Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's run on Batman has been one for the record books. Consistently great artwork. Radical new ideas about Batman and his rogue's gallery that continued to add new layers to decades old characters. New heroes and villains to root for and despise.
Now, after more than five years, Capullo's time on Batman has officially come to an end. While Snyder's Batman will continue on for one more issue, issue #52 is Capullo's artistic curtain call.
And what a curtain call it is. Even though there is still technically one issue left, #51 feels like the ending the series deserves. It's thought provoking and touching, while also seeming to speak to readers directly.
Issue #51 is all about Gotham. Bruce Wayne is once again Batman, having had his previous memories of crime fighting restored and his body rejuvenated last issue. Batman has never been stronger or smarter. So when the power goes out in Gotham city, Batman heads into the night to find answers, confident that some nefarious villain is at work. Alfred states perhaps the outage is simply a result of some natural occurrence. "It's never natural here," Batman responds as he drives into Gotham.
But this time it is. He finds that all the various villains are accounted for, either locked up or biding their time to strike. For what may be the first time ever, a citywide power outage in Gotham City is just that.
The whole issue is framed by the writer of the "Gotham Is" column that runs in the city newspaper. There readers can submit their answer to the question "Gotham is", and by doing so gives readers a glimpse at the times. The issue begins with various column entries from times past, reflecting how the various citizens of Gotham have felt about their city at one point or another. Towards the end the column starts to become more optimistic, as the city's citizens have finally found hope in the wake of Mr. Bloom's defeat. Batman almost constantly sees Gotham city and her citizens at their worst, but for once, the column hopes, Batman can see the city at its best.
Soon the lights come back on and the Dark Knight sits ever watchful, just in case. The issue ends with the words "Gotham...is you. Always." Snyder is not only speaking on the relationship between Gotham and Batman. The two are intertwined, and as he's shown over the course of his run, one cannot exist without the other. But he's also talking to the relationship between readers and comic creators too. "It's what we say to you, and what you say to us," Snyder writes, and he couldn't have put it more beautifully.
