Comic Book Review: Batman #13
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I’ve been reading Scott Snyder’s Swamp Thing for over twelve months, so his horror writing has never been in question with me.
And I’ve always been a fan of Batman’s rogues gallery for their insanity and homicidal tendencies.
So what happens when you take a proven horror writer and have him deal with Batman’s most insane enemy? You get a damn fine and terrifying comic.
Batman #13 is the first chapter of a huge Batman family event called Death of the Family, which heralds the return of… you guessed it, The Joker.
Snyder has got quite the team behind him on Batman #13. With art by Greg Capullo and Jonathan Glapion and a backup story co-written by James T. Tynion IV, Batman #13 is the most fun I’ve had in a Batman comic.
The first six or eight pages reads like a horror flick. Batman #13 has the feeling of some great horror movies like Silence of the Lambs or Manhunter; street level psychopaths and detectives racing the clock to catch them as the body-count climbs.
And then there’s the backup story, which I really can’t go into. It’s a good story and the art is sketchy and cool, but I can’t bring up the content without spoilers from the actual issue. Just believe me, it’s cool.
The only thing I don’t like about this comic (and the Batman universe in general) is Robin. Be it Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake or the most rediculous of all, Damian Wayne, the whole Robin thing is an outdated gimmick that DC Comics just needs to throw out the window.
Back on track… this comic touches on the terrifying potential that a Batman comic has. I mean, sure, we want to see Batman handle the streets of Gotham and bust organized crime and the like. But DC Comics, how about with the numerous Batman titles out right now, dedicating one to horror?
Batman and horror. It works.
