DC Comics
Reviewed by Albert Avilla
Writer: Gregg Hurwitz
Pencils: Mico Suayan and Juan Ryp
Inks: Vicente Cifuentes
"Chill in the Air" (Spoiler Alert)
This story ventures away from the other #0 stories that I've read and tackles the origin of Batman from another angle. We see the traits that make Batman who is developed in his youth.
Early in his life, we see Bruce display the courage that will make him a hero when he returns to the scene of his parents’ murder. This is the determination that drives him throughout his life. Every step that he takes in his life moves him in the direction of finding his parents’ killer; there is nothing that will lead him astray. There is no one to push him to achieve his goal. He is a Spartan warrior living for battle. He allows no pleasures to distract him from his preparation. When the time comes for Bruce to face battle, he throws down on a biker gang. We don't see a bumbling idiot falling over himself. We see a master of hand to hand combat who takes down the gang without a bead of sweat.
Bruce is destroyed when he learns that his parents were not killed as part of a conspiracy, but for being in the wrong place when an alcoholic needed his next drink. The symbolism of his mother's pearls and father's watch shows how the death of his parents drives Bruce.
If you just look at the art, you are not impressed, but when you look at it in the context of the story, the art becomes an important tool in the telling of the story. The artist uses the details to help drive the story home.
I rate Batman the Dark Knight #0 Buy Your Own Copy.
