The new Dynamic Duo in action.
After a brief interlude focused on a younger Bruce Wayne as Batman, Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo are back to chronicle the continued exploits of the new Batman. This issue not only puts Jim Gordon front and center once again, it’s the most successful chapter of “Superheavy” so far when it comes to illustrating the fundamental differences between Gordon’s Batman and Bruce’s Batman.
That process begins almost immediately here, as Gordon fights to escape a burning Inferno without the aid of his giant robot suit. Flaming death traps are an everyday occurrence for the old Dark Knight. But this hero is forced to wrestle with his considerably bigger limitations (both physical and psychological). What Gordon does often isn’t very pretty or elegant, but it gets the job done. One welcome touch is the way Snyder develops a bond between Batman and his suit in these pages. In effect, the two become their own Dynamic Duo as they take on the Devil Pigs gang. As distinctive as the new Batman suit is visually, why not give it a little personality to boot?
This issue is also a great showcase for how the series has evolved tonally since the days of Bruce’s Batman. The book can be surprisingly goofy and lighthearted at times. Case in point – the Batman suit defeats its opponents by slapping them silly with dead sharks. The art (more specifically, the coloring) goes a long way to making this feel like a fundamentally different comic. Gotham is a much visually brighter place, one as likely to be bathed in a Blade Runner-esque neon glow as it is the familiar shadows of Batman’s world. There’s also an increased tendency to set scenes during the day with the bright sun and pleasant views of parks and flowers showcasing a very different side of Gotham. Thanks to Capullo’s art and FCO Plascencia’s rich colors, the city feels more open and less predictable than ever.
That’s not to say that Batman is any less dark a comic than it was before. Sure, there’s a renewed sense of optimism in the aftermath of Joker’s attack, but one that feels strained at best. This issue is great at exploring the unease and fear that linger as the city moves past one villain’s devastating attack and braces for another. It also brings into focus the idea that Superheavy is a story about not just Jim Gordon, but also Bruce Wayne and Duke Thomas. All three characters wrestle with complicated problems here, whether it’s Gordon accepting that a publicly-funded Batman must be held accountable for his actions or Bruce feeling that restless urge to save his city (the one piece of Batman that the amnesia couldn’t erase).
With all of these issues at play, it’s a shame the final pages dovetail into a more traditional hero vs. villain conflict. Given what Gordon is facing in the immediate build-up to that fight, a battle with a costumed villain is arguably the least interesting thing that could have happened.
This latest issue puts Jim Gordon back in the spotlight, and the results are very enjoyable. Between last month’s flashback issue and now this chapter, the tone and direction of Superheavy is beginning to solidify. It makes for a very different type of Batman comic, and certainly an exciting one to read.
