Writer: Scott Snyder
Artist: Greg Capullo
Everything comes full circle in Batman #51 this week. From the story, to the art, to Batman #1, Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo deliver one of their best issues, and go out on top. As we know, this is their last issue for the foreseeable future, capping off an impressive 5-year run that gave us The Court of Owls, Death of the Family, Zero Year and my personal favorite, Endgame. It’s bittersweet for all of us fans as we may never get a team like this again for our favorite superhero.
Titled “Gotham Is,” this week’s issue asks the question “What if Batman got a night off?” Of course, the Dark Knight doesn’t know this starting the issue, but he figures it out by the end, and has a response very true to character. It starts with some wonderful banter between Bruce and Alfred in the cave, before suiting up and hitting the streets. As he enters Gotham, the city goes black, surely leading to a villain’s disastrous plan… right? We get a quick check on the Owls and Penguin (fun cameos), but lead to nowhere. Batman’s attention is next drawn to Arkham on what is led to believe another breakout … but that is thwarted. Fun throwback, this page closely resembles a splash page from the early pages of Batman #1.
Batman #1
Batman #51
By the end, the lights are up and all is well. No villainous plot for world domination. It seems Gotham is… quiet for once. “Understood. Still watching. Just in case”.
What a wonderful, perfect, honest, meaningful and overall just great issue. I will admit, I wasn’t too fond of Superheavy. Not to Snyder or Capullo’s efforts or anything, it just wasn’t my cup of tea. I was ecstatic to see we were getting one more issue from this dynamic duo to end their run. It’s obvious they put their heart into this (as always), for it is layered with so many moments that speak directly to its loyal fan base. Just look at the final words of the issue.
I’m sad to see this team leave. I have been reviewing this book on Dark Knight News since Death of the Family and have enjoyed it every month. The book has always been worth my money. I’ve even double dipped once the hardcover collections came out. But now we look ahead to the future. Capullo is working on a project with Mark Millar, while Snyder is taking on All-Star Batman this summer after DC’s Rebirth. But can we see them reunite with our hero? Anything in Gotham is… possible.
Read Eric Joseph’s review here.
