A-Maze-Ing!
Batman remained skeptical of the Court of Owls, but he is captured and put into a maze. Lost in the maze, lost in the head, beaten down and broken, this is Batman like we have never seen him before.
Scott Snyder's Batman series is just about everything a fan of Batman wants. This is the best Batman series there is and it just continues to get better. There's really no plot and no advancement of the story. That's okay. This is a look into Batman that we've never seen before. Batman has been broken physically before. He's been broken mentally before. But never has been this broken in both aspects at the same time. Batman is as lost as he's ever been. He's drained.
Greg Capullo continues to nail the art. Capullo might be one of my favorite artists in the comic industry today. Along with Snyder's writing, Capullo is able to convey a sense of confusion and being lost like the Bat himself. Some pages have to be read sideways, others upside down, and others in reverse. The reader is taken on a wild ride and it's a neat and new way to get the reader involved. I also loved how Batman had one eye really exposed highlighting his break down with his eye looking wilder and wilder.
There's nothing to dislike about this issue. It's nice to see other characters in the Bat family and how some of them have reacted to Batman being going for a week. And the ending is killer. You seriously wish the next issue was available so you could continue immediately.
I do have a small gripe but it's not about this particular series or issue. I just don't see how all these Batman titles can exist at the same time. Most of us know by now that the Court of Owls story line will soon expand to every Bat family title. To me, that means all the different series with Batman must be occurring at or around the same time. There's just no way Batman can be doing all this all the time. In this issue we see Robin fearing what's become of his dad Batman, but in the Batman and Robin series, Robin has left his dad and joined sides with someone else. Batman was just in Africa in Batwing. Just a small gripe but it does bother me.
If you don't have the first four issues, get them immediately and then pick this up and sit in eager anticipation for the next part in this amazing story. Batman is awesome and the Court of the Owls story is shaping up to be a instant Batman classic.
