| Title | : | Batman, Volume 4: Zero Year – Secret City |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1401245080 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781401245085 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 176 |
| Publication | : | First published May 13, 2014 |
| Awards | : | Harvey Awards Best Inker (for Danny Miki) (2014), Goodreads Choice Award Graphic Novels & Comics (2014) |
Before the era of superheroes began—before the Batman spread his wings to protect the innocent and punish evil—Gotham City's prodigal son, Bruce Wayne, had been missing for years. But this was exactly the cover of darkness Bruce needed. Patrolling Gotham's streets, in a series of disguises, he began a career as faceless vigilante.
Collecting: Batman #21-24.
Batman, Volume 4: Zero Year – Secret City Reviews
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(B+) 79% | Good
Notes: It's a yet unbroken, adolescent Gotham, casting warm, nostalgic sunrise hues on a brash, unfiltered daylight Batman. -
Before The Batman… there was Bruce Wayne!
This collected edition features #21-24 from the comic book “Batman”, including “Batman: Zero Year – Director’s Cut #1”.
Creative Team:
Writers: Scott Snyder & James Tynion IV
Illustrators: Greg Capullo, Danny Miki & Rafael Albuquerque
WHERE ARE THOSE MISSING ISSUES?
First of all, if you care to read the explanation of what comic book issues are collected in this edition, you may found odd that it’s beginning on #21, when previous TPB ended on #17. There isn’t anything wrong, it’s just that DC Comics decided to collect certain stand-alone stories in the Volume #6 Graveyard Shift.
BEFORE THE COWL, THE MISSION HAD ALREADY STARTED
In this Volume #4 Zero Year – Secret City, Scott Snyder is getting back on track after his non-consequential storyline of Death of the Family (at least in my very personal opinion), and he is telling the origin behind the origin.
Frank Miller told the first exploits of The Batman in Batman: Year One along with the struggles of James Gordon to fit in the very corrupted GCPD.
But even before The Batman, there was Bruce Wayne and here you will read what happened when he arrived to Gotham City after his training around the world, BUT before of deciding to become something else.
Bruce Wayne still isn’t a costumed crime-fighter and even the very idea hasn’t crossed his mind.
However, his mission is clear: To avoid that anyone else would suffer the same pain that he endured when he lost his parents at the hands of a robbery.
Even he is keeping in secret that he got back to Gotham City that in my opinion is a very smart move since if Gotham’s Favorite Son is back and at the same time some mysterious vigilante appears, well somebody must do the math eventually. And don’t worry when The Batman is appearing in the scene, since Snyder is already in mind how to keep any doubts between Bruce Wayne and The Batman. Definitely one of the strongest developed points in the story.
So, Bruce Wayne is using all the knowledge adquired about disguising and acting to become a faceless (or even more accurate with thousand faces) vigilante. And you will be amazed of how versatile is Bruce’s habilities in the matter.
PAINT RED THE TOWN!
Bruce Wayne is returning to Gotham City just to find his beloved city in the hands of the gang of The Red Hood. A mysterious gangster with a crimson large helmet with a vast “army” of minions. Red Hood One (as the gang’s leader is named) has been using blackmailing, death threats, etc… to people around the whole Gotham City, in all the spectrum of social levels, working positions, etc…
So Red Hood One has “sleeper agents” at hand whenever he may need them. ANYONE can be a Red Hood!
QUESTIONABLE EMPLOYMENT
Philip Kane is Bruce’s uncle and after a merging between Kane Chemicals and Wayne Enterprises, he is now in control of the company.
And whaddayaknow?!
Good ol’ Philip has certain Edward Nygma (ring any bells, folks?) as a strategist consultant for Wayne Enterprises.
GENERATIONS OF LEGACY
Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo between dialogues and images, they are able to give a respectful tribute to the varied generations of the legacy of Batman, like his first appearance in comics (but addecuate updated a bit to become functional in a more modern age), along with the live-action appearance of the characters in projects like Batman ’66 TV series, Tim Burton’s Batman and Nolan’s Dark Knight but also even Batman Animated.
And the brilliant job is that while keeping the most basic expectations about The Batman’s origin, Snyder is able to insert his own contributions to the story along with some concepts introduced in other formats to set the definite origin before the origin.
You’ll really feel that there is a real man inside of the Bat-suit…
…and that man is Bruce Wayne. -
Batman, Volume 4: Zero Year – Secret City
This one made me waffle.
Is it 4 stars or 5 stars?
It didn't quite punch me in the gut like
Batman, Vol. 3: Death of the Family, but I still loved it.
So.
4.5 stars, it is.
Zero Year is the New 52 origin story for Batman, and Snyder does not disappoint.
Gather roundNocentiDC writers, cuz this is how it's done...
The idea behind it (according to the afterword) was to lean away from Miller's
Batman: Year One. He praises Miller's work for changing the tone of the Dark Knight, while explaining that his goal was to bring back a lighter version of Batman.
Not that this was done in a campy Adam West style, but this New Batman took a few baby steps back from Miller's older, darker, and quite a bit more grim, incarnation.
My personal opinion?
The pendulum needed to swing back. At some point, Miller must have taken a long ride on the Crazy Train.
Because when he finally decided to get off, he subjected readers to
All-Star Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder, Vol. 1.
Dark and Gritty?
That's one way to put it.
Massive Steaming Pile of Warm Gooey Shit?
That would be another.
Let's all say a prayer that Snyder remains in charge of Batman for a little while longer, m'kay?
It's a bit early to call it, but I'm betting Zero Year is eventually going to be required reading for Batfans.
And I also think Snyder's name is going to become synonymous with Batman, in the same way Brubaker's is with Captain America.
Or Geoff Johns with Green Lantern.
That's right.
I said it.
Johns brought Hal back from the dead, in more ways than one...
So. Pbhhht!
Sesana mentioned this in
her review, but since I think it's a high point in the story, I can't help pointing it out, too.
Red Hood.
Not Jason Todd. The original guy.
The one who wore what looked like a red test tube on his noggin?
Yeah.
If you've been reading this stuff for years, you're going to see the twist coming from a mile away, but I think you'll like it anyway.
And newer readers, who aren't familiar with the way this character has been played with in the past, are going to get the surprise of their lives.
Good stuff!
No question about it, this is another Must-Read! -
Thomas Wayne: What do you love about Gotham, Bruce?
Bruce: ... it’s a place where you can be ANYONE. Where I can be… NOT Bruce Wayne… The city lets me be ANYONE I want.
*
I was one of those who rolled their eyes when Scott Snyder/Greg Capullo announced they were doing their take on Batman’s origin. They’d just done their best arc in Death of the Family, Batman’s nemesis was defeated (or was he?) and the Bat-family lay in ruins - what would Batman do next? Put a pin in it! the creative team declared as they turned the clock back 6 years to tell us once again how Bruce became Batman.
It was disappointing because we all know how that story goes. Say it with me: a boy loses his parents to a mugger, he becomes angry at injustice and vows never again, one night - “Yes, Father, I will become a Bat” - training, training, training, first falls, experience, and finally Batman now and forever.
I wasn’t one of those who thought Frank Miller and David Mazzuchelli’s Year One would be at all affected because that complaint never made sense to me. Zero Year is another origin but it’s not erasing Year One - we’ll always have that book - and it makes sense that in this new universe, this New 52 universe, that the creative team who’s been with Batman since the start should take on all aspects of the character’s story, including retelling his origin for their Batman.
Zero Year works on multiple levels for a number of reasons, perhaps most importantly because Snyder focused not so much on “origin” but “story”. Granted it’s the origin you expect but it’s told by Snyder and, as experienced readers - not just of comics but of literature in general - should know, it’s not the story itself that matters so much as it’s telling. After all, King Lear and Hamlet had been around for centuries before Shakespeare wrote his version of those old stories.
*
Alfred: The lifeblood of this city runs beneath Wayne Manor.
*
Snyder’s tack in Zero Year is to subvert all of the reader’s expectations right from the start, which he accomplishes. First of all, it’s not so much a good Batman story as it is that rarest of things, a great Bruce Wayne book, and it’s not nearly as much Year One as it is The Killing Joke (the next part, Dark City, is more Year One-heavy).
And while it’s a Batman origin story, it’s not as much a Batman-the-character origin story as it is a Batman-the-series origin story - Snyder focuses on everything about the series from the main character to the supporting cast to the main villain to the city itself as a major character. That’s why Zero Year is made up of sub-stories: Secret City, Dark City and Savage City; the city, Gotham, is as important to understand as the character of Bruce Wayne.
Snyder’s main idea behind his version of the Batman origin is that there’s no separation between them - to him, Bruce Wayne, Batman and Gotham are this trinity that are at their greatest together. Snyder makes a point of saying that when Bruce was away from Gotham, he was legally dead - it’s like when the two are separated, neither are truly alive, and they need each other to live. Bruce’s return to Gotham sparks the changes in the city and vice versa (Snyder takes this even more literally towards the end of Zero Year, but that’s a point for the next volume).
*
Bruce: We come here, to Gotham, because it’s TRANSFORMATIVE, this place. We come here with our dreams and the city, it looks at us with its unblinking stone eye - an eye that sees all our faults, everything we’re afraid is true about ourselves - and it says: ‘Try. I Dare You.’”
*
So what’s the story, midnight glory? A young Bruce Wayne returns to Gotham quietly and begins his one-man war against the Red Hood gang which is terrorising Gotham. As he slips back into life in the city, we see his evolution as a crime fighter to become the Batman, while, at the same time, we see his nemesis change too, from Red Hood One to… Joker.
This is a subtle point where Zero Year differs from Year One. In Miller’s classic, Batman appears and then we see the fall of traditional organised crime like the mob and the rise of costumed villains - the message seemingly implying that, in a weird way, Batman’s almost responsible for the way the city becomes, filled with maniacs like Joker, etc. and therefore he’s responsible for causing so much death and mayhem, making him much less heroic.
In Zero Year, the costumed crazies are already there in force. Snyder focuses on Batman’s two greatest, Joker and Riddler, in this series, but Batman’s not responsible for creating them - they’re already there and they’re already crazy and evil. Granted, Joker is Red Hood One for the duration of the arc, but we see the fateful transformation scene in the finale. And though you could say, well, Batman kinda had something to do with Joker’s creation and he was the worst one, the way the coda to this arc is written is ambiguous; Red Hood One MIGHT turn out to be the Joker - but he might just as easily not be. We never know, and we shouldn’t - the less we know about the Joker, the more powerful a character he is. It’s so well written and, once again, Snyder’s Joker is as amazingly written as his Batman is.
Snyder also differs from the other Batman classic, The Killing Joke, in his creation of the Joker. Alan Moore and Brian Bolland’s legendary one-shot gave us the unimaginable: Joker’s origin BEFORE he became Joker (though it’s never been accepted as canon, especially as it arguably shows Batman killing Joker on the last page). In it, a failed comedian reluctantly agrees to take part in the burglary of ACE Chemicals, puts on the Red Hood (which is a prop to throw off the cops), and falls into the acid - instant Joker!
But how does a failed comedian with a family somehow become a criminal genius? That part never made sense to me and Snyder addresses it in Zero Year. His Joker is already a criminal genius. He’s no failed comedian, he’s a ruthless, career criminal with an agenda who willingly adopts the guise of the Red Hood. The fall into the acid changes his appearance and possibly warps his mind, but the transformation isn’t as sudden - he was a psychotic criminal before he went into the vat, he was a psychotic criminal when he came out. Only with different colour hair.
None of this would matter though if Snyder didn’t get Bruce Wayne right - and he does. In the second scene, after that awesome shot of t-shirt Batman on the Bat-cycle in this weird overgrown Gotham (which you’ll see in Savage City), Snyder sets the tone with Bruce flipping off Red Hood One after he saves the day.
It’s a panel that could be interpreted as Snyder and Capullo themselves flipping off all the naysayers who were expecting a rehash of Year One - in that one defiant gesture, they establish this is most definitely not that!
The Bruce Wayne of this book is cocky, arrogant, impatient and inexperienced, making him prone to mistakes. In other words, the kind of person he would be at this point in his life - he’s on the way to becoming his true self, but he’s not fully-formed yet and we need to see that as an audience, given that this is an origin.
Those are just personality flaws at the moment though - crucially, he’s got the skill-set to make an instant impact on the Red Hood gang’s crime spree and he’s already essentially Batman minus the iconic outfit. Throughout we see him as a master of disguise, adopting different masks (before he settles on the best one), and that opening scene when he saves all of those people, he shows that he has the intelligence, quick-thinking, imagination, and balls to become a superhero. Also, all of the brilliant back-ups, written by Snyder in collaboration with James Tynion IV, are included after the main story - the mini-sodes that show us how Bruce learned to drive, fight, and use gadgets.
And, of course, we see those important scenes that leads up to the big finale when Batman finally takes the stage. Bruce retakes control of Wayne Enterprises, moves back to Wayne Manor, establishes the Bat-cave, sees the bats that he must become (in one of the trippiest “I Will Become A Bat” scenes ever!) to that triumphant debut that riffs on the cover of Detective Comics #27 from way back in 1939.
For the most part of Secret City, Batman is off-stage - a presence we know is coming but don’t see until the very end. Bruce Wayne carries this book - it’s his book basically - and Snyder writes him beautifully in a style that explores his character the way an origin should and never once bores the reader enough to want to see Batman over Bruce.
Zero Year is similar to Snyder’s entire run on New 52 Batman in that it references ALL of Batman’s cultural history. From the aforementioned riffs of Detective #27, to seeing Edward Nygma from Batman Forever, to the Red Robin symbol on Bruce’s baseball cap, to the fight in ACE Chemicals like in Batman ‘89, Snyder is embracing all forms of Batman in his work in a way he knows will tickle the fans like nothing else. They’re here partly as easter eggs to Batman fans of all eras as much as it is a way of acknowledging Zero Year’s place in Batman history - and a timely one too, given that 2014 is Batman’s 75th anniversary.
*
Billboard: Welcome To Gotham, Greatest City In The Country!
*
Zero Year wouldn’t be the success it was without Snyder’s Bat-brother, artist Greg Capullo. From the gorgeous steam-cycle on page four, Capullo’s art never dips in quality throughout the entire run - it’s uniformly spectacular and inventive. The creative game-board-esque layout of Bruce and Edward’s first conversation, those stunning final pages and that last page especially are all amazing works of art.
The best-looking sequence in the book is probably the dream-like recognizance of Bruce’s awakening to the symbol of the Bat - those six pages are nearly wordless yet Capullo tells the reader everything they need to through Bruce’s eyes. The balance between artist and writer is perfect in this series with both Snyder and Capullo knowing when to lean on one another for greatest effect.
Danny Miki’s inks are superb, well-measured and with the lightest touch to show off Capullo’s pencils to the finest possible effect. FCO Plascencia’s colours are amazing too with the wonderful choice of making the book start out looking good and normal, the colours slowly becoming more vivid and urgent the closer Bruce goes to becoming Batman until, by the end, it’s like the pages are humming with their own energy!
Zero Year is a fantastic Batman book, one that goes so far as to challenge Year One as the finest origin story of all them - but really goes up to Year One and gives it a hug, then stands alongside it. This creative team go from strength to strength with each new Batman book somehow becoming even greater than the one that preceded it.
What do I love about Gotham?
I love that Snyder and Capullo love Gotham as much as I do, as much as every Batman fan does. The passion and energy they bring to these comics is something else and I always come away from their Batman books feeling the love and satisfaction they must feel in the creation of these stories as I do in reading them. Some say the Golden Age of comics ended in the early ‘50s but I say we’re living in a new Golden Age, and Snyder/Capullo’s Batman is one of the best runs the character’s ever had. Don’t miss it!
*
Bruce: More than any other city in the world, Gotham FIGHTS you, challenges you to give up, to leave, to fall down and die. But you don’t. No, because deep down you know - you KNOW - that if you stand up to the challenge, if you walk through the fire, you will emerge changed. Burned down to that self you knew was there all along, the one you came here to be.
The Hero. -
A new version of Batman's origin and it's really good. It takes place right after he's returned to Gotham. Bruce is not Batman yet. He's going undercover to try and take down the Red Hood's gang. I love Snyder's interpretation of the Red Hood. He's hilarious and snarky as he's killing and stealing. I also like how Capullo didn't change the design of that goofy pill capsule helmet of the original Red Hood's, instead leaning into it and making it look fitting. Rafael Abuquerque draws the backup stories where we see Bruce training with people across the globe. All of it is just great stuff.
-
Origin stories are hard; they’re even harder when you’re redoing the origin story for a character whose origin has been tackled numerous times and in the form of stories considered landmark classics of the genre. Granted, they’re not as hard as, say, gracefully and quietly (sans slurping) eating a slice of watermelon, but they’re pretty tough.
So, how do you evaluate yet another Batman origin story? It might be endearing to watch some heroes stumble and bumble around as they learn on the job (see below for an insanely nerdy recounting of a not-so-epic session of the old Marvel Superheroes Roleplaying Game (a recounting that I’m pretty sure only
Paul will appreciate)), but you don’t really want to see Bats getting hit in the back of the head because he fails to catch his own batarang. I mean, it’s Batman. The guy’s a no-nonsense competence machine. Comedic stumbles undermine the core of his character, so that means that, of necessity, you need to keep it serious, which, heretofore, has been synonymous with grim and gritty (not unlike the way my dating style was once characterized).
Snyder goes for a slightly different take here—lighter in tone than its predecessors, but not in a pratfalls-and-funny-shots-in-the-giggleberries kind of way; rather, it’s Batman’s lack of a support network (and the lack of awareness that he needs one) that underscores his inexperience. I’ve been reading a ton of Batman lately for reasons unknown (it’s entirely possible I was bitten by a bat and/or Michael Keaton), and the thing I keep noticing is that the books aren’t so much about Batman as they are about the Bat family (Alfred, Batgirl, the many young men Bruce Wayne has taken in under questionable circumstances and clad in fancy boots and exceedingly tight leotards, etc.). It makes for an interesting story, but not an epic, must-read addition to the canon.
(Now then—you want an origin story? Here’s what you do: you set a Marvel Super Heroes RPG campaign in scenic Kalamazoo, Michigan. You have your young heroes spend a good 20 minutes debating how to get to the scene of a crime in progress because if they drive their own car, someone might take down their license plate number and figure who they are, but arriving via bicycle doesn’t seem particularly heroic (I’ll note that this campaign took place long before Uber, which, I suppose, wouldn’t have been ideal either, as the driver would certainly have known our heroes’ identity). You have them ultimately resolve this issue by parking relatively close to the scene of the crime on a side street a few blocks away, running as fast as they can to get there, arriving out of breath, and ultimately missing out on catching the bad guys. You have them accidentally blow up a building owned by the largest employer in the area, a company several of their friends and family members work for. And you have them mocked by mallrats in Portage, a SUBURB OF KALAMAZOO—outside the city limits of a small city, even (yes, even Kalamazoo has suburbs). Now THAT is an epic and awesome origin story (right,
Bret?)). -
3,5 stars. A nice and original refreshing new take about Batman's origin story for a new generation of readers, but if you wanna read a masterpiece just give a try to
Frank Miller's
Batman: Year One.
'Nuff said. -
When I saw that there was going to be an origin retelling of Batman I had the same kind of disappointed feeling you get when you’ve been eating the same leftovers. Sure that meatloaf was tasty the first night and it reheated well for dinner the following day, but when you pull it out of the fridge the next time it’s not looking very appetizing.
Fortunately, Scott Snyder shows up and takes that cold brown lump of blah with its congealed sauce, reheats it perfectly, slices it, adds a few secret spices and then serves it up on some toasted sourdough bread to give you one damn fine meatloaf sandwich. Yeah, it’s still leftover meatloaf, but now it doesn’t seem like the same thing you’ve eaten twice already.
Instead of rehashing the murder of Bruce’s parents Snyder smartly realizes that we know that already and there really isn’t anything to be gained by once again showing us the Waynes getting gunned down. Instead he picks up the story as Bruce, declared legally dead following a long unexplained absence, has secretly returned to Gotham where he plans on waging an underground war on crime using the skills he’s picked up traveling around the world. He may know how to fight, but he doesn’t have a strategy so Bruce’s attempts aren’t going so well. Making things worse is a crime wave started by the Red Hood gang with its leader embarking on a campaign seemingly designed to make life in Gotham worse for everyone.
One thing that helps this origin reboot out is that it probably was actually time to overhaul it. Frank Miller’s Year One has stood as the definitive story of how Bruce became Batman for over 25 years now, and Christopher Nolan used it as a template for the Dark Knight movie trilogy. However, DC has decided that it’s OK for Batman to be a comic book character again so revamping things to tone down the dark troubled vigilante vibe and play up the more colorful aspects was probably necessary. Snyder himself outlines this in the opening to the script that’s included in this volume where he notes that Year One is a comic classic, but that this needs to be something different. He still manages to incorporate a nice nod to Miller’s story with the sequence of Bruce’s bat inspiration though.
Another element breaking from the Miller way of doing Batman is that Bruce Wayne is treated as more than just the cover persona Batman uses. Here, Bruce originally plans to continue playing dead and doesn’t want to reveal himself to the public while fighting crime. His eventual realization that Gotham needs more than a guy punching criminals in alleys is a large part of the character arc.
This not only gives us a fresh and less grim take on how Bruce decided that wearing a cape and a mask with pointy ears was the way to fight crime, it also does a great job of introducing characters like the Riddler and James Gordon as well as this guy leading the Red Hood gang who seems like he may be important in some way later…
Oh, and there’s also a tease of things going to hell in a major way in Gotham shortly into Batman’s career that I can’t wait to see play out. -
i’m just a bit confused here like is the red hood in this comic not the same as jason todd? was jason todd inspired by this red hood? anyways batman haircut looks sexy in this
-
Let me start by saying, I thought this was a good story. Still, do we really need another Batman origin story? Every time we turn around there is another take on the origin story. I guess that just goes to show just how powerful that origin story is that every writer wants to put their own spin on it. Red Hood is also rehashed here.
I actually thought this was better than the 1988 origin of Joker here. It was less crazy in some ways. We do ping rather quickly from finishing of the Red Hood(joker) and go right into the antics of the Riddler. What I do like about this going back to the origins of Batman is they are giving little snips here and there are when Bruce was young or in his early 20s and doing some crazy stunt. He did a lot of stuff to learn. That is some good stuff right there.
Still, this being the origin, I thought this was a good story and I enjoyed it. Bruce is very alone and by himself. He is really having a difficult time trusting anyone. He does let Alfred into his circle, but he still doesn't really trust him.
At least the New 52 is getting Batman correctly. They didn't mess his character up. -
7.8/10
At first i was a bit sceptical, thinking do we really need another "Year one" type of story? I have to say all the clouds of doubt disappeared. Snyder and Capullo deliver a great story about the early days of the Dark Knight. -
In Zero Year, Snyder is going back to Batman's origin. I'm sure everybody who's written the Bat wants to do this eventually, so I'm not surprised he doing it. I am surprised that it's happening in the main Batman title, and will be continuing for quite some time. This is just the first part of Zero Year, after all. We get Red Hood, the original flavor. Those who are relatively well versed in Batman's ancient history will know where this is going, and they won't be disappointed. I was surprised, and very pleased, with how intelligent, resourceful, and dangerous Snyder allowed Red Hood to be. Edward Nygma shows up, too, and makes a much bigger impact at the end of this collection than I had expected.
Thinking about it, Flashpoint probably made an official revisit of Batman's origin necessary, and this was a good way of doing it. I think readers who know Batman's history will appreciate the way Snyder works with those old stories, and newer readers encountering these elements for the first time will be drawn in. Will it stand the test of time? Sure, until the next writer decides to take a crack at one of the best known origin stories in comics. -
★★★★1/2
This year I wanted to jump back into reading about some of the superheroes that I loved when I was a kid, one of my favorites being Batman. Cause he's awesome. At first I was totally confused with where to jump in again, because there are so many damn comics. But after some research, I ultimately decided on reading the books from DC's New 52 relaunch as well as their recent relaunch, Rebirth. And the New 52 books had a well-received origin story arc so I decided to start there. Why not, right?
Most people with even a very pedestrian understanding of the Batman character from the comics, shows, or movies are familiar with the origin of Batman, and it's been revisited many times over. Frank Miller's great Batman: Year One is considered the definitive classic book on his origin. But, here, I like the fact that Scott Snyder decided play with it a bit, not rehash Bruce's family's murder, and start at the point when Bruce is back from his experiences learning overseas and is already awkwardly trying his hand at vigilantism in Gotham fighting the Red Hood Gang. He hasn't yet become Batman. And I like that, unlike Miller, Snyder barely focuses attention on Jim Gordon, which made Miller's Year One book less of a Batman origin to me.
I love Snyder's idea of showing Bruce using a variety of human costume masks while first trying to fight crime. I thought that was a cool visual idea and a believable disguise before Bruce decides that he needs something more effective. And while I do prefer my Batman stories dark and brooding, I appreciated that the book tried something else and went in a different route with the artwork, leaning towards a more colorful look that seemed closer to the animated shows and animated movies. And there are some really snazzy short extra tales at the end that provide some greater insight into what Bruce was doing in his world travels that led to his skills as Batman. I really wish that Snyder focused a bit more on that fascinating stuff. Maybe in a future arc?
Snyder took his cue from a variety of other iterations of Batman stories like
Batman: The Killing Joke in his depiction of the Red Hood Gang and the fact that the man that would become the Joker was under the mask at some point. But I loved the fact that he made it even more interesting by making it more ambiguous. Snyder combines standard ideas from early stories and puts his own stamp on Batman's first time in Gotham.
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This is essentially a new exploration of Batman's origin story. It has a few what I would consider right turns, but I suppose if you're going to re-imagine a character, that's poetic license. I think Snyder is a strong writer and the artwork is also appealing. I would say this is a good quality graphic novel. It has all the things that a Batman fan would like. Portraying Bruce Wayne as the strong character he is; the important and foundational relationship he has with Alfred Pennyworth, who is as much surrogate father as mentor and caretaker. It also portrays the broken and irredeemable nature of Gotham, which seems to attract the morally bankrupt and flamboyant criminals that Batman exists to thwart. It also shows why Batman won't give up on Gotham, even though it cost him his own mother and father.
The storyline about the Red Hood Gang was interesting and more than a little creepy (creepy in the sense of the pervasiveness and ruthlessness of the cult). I'm thinking that the leader may be the origin of one of Batman's arch-nemeses.
I've really liked the New 52 Batman that I've read so far. Each one makes me want to pick up the next. -
I, like many other aging batfans, grew up in an era when Frank Miller revitalized the Dark Knight with Year One and The Dark Knight Returns. His vision has been scripture for me. Well, one side Frank, there’s a new innovator in town. Scott Snyder came along and had the balls to risk the wrath of Miller’s fervid disciples and accomplished what I thought wouldn’t be done.
I, for one, am glad he did. Snyder continues his hot streak with this 4th collected volume. He has created a believable twenty-something Bruce Wayne that really acts the part. At times he is the cocksure warrior and at others the doubting rookie. Scott has added the depth to him as both Bruce Wayne and the Bat that Miller’s work didn’t. He just rings truer. Snyder’s dialogue is also top-notch. Bruce’s scenes with Alfred seem natural and not put-on. This helps make their relationship work for me as well.
Snyder thoughtfully introduces some of the classic cast of characters along with some new ones. This edition really serves as the origin tale for several others as well. The birth of the Riddler and the Joker are also featured.
And I gotta say, the Riddler? I rank him right up there with Egghead and King Tut (Look it up) as far as the most intimidating Bat-baddies. Snyder makes him come to life in a much more threatening way than in anything I have read in the past. He is actually a little scary. And seeing the inception of the Joker in the Red Hood was awesome. Both villains are well written and so much fun to read.
Also have to acknowledge Greg Capullo’s contribution to this book. I’ve been a fan since he took over for Todd McFarlane as the artist on Spawn. He was the real reason I was initially interested in the title way back at issue 1. Superbly detailed and uniquely original, Capullo put his own mark on the traditional appearance of Bruce with a great “aerodynamic” hair style and a youthful appearance that is spot on. And as far as Batman is concerned, Greg actually made the purple gloves sorta cool. The long ears also make a come-back as well. Just kick ass, start to finish.
Along with the main story, there are several shorter stories that give brief glimpses into Bruce’s training abroad on the road back to Gotham. I really enjoyed these additions to the book, both for Snyder’s contribution to the beginnings of the Batman mythos, and for Rafael Albuquerque’s beautiful artistic take on the tales. Wonderfully drawn, fun little stories that continue to add depth to Snyder’s Bruce Wayne.
So Miller fans, it’s going to be okay. Frank will forever hold a special place in Batman’s history. But now it’s Snyder’s turn to reinvigorate the franchise and to put his name alongside other creators that have forever cemented themselves as vital parts of the Dark Knight’s canon. -
Read reviews by the True Batman aficionados such as Sam Quixote, Lono and Kee for details, and probably greater (but still appropriate) enthusiasm and insight. (I'm in the Junior Batman Club, a real fan, less informed).
I'll just say I wasn't looking forward to yet another Batman origin story. Batman Year One is a great book, maybe the very best Batman story, in a way. But this doesn't deny that origin, it kind of works alongside it. And it is also great, revealing Snyder is (of course) much more than a DC hack. He loves Batman as much as any one of us. He knows who he is writing for: both the older fans, who are the most critical, and also new (New 52) fans.
I also don't like Riddler stories, and he's in here, but this also works okay for me. They make Riddler palatable. We have mainly known him as a silly caricature. Now he's a serious madman.
There's great art, there's a great story, and the appropriate amount of gravitas is lent to the Batman/Gotham scene that those of us who are real fans want. It's in here!
If you like Batman, this has to be on the list as one of the top several books done about him. As Snyder says in a note he wrote to his team after having penned the tale, it is less melancholy than Batman One by far (with appropriate bows to Miller), not as dark, more action-oriented. -
I read vol.5 before this one but now vol. 5 flows better for me as a result.
This is the 52 reboot's inception of Batman with some notable focuses on what Batman does and does not stand for. Overall, well written with the usual illustrious artwork.
Purists of the old graphic novels may be disgruntled with some of the changes but what were you expecting? It's a new world order or so I hear.
OVERALL GRADE: B plus. -
Hey, I liked this collection. Picked it up at my library and I certainly plan to check other Batman collections in this series. Volume 4 is Zero Year (Part 1). But while my digital library has several volumes from Batman (2011), they do not have Vol 5 (Part 2). I did recommend the title, so they might pick it up one of these days. Think I will go back and read the Death in the Family volume.
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Good but not exciting - at least not at first. You know how some books just sit on the bedside table, taunting you - making fun of you because you just aren't strong enough to scale them? Yeah, this book, for more than a week.
Don't know why either - Snyder and Capullo are definitely talented motherfuckers, doing some top-notch work. Why did I carry this book around for a week and a half? Partly its stress at work - massive year-long project about to go live - but there's more to it than that. I'm freaking losing my mind excited to read more Inhumans-related comics, now that the SHIELD show has really gone apeshit with that storyline - so I'm not off comics by any stretch.
What then about this book in particular? For one, Red Hood is a tedious Bond villain, monologuing this shit out of far too many scenes, lecturing and posturing and boring the hell out of me. If I want to be berated by a bunch of libertarian dickwads, I'll go to work. I don't particularly enjoy listening to the grandchildren of Ayn Rand (poster child of the emotionally stunted narcissists), and I'm sure as hell not seeking it out in my entertainment.
Hah - and just when I was convinced to give it up after one more try, it finally broke free of all the setup and just starts coasting down the tracks under its own momentum - my own personal roller coaster of fun.
Clever moments in the early formative moments of Batman's mythos - Gordon, Ace Chemical, Alfred's assistance, grapple... and a few surprises of clever writing and art that finally had me smiling.
The most exciting moments are seeing the emergence of Edward Nygma - and not so much because of how he's portrayed in this book, but because of what I've heard about how batshit scary he gets in the next book. Funny how rumours can have a stronger influence over your thoughts than your own direct experience. Which seems awfully fitting for a story about the Batman.
Tell you one thing though - this disney washed the lingering taste of Miller's Year One out of my mouth. As good a sparse and driving tale as that was in its day, it's nice to see something up to date that takes on the same tropes and does as good or better a job with them. God I'm so sick of Miller-worship.
Be tickled by this review and further diatribes at
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rating: 5 stars
after reading, one question came to mind:
• do we even really know who red hood one really is in any future issues?
like the last 3 volumes, i love this.
who was batman before he became batman? what events triggered him to wear the cowl and fight for Gotham?
you'll get those answered here. -
Zero Year is Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's take on Batman's origin. Clearly , it riffs off Frank Miller's Batman Year One but it definitely has less mobsters than Miller's seminal work. The new origin has Batman facing off a super-powered menace early on. It also has the aspects of detective work missing from Year One. Miller's neophyte Batman really liked beating up gang-bangers for information.
This is the new Batman origin for the 21st century.
As a collected graphic novel I found this lacking. Only four issues? Not even any filler to pad it out? If I didn't need this to enjoy the complete Zero Year story, I'd totally skip it. Still, its Snyder and Capullo so the story quality is never suspect. -
That was a fun revamp of Batman's origin. Clever in many ways, but I still sustained mixed feelings for the Red Hood gang.
P.S. A full review will come soon enough! ;)
Yours truly,
Lashaan -
Hm. It was ok. Not spectacular, though it's been a while since I read New 52 Bats.
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Unfortunately, I don't seem to be as wowed by this as other people. It definitely has its moments, with lovely art, fantastic colours and a nice flavour of originality to this origin re-telling. So, why 3 stars and not something higher? Simply because I personally didn't have as much fun with this as Snyder's previous entries. It also seems rather disjointed with its non-linear continuity, especially if you're coming straight off of Death in the Family, with the shift in time and tone being rather confusing at first. Required Batman reading? Possibly. However, that doesn't mean you have to love it.
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OK, so you write Vol. 3, Death of the Family, destined to be one of the best Batman/Joker stories/arcs ever. You'd be forgiven for taking a breather before moving on to the next stuff right? Well forget that for Snyder and Capullo.
Zero Year - Secret City is a bona-fide classic. With just enough reverence for the Origin stories that have come before (Year One by Frank Miller, this is the 180 degree opposite) Snyder and Capullo put their own stamp on what is the Batman Origin story for the modern reader. Where Miller put the dark, gritty, corrupt 80s to the forefront, this is a much more colourful, modern, yet just as important and serious, version of the beginnings.
The little details everywhere are what really stand out. There's hints, shout outs, and nods of the cap everywhere to all the great Batman work that's come before (including Nolan's Batman Movies, Dark Knight, Bob Kane, and many more).
Where Death of the Family was a Joker story as much as Batman, Zero Year is a Bruce Wayne story that includes Batman. Don't let that turn you off. Scott Snyder's Bruce Wayne here is a younger man, who's just back from the training all over the world and with something to prove. His interactions with Alfred are important, and set up a new dynamic between the two, and we get flashes to a different Thomas Wayne, who was a better father than he usually gets credit for in many previous incarnations.
We also have the appearance of major villains: The Red Hood, and the Riddler.
Red Hood makes sense, seeing as how Vol. 3 ended with the Joker's Reichenbach Fall, we pick up with the Red Hood's rise (he of course, being the origin of the Joker). So we have 2 parallel origins; Bats and Joker.
Batman makes appearances here, but the focus really is on Bruce Wayne as the vigilante before the Bat. There's so much symbolism to draw from, and Synder (and Capullo) are more than up to the task. This is an essential book.
Some of my favourite moments/things include: Bruce flipping off Red Hood (censored); post-apocalyptic Batman in post-apocalyptic Gotham on a badass bike; a foreshadowing of the Robin symbol/crest; an explanation of the giant penny from the Batcave; the first meeting of Bruce Wayne and Edward Nygma; the updated version of the 'I shall become a bat' scene (very cool); Bruce Wayne's new haircut (I don't know why this should affect me at all, but now that I've seen it, I LOVE it. It's soo perfect for him at that stage of his development; the completely random way that Jim Gordon ends up being at the right place to first interact with the Bat (which ties in with Red Hood's entire mantra about the randomness and nothingness, which is also cool); the fact that we get a tease of Red Hood's face...or do we?.
Some of the most iconic Batman origin moments are redone here, and redone so well that I certainly have no problem with it, and in fact, love how the slight changes enhance things.
As much praise as goes to Scott Snyder, equal praise here must go to Greg Capullo. His artwork is phenomenal. The covers are spectacular. I would buy some of these as artwork to hang in my home (if my wife went for it). The look is modern, clean, but still unmistakable Gotham/Batman. There's more room for colour here, but it's certainly not losing the darkness that is Gotham. I know we have a major problem with everything being too dark and gritty, but I think that Capullo has avoided it (much like Stuart Immonen on the All New X-Men books with Bendis) by bringing in colour and light to the art while maintaining the essence of dark, grittty Gotham.
This book was a pleasure to read, and is without a doubt the finest I've read in months. I'm amazed that Snyder/Capullo went from Death of the Family right into Zero Year - Secret City. Bravo gents. Bravo.
If you read comics/graphic novels at all, you should read this. If you've never liked Batman, or not got into him before, this is a great place to start. Give it a chance.
Outstanding. -
This is the one of the finest Batman origin stories I've read to date.
After Bruce’s travels, this volume deals heavily with his identity. Who is Batman? Who is Bruce Wayne? "What does Gotham mean to you?" The dichotomy between Batman and Bruce Wayne is greatly explored here: "Batman's legend begins with the rescue of Bruce Wayne. Their separation is cemented into the foundation of the mythos." So this is the origin of Batman's legend but also the distinction between him and Bruce Wayne, which is vital to the protection of his loved ones and what essentially makes him Batman. -
I went from volume 3 with the joker to this? Did I miss something?! Batman eternal maybe?
Confused. Either way I assumed it was before a certain time and even though Nygma was lame it was a really decent story. I still think Snyder is killing this. Awesome run. -
An origin story but of a story that had been done to death before. Snyder does his best to make it as original as possible, but I feel the writing and pacing weren't as strong as volumes 1-3. Has kinda made me less excited to continue this run.
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How do you create an origin story for Batman that is familiar yet fresh? Intriguing enough to warrant its existence, different enough to be interesting, and yet familiar enough to be the Batman we all know and love? First, bring Batman into the 21st century by emphasizing his love of technology; second, make the colors and action scenes bright, colorful, and intriguing; third, put a unique and interesting spin on a familiar villain; fourth, have amazing twists every issue; five, have compelling character interactions. And top it all off with amazing artwork that is both classic and modern.
Note for fans of Batman Year One, there is an amazing scene the pays homage to that classic comic by bringing a classic scene from that comic into the 21s century. That scene symbolizes everything I love about this story. Forget the Year One comic, I hope they make this one into a movie. -
Darn good reinterpretation of the Year One / origin story, with lots of easter eggs toward future stories. Lots of changes overtake the Dark Knight as the story progresses, both in-story and in the changes in this timeline because of The New 52. We have:
-- pre-Batman battles between Bruce and the Red Hood
-- Bruce remaining hidden in Gotham until spotted by his uncle Philip Kane (!)
-- a wonderful twist on the bat-through-the-window decision to be a Bat Man
-- master of disguises
-- a battle at Ace Chemicals (need I say more, True Batfans!)
Wonderful art and wonderful story!
But, for all that, the fact remains that: They. Changed. Batman.
And no one that changes Batman gets five stars.
SRC 2018 SUM Task 5.1 (mask on the cover)
