What a Batman comic should be.
These issues only make me more confident over Scott Synder's upcoming gig on Batman.
The premise of this miniseries is ambitious, to provide a mystery surrounding Gotham's past, so the backstory needs to be engaging and relevant. It would be easy to be weighed down by these points of Gotham's history, but Snyder and Higgins brilliantly provide a voice for voice for Gotham and present the descendents of our familiar characters without making them written like they're just time displaced or Elseworld versions of Bruce and the rogues gallery.
The frame narrative really works and while the reveal isn't mind blowing or monumental, its a good twist that works in the structure of the plot. Now, its easy in a 5 issue miniseries for this issue to be filler, but it's actually quite dynamic in how the writers mix character, action, and plot together.
What I love the most about the book is that it's not a title book, so the writers indulge us with the interactions of these wonderful characters. Having conversations between Damien and Cassandra seem like a no brainer given their origins, and I'm just glad they finally got a chance to meet and talk and Tim and Cassandra's dialogue was just perfect. Whether its Dick and Tim with Gordon or the sidekicks trash talking, it's just cool to see that added dimension to this world. Given all the major events and storylines, it's just great to finally see the Bat-family and their new dynamic even if one wants to murder the other. It's an ensemble book and you also get how huge the scope is. The Wayne legacy, Gotham, and multiple lives of established characters are at stake. The lack of Bruce makes the book quite interesting and Dick as a detective is handled quite well, he's not incompetent but you know he's not privy to some detail or experiences that Bruce has had.
The book is thematically about legacy. Gotham, the villains, and Batman are defined by their pasts and what hold now. The issue wonderfully crafts a story essentially about immortality. About leaving something behind in order to stay alive in the future. Whether its in terms of buildings or proteges.
Aside from Paul Dini, Snyder and Higgins really nail Hush. His scenes are brief but it's great that they treat him as the intelligent threat that he is. I think many would be tempted to write him off but again, the writers have a good handle on the characters.
Trevor McCarthy has a really sharp and dynamic style. It's very clean and linear, much like a cartoonier Dustin Nguyen or Karl Keschel. It works perfectly in the flashbacks to Gotham's history. The sepia tones and color work are amazing. However, the style is a bit strange at times, like how he draws The Penguin in terms of scale. But you know McCarthy will settle into his style as the issues go on. The covers are relentlessly exquisite, I just wish the title didn't cover so much of it up.
