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Batman (2011) #4-6
Batman by Scott Snyder & Greg Capullo Box Set 2
Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's game-changing run on BATMAN set the comics world on fire with THE COURT OF OWLS, DEATH OF THE FAMILY and ZERO YEAR. Now collected for the first time are standalone stories that expand and enrich the world of the beloved series. This second special-edition box set collects volumes 4, 5 and 6 of Snyder and Capullo's acclaimed BATMAN stories.
In this collection, which spans from the Zero Year to the future of BATMAN: ETERNAL, Batman grieves for a son, infiltrates Arkham Asylum and tracks a serial killer. Joining Snyder and Capullo is an all-star lineup of special guests, including Andy Kubert, Alex Maleev, Andy Clarke, Dustin Nguyen, Wes Craig, Matteo Scalera, James Tynion IV and Marguerite Bennett! This volume collects BATMAN #0, BATMAN #18-20, 28, 34 and BATMAN ANNUAL #2.
In this collection, which spans from the Zero Year to the future of BATMAN: ETERNAL, Batman grieves for a son, infiltrates Arkham Asylum and tracks a serial killer. Joining Snyder and Capullo is an all-star lineup of special guests, including Andy Kubert, Alex Maleev, Andy Clarke, Dustin Nguyen, Wes Craig, Matteo Scalera, James Tynion IV and Marguerite Bennett! This volume collects BATMAN #0, BATMAN #18-20, 28, 34 and BATMAN ANNUAL #2.
500 pages, Paperback
Published August 15, 2017
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About the author
Scott Snyder
1,766 books5,064 followersScott Snyder is the Eisner and Harvey Award winning writer on DC Comics Batman, Swamp Thing, and his original series for Vertigo, American Vampire. He is also the author of the short story collection, Voodoo Heart, published by the Dial Press in 2006. The paperback version was published in the summer of 2007.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 19, 2020
A friend mentioned to me, as I was starting to read this series, that at a certain point Snyder gets really long in the tooth. I first noticed it starting in the third arc, Death of the Family. But with this volume... man. It's definitely happening. And I understand like... how it's starting. I understand why Snyder is writing this the way he's writing it, except he's doing this at the expense of economy. This is the same reason I stopped Starman halfway through the run (much to that splinter in my mind that I just can't get out), and if I wasn't halfway through with the series I would probably consider dropping it. But four more volumes... I've already done six volumes, what's four more?
I must say, though... there's something really disappointing about how this series is broken up. This is three volumes in the set, and the first two volumes hold together more or less good. Zero Year ended up being a wash as far as I'm concerned, like... it was fun but was there really a point beyond that? It just felt like Snyder wanted to do some early Batman antics for the sake of doing early Batman antics. But at least it flowed well and did a good job surprising me with having three story arcs in two volumes...
No, the problem here is Volume 6, "Graveyard Shift", which is a bunch of small vignettes from around the run that didn't really fit into the existing architecture of Snyder's run. It covers issues 0, 18-20, 28, 34, and the second Annual. I mean. I get it. I do. But also like... This shit that they do where they just slap random issues into trades because they "don't fit" is impossibly frustrating. It feels schizophrenic. It ruins the feel that the comic had month by month, which is... fairly intentional.
I also think one of the later volumes does this. Not looking forward to that. Anyways. Onward.
Vol 4: Zero Year - Secret City: 3.5 Stars
Vol 5: Zero Year - Dark City: 3.5 Stars
Vol 6: Graveyard Shift: 2 Stars
I must say, though... there's something really disappointing about how this series is broken up. This is three volumes in the set, and the first two volumes hold together more or less good. Zero Year ended up being a wash as far as I'm concerned, like... it was fun but was there really a point beyond that? It just felt like Snyder wanted to do some early Batman antics for the sake of doing early Batman antics. But at least it flowed well and did a good job surprising me with having three story arcs in two volumes...
No, the problem here is Volume 6, "Graveyard Shift", which is a bunch of small vignettes from around the run that didn't really fit into the existing architecture of Snyder's run. It covers issues 0, 18-20, 28, 34, and the second Annual. I mean. I get it. I do. But also like... This shit that they do where they just slap random issues into trades because they "don't fit" is impossibly frustrating. It feels schizophrenic. It ruins the feel that the comic had month by month, which is... fairly intentional.
I also think one of the later volumes does this. Not looking forward to that. Anyways. Onward.
Vol 4: Zero Year - Secret City: 3.5 Stars
Vol 5: Zero Year - Dark City: 3.5 Stars
Vol 6: Graveyard Shift: 2 Stars
July 1, 2020
And so it begins to go off the rails... Court of Owls, Night of Owls, and Death of the Family were great, but the Snyder and Capullo run was not able to keep that going and we see that here.
January 31, 2018
The paper and binding of this version of the New 52 batman run causes the dark colors to bleed together. Compare to a sample chapter on amazon or the original comic or trade paperback.
The paper is cheap fsc.org paper and can't handle the ink so the 3 books were stuck together in the sleeve and had to be peeled apart.
IF you want the best image quality and want to spend less pick up the individual Trade Paperback volumes on Amazon or something. You can get them for 30 to 35 dollars US and this collection set is around the same but the art suffers greatly.
The binding is tight and very poor as well so read it once then prepare for pages to fall out unless you baby it and avoid opening it to much to read stuff in the crease.
The story is great and you should read New 52 batman but I can't recommend these box sets as they are just money saver cash grabs and I say that a true DC fanboy.
The paper is cheap fsc.org paper and can't handle the ink so the 3 books were stuck together in the sleeve and had to be peeled apart.
IF you want the best image quality and want to spend less pick up the individual Trade Paperback volumes on Amazon or something. You can get them for 30 to 35 dollars US and this collection set is around the same but the art suffers greatly.
The binding is tight and very poor as well so read it once then prepare for pages to fall out unless you baby it and avoid opening it to much to read stuff in the crease.
The story is great and you should read New 52 batman but I can't recommend these box sets as they are just money saver cash grabs and I say that a true DC fanboy.
March 5, 2024
The artwork by Greg Capullo is top quality throughout and the main story is quite gripping. It's an origin story told in flashback that includes the Red Hood Gang and the Riddler. This covers the first two books in this collection. I just found it a bit muddled towards the end. The evil plot involves electronic jamming devices, bombs, hideaways and riddles... it all got a bit needlessly complex for this bear of little brains. Some of the panels were very narrow and dark, not helping with clarity.
The final third book here is just a collection of odds & ends, standalone stories set around this period. There are some major spoilers for somebody not familiar with this timeline. It was all a bit inconsequential and much of it concentrated on two dull teenage characters - Harper & Cullen. The fact I just had to check their names by referring back to a book I finished yesterday says much.
I don't bother reviewing all the graphic novels (comics) I read but the Snyder & Capullo combination is a great match. I hope for a return to form in the next books.
The final third book here is just a collection of odds & ends, standalone stories set around this period. There are some major spoilers for somebody not familiar with this timeline. It was all a bit inconsequential and much of it concentrated on two dull teenage characters - Harper & Cullen. The fact I just had to check their names by referring back to a book I finished yesterday says much.
I don't bother reviewing all the graphic novels (comics) I read but the Snyder & Capullo combination is a great match. I hope for a return to form in the next books.
February 22, 2021
This was all very mid but I was still surprised with how enjoyable Zero Year was. Snyder did a good job at making him feel like a younger Bruce/Batman and it was entertaining but overall I feel like the story didn't have anything too interesting to add to the Batman lore. Greg Capullo is at the top of his game with his striking and interesting covers though. I really loved what they did with the art and colors in general, I thought it was cool and did a great job making this arc visually entertaining. It also worked in echoing golden age Batman stories and the original Killing Joke colors.
The dialogue was definitely the worst part, multiple times there are giant monologues that barely continued the story and just destroyed the momentum. Besides this the pacing was fine but still it made it less engaging.
Volume 6 is all the stand-alone stories so far and none of them are really worth it. Some specific moments are very good, particularly whenever they acknowledge Damian, but overall its meh.
The dialogue was definitely the worst part, multiple times there are giant monologues that barely continued the story and just destroyed the momentum. Besides this the pacing was fine but still it made it less engaging.
Volume 6 is all the stand-alone stories so far and none of them are really worth it. Some specific moments are very good, particularly whenever they acknowledge Damian, but overall its meh.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews