Batman #1

The New 52 Batman #1: “Batman in: Knife Trick”

Writer: Scott Snyder

Pencils: Greg Capullo

Inking: Jonathan Glapion

Batman #1 is a fantastic comic – a nice, sleekly written first issue one that makes me want to read the following trades based on Scott Snyder’s handling of the Caped Crusader. There’s no one thing that makes Batman #1 a solid read. It’s just good writing, a unique art style, and a cliffhanger ending that leaves you pinning for more. That’s what I like to see in my comics.

With this one there is no origin story we jump right into the action. Batman is just dong what he does best, bringing justice to the unjust. Batman remarks throughout the issue how the people of Gotham feel about their city; most see Gotham as an Earthly Hell. And Batman seems to revel in that idea. He wants to find the little bit of righteousness in a city almost without hope. 

It’s also good to see that Snyder isn’t abandoning the current Batman lore. Damian Wayne is still Robin; Dick Grayson and Tim Drake also make an appearance. There is a distinct age differential: Batman seems markedly younger, as does Dick, and Tim is once again a teenager. The timeline that’s being laid before us is familiar only some liberties have been taken, none of which seem to have dramatically affected the canon.

As we reach the end of the month, and the final first issues of DC’s “New 52” run are released the standouts are definitely the Batman comics. More care has been but into Bat’s than any other of DC’s heroes…whether intentional or not, it’s reality, Batman is the face of DC comics. Not Superman. And the “New 52” run has proven that.

Batman #1 isn’t perfect. As much as I like Greg Capullo’s art it’s very inconsistent. Many characters (like Bruce for instance) look different from panel to panel. It’s still a visual pleaser, but it may not be how everybody envisions Batman’s world.

Then the ending comes around. I absolutely won’t divulge the final panel. Yet I have a hard time not saying anything. My biggest concern is whether they stay true to the concept and go all the way in the direction they are leading us. At this moment I don’t know how I feel about what the last page implies…but whatever it is I’m picking up Batman #2 for sure.