its flow and presentation. Capullo is bringing Batman to a new level that future artists will be measured. This opening is one of his very best sequences. And the rest of the book follows as such. The artwork is stunning and gorgeous.

The rest of the book dances around various scenes. There is one between Gordon and Wayne, there is another where Wayne and Alfred unwind the latest case and there is another one where the plot unravels in an unexpected way. The story components are put out in a logical fashion and this allows Snyder to stretch his legs and explore multiple angles in the same issue and not make it seem like he is stalling.

Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle ReviewsThe part of the comic book that doesn't fully click yet is the detective work. It seems like the police would be able to deduce a lot of what Batman figures out and if not the police then certainly Gordon. I'm not sure I buy that only Batman could have figured all of this out. Additionally it seems Alfred is a better detective than Batman at this point, which is very odd.

Batman is consistently one of the very best reads each and every month. You never get a bad issue. And even the average ones are simply better than just about every other book on the stands. This issue is actually a great place to start reading this book if you have been shy about picking this up. I urge everyone to give this comic a shot.

4 out of 5 Geek Goggles