Batman: The Black Mirror, Scott Snyder

"In "The Black Mirror," a series of brutal murders pushes Batman's detective skills to the limit and forces him to confront one of Gotham City's oldest evils. Helpless and trapped in the deadly Mirror House, Batman must fight for his life against one of Gotham City's oldest and most powerful evils!Then, in a second story called "Hungry City," the corpse of a killer whale shows up on the floor of one of Gotham City's foremost banks. The event begins a strange and deadly mystery that will bring Batman face-to-face with the new, terrifying faces of organized crime in Gotham.This volume collects Detective Comics #871-881."








There is so much to talk about with this one, so it's difficult to limit myself to making this just a bullet review.

First of all though -  Scott Snyder is currently knocking the ball out of the park with his Batman run. Court and Night of Owls was fantastic, Death of the Family managed to deliver some truly excellent moments despite it's general uneveness, and Zero Year has been surprisingly good. But Black Mirror is where he first established his credentials as a writer in the Gotham universe, serving up a deliciously twisted story focussing on Dick Grayson's Batman and Commissioner Gordon.

Even before that Snyder has been a writer I've tried to follow, since his excellent American Vampires debuted. He has a knack for picking artists that complement his creepy, horror-lite, style, and that look like nothing else around. Rafael Albuquerque on American Vampire and Francisco Francavilla and Jock here are more indie and creator owned icons than typical DC artists (in fact this was Francavilla's first DC role) - they certainly don't match the house style of DC and it works fantastically in creating a tale that undermines the preconceptions of the reader, presenting a fractured take that ties in to the psyche of the main antagonist, James Gordon Jr as the book hurtles towards its inevitable conclusion.

Like Geoff Johns and Grant Morrison, Snyder loves to use details and ephemera from stories past to add narrative weight to the tale he is telling, but the inclusion of James, a character rarely (if ever) seen since Year One, and who was pushed out by Sarah Essen and his more heroically inclined sister, is a lovely touch, especially contrasted to Grayson, the heroic 'son' of Batman, and the man who at one point was intimately connected to the Gordon family through Barbara.

Of course, there's more than just storytelling technique at hand here, and the collection tells an excellent tale, balanced with the wonderful artwork. If you're looking for a book for someone who loves Batman, this is perfect.

Scott Snyder, Court of Owls
Scott Snyder, American Vampire
Grant Morrison, Batman and Robin
Gail Simone, Batgirl

Batman and Robin: Born to Kill, Peter J. Tomasi

"As a part of the acclaimed DC Comics—The New 52 event of September 2011, Batman begins battling evil with his son, Damian, at his side, Batman now realizes that the hardest part of the job may be trying to work together!

As Batman and Robin try to adjust to their new partnership, a figure emerges from Bruce Wayne's past: His name is NoBody, and he's not happy that Batman Incorporated is shining a light on his own shadowy war against evil..."

Reinventing Batman for the New 52 turned out to be really easy. Out of all the comics that were relaunched in the massive bonfire of continuity that was meant to be the start of a bright new era of audience interest and sales, Batman was left almost untouched, probably because it came off the back of it's almost total encapsulation in the year long Grant Morrison rewrite that had defined Batman for the last few years. Indeed, it was Morrison's Batman, Inc. alone that continued on after the relaunch unaffected.

So, coming off the back of this run it is Tomasi and Gleason as writer and artist of Batman and Robin that had the best opportunity to run with the continuity and plots of the pre-New 52, Grant Morrison led Batman stories. Whilst Scott Snyder was on the flagship book writing some of the best Batman books ever these two have been quietly putting out some non-flashy, character led comics that are just brilliant.

This is a book that is first and foremost about Damian Wayne, and what it means to be the child of Batman. It's an incredibly nuanced take on the idea of Robin, and has as many parallels to Batman Begins as it does to Batman Year One as an 'origin' story of the new dynamic duo.

By this point we know the outcome of the Batman and Robin story. Damian, fully reformed by Batman, will die fighting his mother, a sacrifice that is currently throwing the Batman dynamic in a whole new direction, but which is foreshadowed and heralded here by Batman's first issue reminiscence of the death of his own parents. This first book is about putting away the past in favour of the future, and trying to escape from those things that would drag us back. The overall message is that sometime the future can't be saved, which is a bit bleak, but I guess that's why you need Batman.

Is it good. Hell yes. If you like Batman it's near essential. For all the faults of the New 52 it's currently putting out three excellent Batman books, all of which are guaranteed to have something for everyone.

And even though Damian's story may have ended, it's good to go back and read through these issues. After all, Batman and Robin will never die.

Also Try:
Grant Morrison, Batman and Son/ Batman and Robin/ Batman, Inc.
Paul Cornell, Batman and Robin
Scott Snyder, Batman