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A review by clarks_dad
Zero Year by Jorge Lucas, Travis Moore, Brian Buccellato, Juan Castro, Jeff Lemire, Romano Molenaar, Jeremy Haun
2.0
A collection of tie-ins to the Zero Year event collected in [b:Batman, Vol. 4: Zero Year - Secret City|18339834|Batman, Vol. 4 Zero Year - Secret City|Scott Snyder|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1395626522s/18339834.jpg|25893199] and [b:Batman, Vol. 5: Zero Year - Dark City|21524934|Batman, Vol. 5 Zero Year - Dark City|Scott Snyder|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1414127774s/21524934.jpg|40850537]. Utterly forgettable and with minimal addition to the storyline. Most of the issues I found to be distractions. The basic set-up for each was that each of the main DC titles (and especially the Bat-related ones) took a break from their continuing arc to show what was happening in their lives six years ago when the Batman first emerged on the rooftops of Gotham. Most of the tales are really lame and feel like filler. They don't add to the complexity of Wayne's character growth or the growth of their titular characters in any meaningful way. I read these mixed into the main Batman arc in release order to try and see how the event unfolded and I felt at the conclusion of each individual issue that it was a waste of my time.
What's odd to me is the newly compressed timeline of the New 52 universe. Batman has been around for six years by the time of Death of the Family, which means that in that time he trained four Robins, witnessed Barbara Gordon's crippling and then return as Batgirl, started Batman Inc., DIED, was gone for a year, came back from the dead and has been fighting crime on the streets of Gotham for one more year. The bit with the Robins makes no sense unless all of their ages are retconned and some spent mere months with Bruce before moving out on their own. Possible, but stretching things to be sure.
Skip.
What's odd to me is the newly compressed timeline of the New 52 universe. Batman has been around for six years by the time of Death of the Family, which means that in that time he trained four Robins, witnessed Barbara Gordon's crippling and then return as Batgirl, started Batman Inc., DIED, was gone for a year, came back from the dead and has been fighting crime on the streets of Gotham for one more year. The bit with the Robins makes no sense unless all of their ages are retconned and some spent mere months with Bruce before moving out on their own. Possible, but stretching things to be sure.
Skip.