Review: Batman Vol. 4- Zero Year-Secret City

Quick Summary

Pros: The origin and backstory here are authentic and build upon Batman’s legacy. The action sequences and ways Batman takes down his enemies are extremely satisfying and enjoyable to experience. Once again, the art is fantastic.

Cons: Fans of Frank Miller’s Batman: Year One may not be happy with the multitude of changes to Batman’s start in Gotham.

Overall: This collection is a wonderful exploration of how Batman came to be in the modern age. It is insightful in how it approaches Batman’s origin and really digs into the motivations behind his actions. However, that is not all it does, as it still leaves plenty of time to show off Batman’s skills in the most satisfying and cool ways possible. Overall this is another win for the Snyder Capullo team that everyone should be able to enjoy.

Collection Notes

For some reason, Batman #0 is not included in this collection, it is instead collected in Batman Vol. 6: Graveyard Shift (Review). This is despite the fact that it seems to take place right in the middle of Batman #22. For these reason it will be included in our review of this volume rather than our review of Batman Vol. 6: Graveyard Shift (Review).

Story

The entirety of the Batman Zero Year storyline is a very bold move in general. For years Batman: Year One has set the standard for Batman’s origin, mostly because of how universally acclaimed it is. This means that any other attempt at a Batman origin will inevitably draw criticism simply because of the comparison.

Batman Vol. 4: Zero Year- Secret City manages to tell a convincing and authentic origin while still respecting the legacy that is present. It is a fantastic story on its own that builds up Batman as a hero and explains some of the reasons that he does what he does. Not only that, but it also weaves in a background story that sets up an interesting future conflict. This is a great story that gives readers a wonderful look at who Batman is in the modern age.

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Right off the bat, it is important to note a separation between this story and Batman: Year One. Though I still believe Year One to be one of the greatest Batman origin stories in existence, that fact should not take away from how good this story is. This just means that it is possible to enjoy both of these stories without one diminishing the other. Some fans will instantly be turned off by this volume’s attempt at an origin simply because they believe it cannot compete with Frank Miller’s masterpiece, however if they read this story for what it is they may find that there is a lot to love here as well.

This collection does a fantastic job in helping readers to understand the struggle Bruce goes through in order to become Batman. At first, he truly believes the best thing he can do is leave his past behind and operate as the city’s silent protector. However, his emotional disagreement with Alfred, his fruitless fight against the Red Hood Gang, and the overall ineffectiveness of his crusade show him, and the reader, why this cannot be.

From that point onward, the story is a highlight reel of Batman being amazing and doing things only he can do. His infiltration of ACE Chemical, the blackout, his takedown of nearly every Red Hood henchman, and the attempt to save Red Hood One are all moments that give readers reason to rejoice. They also serve as moments that remind everyone that this is who Batman is, a master tactician and fighter who will stop at nothing to defeat his enemy. It makes the book feel like a classic Batman story despite only being the start of his adventures.

At this book’s conclusion, readers will find a series of backups detailing portions of the years Bruce Wayne spent learning how to be Batman. Each of these are very enjoyable and informative snapshots that help explain how Batman came to be. In particular, I enjoyed “The Pit” story; it shows off Bruce’s incredible physical strength, as he takes down enemy after enemy, while also highlighting his mental strength, as he refuses to kill any of the men attempting to kill him. All of these backups just help to add to the legacy behind Bruce Wayne, and give readers more of a reason to believe that he really can be Batman.

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Art

Prior reviews, such as this and this, give a good indication to the high level of quality and overall beauty present in Greg Capullo’s artwork. This collection is no different.

Numerous moments in this collection give Capullo a chance to show off his creativity. In particular, I thoroughly enjoyed his depiction of Bruce and Edward Nygma’s first encounter as the ancient Egyptian board game Mehen. It works with the puzzle theme accompanying Nygma, while also showing their conversation in a really unique way.

Outside of this, there are tons of other beautiful moments in this collection. The best of which may be the small blackout in Gotham. It is another opportunity for Capullo to show his aptitude at drawing cities while also being one of the coolest moments of the collection. It is a moment that might not have been nearly as impactful if drawn by anyone else.

Continuity

Batman Vol. 4: Zero Year- Secret City is a continuation of the previous collection Batman Vol. 3: Death of the Family (Review). However, this volume starts an extended flashback of Batman’s first couple cases in Gotham. Because of this, new readers can easily jump into this volume without having read anything previously.

The story here continues in Batman Vol. 5: Zero Year- Dark City (Review).

This volume also references stories from other comic books, detailed below:

• The details behind this entire flashback, such as why Bruce isn’t living in Wayne Manor and what he is doing with the Red Hood Gang, are contained in Batman #0. For some reason this is not included in this volume, it is instead collected in Batman Vol. 6: Graveyard Shift (Review).
• The two most easily recognizable and famous stories for Batman’s origin are the original, presented in both Detective Comics #33 and Batman #1, and Frank Miller’s retelling, presented in the “Batman: Year One” story arc. This origin story clearly takes inspiration from both of these works. These stories are collected in Batman: The Golden Age Vol. 1 and Batman: Year One respectively.
  • The scene where Bruce Wayne finally decides to become Batman is a direct homage to the Golden Age and Year One stories.
• Batman jumping from the roof while holding a criminal with two onlookers is an homage to the cover of Detective Comics #27, collected in Batman: The Golden Age Vol. 1.
• The story also contains a number of references to the Joker.
  • Red Hood One is depicted as having the same green eyes that Joker had in the previous volume, Batman Vol. 3: Death of the Family (Review).
  • The first ever Joker origin depicted him as a thief going by the name “The Red Hood”. It shows he maintained this identity until falling into a vat of chemicals and becoming the Joker. This happened in Detective Comics #168.
  • The most famous Joker story of all time also depicted the Joker falling into a vat of chemicals while masquerading as “The Red Hood”. This story is Alan Moore’s Batman: The Killing Joke.