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elektra_eris's review against another edition
4.0
Pretty good. Interesting to see this take on Batman's origin story and the twist was good too.
pratip_vijayakumar's review against another edition
4.0
Wow! What should I say? It is completely a new Origin story of Batman and I love it.
Though "New 52" being my first Comic series but I am aware of various Batman Origin stories.
I should definitely mention "Red Hood" man who is he? Really?
He just gives me the vibes of Joker or is Scott Snyder indirectly making us read Joker's origin story?
Very much disappointing that they didn't reveal who the "Red Hood" actually was.
Poor Uncle Philip after all he did he ended up dying in a bad shape.
Way to go Batman... Way to go..
Hope Scott Snyder will keep up the phase of this "New 52" series.. *Fingers crossed*
Though "New 52" being my first Comic series but I am aware of various Batman Origin stories.
I should definitely mention "Red Hood" man who is he? Really?
He just gives me the vibes of Joker or is Scott Snyder indirectly making us read Joker's origin story?
Very much disappointing that they didn't reveal who the "Red Hood" actually was.
Poor Uncle Philip after all he did he ended up dying in a bad shape.
Way to go Batman... Way to go..
Hope Scott Snyder will keep up the phase of this "New 52" series.. *Fingers crossed*
booksnarks's review against another edition
4.0
Again, more like a 3.5 but I enjoyed it enough to round it up.
With this story we turn back the time to "year zero;" the year Batman was born. What I really loved about this volume is that this is not a story about Batman, this is a story about Bruce Wayne. I have always loved Bruce Wayne more than I loved Batman because, underneath everything, he was always the suffering child who, even as an adult, was still trying to make sense of his parents' murder. There's a certain depth and compassion in that.
The Batman that we get in this story is not really the Batman we all know. He is younger, less broken, and barely has any idea of what he is really doing. And I loved that. We really saw Bruce struggling with finding his place in Gotham after being gone for so long, while at the same time trying to save the city. The plot was not mind blowing, and it wasn't anything we haven't seen before in the Batman canon, but Bruce's journey to becoming Batman and his conflicting feelings and morality elevated the story. The art was pretty great too; I could totally buy that the Bruce on the page was ten years younger than in the previous volumes.
With this story we turn back the time to "year zero;" the year Batman was born. What I really loved about this volume is that this is not a story about Batman, this is a story about Bruce Wayne. I have always loved Bruce Wayne more than I loved Batman because, underneath everything, he was always the suffering child who, even as an adult, was still trying to make sense of his parents' murder. There's a certain depth and compassion in that.
The Batman that we get in this story is not really the Batman we all know. He is younger, less broken, and barely has any idea of what he is really doing. And I loved that. We really saw Bruce struggling with finding his place in Gotham after being gone for so long, while at the same time trying to save the city. The plot was not mind blowing, and it wasn't anything we haven't seen before in the Batman canon, but Bruce's journey to becoming Batman and his conflicting feelings and morality elevated the story. The art was pretty great too; I could totally buy that the Bruce on the page was ten years younger than in the previous volumes.
luana420's review against another edition
5.0
This is a really fun take on the Batman origin which, frankly, could just be poured into a movie with minimum changes. Sort of eliding everything we already know (and has basically become pop culture lexicon by now), Snyder just focuses on the stuff we might actually want to see. Interestingly, the book is as much an origin story of Bruce Wayne as it is of Batman, with the billionaire playboy forced into existence by his weak-willed uncle Phillip Kane (a nice way to establish the Kate Kane connection early). The Red Hood Gang as a sort of Chaos Hydra also works well, with the expected ACE chemicals showdown yielding an outcome slightly unexpected enough that different readings of the Joker’s origin are possible.
Most of all, Secret City is a delight because it makes Batman so explicitly an adventure book, and it really feels like it luxuriates in it.
Most of all, Secret City is a delight because it makes Batman so explicitly an adventure book, and it really feels like it luxuriates in it.
musti's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent writing from Snyder and fantastic artwork from Capullo, as expected, as always. Even with the slight absence of action one can enjoy the narrative to its extent with rich dialogue and diverse character moments. The mysterious prologue already sets it off nicely, while the two (resp. three) villains Red Hood, Doc Death (and Riddler) get neatly packed into the narrative for a juicy and overall excellent story. Let's see what the second part has in store for us.
rcgeek_13's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
slipperbunny's review against another edition
4.0
I like Scott Snyder's stories and the art was quite good too. The New 52 hasn't been too exciting for me, but this was actually quite interesting origin story for Batman (and it was kind of cute to see Bruce fighting the bad guys without all the Batman stuff). I just wish there was more Riddler and less Red Hood in this comic.
tbr_the_unconquered's review against another edition
3.0
Batman’s origin story now has that now familiar scene right outside the movie theatre during Bruce Wayne’s childhood. The final act of courage from Thomas Wayne, Martha Wayne’s pearl necklace breaking and falling into the puddle of blood as the bullet takes away her life and little Bruce scarred for a life time watching the pillars of his life come crashing down. It was the definitive incident that built the legend of the dark knight and yet it has been rehashed so many times that there is a feel of cliché to the whole scene now. Veering away from this gruesome scene, Scott Snyder charts the journey of a teenager Bruce Wayne as he finds his footing and dons the garb of Batman for the very first time.
The Bruce Wayne at the start of this story is what most of us are during our younger selves : brash, too many rough edges, seemingly a know-it-all and capable of being an insufferable jerk at times along with a wonderful ability to dig our heads into the sand and wait for that thorny problem to pass. The transformation of this wild youngster into a controlled and disciplined man is what the story stand for. Bruce realizes that he cannot solve all the problems by fighting criminals at night, some problems will demand that he remain Bruce Wayne. This is the key stone on which Snyder pegs this first instalment. The actual Batman alter ego appears only towards the end of the tale which is more of a homage to Frank Miller’s Year One . This is also the origin story of two the famed foes of the Batman, the first one is a strategist who has this obsession with the riddles and his name is Edward Nygma and you know who I am talking about. Nygma however does not become a villain until the last page and this I believe is the stage setting for the second instalment in the series. The primary antagonists here are the red hood gang whose grand plans the young Bruce tries to sabotage. As the Batman foils a chemical attack, one of the key villains falls into a vat of chemicals but not before letting loose a maniacal laugh which echoes all over the place. What emerges from that vat will need no introduction. The story also introduces a certain Mr. Edward Nygma and also a certain someone who falls into a vat of chemicals with a maniacal laughter that comes to haunt Bruce for a long time.
The artwork and storytelling go hand in hand and Snyder and Greg Capullo seem to enjoy what they do. This is definitely one of the good Batman origin stories out there. Recommended.
The Bruce Wayne at the start of this story is what most of us are during our younger selves : brash, too many rough edges, seemingly a know-it-all and capable of being an insufferable jerk at times along with a wonderful ability to dig our heads into the sand and wait for that thorny problem to pass. The transformation of this wild youngster into a controlled and disciplined man is what the story stand for. Bruce realizes that he cannot solve all the problems by fighting criminals at night, some problems will demand that he remain Bruce Wayne. This is the key stone on which Snyder pegs this first instalment. The actual Batman alter ego appears only towards the end of the tale which is more of a homage to Frank Miller’s Year One . This is also the origin story of two the famed foes of the Batman, the first one is a strategist who has this obsession with the riddles and his name is Edward Nygma and you know who I am talking about. Nygma however does not become a villain until the last page and this I believe is the stage setting for the second instalment in the series. The primary antagonists here are the red hood gang whose grand plans the young Bruce tries to sabotage. As the Batman foils a chemical attack, one of the key villains falls into a vat of chemicals but not before letting loose a maniacal laugh which echoes all over the place. What emerges from that vat will need no introduction. The story also introduces a certain Mr. Edward Nygma and also a certain someone who falls into a vat of chemicals with a maniacal laughter that comes to haunt Bruce for a long time.
The artwork and storytelling go hand in hand and Snyder and Greg Capullo seem to enjoy what they do. This is definitely one of the good Batman origin stories out there. Recommended.