Batman, Volume 5: Zero Year – Dark City (2024)

(A-) 83% | Very Good
Notes: It's Gotham in lush, dystopian splendor: a wild, malignant overgrowth, prophetic of monsters and madness to come.

*Progress updates: Preamble ◦ Issues #25-27 and 29 ◦ Issues #30-31

The Riddler never has been better!

This collected edition features #25-27, 29-33 from the comic book “Batman”.

Writers: Scott Snyder & James Tynion IV

Illustrators: Greg Capullo & Andy Clarke

WHAT HAPPENED WITH ISSUE #28?

First of all, if you care to read the explanation of what comic book issues are collected in this edition, you may found odd that issue #28 is missing, but as I already explained in the review of previous volume, you will find that issue #28 in the Volume #6 Graveyard Shift that collects several stand-alone stories published along the run of the title.

WHERE DID I READ THIS BEFORE?

I honestly think that this is Scott Snyder’s strongest storyline (so far, and considering as something “apart” of the first part told in the previous volume) in his tenure of Batman title.

Of course, I can’t be blind that besides his solid start with the introduction of The Court of the Owls (as new villains to the Batman’s rogue gallery), the rest of his take on the run has been variations of previous concepts developed by other people. Death in the Family is based on The Man Who Laughs where it’s even mentioned those events; the first part of Zero Year known as Secret City is based on Year: One and now this second part known as Dark City is based on No Man’s Land.

Don’t take me wrong, I am not saying that he copied the stories, no, his own takes on the stories have a solid original contribution, BUT I can’t avoid to think that he got a strong inspiration from those previous published storylines.

My feeling (and it’s that, a feeling, not like I read about it somewhere) is that it’s most likely that Scott Snyder did his superb jobo n The Black Mirror and...

...Bam! Crash! Kapow! He was appointed as the new writer of Batman in DC Comics that since is its most best-selling character is certainly a HUGE responsibility and demanding. I figured that he must had the idea for The Court of the Owls, so he wasn’t nervous about taking the job, and the storyline become very popular, so the responsibility and demanding got bigger and he was out of fresh ideas (totally fresh from the start) so he consulted the lore of the character and he got inspired to do his own versions of the mentioned storylines. I am not reproaching anything (well, his take on The Joker was too soft for my taste and/or expectations due the selected title) since definitely with the long journey of Zero Year showed that he was able to keep up the demanding job of being the writer of Batman.

WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS CITY?

Bruce Wayne has become The Batman just few weeks ago but now there are too many things in scenario.

Gotham City is suffering a major blackout with a super-storm coming.

The citizens are suffering not only due the power shortage but also of robberies and mugging.
GCPD Commisioner Loeb is fully focused orchestrating a massive manhunt down on The Batman.

Lucius Fox is keeping some secrets even from Bruce Wayne.

Lieutenant Jim Gordon is trying to figure out what to think about this “Batman” and his real intentions, and his own past will be intersected with the one of Bruce Wayne and that fateful night.

A brand-new version of classic villain “Doctor Death” is leaving a grotesque trail of bodies around Gotham City.

And of course, there is…

…The Riddler.

WHO IS THE RIDDLER?

In this Volume #5 Zero Year – Dark City, Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo continue their tale about the origin before the origin of The Batman.

Between the writing of Snyder and the illustrations of Capullo, this is easily their masterpiece in the run (so far).

The “first appearance” of The Riddler in Gotham City is told for a new generation of readers and this enigmatic character never has been better.

Edward Nygma is “fired” as the questionable strategic consultant of Wayne Enterprises and since ironically nobody knows who he is, I mean, nobody knows that he exists, Nygma set up his masterpiece plan to make sure that EVERYBODY in Gotham City will know who is The Riddler for the rest of their lives.

Bruce Wayne is just beginning to be The Batman, and while he already faced (pun intended) the masqueraded Red Hood Gang, he will realize soon enough that his real baptism of fire will be against The Riddler, who will test him in body and mind far beyond what Bruce Wayne thought possible and victory is uncertain.

Zero Year – Dark City is a must-read by any Batman fan but also for fans of The Riddler.

Batman, Volume 5: Zero Year – Dark City

4.5 stars

Origin of the Giant Penny!
Ok, maybe nobody else cared, but I thought it was cool of Snyder to give that massive Penny that Bruce keeps in the Batcave, a fresh start.
Dear Mr. Snyder,
Could you do the Dinosaur next?
Sincerely,
Anne

This is the second arc of Zero Year, which is Snyder's New 52 origin story for Batman.
It's not as dark as some of the previous origins, but it's not exactly light and fluffy, either.
This is a younger version of the Dark Knight. He's fallible, relatively inexperienced as Batman, and more mouthy than what we're used to seeing.
He sort of reminds me of Dick Grayson, with the snappy comebacks during fight scenes, you know?
Did I just say Snappy?
Holy sh*t. I did.
Did you know, that every time someone uses snappy in a sentence...
Somewhere an angel gets his AARP card?
That's deep, man. DEEP.

Anyhoo. Edward Nigma (last seen abandoning Wayne Industries) has returned as a full-fledged super villain.
The Riddler!
He's planning on taking Gotham hostage, and cleansing the earth, so to speak.
Can Batman unravel the clues fast enough to stop him?
Surprisingly...not at first.
Butbutbutbutbut, you say. He's the goddamn Batman!
Yeah, not so much. Or at least, not quite yet.
Butbutbutbutbut, you say. Batman is too well-prepared to be caught unawares!
Yeah, but nobody is born with Bruce Wayne's level of paranoia. That sort of thing is learned.
I mean, unless you're schizophrenic, of course.
So, I'm thinking that by showing Batman pull an epic fail, Snyder is giving us a solid reason for his wildly detailed contingency plans.
And also the Penny. Because, really, that was a highlight for me.

There were a couple of scenes I raised my eyebrow at, but, on the whole, this was another solid Snyder/Capullo team-up.
And if you're not reading this title, then you need to turn in you Cool Kid card.
Seriously.
Thank you, NetGalley!

Also reviewed for

And

Reading this is a little bit that first time you engaged in the time-honored art of lovemaking. You were pretty excited about it going in, and you were reasonably sure you enjoyed it once you’d finished, but you didn’t really know what was going on when you were in the middle of it—you were really just holding on trying to keep up—and when it was over, you couldn’t really make heads or tails of it (in part, perhaps, because, for a brief period of time, heads were tails, and vice versa). Still, you certainly liked it enough to want to give it another shot, though you think you might wear your glasses the next time around and make sure you’re less distracted so you can figure out exactly what the hell is going on.

I love Scott Snyder writing Batman, but this is one of those cases where he tried to put 10 lbs. of story in a 5 lb. sack.

The rebooted origin continues with a fledgling Batman trying to stop a complicated scheme created by the Riddler involving Doctor Death that leaves Gotham devastated. He’s also struggling to figure out where Bruce Wayne fits into his vigilante plans as well as coming to terms with characters like Jim Gordon and Alfred.

As I noted when I reviewed Zero Year - Secret City, Snyder wisely sped by the standard points of the history of Batman. Bruce Wayne’s parents are murdered in front of him, he travels the world learning crime fighting skills, he realizes that he needs a symbol to bring justice to Gotham, yada, yada, yada. Those are the fixed points in the Batman universe, and while you can tweak them, you can’t change the basics.

Snyder treats Bruce donning the cape & cowl as the beginning of this rather than the end point, and that’s the best part of the story. Seeing a younger, reckless and more arrogant Bruce think he can wage a one-man war on crime with no help and getting taught some harsh lessons is great stuff. The character interactions between an angry young Batman and Jim Gordon and Alfred were some of the best bits. Snyder also continues to deftly weave in some nods to past versions of Batman like things will remind fans of No Man’s Land, The Dark Knight Returns and The Dark Knight Rises movie.

Unfortunately, the story starts collapsing under its own weight and at times feel like it’s descending into a Grant Morrison level of confusion. I would have preferred if Snyder would have focused in on a young Batman dealing with one major villain rather than two and operating in essentially a post-apocalyptic Gotham for a large chunk of the story. I guess you could make the point that it required something that catastrophic to get Batman recognized as a force for good by the city so that the cops aren’t constantly chasing after him, but it really feels like way too much is going on at times.

A two-parts more than good and original alternate origin tale about another classic bat-enemy, and the horrific part introducing Doctor Death's modern incarnation was great too.

Snyder & Capullo's Batman reminds me a lot Nolan's cinematographic one...
I can hear Hans Zimmer's theme in my mind while reading climax scenes! :D

'Nuff said.

The Riddler gets a makeover. Batman has defeated the Red Hood Gang but there was someone behind the scenes manipulating it all. Now Batman has to defeat someone who may be smarter than he is. The Riddler has taken over Gotham and used a bunch of crazy apparatuses he stole (along with a super storm) to throw the city into a dystopian state. I love this game of cat and mouse where Batman, Jim Gordon, and Lucius Fox are trying to hunt down the Riddler before he can finish off the city. Snyder does a great job of showing the three of them growing closer together into a working relationship along the way. And then there's Capullo's art. It's just top notch all around. I don't even know what else I can say about it at this point.

Wow! This was a great story.

Batman is run all over the place and the Riddler really gets the best of him here in many ways until the end. We start out with a scientist who has found a way to make bones keep growing so that people die a tangled mass of bones. It is very gruesome. Batman has to find and stop the riddler, but by the time he catches up to the plan, the Riddler takes over Gotham much like the Dark Knight Returns.

Batman doesn't have all his tech gadgets, but here he and Jim Gordon get to trust each other. Somehow in a month of the Riddler taking over, plants are growing all over the buildings.

The story was fresh and new and mostly stuff we haven't see before. Batman is at the beginning here and he looks a little clumsy at times and he makes a lot of mistakes. It's nice to see him not perfect. Batman is one tortured soul, I tell you what. It's amazing the man can still walk. I did find this entertaining. It was good to see a good story for the riddler, even if taking over a city seems a bit ridiculous.

Onward!

Remember Jim Carrey in Batman Forever? I don’t think Riddler has ever recovered - until now. Scott Snyder writes what has to be Riddler’s best book ever in this final part to the epic Zero Year storyline.

The Red Hood gang has been dealt with but before Batman has a chance to catch his breath, the Riddler has taken the city hostage by taking away its power and plunging it into darkness. He’s also enlisted the help of Dr Karl Helfern aka Dr Death, whose bone research has gotten a bit out of control, as well as Dr Pamela Isley’s research to turn the Dark City into the overgrown Savage City.

The two volume Zero Year storyline has been divided up into three mini-arcs: Secret City (Vol 4), Dark City and Savage City (Vol 5). If Secret City was a mixture of Year One and Killing Joke, Dark City is a mash note to the two Frank Miller classics, Year One and The Dark Knight Returns, while Savage City is a blend of No Man’s Land, the Arkham Asylum games and The Dark Knight Rises.

So why not a full marks/rave review of the latest brilliant Snyder/Greg Capullo Batman book? It’s mostly great but I do have a few minor gripes, so I’ll get those out of the way first. Essentially it comes down to length: Zero Year, while hugely ambitious and largely successful, ended up being one arc too long, namely Savage City.

The story reaches a climax at the end of Dark City that the finale of Savage City can’t hope to match. What’s more exciting: Batman fighting a monster on a blimp in the middle of a storm in the sky or Batman answering a riddle in a colourful room? Exactly. Not to mention I’m not a fan of No Man’s Land so Savage City really didn’t work for me (except for the art). If this storyline had been shorter, I think the book would have been that much better.

Also, let’s be clear: at this point, this is no longer a Batman origin story. Bruce Wayne became Batman at the end of Volume 4: Secret City - besides gaining the familiar gadgets like the giant penny and the bat signal being created, there’s really nothing else to say about his origin. This volume is instead a look at the early days of Batman.

Or you could say this is the origin of Batman and Gordon’s relationship, which it is. And that’s fine because Snyder writes both characters really well and I liked their interactions, except so many of Gordon’s actions are contrived to make him be as superhuman as Batman. Like when Batman’s escaping the SWAT team (an inversion of the same scene that closed out Year One), Batman pops up in Gotham harbour - at the exact same spot where Gordon happens to be sat in a boat, alone, and away from the GCPD. My, what a coincidence!

And in that same scene, Gordon happens to relate to Batman - not knowing that he’s Bruce Wayne - an incredibly pertinent story that’s been bothering Bruce about Gordon’s integrity, the explanation of which helps bring the two together. Oh, the coincidences! Then later in Savage City, Snyder’s got Gordon doing ridiculous Batman stuff like leaping off of the sides of skyscrapers into flooded subway entrances - come on!!

That finale too - wow. It’s the scene after the riddles and really hits the whole Batman/Gotham connection way too hard on the nose. Especially as the scene following it again re-emphasizes that Bruce’s true love is the city itself and can never be another person, much less a girlfriend. I felt it was just a bit too much at that point (though, if you’re a fan of Superhero Cafe on Youtube, you’ll love that Alfred literally says “because you’re Batman!”).

As for the positives about this arc, it’s basically everything else! The fact that Snyder completely rehabilitated the Riddler to become a major threat to Batman, as he should be, is the best thing about this arc. Snyder emphasises his technical side with his robotic creations helping him keep the city in his thrall, showing just how much potential the character has. Dark City is Riddler’s finest hour.

My favourite aspect of this arc - and really all of Snyder’s Batman books - is how much of Batman’s history he puts into it. He’s said many times that he works for DC but he writes for the fans and it really shows in his comics. If you’re as big a Batman fan as me, you’ll love playing spot the reference in the pages. He goes as far back as the early days of Batman with the Dr Death character to the recent Arkham Asylum games, with all those Riddler boxes and devices scattered across Gotham. Even the “goddamn Batman” makes a censorious appearance, a nod to Miller’s lesser Batman moment amidst so many of his glorious ones.

Capullo gets in on the references too. Some of the best art in this book features his take on Miller’s iconic Batman silhouette against the lightning storm backdrop. And his design for the jumping Batmobile is incredible - the man spent two days trying to make that schematic work and it looks absolutely brilliant on the page.

The big scenes are pulled off beautifully like the blimp fight in the storm but what tickled me the most was the smaller scenes. Like when Gotham is blacked out, looters are stealing stuff from a mom ‘n’ pop store, the mother protecting her daughter and the POV is the little girl’s. We briefly see Batman then her mother’s outline in front of her but on the edges we see the looters being beaten up. Batman’s gone before she knows it but she pulls out a torch and a pen and draws a bat symbol on it - the first Bat signal! Totally brilliant, and that’s just one page!

The last volume was arguably as good an origin as Batman’s ever had, up there with Miller and Mazzuchelli’s Year One. This volume is an excellent continuation of the story and also the best Riddler story you’ll ever read. It may be overlong but there’s a lot to recommend it. Overall, Zero Year has been a remarkable success - one more notch on the utility belt for Snyder and Capullo!

final rating: 4 stars

▪ i didn't connect with this as much as the first one for some reason.
▪ my main issue is that i didn't think the Riddler was a compelling villain. sure, he did a lot of sh*t. he was always one step ahead of Batman. however, i just didn't buy all the things he's done as well as his reasons for doing them. he is insane, clearly, but you get what i mean right? there wasn't enough substance to what he was trying to do.
▪ there were just

overall thoughts

i liked it, but not as much as secret city. the parts where we ses bruce's past was always good to read about, the other parts were okay i guess. they just didn't wow me.

Wow, Snyder. I really liked the first volume of Zero Year, but this is even better. Retelling the early days of Batman is quite a challenge, especially with somebody else's take being so highly regarded. I got to say, I like this one better.

I like how much younger Bruce feels. He's still single-minded and completely devoted to his crusade without exception, but he seems less... weighed down, if you will. Which stands to reason, doesn't it? He leads a crushing life, in every sense. It's kind of heart breaking to see a slightly younger Alfred, who hasn't quite given up on hope that Bruce could have a normal life. There's a scene at the end of the book where Alfred imagines a possible future where Bruce allows himself to meet a normal girl, love her, marry her, and have a normal family. And knowing what we know, it's such a punch. Alfred has been accepting of Bruce as Batman for so long that we forget there was a point he hoped he would have a happy, normal life, and a point when he gave up that hope.

Riddler is so rarely cool, or threatening, but he's both here. He's very, very smart, as he should be, and a very convincing threat. Yes, I do suspect that Snyder took some inspiration from The Dark Knight Rises by having a major villain cut off Gotham from the outside world. That's not a bad thing, not here. As a Riddler plot, it makes sense, and this Riddler is actually a dangerous and frightening villain. Well done, Snyder.

I was kind of nervous when I saw that Snyder was going to be delving back into times past, but clearly he knew what he was doing. I guess I should have trusted him.

Zero Year could have been rightfully called as Gotham and everything would be just the same. But Zero Year has a more nice ring to it, a sort of nod to Frank Miller's more grounded and brutal Year One (and still the definitive Batman origin story).

Snyder, in his exceptionally well-written Batman arcs, always has a thesis in mind as the foundation and works the way up in the most amazing ways to deliver a montage of memorable Bat stories. In Zero Year, aside from a modern retelling of Batman's origin, Snyder establishes two tenets in the Batman mythos: number one, Bruce cannot be just a vigilante Bruce to take up crime on his hands, he has to be Batman and two, Gotham City needs Batman. Embedded in these two rudimentary philosophies are side stories that are seamlessly put together by the genius mind of Scott Snyder. We have Red Hood and The Jokers origin, the giant coin in the Batcave, the Batcave itself, the Bat-signal, the Batman-Gordon friendship and most notably an outstandingly good Riddler story.

This is what happens when Edward Nygma rises up to the throne unchecked, undisputed and unrivaled. He has the capability to turn the City into a dark place. Although Snyder goes a bit in excess with all those drones and killer bots (but this is comics, I guess? Kinda like how can Bruce afford those large computers with large screens in the Batcave and all sorts of Batman stuff, or how can the Joker implement that elaborate plan in Death of the Family), this Zero Year is what separates The Riddler from the Clown Prince of Crime - The Joker is all about the laughs and his twisted love for Batman while the The Riddler takes so much pride in his intellectual prowess to a fault and openly challenges everybody to beat him and his riddles.

As a short aside, can I just say that Greg Capullo kills it big time in Zero Year? I mean o my god. This guy draws exceptionally fantastic! Capullo (and Danny Miki of course) perfectly, I mean perfectly illustrates the story. The colors are vibrant with a significant touch of lush green, the postapocalyptic-ish rendering of Gotham City truly tells how it has been abandoned and given-up.

Gotham City itself in Dark City is one large riddle. Freeing it from the hands of Nygma has become a personal mission for Batman. Alone, he cannot do it. The book shows to us that The Riddler is way intellectually superior to Bruce. So how did he beat the green skinny man? Snyder then displays us what Batman can do: 1. Bataman is a detective, devising a feasible plan to defeat the Riddler, solely figuring out where his lair is and even goes one-on-one brain-wise with The Riddler. 2. Batman has the technology and gadgets to do his, though in Zero Year they are still crude, they do the job. 3. He has allies. Bruce has Gordon as his wingman, Lucius Fox as his tech expert and Alfred as the one who will tend to his needs. And finally, 4. Batman has the physical advantage, the muscle to punch Edward Nygma (hugely gratifying) and stomp him to oblivion.

So whenever Batman says that Gotham "is my city". This is the definitive justification why he has rightfully earned it.

Saying that Zero Year is a Batman origin story is an oversimplification of what it really is. It is a study of the rudimentary ideals that make up the Batman: a detective, a vigilante, a hero. It is a baptism by blood of the City itself. Zero Year is a modern tale, deep and at the same time entertaining, a literature that everybody should read.

sexy haircut batman

Zero Year had its share of downs. The first three issues (Secret City) challenged Snyder and co. to set up important pieces before they go in motion for the next installments, often favoring emotionally-nuanced characterizations than action-oriented sequences to tell the story, which eventually paid off when Dark City's issues #24 and #25 rolled around because these two are definitely the best of the series for me because all that build-up I witnessed on the first three arcs was realized in their well-balanced and tantalizing pages. However, there had been pacing issues on #26 and #27 (the former suffered anti-climactic brevity, while the latter suffered having too much story to tell with little room to expound on them). And then we took a break from the series to get a sneak preview of Batman: Eternal for issue #28 which was quite an effective decision for readers to truly look forward to the double-sized issue #29.

That last installment of Dark City was at least emotionally satisfying for me even with a couple of misses here and there that are mostly technical or have grating implications (like that big-ass Bat-blimp. I mean, Bruce Wayne has made a donation of blimps for the city so how the hell won't the GCPD make the connection sooner or later that the prodigal Bruce might also the caped crusader since his return and Batman's appearance are already so perfectly timed together? Wouldn't that make them incompetent imbeciles if right after Zero Year wraps up, they won't follow the lead on that Bat-limp?) But I digress. It has been a great ride that didn't disappoint fans (and only annoys every now and then but only when you really nitpick), all thanks to Synder, Capullo, Miki and FCO.

Next, we have Savage City. It opens up with a dream sequence from Bruce Wayne. He wakes up from that and finds himself in an almost fairy tale-esque setting: Gotham City is presently infested with shrubbery and forestry (thanks to Pamela Isley's plant formula which the Riddler stole) while its despondent citizenry haplessly shuffle through their lives, waiting for a hero who has only woken up, and one who is still unsure how to undo the terrible 'curse' that intellectual narcissist Edward Nygma has cast. Looking through the illustrations, my mind just started having nostalgic recollections of Sleeping Beauty and it certainly fits the atmospheric tone and mood of the entire issue.

This is the foremost reason the storytelling itself spoke to me resonantly. I love a murky setting which most fairy tales have, especially when there's the general good and evil forces thrown into the mix. Nygma as the Riddler is a pompous, self-serving man who claims to have the higher ground by challenging the city to 'get smart or die', taunting them to one-up him through a sick game of riddles. So far, no one has defeated him in this mental battle and this is definitely the side of the Riddler that I can get into because Edward Nygma had always believed he is intellectually gifted and it distraught him to be surrounded by lesser minds. This riddle game of his is also his way to show off and make people around him inferior which definitely strokes that bombastic ego of his. The expanse of the artwork and illustrations by Capullo, Miki and FCO are (and I cannot stress this any more than I already have since the beginning of Zero Year) is sheer perfection; the attention to detail and coloring are staggering. Each page is just so full of lush; even the grittier action sequences look pretty.

The comic book medium is a rich tapestry that combines the elements of storytelling narrative and visual artistry so in reading, reviewing and appreciating the content of a comic book issue, one must never neglect to take the aesthetic appeal that complements the written passages within. Scott Snyder's Zero Year issues have been widely acclaimed not only for its scope of story but also the splendid collaboration among Greg Capullo (penciler), Danny Miki (inker) and FCO (colorist) to produce some of the most engaging and stunning artwork and illustrations that truly capture the essence of Snyder's stories as they come to life in the pages.

Another thing to commend for this saga are the covers which range from minimalist depictions of objects to beautifully detailed portraits that have symbolic meanings. The cover for this volume falls on the latter category. One of the most iconic images of Batman is whenever he's standing on a skyscraper somewhere, his figure but a shadow across the ominous dark sky. However, in this cover, we see Batman crouching almost in defeat on top of a gargoyle that is covered in shrubbery while the sun sets on his side. Batman has a bow but no arrow which could indicate his aimlessness as well. It evokes an emotion of hopelessness as if Batman himself has been weighed down by something so heavy he can't stand anymore. And yet hope is on the horizon as signified by the sun rising.

It's really a moving illustration and one that paints the events inside this comic book issue so accurately.

Readers will be so lost in the story and action in the past issues that we might overlook Bruce Wayne's character development in all of this, but we will see how far he has come along from the early issues where he is angry and vindictive because finally, he understands that being Batman is not some sort of mission to avenge his parents alone. It's not just about striking fear in the hearts of criminals. It's a true act of altruism foremost where he has to stop being just a man with a haunted past but become more of an unkillable ideal that lives on for hope's sake. Bruce has acknowledged that he wants to be a hero, one who is flawed yet determined to stand back up again in every failure.

He has acknowledged that this isn't a self-serving mission he is carrying out; being Batman also means championing the citizens of Gotham; showing them that there is always going to be a fighting chance in hell as long as you keep holding on to the belief that the darkest of times will always be followed by the brightest. I recommend this series for three reasons:

• You're a long-time Batman fan and you probably had this on your bookshelf for a while, waiting for the series to end and making sure the reviews are positive: Fear not, Bat-geek. You won't be disappointed when you get around to reading this, preferably by also dropping everything right now and just go for it!

• You only knew and enjoyed Batman through television or the Nolan trilogy: This will definitely be a good side-by-side comparison with Batman Begins which is essentially a great origin story for Bats. However, Zero Year offers more nuanced characterizations, plot lines and callbacks to previous adaptations in all mediums that Batman had embodied throughout the years. There is a strong cinematic style in Capullo's illustrations that will be visually appealing as well.

• You want to start reading comics and Batman is a superhero you hugely favor and you want to start from the beginning: Though this is the New 52 where DC comics in general have been rebooted, I think Zero Year is a great place to start with in correlation to the classic Bat origin story Year One. It makes little difference if you decide on that one or this one first as long as you BOTH read them.

RECOMMENDED: 10/10

DO READ MY BATMAN COMICS REVIEWS AT:

Okay, I'm a little behind on this series. But it remains strong. It's the continuation of the origin story from the last volume, and it features the best Riddler story I have ever read, with an assist by a really creepy Dr. Death. It's got a lot of Batman history in it, and is a kind of Batman love letter to Gotham, in a way, in that he gloomily chooses the city over any possible woman. The writing is strong throughout, as it has been i previous volumes, but the art from Capullo in this volume stands out for me even more than it had before. The sort of epic, operatic quality of this Batman story is in the ballpark of some of the greatest from Miller (Batman One, The Dark Knight Returns) and Moore (The Killing Joke). Maybe not with that edge, quite.

Wow. This really impressed me. I've been reading so many crappy graphic novels lately that I was starting to feel like I was being too picky, especially when I wasn't agreeing with any friends on here, but I don't think the problem is me.

Heh. Honestly I just think that I was making bad choices. Hard to go wrong with Batman though! We get another origin story here and I'll honestly say I thought this was going to be mediocre at best since I wasn't really a fan of the Zero Year stuff, but this was clever and it had a story that I found instantly engaging. I also don't remember a story with The Riddler being so murder-y.

This book was dark and also very serious at times too. That's usually the type of Batman storylines I love. We see Bruce struggling with PTSD as a teen after his parents were killed and just overall watching him as he comes to terms with his past, battling mental illness along the way.

The art was beautiful as well which helped me to enjoy this. I mean, look at these panels:

Such great atmospheric artwork.

Art matter to me with graphic novels because if I didn't care about it I'd just read a regular old novel. So I appreciate when both the story and artwork come together to make something fantastic, and this is one of those times.

Just for fun, one of the variant covers:

That cracks me up.["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>

★★★1/2

While it's a bit uneven, silly and confusing at times (where the hell did the Bat-Blimp come from?), and doesn't flow as well as I would have liked, there are some really good ideas in this sequel to Zero Year - Secret City, which is Scott Snyder's take on the introduction of Batman to Gotham City. There's a nifty little Dark Knight Rises-style idea with Batman struggling to save a slightly dystopian Gotham taken over by The Riddler, all while in a soiled t-shirt, army pants, and cowl, riding a beat-up dirtbike.

While James Gordon was barely in the previous book, he has much more of a presence here, and Snyder has a great new take on his character, that might feel controversial to some. Not only is there a hint that Gordon's past as a cop might not be as straight and narrow and idealistic as you might think, there's also the idea that he and Bruce Wayne have a history dating back to the deaths of Bruce's parents, with Bruce growing up blaming him along with the other bent cops in the city for the violence that lead to his parent's deaths. It not only provides a past that Gordon has to overcome, but also a grudge that Bruce has to overcome as well. In Zero Year, Bruce is a co*cky, angry 25-year-old who, throughout the two books, has to learn to put aside the anger, learn that the only way to really save the city is with the help of others, and become a true symbol of hope that Gotham needs.

f*cking. Gorgeous. Art. Even if Snyder was one of those writers who thought they had to explain everything (or someone who doesn't say their dialogue out loud as they're writing it), the pages would be worth a look just for the composition, the cinematic eye or the colours.

You know how some comics look like a clown sneeze, they're so garishly overdone with the whole colour spectrum? Well it sure makes me admire the sh*t out of anyone who can dabble the whole palette and come away looking...elegant.

Elegant is not a bad description for Snyder's dialogue either. It's actually fascinating to watch Snyder tread past the work of Frank Miller (and a nice touch by Capullo to evoke DKR in one panel - or three, by my count). It's not like he's retreading or cowering in the shadows - he's actually taking a few good moments and character flaws and updating them to a reasonably better writing style.

I've heard other reviewers say that this story makes Riddler a darker, more menacing villain. To me, it just makes him bigger. Not the narrow-minded obsessive, but a smart guy with big, multi-layered plans, and the will (or lack of conscience/self-doubt) to execute them.

This is a good set of surprises, for all our expectations that Riddler is still the laughable caricature we knew from Frank Gorshin and Jim Carrey. And Snyder serves up other surprises too, letting us fall prey to (and forget) our expectations of the old guard of characters we've known too long in this Batverse.

More surprising - or at least more pleasing - is how much Snyder imbues into Batman's personal philosophy. There are a few monologues on why he does it, and I'll be damned if I don't find myself falling in love with this character, this particular Batman. Not the brooding, menacing loner of recent times, and not the super-smart detective - just the dude who believes so strongly in why he's doing what he's doing - not for himself or his parents, but for the city and its lessers.

The Riddler is one crazy son of a bitch and he is doing so damn cool, yo! So I'm glad Batman gives the Riddler the boot this time.

On the other hand, it's nice to see the young Bruce Wayne dealing with his issues and struggling to find his way to beat the Riddler when Gotham is in a black out, etc still Batman and Gordon's heart to heart really isn't my thing. It's uncool. Lol

I like that young Thomas makes an appearance, yo!

Plus I'll admit it, it's refreshing to not having to see The Joker and his face.

Last but certainly not least, the artwork and the coloring is so freaking awesome. Good job!

The new 52 takes a look at Batman as a relatively new Batman. His nemesis, who seems to have defeated him in the past, is The Riddler. As Gotham is put in tech peril Batman tries to save the day.

Snyder delivers a solid story with the usual artwork level.

OVERALL GRADE: B to B plus.

Sin duda, si hay una saga de origen de Batman que puede reemplazar (como último recurso claro) al Año Uno de Frank Miller, que sea este Año Cero de Scott Snyder. Pero entiéndase Año Cero (Origen en la traducción de ECC en España, fallo gordo, ya no solo como mencione por quitar el homenaje a Año Uno, si no que se descubre luego que Año Cero es como se llamó a la crisis del Acertijo que dejo sumida Gotham en la anarquía) como en su conjunto, con los tres actos completos, Ciudad Secreta (la ya antes reseñada), Ciudad Oscura y Ciudad Salvaje (los dos arcos argumentales que están aquí reseñados). Esos tres actos en su conjunto son una manera maravillosa de crear una nueva mitología del personaje en tiempos modernos además de ser de por si una saga palomitera bellamente dibujada por Capullo.

Dejamos a Bruce Wayne justo cuando acepto su alias de Batman (y de ser Bruce Wayne), derrotando a la banda de los Capuchas Rojas. Pero no hay descanso, puesto que una nueva amenaza se levanta, Edward Nigma (que ya se había presentado durante Ciudad Secreta) aparece con su nueva identidad llamado el Acertijo (me gusta más Enigma porque rima con Nigma pero bueno) provocando un apagón masivo a días de la llegada de una supertormenta como pocas se han visto en Gotham City. Pero no solo eso, también aparecen ciertos cadáveres grotescamente desfigurados con sus huesos saliendo brutalmente de sus cuerpos, víctimas de experimentos realizados por un tal Doctor Muerte (no confundir con el encantador dictador de Latveria de la Marvel), villano creado por Scott Snyder para la ocasión. Muy al estilo de villanos grotescos o monstruosos del Murciélago como Man-Bat, Solomon Grundy, Cara de Barro o Cocodrilo Asesino. Todo esto desembocara en otro arco argumental llamado Ciudad Salvaje donde veremos porque Gotham City acabo como vimos al principio de Ciudad Secreta, esa ciudad en ruinas y salvaje al estilo The Last of Us.

Como digo, Snyder aquí es capaz de introducir multitud de elementos y géneros para no quedarse en lo superficial de contar de nuevo el origen de Batman, sino que ya añade mucha de la mitología del personaje (también es que cuenta con el factor de la longitud, puesto que es una saga muy larga, y del tiempo, en 2013 el personaje ya cuenta con mucha rica mitología con la que jugar que la que tenía Frank Miller en sus cuatro numeritos de Año Uno).
Por ejemplo, añade conceptos como la identidad, de Bruce Wayne y Batman, afianzar y reforzar la alianza (¿padre-hijo?) que tiene Alfred y Bruce, jugar con el trauma de Bruce a la muerte de sus padres con momentos bastante oscuros, introducir a los Capuchas Rojas como germen del Joker, el Acertijo como primer gran desafío mental del Caballero Oscuro dotándolo de una peligrosidad que nunca ha tenido este villano (y quizás algo exagerado como suele pecar Scott Snyder en sus sagas grandilocuentes, con esos acertijobots que parecen drones futuristas y uno es clavado al T-1 de la saga Terminator joder), dotar de una riqueza la alianza de un James Gordon dentro de una Comisaria de Policía corrupta con Batman que le tenía cierto desprecio a Gordon por ello, y conseguir crear una situación de crisis tan grande por el cual la ciudad acabe aceptando a alguien como Batman como su salvador y héroe protector en una antaño urbe sumida en la corrupción y la decadencia.

Sin duda mencionar estos dos últimos elementos. La parte de Gordon cuando cuenta su cambio en la policía como individuo pasivo en la corrupción policial, a agente crítico con ella, arriesgando su vida y la de su familia. Con ese momento brutal de las apuestas con las luchas de perros callejeros donde policías y criminales se reúnen de forma amistosa. Me recordó a la película Serpico puesto que el protagonista de ese largometraje interpretado por Al Pacino fue seguro una de las influencias de Frank Miller y también lo es de Scott Snyder, como igualmente me recordó ese duro momento de Año Uno donde le pegan una paliza a Gordon con bates de beisbol sus mismos compañeros.

Y la parte más palomitera de toda la saga, Ciudad Salvaje, o como el Acertijo puso a Gotham City de rodillas gracias a su intelecto y su no menos narcicismo y egocentrismo al creerse superior al resto de mortales. No es la primera vez que Gotham City cae presa de un acontecimiento como este, sumida en el caos, abandonada a su suerte y separada del resto del país. Ya en los noventa tuvimos esas dos sagas llamadas Cataclismo (donde Gotham City sufría el mayor terremoto de su historia) y Tierra de Nadie (las consecuencias de este evento y como quedo abandonada por el gobierno, aislada, y dividida en sectores liderados por supervillanos), y hasta en cines hemos tenido un tema parecido con la tercera entrega del Caballero Oscuro de Christopher Nolan, donde también quedaba aislada del resto del mundo por el plan apocalíptico de Bane.

Pero aquí quizás por sacarle algún pero, es que no entiendo como Gotham City queda en ese estado, y no haya habido intentos por remediarlo por parte del ejército u otros héroes. Si, se explica lo de siempre, que Nigma tenía trampas y formas de destruir la ciudad si había un intento por parte del exterior de entrar en la ciudad, pero venga hombre, va Superman en supervelocidad atravesando edificios mientras Nigma duerme y asunto resuelto. Aunque bueno, quizás por eso jugar a la baza de ser en el pasado pueda funcionar, no sé exactamente si Superman o los otros héroes de DC en ese momento estaban preparados para enfrentarse a un desafío de ese nivel. Aunque seguro que algo se explica, porque creo que hay números relacionados con este evento de otros personajes, pero que no son necesarios leer como podéis ver y además, seguro que serán mediocres.

Resumiendo, leer esta saga si queréis introduciros en el personaje del Caballero Oscuro porque dudo que es decepcione, ya sea por su argumento o por los mágicos dibujos de Greg Capullo. Puesto que hace perfectamente de complemento tanto para iniciados como para veteranos del Murciélago. Y si no, siempre tendréis Año Uno, claro.

Reading this was such an incredible and cinematic experience! The art, the story and everything literally made it seem as though I was watching a movie because it all felt so real and everything worked so well!

This story gave me dark knight rises vibes and I loved it! The riddler is such a fantastic villain and the art colour scheme seemed to really fit with the riddler's aesthetic.

The relationships between the characters and the dialogue was so real and it literally gave me many emotions (especially Alfred and Bruce as they will be the death of me)!

I need to read the rest of this series, Snyder is a genius and I would pay good money to see all his comics brought to life on the big screen!

OK, so time to actually review this...

A lot of my Shallow Reader friends have already covered most of what I would say about this, but I'll briefly expand on what I thought...

1)Like Anne I loved seeing the giant penny do something! I also agree that Snyder's 25yr old Bruce Wayne has more in common with Dick Grayson than the Bruce Wayne we're used to. Good point as well that Batman has years to grow bitter and into the badass who has every angle covered that we'll ever know.

2)This Batman is not perfect...he gets beat by Riddler, and people suffer for it. This is just like Anne says above, a perfect explanation for how the paranoia of over-preparation came to Bruce/Bats...by this early defeat and un-preparedness.

3)Much like Sam, I loved that Snyder made Edward Nigma/Riddler back into a force to be reckoned with. The exellent Arkham series of video games has done a magnificent job showing just how proficient, ruthless, deadly and prepared Riddler can be (much like his Dark Knight counterpart...) In many ways, Bruce learned as much about preparation from Riddler himself, as he did from his being defeated by Nigma. Just like we learn how Red Hood shaped Batman, we also see here that Riddler is no slouch, and even more dangerous than anyone else. Bruce learns a lot from his matchup with Riddler, and without it, wouldn't be the same Batman we know and worship.

Hurrah for the Rejuvenational Rehabilitation of the Riddler!

4)I entirely agree with, and love that Sesana points to the aspects of Bruce and Alfred. Alfred's little coda at the end with Julie Madison (kudos again to Snyder for being that aware of the history of Batman to throw her in here, in a small, but pivotal scene) shows just how deep the Gentleman's Gentleman feels responsible for 'Master Bruce' and what sort of hope he holds out. In many ways, I don't think Batman would be nearly the force he is without Alfred. Father figure, wise sage, battlefield surgeon (who I just realize now, might have picked things up from the Army as well as being Butler to Doctor Thomas Wayne...) and more patriarch of the Wayne's than any actual Wayne since Thomas.

This is like getting to go back in time and see just how gut-wrenching it must be for Alfred day in and day out for years, decades, to see what young little Bruce turns into. The heartfelt moments between Bruce and Alfred really get to me, because it's something we always know is there, but luckily, hasn't been overdone by writers yet.

As for my own thoughts, I love the Riddler being relevant, I love the nods to Batman past, and I love that this just feels fresh, even though I'm sure most of us have read similar things in Batman many times before. I also liked the Gordon/Bats relationship development, even if it did feel a little convenient at points (Gordon/Bats relationship develops just like it did in Year One, with mistrust at first giving way to cautious trust.). Also nice to see Lucius Fox get some screen time (as well as a bit of explanation about his son, who some might know became Batwing #2). There's just not a wasted note, everything seems to be planned out well, just like Batman would, years in advance so that every detail has been thought of.

I'm not sure the chronology, but I'm guessing this came out before Forever Evil...? If so, I'm not sure if I should just call out Papa Johns on the blatant ripoff of the 'electronic item wired to heart of said Gotham superhero' we see here, and the same one we see wired up to Dick Grayson in Forever Evil...but it's the end of the year, and I'm almost out of negativity, so here's what I'll be charitable and do instead...Johns, as the cheese at DC, knew this was happening early in Batman's career, so fast forward to Dick Grayson having his heart wired up to a device the same way Bruce had his wired up, and boom...Bruce realizes the Alfred role, and all of a sudden, has the humanity to realize that if he cannot value Dick as much as Alfred valued him, then he's not prepared for that life. This would be a great explanation as to why Batman doesn't just go practical here...sorry, it's a bit off topic, but I wanted to address it, and I would love to know if anyone else noticed that before I mentioned it...

I just re-read The Dark Knight Returns (I took out The Dark Knight Strikes Again, and I wanted to be on the same page before I got into that), and it seems in many ways Snyder's work ties in closely to Miller's. That being said, I prefer Snyder's, and Capullo is a WAY better artist than Lynn Varley. However, it's interesting to see that this young Batman here (and in Secret City) could very easily have become the Dark Knight of Miller's work (the comparisons between Year One and Secret City abound, and for good reason). I particularly enjoyed the page that was a clear shout out of respect and acknowledgement of Miller's monumental work, leaving no doubt to anyone reading that Snyder and Capullo know and respect the history.

Pretty Damn Cool.

The second half of Zero Year feels like a big budget movie. The Riddler holds Gotham hostage with no power and rules like a dictator with only Batman, James Gordon, and Lucius Fox to stop him. I'm of two minds about it, though. In and of itself, Snyder and Capullo knocked it out of the part. On the other hand, as part of an ongoing Batman series, where do you go with the Riddler from here? Committing heists seems incredibly petty once you've held the city hostage for months on end. I think that's my problem with Snyder's run so far. He sets up the villains to be a little too powerful and it's hard to put the toys back into the box once he's done with them.

Finally the Scott Snyder .masterpiece we've been waiting for. Lots of easter eggs in this book, but seeing an homage to departed and loved Batman artist Don Newton was just the best feeling.

Snyder weaves an intricate tale here and gives our hero the motivation he has always needed explained in more depth than shown before. It makes sense without being preachy or too sweet.

Greg Capullo is the real star if this book. His art leaps off the pages and grabs you where it makes you sit up and take notice. Beautiful covers as well.

Bravo, Batman team.

Batman goes motocross! That's right. Batman. On a friggin dirt bike. Trying to save Gotham from The Riddler. And he also fights a lion. This volume was a lot of fun but unfortunately it's the last good volume of the series.

Now this was the Zero Year collection I was looking for. Granted, its just the second part of the collected story-line, this collected graphic novel has a more robust page count than its predecessor.

Secret City was the set-up and this was the pay-off, a revitalized Riddler that brought Gotham to its knees. I've always thought the Riddler was a joke character. Why was he designed to give clues for every heist he made? This Riddler had a little of that but he won't go easy on you as Batman found out.

Scott Snyder, of American Vampire fame, writes a really good Batman story. Year Zero, which I assume to be a subtle homage to the classic Frank Miller Year One, tells the tale of a VERY young Batman. Snyder has tweaked some of the backstory- from Gordon being a corrupt officer to his partner being Jim Corrigan (eventually to be the Spectre), but it works. It works quite well. The Riddler has struck and paralyzed Gotham. Only Batman, still an unknown entity, can stop him. The story that follows is intelligent and well written. Batman, operating on his own with only Alfred for help is sometimes a little behind the riddle, but he does eventually outsmart Nygma. Batman's gear and equipment are far better than what Miller had his Batman use in year One, but that's fine. I liked seeing Lucius Fox and others who will eventually play a prominent role in Batman's future. My only problems with this story are minor- (1) The fact that Gordon becomes Commissioner at the end is a rather meteoric rise considering he is only a Lt to start (2) after all the damage and death Riddler caused this would be a Federal case not State and certainly not local and (3) at the end when Alfred brings that girl to see Bruce. Ummmm Alf, you honestly thought that a billionaire Princeton aristocrat like Bruce Wayne would date a girl with an eyebrow piercing and tatoos going down one arm? Really? Is that your vision of high society? Hardly. Pffft. I'm glad Bruce jumped out a window (literally-but he was being Batman) rather than wade into such skan*y waters. For god's sake Bruce Wayne dates supermodels not trashy social climbers. But, as I said- minor things.

The artwork is great. Well done. I especially liked the artistic homages to Miller's Dark Knight- from the lightning background to the Batman in the foreground. Some scenes are a direct hint at the Dark Knight Returns art.

All in all a very good re-imagining of the Batman mythos. It is different, but not bad. I would recommend this to any Batman fan.

Probably one of the greatest Batman stories and reinventions in superhero comics ever, Batman has to face the Riddler who has taken over Gotham city and has to fight Dr Death and discover how deep the plans of Riddler are, he has trapped everyone and has control of electrical grid and has put Gotham in surveillance, every day someone challenges him with a riddle but he solves them easily and takes them down until Batman teams up with Jim and Lucius to stop this mad man and rescue his city! Its an epic tale that just digs into the core of who Batman is, who Bruce is and what Gotham means to him and why he will never stop saving the city even at the cost of his own life and great cameos! And the ending was sweet and factors in Duke, Harper too! Fantastic story and the art is just mesmerizing and that cover just makes me love Batman forever!!

This pays strong and selective homage to Miller’s Dark Knight Returns through arbitrary color, imitation of iconic illustrations, and the introspective conflict between the Dark Knight and Batman, vengeance versus justice. And I think in the end, due to Snyder’s optimistic writing, Bruce Wayne finds Batman, and justice.