Batman #21

The Team 
Writer Scott Snyder Artist Greg Capullo

In an interview Batman writer Scott Snyder claimed that Zero Year would have no dull moments, aside from the zero issue of the regular title. After reading the first issue this seems like a bold faced lie. It is not as if this is a bad issue of the series, it is simply doing some major setup for the next ten issues of the story-arc. The first 22 pages simply laid down some of the pieces of the arc and readers can analyze them until theories are made. It is hard also not to compare this to some of the beginnings of other grandiose Snyder 11 issue arcs. To be more specific Batman #1, which had some layered setup with action and excitement with major foreshadowing. This is issue certainly has a few moments that seem genuinely interesting, but still most are just laying down tracks for later on in the story.

The opening sequence in this issue is charming but also very confusing. Readers have to place where exactly this story-line would fit in the timeline of the Bat universe. Which this tale is meant to clean up, in fact non-linear narrative progression is not in the service of this take at all. Hopefully within the next couple of issues some of the strangeness here will be cleaned up. The big question is where does this story take place and when exactly does Bruce become Batman. Snyder will no doubt be exploring some of these themes in coming issues.

Artist Greg Capullo also turned in some work that was not some of his best here. The artist does not truly thrive unless he is in the shadows. Stories where Bruce is in the car having intimate talks or meeting other characters lose the dynamic range presented by the artist. The coloring here is also a little strange in the sense, that it is almost completely washed out. In coming issues hopefully the action will thrive and the story descends in the dusk backgrounds of the night. The art in the back by Rafael Albuquerque is bright and sillier than the rest. The color palette changes into sunset hues that fit the tone of the story. Facial expressions are very charming here and seem to pop out of the page. Giving this different set of art and extra story pages were a good way to balance out the price of this comic.

Snyder delivers a sequence later on in the book that shows he has a few long form plans with the characters. This shoes the horror side brimming within the writer, that has led to the great points in his stories. The backup also does a good job showcasing one of the brighter moments of Bruce's adulthood and shows him making the right decisions at the end of the day. You can see how a man like this could turn into the Batman in a few years. Even with a first issue that is slightly underwhelming this Zero Year story-arc could turn into an interesting tale in a moments notice. Also considering the talent involved, you are going to want to be here when the sparks start flying.