Batman #51 Review

I count myself fortunate to have not only read Batman issues 1 through 51, but to be able to review many of those books here at MajorSpoilers.com!

All good things must come to an end, however, so let me share my thoughts about the final Snyder/Capullo issue with you.

BATMAN #51
Written by: Scott Snyder
Art by: Greg Capullo, Danny Miki
Published by: DC Comics
Cover price: $3.99

Previously in BATMAN: 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…?

LOOKING FORWARD WHILE LOOKING BACK

Batman has been THE success story of DC’s New 52 event. It’s been at the top of the DC heap, sometimes at the top of the sales for the entire industry in various months. It’s been a thoughtful, profound, mysterious, action- and surprise-packed ride.

To bring these last five years at the top to a close, Mr. Snyder and Mr. Capullo have brought us full circle, harkening back to several events during their tenure on the series.

Granted, this is the comics industry we’re talking about, and many books need to hit the reset button so someone else can pick up the reins and move the series forward. The Synder/Capullo team do a magnificent job of doing that in this issue. For example, we run across the Court of Owls, that amazing organization introduced in the first multi-part storyline. Blew me away!

Probably my favorite version of this had to do with Alfred’s hand, which the Joker removed several issues back. That situation gets resolved, and smartly so, in the first several pages of the book. Related to that is the updating of scars on Bruce’s back, a symbol for the punishment the hero has had to endure over the years.

We’ve seen Batman evolve from a darkly morose character bound by his own morals to a hero who is an inspiration to many around him.

I particularly loved how poetic this issue was. The title of the story, “Gotham Is,” guides us through the book until we get to the wonderful quote on the last page. Speaking to Batman, the poet states, “Gotham is … You. Always.” Nicely put!

THE BEST ART IN THIS SERIES?

First off, that Capullo cover! Yes, I did enjoy JRJR’s alternate as well, but this one needs to be a poster so I can hang it on my study wall! Wow!

Then, too, the artwork inside just seemed to sparkle even more than previous issues did, and that’s saying something! I love the new Bat-uniform, the representations of many of the famous rouge of Bat-villains, the Batmobile and particularly that wonderfully shadowed conversation between again-Commissioner Gordon and Batman around the Bat-signal.

Mr. Capullo certainly went out with a bang… a BIG bang!

BOTTOM LINE: A DYNAMIC END TO A SUPERB RUN!

I’ve only mentioned a few of the wonderful surprises I came across in issue #51. If you’ve been reading Batman as faithfully as I have, you’ll find reward after reward in the pages inside. I just hope you’ll read it as the exclamation point to what I wish more comics were able to match.

As a long-time Bat-fan, I’m so happy that I got on board this excellent run on Batman. I’ve seen the Dark Knight endure the lows and enjoy the highs before, but I truly believe that these past five years have set the standard for future creative teams higher than I ever dreamed of.

To Mr. Snyder and Mr. Capullo, I can only say of this issue as of their entire run: Well done! They’re not done working together, so I continue to look forward to reading more of their excellent product in the future, but you made me proud to be a Bat-fan! Thanks for making the Dark Knight fly so high very high, pun intended!

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