It's been a long time coming, but Bruce Wayne's Batman is finally back.
For almost the past year, the pages of Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's Batman comic has been missing traditional Batman. Instead, the comic covered the exploits of a government-approved "Batman" robot suit piloted by James Gordon to keep the peace. In that time, it was one wild ride, as a new villain by the name of Mr. Bloom ripped Gotham apart with his mysterious powers, while also empowering the disenfranchised of Gotham to do the same.
That all comes to a head in issue #50. Bruce, after having his memories of his time as Batman restored, is ready to make an impression, to remind the people of Gotham that there will always be a Batman. What better way to make a good impression than with a brand new suit?
It's not a huge departure from Snyder and Capullo's previous Batman suit, but it does incorporate a few new elements fans will enjoy. The most obvious addition is how Bruce's new suit incorporates elements of Gordon's black and yellow batsuit. While the suit is still black and gray overall, the new bat symbol on Batman's chest and his utility belt are now outlined in yellow.
The cowl itself is also slightly different from Batman's previous suit. His mask now has a more angular look to it, coming to a sharp point beneath the character's nose.
However, that's not the only new suit Batman gets to take for a spin in issue #50. It just so happens that his moment of resurrection coincides with Mr. Bloom growing to gigantic size and wreaking havoc on Gotham City. That gives Batman the perfect opportunity to take a massive Pacific Rim-esque mech for a spin to bring Mr. Bloom down to size. Oh, and did we mention this is all happening as a colossal energy singularity powered by the negative emotions of Gotham's citizens threatens to engulf the entire city?
It all sounds completely ridiculous, and it kind of is. In the hands of any other writer, these kind of larger-than-life concepts would come off as preposterous and silly for a Batman comic, but it all works wonderfully here. Snyder ties in concepts and themes he's been writing into the book from the beginning, in the process, creating one heck of a finale.
Snyder wasn't afraid to have the Dark Knight guest star in his own book, and the result is a story arc like nothing we've ever seen in a Batman comic before. Though it's great to have Gotham's rightful Caped Crusader back in the spotlight, it's still incredible to think that, for nearly a year, DC's most popular comic book, a book titled Batman, didn't feature the Batman fans know and love at all. For any other writer, such an arc would have been suicide. For Snyder, it's what makes his take on the Batman mythos so hard to put down.
