SCOTT
SNYDER’S BATMAN
Comic books are a difficult beast. Few art
forms are as stigmatised or have their power to entertain, compel and provoke
as underestimated. Plenty more are put off by wandering into the cobweb of
comic book continuity and barely finding their way out again. The rewards can
be hard to see and sometimes even harder to understand. I can assure you that
they are there.
Scott Snyder is an immensely talented
writer who works wonders whether he’s writing his own miniseries (Severed) or
working in the background of the wider DC universe (Detective Comics: The Black
Glove). A recurring theme in his work is the examination of history and
architecture’s impact on a city’s personality and culture. If that sounds high
fallutin’ for a super hero comic book, maybe you’re reading the wrong super
hero comic books. When Snyder was given the sandbox of Batman, one of DC’s flagship titles, it was an opportunity he was
expected to grab with both hands, and boy, did he ever. His atmospheric,
thoughtful stories are filled with fun moments and stunning plot twists, all
while sneaking in some thematic depth about how much impact any person can
really make on the world, while respecting the awesome power of the world to
create or destroy us. It is simply brilliant. Oh, and he’s writing a Joker story
now.
Honourable
Mention: Geoff Johns’ Aquaman is a deliberate,
innovative and mostly successful attempt to reinvent a character seen widely as
a complete joke as a kick-ass superhero for a modern age. It’s entertaining,
even if I wish DC Comics would just abandon all of its past continuity for
certain titles and just start again.
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