Review: BATMAN #39

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BATMAN #39
Written by Scott Snyder, with James Tynion IV
Art by Greg Capullo, Danny Miki, and FCO Plascencia, with Dustin Nguyen, Derek Fridolfs, and Dave McCaig
Published by DC Comics
Release Date: February 25, 2015

The unlikeliest of alliances are formed in the wake of the Joker’s final brutal attack on Batman and all of Gotham City. With only one way out of the diseased ruin the Clown Prince is leaving behind, will these new forces be enough for the Dark Knight to pull off one final, dangerous gambit? And what devastating effect will it have on Batman’s quintessential right hand?

Beware: mild spoilers within.

The penultimate chapter of “Endgame” brings Batman right back to where he began his New 52 adventure — standing in front of the Court of Owls and facing a Gotham on the precipice of change. It brings the Joker front and center again, with a plan and invasiveness far more destructive than in “Death of the Family.” And it threatens to tear apart the city in a way that makes “Zero Year” look mild.

In effect, everything Snyder and Capullo have done to date populates this moment in such a way that it’s become increasingly difficult to look at any one issue as independent from the whole experience the creators have crafted. Issue #39 looks and feels like four years of extraordinary effort, because in every way that counts, it is.

The subtle notes are the best ones as you move through the issue. The fly that lands on young Bruce Wayne’s lip paralleling the question of the Joker’s presence throughout Gotham history. The playing card that floats past the Joker in the underground waters and the one that ultimately frames his face as he takes his Mardi Gras moment on the streets of Gotham. The owl resting behind Julia’s back in the skybound Bat bunker. FCO Plascencia’s weave of colors across the issue from all the story arcs to date. Alfred’s sacrifice that con-goers for the last two years were left wiping their brows when assured it wouldn’t happen.

This is what it means to craft an elegant tale that rewards the casual and diehard longtime reader alike. Were you to pick up this issue alone, you’d experience Snyder’s escalation of desperation in the Dark Knight. You’d marvel at the insane amount of detail Capullo puts into every single panel, from individual brick texture to the water dripping off the magnificent Talon’s machete. This issue has it all for the reader looking for an “event comic” in a monthly book.

And for the fan (like myself) who has been onboard this runaway train since issue #1, Batman #39 truly feels like the last moments before a climax — the build-up before the crescendo — where all the pieces start to return to their pre-ordained places, and we are left with the status quo returned.

Only, I’m not so sure that’s how this will all end — with everything neatly put away — and that uncertainty makes the events of this issue even more horrifying and exhilarating, anticipatory and worrisome.

Knowing that Snyder and Capullo — the only original New 52 team still crafting their original title come June — still have stories to tell post-“Endgame” makes the stakes even higher, and Batman #39 plays that out with elegant force. All the crayons are being shaken out of the box here, and it’s clear already that they’re not all going to make it back in unbroken. And that is goddamn thrilling.

The Verdict: 10/10

 

 

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4 Comments

  1. Delafonsoa said:

    This was a great review! Your analysis of Snyder and Capullo’s run is well-thought out. As a small criticism, please add a spoiler warning to this article — your comment about “Alfred’s sacrifice” warrants that much. Other than that, thank you for this!

  2. Matt SantoriGriffith said:

    Fair enough. I felt like not quantifying the sacrifice was avoiding the spoiler, but point taken!

  3. RJR Araiza said:

    I really loved this issue!! But what I am fearing is that this is only happening in Bruce’s head. I have had this feeling ever since the 3rd part. I hope I’m wrong, because that would be dissappointing, but since the first arc I have the feeling that Snyder is someone who doesn’t take risks, who doesn’t dare to crumble and shake Batman mythos. He’s a superb writer, and his stories are really fun to read, but so far his resolutions don’t convince me: The brother who may be, may be not, or the whole death of the family being a joke (he didn’t dare, for instance, to really cut off Alfred’s face, or to kill off a member of the family), even Zero Year was a little bit dissappointing.

    In the first issue of this arc, they showed us that Bruce was experimenting hallucinations, and all were about many ways to die, so I really hope this doesn’t end up being just another of those hallucinations… On the other hand, the art was really beutiful, altough I will always have issues with the fact that Capulllo seems to draw a really young Batman, who doesn’t feel like he has been fighting crime for over 5 years… anyway… I’d give this issue also 10/10…

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