Batman #5, by Marc Alan Fishman – Snarky Synopsis

February 5, 2012 Marc Fishman 0 Comments

Written by Scott Snyder
Art by Greg Capullo and Jonathan Glapion

Welcome back to the Scott Snyder love fest, folks. I won’t sugar coat the preamble here; I love Scott Snyder”s Batman. Be it Dick under the cowl, or Batman Classic, thus far, Snyder and his art teams can do little wrong. Batman #5 holds my lofty opinion up without fail. Oh Batman #5, how I love thee. Let me count the ways.

One: The pacing. In it’s fifth issue, Snyder is smart to slow things down to a crawl. In the first four parts of this “Court of the Owls” arc, we see Batman bested at every turn, by a secret cabal of shadowy owl-themed villains. Every time we think ole’ Bruce is getting the upper hand, the court pulls the rug out from under him. Be it an assassination attempt within a Wayne skyscraper, blowing up an old hideout with Batman in it, or dropping him into a labyrinth deep underneath Gotham… the series has been non-stop cat and mouse. In issue #5, Batman is stuck in the maze, and where we expect a cool and calm man under cape and cowl, we see Bruce break at the seams. Snyder deftly chooses to keep the book between a pair of scenes. It’s been eight days since the caped crusader has defended the dirty corners of his beloved Gotham. Commissioner Gordon keeps the Batsignal lit, dying a slow and fading death. The extended Bat family fights on. But the majority of the issue is spent with our titular hero trapped treacherously by the Talon… and it creates the atmospheric claustrophobia Snyder wants to sell us as being big enough to defeat the Batman. And by issues end, we believe it.

Two: The printed book itself. I’m not entirely clear on whether Snyder’s script or the art of Capullo drove the latter half of the book the way it did… but it’s amazing. As Batman traipses about the labyrinth, the pages themselves rotate. Soon you end up flipping the book around (first vertically, then rotated 90 degrees, twice), page turn after page turn, as Batman succumbs to his crippled psyche. It’s a kitschy move, but here, it pays off in spades.

Three: The art. I freely admit that I find Greg Capullo to be less my taste than previous Batman collaborator Jock. But you can tell that the art in the book swings for the fences. Pages are packed edge to edge with panels, adding to the paced paranoia. Unlike so many other DC books on the shelf these days, the art is here first to tell a story, not show off anatomy. Capullo’s pencils come from the Todd MacFarlane school of cartooning… but you can tell he’s working to adapt his style with the times. Where a book like Teen Titans just oozes early 90’s sketchy idiocracy, Batman’s art is a solid balance between the old Image look with modern bells and whistles. A muted and sophisticated color palate within the maze scenes accentuate the mood perfectly. The devil is in details; The subtle weight loss, and gaunt appearance of Bruce is an unmistakable addition that shows Greg Capullo at the top of his game. Where most would think he’d be better suited to rollicking action sequences, here he proves that someone can take a style I personally loathe (ahem…Scott McDaniel…) and apply such that I applaud.

Four: The nightmare sequence with Thomas and Martha. It’s a cliché you could see coming a mile away. We all know when Brucie is in trouble, a writer is just spinning their wheels until they can play the Thomas and Martha card. Here, Snyder pulls a fast one, and he channels Paul Dini’s aesthetic from the best Batman:Animated shows I grew up idolizing. I won’t spoil just why I found the dealt card of Batman’s lost parents done so well. I actually suggest you flip through it yourself and tell me the sequence doesn’t creep you out just a little. Because he’s waited 5 issues to introduce such a “trippy” scene, we don’t feel this is a cheat. And when a writer can use a trope like this, and pull it off? You get something where the means justify the ends even though it’s through the lens of a cliché.

To play the devil’s advocate, the book isn’t entirely perfect. Bruce’s inner monologue is fairly one note. I never got much feeling that he was ever in control. But given the choice to take us eight days into this sequence at the start of the book, Snyder removes Batman’s normally brilliant mind from the equation. It creates an uneasiness that is hard to latch on to until the second half. The last scene plays out a bit sappy for my tastes as well. Given the fact that I don’t buy “Batman and Robin”, I was unclear if this new 52 version of Damian would be played so… childish. But again, I’m splitting hairs where there needn’t be splitting.

Ultimately, Batman #5 is an amazing ride down the rabbit hole, and it assures me that as long as Scott Snyder is penning the adventures of Batman, I am a permanent reader.