Ricky Church reviews Batman #51…
Batman has battled everything from the Court of Owls to Mr. Bloom to the Joker, but how does he handle a quiet night in Gotham City…?
An era has ended. Since The New 52 began in 2011, it underwent a lot of changes over its five years with a constant shift in creative teams, story directions and cancelled titles. Batman is not only one of the few original titles of The New 52, but the only one to keep the same creative team in Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo since its #1 issue. Its only fitting that the pair take their devoted readers on a trip down memory lane, bringing things full circle as they explore Batman’s impact upon Gotham City.
One aspect that has been prominent in Snyder and Capullo’s run is the idea Batman doesn’t know Gotham City nearly as well as he thinks, crafting the city into a character of its own in the process. Whether it’s through ‘The Court of Owls’, ‘Zero Year’ or ‘Superheavy’, Gotham has seen a lot of change. Batman #51 focuses on Batman’s knowledge of the city and his connection to it and his people, offering a reflective look at the hero. Much of Snyder’s story is a quiet, contemplative look at Batman’s return. In fact, the quietness helps make this issue so unique in their run as largely nothing happens, aiming instead to tell a much more personal story.
There is one particular moment that emphasizes how personal the story is. Bruce and Alfred have always had a close relationship, but they share a very poignant moment as Alfred reflects on Bruce’s newfound physicality thanks to his Dionysium exposure. It’s really hard to fault Alfred for his actions in ‘Superheavy’ and his feelings here. When he tells Bruce that sometimes he wants to fight Batman for what he’s done to Bruce’s life, the pain and anger in his eyes is quite evident.
The emotion doesn’t let up there as Snyder examines what Batman means to Gotham. Most of his time on the title has been bleak, but Batman #51 gives a much more optimistic view of Gotham and its inhabitants, even as Batman looks for the worst in the city. After everything that’s happened, its nice to see Gotham City given some hope from its people rather than its hero.
The artwork, once again, was top notch. Its going to be very hard adjusting to a different artist once DC Rebirth kicks off, but Capullo goes all out on this issue by emphasizing the quieter, subtler moments as well as visual callbacks to Batman #1 and other moments throughout the run. A significant aspect about this issue is the emphasis on shadows and silhouettes, which is where Danny Miki’s inks and FCO Plascencia’s colours really come into play. Miki’s work on Batman’s rooftop conversation with Gordon is a highlight as they are illuminated very little in the darkness while Plascencia’s colours add some vibrant energy whenever there is light. It’s particularly effective when Batman is silhouetted and the only details made out are his batarangs and new golden symbol.
Batman #51 is an excellent and emotional sendoff for Scott Snyder and Greg Cappulo’s time on the Batman title. The two of them have defined Batman for a long time to come with interesting character development, stellar artwork and epic stories. While it’s a shame to see Snyder and Capullo’s partnership end for the time being (they have announced their intention to work together again on something for DC), they went out on top and delivered some of the best Batman storytelling fans have had in a long while.
Ricky Church
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Originally published April 27, 2016. Updated April 15, 2018.
