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A review by clarks_dad
Batman, Volume 4: Zero Year - Secret City by Marguerite Bennett, Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV
3.0
What comes before Year One, kids? That's right! Zero Year. After wrapping their wildly successful [b:Batman, Vol. 3: Death of the Family|17671913|Batman, Vol. 3 Death of the Family|Scott Snyder|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1376507913s/17671913.jpg|24171337] run, Snyder and Capullo turn inevitably, inexorably toward a retelling of Batman's origins. It's not a terrible retelling, but it doesn't really offer up much that's new. There are these great vignettes at the end of each volume showing Bruce receiving some form of specialized training either in combat or driving that were kind of cool, but this tale of becoming the Bat is nothing really special. Snyder tries his hand at restoring some of the long lost history of the title with the reintroduction of the Red Hood Gang, a band of faceless, nameless villains—some of whom are forced into service by Red Hood One— who are on a murder, larceny, and general mayhem spree in Gotham. The Gang becomes Bruce's first target and we see him learn the ropes of vigilantism in all of the usual patterned ways.
For people newer to the story of Batman, the ending of this arc provides a huge twist. For the long-timers, there's some familiarity with what Snyder does concerning the identity of Red Hood One that'll bring a smile to your face. Bruce is a lot younger. He sports a military style crew cut, drops f-bombs, and goes on self-righteous rants against corruption. It makes his growth into the eerily quiet and reserved Batman that we've grown accustomed to that much more layered and deep—a kind of growth in retrospect by taking the baseline Batman we're used to and showing how a much younger version was so different.
For people newer to the story of Batman, the ending of this arc provides a huge twist. For the long-timers, there's some familiarity with what Snyder does concerning the identity of Red Hood One that'll bring a smile to your face. Bruce is a lot younger. He sports a military style crew cut, drops f-bombs, and goes on self-righteous rants against corruption. It makes his growth into the eerily quiet and reserved Batman that we've grown accustomed to that much more layered and deep—a kind of growth in retrospect by taking the baseline Batman we're used to and showing how a much younger version was so different.