Batman has always worked outside the law. He is a vigilante. And while Batman often teamed up with the Gotham City Police Department, he wasn't restricted to their procedures, laws and code of ethics. At the end of the day, what Batman did was up to Batman.
That's no longer the case in Batman #41. We've known about this new Batman's look and identity for a while now. In Bruce's absence, Gotham City needs a Batman. So the city government creates one themselves, a bunny-rabbit looking robot suit that will be capable of withstanding the worst Gotham can throw at it while also answering to the city's public officials.
Who better to pilot it than Jim Gordon, Batman's longtime ally and one of the best officers on the force? Jim doesn't want to be Batman by any stretch of the imagination, but at the end of the day he knows he best person for the job. After all, he knows the city inside and out.
Issue #41 does a great job of showing why Jim was the obvious choice for the job. Maybe Gordon isn't quite as smart, as strong or as rich as Bruce Wayne, but his knowledge of the city and his long history as a police officer give him some formidable deductive powers of his own.
The new mech suit looks stunning on page, as Gordon launches from a flying blimp straight into action against a giant, electric monstrosity. It's also a surprise to see Gordon step out of the suit in a slick new Batman costume of his own in order to see justice done.
It all goes back to the idea of what if Batman operated inside the law. Could he have been more effective if he worked as a police officer for the government? If he could be held accountable for his actions through a system of checks and balances? Might an officially-endorsed Batman inspire the rest of Gotham's citizens to do good and have faith in the justice system?
These are all questions Batman #41 raises in an issue that truly feels like a completely new book. Snyder has placed us in Bruce's head for so long that to step into the mind of Jim, a character that thinks and acts far differently from Bruce, is nothing short of a shock.
It was, and still is, a bold move to have a Batman book that is so completely unlike anything we've ever seen from the character before. An anime inspired Bat-mech suit, piloted by Commissioner Gordon, roaming the streets of Gotham as government sponsored crime fighter, with Bruce Wayne nowhere in sight?
The whole idea sounds absurd on paper, but Snyder and Capullo 100 percent nail the execution. Batman #41 is full of new ideas and delivers a fresh, exciting take on what Batman as an idea can mean. We can't wait to see what issue #42 brings.
Story
★★★★★
Art
★★★★☆
Overall
★★★★☆
More Comic Book Reviews:
Mortal Kombat #21
Batman: Arkham Knight #16
Batman #40
Convergence #8
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