★★★★★ 5
Great story telling, but not for everyone
WARNING: THERE WILL BE SPOILERS THROUGHOUT THIS REVIEW.
I found this book to be a really great read. I have been away from comics for a little while now and decided to pick this up after hearing Scott Snyder's interview with Kevin Smith on Fat Man on Batman. I am a fan of the dark style for Batman and this is one of my favorite books now. Granted I've been away for a while so I don't know much of the other stories (I plan on reading a lot more), but this book was an instant favorite. I will admit there are a few things I disliked at first, like Dick Grayson taking the mantle of the Bat but I soon warmed up to him.
I'll mention a bit of the storyline now:
Dick Grayson is now the Batman after the events of Infinite Crisis. He tries to fit into this new lifestyle as being the Bat and living in Bruce's penthouse. He feels uneasy and restless. So once trouble arises, he goes out as Batman to investigate (same old thing). He gets into this kind of social gathering (disguised as someone else) for the wealthy who purchase items once owned by Gotham's most notorious villains. Now the guy running the show knows he is Batman and tricks him, having some sort of toxin enter his body to make him fear everything around him. While all this is going on, Commissioner Gordon is out on patrol and learns that his son is back in town. Ever since James Jr. was a baby, he couldn't feel empathy. So whenever someone would mess with him, he would go after then ans torture them (this is where things get twisted). Long story short, the reader finds out that it was Gordon's behind all of the crimes recently commit to get back at Batman (Dick). There are also apparences by the Joker, Tim Drake, Barbara Gordon and Sonia Zucco (daughter of Tony Zucco, the man who killed Dick's parents).
Now I will say this book is pretty amazing, but like I mentioned in the title, this one isn't for everyone. This book is kinda graphic and has gore elements in it. Not to mention the use of psychotic themes and characters. I can see how some people can get disinterested in that. And the story does jump around a little so it can get a bit difficult to follow. But all in all, it is great storytelling.
If dark story-telling is your thing, I recommend checking this one out. The dialog of the characters seem so natural and so is their development. The inclusion of Gordon's son was such a wonderful experience, and not only that but to have him a little twisted in the head was incredible in my opinion. Like they have said before, having this character be twisted, he is a perfect counter-part to both Gordon and Dick; Dick is smiling and care for other people while James Jr. cannot do this, and to Gordon, his son is the one case he cannot solve. Anyways, I loved everything about it and has even inspired me to get back into the comic book genre. I hope my review helped you decide to check this book out.
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Reviewed in the United States on February 20, 2013
