Batman 5: Zero Year - Dark City

Now, I can't automatically say that this book or these books by this writer and artist team is going to be for everyone. These books can be awfully wordy and dense and that might turn a lot of people off from the stories, but you get the most bang for your buck in these trades. It's masterful. Just the storytelling alone is refreshing, inspiring, and cinematic.You can study and analyze this book, and explore the themes in this story. The writing lends itself to it almost intentionally. Very well crafted writing from Snyder. This book is a continuation of the zero year arc from the batman series, where the riddler reeks havoc in Gotham. This book certainly highlights how menacing and dangerous the Riddler actually is and actually can be. This is certainly a set up from what we are use to seeing from him. This isn't the simple nerdy villain that puts batman in traps. This is a book shows you why the Riddler will and will always be one batman's greatest villains.One of the best Riddler stories and interpretations of the character I have ever seen. The art in of itself is beyond impressive, and stories in of itself. The designs of characters, the expressions, the action, the symbols, it's so beautiful to the point where I want to hang each page as a poster in my room. You have one of the best artists in the industry working on this book, and you get a lot from him. I actually think we get to see a lot of this artwork shine because the story lends itself to it. A great continuation to the series. I mean just the idea of Gotham falling into his almost apocalyptic ruin is fascinating in of itself which I think would be amazing to see adapted in a feature film. It's no surprise that Snyder and Capullo are able to give us another satisfying story. This is certainly a book and series that benefits from a re-reading. This isn't just another story to read to see what happens next. This is a well crafted story from top to bottom, with twist and turns that raise the bar in every issue. There is so much detail being put into this book, where you have to read this a second time just to get better sense of everything going on to not do the writing a disservice. This is certainly the most satisfying book of the series yet. I feel like I got more from this book than I would have in most comic books. I'm actually planning on buying this book again in paperback form just for collection and personal use because of how great this book is. It's certainly a classic in my eyes, so this is a must own. It's well worth your money. You will get more out of this book than you will from most. Books like these is why comics and writing inspire me. It goes without saying that I recommend you reading this series. If you aren't, you are missing out on something that is truly great, something that will last. Classic batman story.

Having read the entire Snyder / Capullo run up to here, I kind of think this may be the height of their run together, in a run with many high points already.The beginning of this volume, "Dark City", is like the middle of the Zero Year arc between "Secret City" (the last volume), and the next in this collection, "Savage City". It has Batman going up against Dr Death, an old Silver Age villain. The action level is high, but I don't think it's among Snyder's best work. Capullo, however, knocks the artwork out of the damn park and into the next town. His rendition of Batman is about as iconic as it comes, even while he references (one would think intentionally) the work of past Bat-artists."Savage City" is the battle against Riddler, in a Gotham overrun with plants first glimpsed at the beginning of "Secret City". This is quite an epic tale, and the scenes with Batman matching wits with the villain are fantastic. This may actually be the best Riddler story I've ever read. There are a few bits that are incomprehensible towards the end of this story (including some classic comic-booky physics and science), such as how Batman wrests control of the city back. Also, it's somewhat similar to the Dark Knight Rises film, at least plot wise with the compromised Gotham City. But the Batman / Riddler showdown here is tense and clever, and had me laughing with joy at reading it.This is a highly recommended volume, collected from probably the best superhero comic of the last few years.

This TPB contains the conclusion to the Zero Year story arc started in Volume 4. Whereas the last volume felt tired and plagued with obligatory plot points about the beginnings of Batman, this felt all new, fresh and exciting. The first half of the volume focuses on Batman's clash with Doctor Death, a character with pre-New 52 history that gets a Snyder makeover and in this version, is a grotesque, superhuman experiment gone wrong. While Doctor Death is intriguing visually, there's unfortunately not a lot of depth to his character or purpose, though Snyder tries hard to build in the character's family history and give him dialogue to spew about his medical research career spiraling into super villainy. It kind of works, but is paper thin if you ever pause (and take a breath from all the over the top action, explosions, and blood) to think about it. Doctor Death looks cool/gross, is frightening, but is ultimately a lower tier distraction put in place by the Riddler to set up the ultimate arc. So the first half of the volume is visually interesting and passably entertaining, but otherwise not that meaningful to Batman's canon or really the greater New 52 run.The second half of the volume, though, is the core of the Zero Year story and was shown in the very beginnings of Volume 4. The Riddler has shutdown the power in Gotham and has held the city hostage in a No Man's Land-esque scenario for months on end. He holds all the figurative and literal power, and forces Gothamites to challenge him with the promise that he might relent. There are some twists and turns and complications to defeating the Riddler, but under the artifice of the setup, this is simply a straightforward Ridder versus Batman faceoff to see who is the smarter man. In that sense, it's predictable, but at the same time, it's so well done (riddles included) that in my mind it is one of the quintessential Riddler stories now. Strangely--and this is just the feeling I get when re-reading it--the final arc of the Riddler story could almost have been a very self-contained and intriguing story all on its own that could have taken place any time in Batman's career. It didn't necessarily need the Red Hood Gang or Doctor Death to build it up (and is barely related really), and whereas the first couple of Zero Year arcs were about Batman firsts (Batman's first costume, his first criminal rival, his first super-powered villain), this final Riddler story really wasn't about Batman finding his footing and could easily have been about Batman in his prime. I don't count that against it, I only wonder now, looking back, if the Red Hood and Doctor Death stories could have been stronger if they weren't built in as leadups to the Riddler's arc. But again, I don't rate the volume lower for this reason, just something to consider for readers going through both volumes of the Zero Year story.

Excelente!!

Scott Snyder não apenas fez uma ótima homenagem para os fãs clássicos, como introduziu elementos novos, atraindo um novo nicho e criando um novo clássico. Os desenhos de Greg capullo contribuem para uma obra prima.

Great story and even more amazing art. the quality of the paper is also excellent and the cover material is very resistant for a soft cover. I strongly recommend it

As good as Frank Miller’s classic reinventing of the Batman origins. A must read for Batman fans. The story of Gordon was compelling as in the Frank millers

Greg Capullo et Scott Snyder sont depuis quelques temps les auteurs attitrés du Chevalier Noir.Comme sur les opus précédents les duo dynamique a du mal à nous convaincre.Capullo fait son travail avec application mais les personnages deviennent de plus en plus génériques. Le scénario, au démarrage souvent intéressante et plein de bonnes idées, peine à nous emmener bien loin.Pourquoi avec un tel personnage sous la main manque-t-on autant d'inspiration?On préférera la rigueur de Frank Miller ou de Jeph Loeb qui ont su mieux traiter la chauve souris avec originalité et moins de poudre aux yeux.Les couleurs, malheureusement trop artificielles gâchent le dessin pourtant riche et nerveux.