Batman #42

Writer: Scott Snyder
Penciller: Greg Capullo
Inker: Danny Miki
Colorist: FCO Plascencia

**SPOILERS FOR THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, BATMAN: ARKHAM KNIGHT, AND BATMAN #40. PROCEED WITH BATMAN-LIKE CAUTION.**

In the past few years, we've seen Batman and Bruce Wayne “die” quite a bit. After massive, drag-out punch-fests through the streets of Gotham as the city crumbles around him, Bruce has seemingly only found one choice: to make an ultimate sacrifice and disappear. We saw it in 2012's The Dark Knight Rises (dir. Christopher Nolan), we saw it in the recent Batman: Arkham Knight by Rocksteady, and we've seen it in Batman #40 just three months ago.

What's interesting is that despite the various reasonings for this the aftermath is surprisingly similar, until it's not. In the Dark Knight Rises, Bruce has grown tired and weary. Being Batman drains him phsyically, emotionally, and psychologically. This isn't the near-superhuman Bruce from the comics. He's weak; he's human. When forced to make a tough decision, he flies a massive nuclear payload over the ocean, away from Gotham, saving it's inhabitants to be terrorized by super criminals another day. Bruce then uses this as a means to escape the fate he had set up for himself, to try and live a normal life as a charming globetrotter with the beautiful Selina Kyle (who he just met, but whatever their soul mates). Ultimately, he passes the torch on to Not Robin, because as Bruce says, “Anyone can be Batman.” I always liked this ending it made sense to tie off the Nolan trilogy so no one could mess with it, but kept the Batman mythos alive in a reasonable way so that Gotham will always have a Batman.

Arkham Knight did something similar, but with a more pessimistic bent. Ultimately, Batman is revealed to be Bruce Wayne to the public. He still manages to save the day, but would now have to live a life constantly being hounded by reporters and people seeking to press charges, etc. So Bruce's reaction is activate Operation: Knightfall, which entails blowing up his own mansion with him in Alfred inside to make it appear that he has died, and along with him Batman. Then a new Batman shows up, but a lot of this ending is vague and left open to interpretation. It's a little confusing and jarring and, to be honest, I'm not a huge fan of it. But again, ultimately, Bruce disappears into the night and someone (or someTHING) is the new Batman in town.

Which brings us to Batman #42. Snyder and Capullo have also followed this path of Batman dying, but the surprising twist to it is that Bruce doesn't die along with him. Sure, Gordon is now “Officer Batman”, but Bruce's identity remains alive and continues to help out around the city, fixing things and helping out those in need. This is a surprising twist and a welcome change! It's sets a precedent of bucking the trends of the past. This is a NEW Batman book.

If Bruce can't be Batman, for whatever reason, I can't possibly imagine that he would fly off into the sunset with Catwoman, or just disappear into the night. He would let the Batman side of his life die, and stick around to help out. He's still a rich billionaire after all. The best part is seeing him work in a grassroots way, similar to how he operated as Batman. He's at the forefront getting his hands dirty, but still maintaining some semblance of a normal life.

All of this info on Bruce comes to us quickly, many times we've seen a character “die” and “stay dead” for some time to give the illusion that they are actually dead. I'm glad to see Snyder and Capullo swipe left on this idea and almost immediately reintroduce Post-Batman Bruce back into the comic. I've seen people complain about him re-appearing so quickly that it “ruins the illusion of death”, but Snyder and Capullo have never truly played that game. In the same issue that Batman “dies” there's silhouettes that clearly represent Bruce and Damian after the fact, sitting there smack dab in the middle of the page. They're not hidden discreetly in the background of a panel. Snyder and Capullo want you to know he's alive while maintaining an element of discretion.

Keeping Bruce alive as a supporting character in a Batman book is an interesting and much needed breath of fresh air, and it's just the cherry on top of a surprising amount of depth for this new run of Officer Batman.

Not only is Snyder having fun mixing up the mythos, but Capullo, Miki, and FCO seem to be having more fun than ever with the art on this. I have always been a strong fan and supporter of there work, but honestly, Officer Batman is really showcasing how well they work together. The pencils and inks are kinetic and fluid. The robo-suit looks great in movement and action scenes, and intimidating while standing still. And they're throwing such fun ideas at the wall for FCO to come in and give his now trademark vibrant colors too. Instead of a Batman that's being given a fun color treatment, this is a Batman that deserves and needs that coloring. All of my initial qualms have been subdued by spending just a few issues with these new ideas. I've even adjusted to mustacheless Gordon.

Granted, my comparisons to TDKR and B:AK will still need to hold up as Officer Batman's story continues. It'll be interesting to see how they compare and contrast as the story goes. Maybe Bruce will just up and leave, but I don't see that happening.

Batman #42 is vibrant, kinetic, but, most importantly, fun. Whether you're an old fan or someone looking for something new, this book is highly recommended.