Riddle me this:
What’s better than a fallen Bat, in a lawless city, at the mercy of a question mark?
The answer: Not much, that’s what!
A story nearly a year in the making reaches its exciting, extra-sized conclusion today – and you need to be around for it. Follow me after the jump for the beautiful riddle that is Batman #33!
Batman #33
Written by: Scott Snyder
Illustrated by: Greg Capullo and Danny Miki
Published by: DC Comics
You know, I’ve read a lot of comics over the years. A LOT. And I’ve got my favourite characters, my favourite single story issues…and my favourite story lines.
The current storyline in Batman is now right up there with the best I’ve ever read, including the fan favourites: Steve Englehart and Marshall Rogers tales during the late 1970’s, the Doug Moench “Nocturna” tales from the mid 1980’s and the Scott Snyder and Jock tales of Dick Grayson-as-Batman from a few years ago in Detective Comics.
This is vaulted company, to be sure!
We may very well look back a decade or two from now and say that Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s run on Batman was the greatest Batman story – ever. Crazy, I know, but why not? The writer and artist tandem have found ways to amaze, entice, and bring fear and hope to a whole generation of readers. They’ve found invigorating ways of telling story by using the comic book art form to its fullest. That’s how good they’ve been crafting the tales of the Dark Knight Detective over the past few years.
Here, in their “Zero Year” story run, it’s the Riddler that takes center stage.
This is a version of the Riddler that you’ve never seen before – a Riddler that makes so much sense that it feels absolutely natural. It’s as if this is what the Riddler should have been like all along: a frighteningly playful megalomaniac which an off-the-chart I.Q. and a penchant for sadism. Believe me when I say that this is the Riddler that you’ll be seeing in television shows and in films in the not-to-distant future.
Batman #33 is an extra-sixed finale to a storyline nearly a year in the making. What we’re reading here is an instant classic. It’s something that will be talked about by fans for years to come. Make the run to your local comic book shop today and pick this issue (and the previous ones) up.
The only riddle that can’t be answered is why you might not have done that already!
Look for more Batman-related articles later this month as Biff Bam Pop! and it’s cast of writers begin celebrating the anniversary of Batman @ 75.
