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thisisjon's review against another edition
2.0
Easily the weakest of the series and it’s not even close. I have really enjoyed all the twists and turns so far, it this one, eh, doesn’t do it for me.
brandongallant's review against another edition
3.0
Batman is dead. Long live Batman. Two months after the events of Endgame, Jim Gordon has now stepped up to be Batman. This is definitely not the greatest story by this creative team, but it's interesting to see Jim take over (and quit smoking).
hobbes199's review against another edition
2.0
This review was previously published as part of Saturday Scribblings over at If These Books Could Talk
After the cataclysmic events of Batman Vol 7: Endgame, Gotham is a mess: many are dead or missing thanks to Joker’s virus, including Batman himself, plunging the city into chaos as it mourns it’s finest child. To combat this, and give the citizens a new beacon of hope, Powers International, the new owners of Wayne Enterprises, create a ‘RoboBat’ suit and recruit a Gotham stalwart to fight inside it. Meanwhile, the mad and bad of Gotham are falling foul to a deadly seed that’s been planted under their skin. Who is Mr Bloom, and can the new regime cope with what’s about to hit it?
(It’s difficult to review this without giving any of the ‘surprises’ away, but for those who don’t religiously follow the comic world, and will be coming to this blind, I’ll just allude to events rather than flat out spoil it.)
I really wanted to love this, but Snyder doesn’t make it easy. The premise itself (if a little RoboCop) is fine, but the execution is incredibly flawed. Characterisation is almost non-existent, the narrative rambles, and the plot is contrived. Little makes sense here, as characters make ridiculous choices, and by the time we’ve reached the end of the five issues that comprise ‘Superheavy’ it feels like we’ve gone full circle, with little or no progression. The fact it ends on a daft cliffhanger as well doesn’t help. It’s not like DC to send their arcs out with no back pages or alternate cover art, so the published edition may be less ‘abrupt’, but it didn’t help what proceeded it in any way.
Artistically, this doesn’t feel like Capullo’s best work, especially compared to his art on earlier Batman collected editions such as the terrifying ‘Death Of The Family‘ or the atmospheric ‘Court Of Owls‘ with only a few pages jumping out at you. Ironically, possibly the most boring and tedious part of the story (a sub-plot involving The Penguin) is redeemed only by some imaginative placement and collage work.
This isn’t a graphic novel you can skip due to some vital plot points for further issues, so if you’re a fan you’ll just have to grin and bare it.
After the cataclysmic events of Batman Vol 7: Endgame, Gotham is a mess: many are dead or missing thanks to Joker’s virus, including Batman himself, plunging the city into chaos as it mourns it’s finest child. To combat this, and give the citizens a new beacon of hope, Powers International, the new owners of Wayne Enterprises, create a ‘RoboBat’ suit and recruit a Gotham stalwart to fight inside it. Meanwhile, the mad and bad of Gotham are falling foul to a deadly seed that’s been planted under their skin. Who is Mr Bloom, and can the new regime cope with what’s about to hit it?
(It’s difficult to review this without giving any of the ‘surprises’ away, but for those who don’t religiously follow the comic world, and will be coming to this blind, I’ll just allude to events rather than flat out spoil it.)
I really wanted to love this, but Snyder doesn’t make it easy. The premise itself (if a little RoboCop) is fine, but the execution is incredibly flawed. Characterisation is almost non-existent, the narrative rambles, and the plot is contrived. Little makes sense here, as characters make ridiculous choices, and by the time we’ve reached the end of the five issues that comprise ‘Superheavy’ it feels like we’ve gone full circle, with little or no progression. The fact it ends on a daft cliffhanger as well doesn’t help. It’s not like DC to send their arcs out with no back pages or alternate cover art, so the published edition may be less ‘abrupt’, but it didn’t help what proceeded it in any way.
Artistically, this doesn’t feel like Capullo’s best work, especially compared to his art on earlier Batman collected editions such as the terrifying ‘Death Of The Family‘ or the atmospheric ‘Court Of Owls‘ with only a few pages jumping out at you. Ironically, possibly the most boring and tedious part of the story (a sub-plot involving The Penguin) is redeemed only by some imaginative placement and collage work.
This isn’t a graphic novel you can skip due to some vital plot points for further issues, so if you’re a fan you’ll just have to grin and bare it.
thirty37seven's review against another edition
4.0
"Tell me, "Batman," have you ever seen RoboCop?"
No joke, I actually watched RoboCop right before I started reading this. Kind of surprised me when I got to this part. Great movie, by the way. Watch it if you haven't already. Did you know (I didn't until recently) that the guy who was RoboCop also was the voice of Batman in the Dark Knight Returns? That is one of the coolest things in existence. Nobody is more awesome than Peter Weller because of that connection. RoboCop and the Dark Knight Returns were both written by Frank Miller. (I did know this.) When I first watched RoboCop I kept thinking "Are we in Gotham? This feels very Gothamy." Both stories do have similar themes and visual elements. This stuff probably isn't news to everyone else but I just wanted to mark the fuck out about RoboCop being Batman.
"In the beginning, there was nothing. And then... there was Batman. And this was good."
I actually had very low expectations for this but I really liked it for what it was. Gordon as Batman is a hard sell and I think the writers definitely knew that and kind of leaned into it with lines like this:
"I'd like to go on record as saying this is the dumbest idea in the history of Gotham City."
"None of this is Batman, Geri."
"No, Jim, it's not. But if you want to be a part of it... you're going to have to try to accept that."
Jim is a bit of a dorky Batman and I just love that. I like that he's so drastically different from Bruce.
"Bat-stache away."
Brucie looking really good with the beard and his hair grown out. Bearded Batsy is very rare and very nice.
No joke, I actually watched RoboCop right before I started reading this. Kind of surprised me when I got to this part. Great movie, by the way. Watch it if you haven't already. Did you know (I didn't until recently) that the guy who was RoboCop also was the voice of Batman in the Dark Knight Returns? That is one of the coolest things in existence. Nobody is more awesome than Peter Weller because of that connection. RoboCop and the Dark Knight Returns were both written by Frank Miller. (I did know this.) When I first watched RoboCop I kept thinking "Are we in Gotham? This feels very Gothamy." Both stories do have similar themes and visual elements. This stuff probably isn't news to everyone else but I just wanted to mark the fuck out about RoboCop being Batman.
"In the beginning, there was nothing. And then... there was Batman. And this was good."
I actually had very low expectations for this but I really liked it for what it was. Gordon as Batman is a hard sell and I think the writers definitely knew that and kind of leaned into it with lines like this:
"I'd like to go on record as saying this is the dumbest idea in the history of Gotham City."
"None of this is Batman, Geri."
"No, Jim, it's not. But if you want to be a part of it... you're going to have to try to accept that."
Jim is a bit of a dorky Batman and I just love that. I like that he's so drastically different from Bruce.
"Bat-stache away."
Brucie looking really good with the beard and his hair grown out. Bearded Batsy is very rare and very nice.
bmurray153's review against another edition
3.0
3.5. Tempted to go up to 4, but I have to sit on it.
Frank Miller is obviously the best Batman writer. He is the most innovative, literary, and profound. But Scott Snyder has to be the most entertaining. He creates some superbly written stories that are extremely cinematic and completely thrilling.
"Superheavy" is a very different Batman story. It goes where a lot of Batman stories don't. Snyder takes a ton of risks in this story, and for the most part, they work. Jim Gordon is a funny but ultimately badass new Batman. I was immediately on board. Later in this volume, there are some major twists, and I don't really buy all of them. At times they come off as completely ridiculous. That being said, Snyder fully commits to his storytelling choices. This is the story he wants to tell, and his confidence in it makes its missteps easy to forgive.
But this is just the first part of the "Superheavy" story arc. As I finished this volume, I almost threw it across the room. Why? Because I did not want it to end. For all of its faults, I was completely absorbed. I am very intrigued to see how this story ends. But the fact that this will be Scott Snyder's last story arc for Batman is incredibly bittersweet. I don't want to see his terrific direction end, but at the same time, I can't wait to see what he has in story for ending his thrilling take on Batman.
Frank Miller is obviously the best Batman writer. He is the most innovative, literary, and profound. But Scott Snyder has to be the most entertaining. He creates some superbly written stories that are extremely cinematic and completely thrilling.
"Superheavy" is a very different Batman story. It goes where a lot of Batman stories don't. Snyder takes a ton of risks in this story, and for the most part, they work. Jim Gordon is a funny but ultimately badass new Batman. I was immediately on board. Later in this volume, there are some major twists, and I don't really buy all of them. At times they come off as completely ridiculous. That being said, Snyder fully commits to his storytelling choices. This is the story he wants to tell, and his confidence in it makes its missteps easy to forgive.
But this is just the first part of the "Superheavy" story arc. As I finished this volume, I almost threw it across the room. Why? Because I did not want it to end. For all of its faults, I was completely absorbed. I am very intrigued to see how this story ends. But the fact that this will be Scott Snyder's last story arc for Batman is incredibly bittersweet. I don't want to see his terrific direction end, but at the same time, I can't wait to see what he has in story for ending his thrilling take on Batman.
cpittman0513's review against another edition
3.0
I'm only giving this 3 stars because the interlude story towards the end was EXCELLENT. The rest was kind of strange and silly.
noveladdiction's review against another edition
3.0
Wow, I was really let down by this volume. I have loved this rebooted Batman series up until this point. It was dark, gritty, and had me on the edge of my seat. Until this book, at which time I realized I just don't care. I'll continue to read them, hoping it gets better. And if it doesn't, I guess I will just re-read the old ones over and over.
enriquedcf's review against another edition
3.0
I remember the buzz around this arc back then. "Bruce Wayne has amnesia and Jim Gordon is the new Batman"; I remember some comments about how it was surprisingly effective, but in hindsight, replacing the billionaire playboy with a police officer that wants to act without oversight as Batman was not the best idea.
Still, Superheavy feels more like a middle chapter, just a bridge between something and Bloom, and I guess that's my main issue, Superheavy doesn't stand on its own, and though Bloom finishes the work, I feel like there's a whole first chapter missing. We go from the chaos of Endgame, to a couple of issues of calm here, and then chaos again in Bloom; the quiet and personal moments that Graveyard Shift gave us between Zero Year and Endgame work because they are a breather, but Superheavy is not a breather, is just setup for the next Gotham destruction event, which at this point seems to be the basic approach by Snyder and Capullo.
Still, Superheavy feels more like a middle chapter, just a bridge between something and Bloom, and I guess that's my main issue, Superheavy doesn't stand on its own, and though Bloom finishes the work, I feel like there's a whole first chapter missing. We go from the chaos of Endgame, to a couple of issues of calm here, and then chaos again in Bloom; the quiet and personal moments that Graveyard Shift gave us between Zero Year and Endgame work because they are a breather, but Superheavy is not a breather, is just setup for the next Gotham destruction event, which at this point seems to be the basic approach by Snyder and Capullo.
thatpaintedpony's review against another edition
3.0
This volume was saved from the 2 star fate of its forebear simply by the strength of the mid-volume intermission flashback. The art style changed to an incredibly dark, watercolour style impressionist look and the short tale of Batman's first encounter with Mister Bloom, though he didn't know it at the time, was the volume's greatest strength. It felt like it was taking me back to real Batman, to proper Batman, not whatever it is that's been going on in the last couple of volumes. I really enjoyed that brief moment. For the rest of the comic, I didn't love it. Gordon is a rubbish Batman (sorry Jimbo, but it's true) and I just can't help but feel like I'm waiting for the moment where the real Batman returns to save the day. Though I do enjoy some of the ideas put forward, the writing is letting it down a bit. I enjoyed considering the role of Batman as a symbol, not a man, and the idea that some people might desperately hope to put someone else in the cowl to prevent Gotham from losing the hope Batman brought them - and that, misunderstanding the purpose of Batman - might do so in a counter productive way. I also liked the sub thread of wondering whether Batman is simply a product of Bruce Wayne's trauma, or whether there was something inherent in Bruce himself that will always drive him to become Batman, even without the trauma of his parent's death - but the idea isn't explored thoroughly enough and I mostly just found the sections about Bruce boring and frustrating. Also, why is he always wearing a pink shirt? It's horrible, Bruce. Horrible.
booknooknoggin's review against another edition
2.0
ugh they don't even ease ya into it...just blam! New Batman.