Review: Batman Vol. 5- Zero Year-Dark City

Quick Summary

Pros: The story is equal parts intellectually stimulating and packed with action. Alfred, Riddler, Commissioner Gordon, and Batman are all masterfully depicted. The art is, once again, simply amazing.

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: The Zero Year continues in another stunning triumph from the Snyder/Capullo team. The last collection was an introduction to Zero Year that explained why Bruce Wayne became Batman. This is an action packed main event that explains how he did this. It perfectly fills in the final pieces of Batman’s origin and provides a great story while doing so. Any fan of Batman will find something to like here.

Story

Batman: Vol. 4: Zero Year- Secret City (Review) was an excellent story with action, intrigue, and a solid reimagining of Batman’s origin. Batman: Vol. 5: Zero Year- Dark City takes all of that and amps it up to the next level.

This is an amazing story that gets to the core of Batman as a hero while also telling an incredibly entertaining story. It doesn’t just delve into Batman though, Alfred, Commissioner Gordon, and Riddler all have their moments in the sun as well.

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The first half of this book focuses mainly on Batman attempting to uncover a mysterious scheme being hatched in Gotham. It is a compelling detective story that almost feels like Sherlock Holmes in the way it is laid out. The reader and Batman are both given hints as to what is happening, yet the full picture isn’t revealed until the very end. The reveal is then well done and connects back to the hints laid out throughout both this volume and the previous one.

However, in a somewhat surprising twist, when Riddler’s plot is finally revealed, Batman actually fails to stop it. He is beaten and Gotham is under Riddler’s control. This was unexpected as Batman is typically viewed as nearly infallible, yet this twist works well in serving Snyder’s message. This is a new Batman who is untrained and is quite capable of failure, as he has not yet found himself. In order to become the unbeatable Dark Knight, among other things, he needs to develop the relationship with Gordon and Alfred that he is currently lacking.

After Riddler gains control of the city, the book enters its second act. Readers learn about the dystopian dictatorship that has become the book’s setting and get to see Batman start to figure out its intricacies. He goes up against the Riddler in a blaze of action, with one scene even having him breath fire at a lion. However, when this fails, he ends up using the sum total of his allies’ abilities in order to win the fight. It solidifies the notion that Batman needs help in order to do what he does and bookends the theme of the book nicely.

Alongside all of this, it is worth noting how perfectly Snyder handles the Riddler. He isn’t the jovial trickster he is sometimes portrayed as, doling out brainteasers and passing them off as highbrow intellectual stimulant. Instead he is a calculating man of true intelligence. His riddles are scholarly and steeped in history, yet not so enigmatic that they can not be solved. In particular, the final showdown between Riddler and Batman is fantastic and a true show of both characters at their mental best. Overall it is one of the best interpretations of the character I have ever read and is one that makes the reading experience even more enjoyable.

The final pages of the book are where the emotional crux of the story lie. Alfred saves Batman from nearly dying, echoing his earlier statement that he will always be there for Bruce. Then, with the Zero Year finally over, he tries to get Bruce to go on a date with former crush Julie Madison. This triggers a brief sequence of panels showing what might have been as Alfred ponders that potential future. However, Bruce declines the offer and insists that he will never stop being Batman. It is a heartbreaking moment that makes you feel the emotional turmoil that Alfred feels, thus highlighting how much he truly loves his “son.”

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Art

With this collection, artist Greg Capullo once again proves why he is the man to be drawing Batman right now. His artwork is phenomenal and makes the book look amazing. From the dark and intimidating shores of Gotham during the storm to the overgrown ruins of Gotham during Zero Year, Capullo draws everything in this book with the heightened creativity that he has become known for. Readers will not be disappointed with the way this book looks.

In addition, colorist Fco Plascencia deserves a good deal of credit for this book looking as sharp as it does. Plascencia’s colors are wild and imaginative in a way that scream “look at me!” without being obnoxious. They add a hint of psychedelic to the story and help set the past version of Gotham apart from the modern one, introduced in Batman Vol. 1: The Court of Owls (Review). Overall, Plascencia’s colors compliment Capullo’s pencils wonderfully.

Continuity

Batman Vol. 5: Zero Year- Dark City is a flashback to Bruce Wayne’s first year of fighting crime as Batman. This flashback started in Batman Vol. 4: Zero Year- Secret City (Review) and ends in this volume.

The next volume, Batman Vol. 6: Graveyard Shift (Review),returns to the present day.

This volume also makes references to another comic book, detailed below:

• Two references are made to Frank Miller’s prior work on Batman. These are not connections in terms of story but rather homages to the work.
  • Commissioner Lobe calls Batman “The Go*****n Batman” at one point. This is a reference to something Batman says to Robin in All-Star Batman and Robin.
  • Batman jumping with lightning in the background is a reference to a famous cover from Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns.