A review by thatpaintedpony
Batman, Volume 8: Superheavy by Scott Snyder

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.