Writer: Scott Snyder
Artist: Greg Capullo
$24.99, DC Comics, 176 pgs.
ISBN 978-1401235413
When DC Comics re-launched its entire line in 2011, the news caused quite a stir in the fan community. Some longtime fans condemned the move, but others applauded it, hailing this new beginning as the perfect entry point for new readers. What just about everyone could agree on, though, is that Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo produce a superb Batman comic.
Nobody knows Gotham City like Batman. He knows its every secret, its every shadow...or so he believes. Hidden away from even the Batman's ever-vigilant gaze lurks a secret society that wields so much power and pulls so many strings that it has managed to remain virtually invisible for years. And now, that mysterious agency--the lethal Court of Owls--has set its sights on destroying Batman before he can expose their existence and end their secret reign over Gotham.
Snyder and Capullo get Batman; they understand the character and what makes his adventures exciting. This volume captures the perfect blend of technology, action, detective work, andfilm noir-inspired darkness that makes Batman one of America's most enduring comics characters. Snyder and Capullo also understand that Gotham City is a key element of the Batman mythos, and in this story Gotham is depicted almost as a character in her own right. All fictional settings should be so interesting, and all superhero comics should be this smart and exciting.
TIPS FOR LIBRARIANS: As DC Comics intended, this is the perfect jumping-on point for new readers. It's available in a cheaper paperback edition, but this hardcover edition is worth the money; you're going to circulate this book a lot, and the hardcover is much more resilient. This is the first of three volumes to be released thus far, with a fourth due for release in May.
READERS' ADVISORY NOTES: Lapsed Bat-fans who haven't read a comic book in some time will love this fresh start. Likewise, this book is the perfect way to entire those who enjoy the character's appearances in other media (film, television, video games), but who don't yet follow the comics.
CONTENT ADVISORY: Superhero action/violence
Review©2014, C.
Michael Hall.
No comments:
Post a Comment