BATMAN #28 (REVIEW)

Batman #28
Writer: Scott Snyder

Artist: Greg Capullo
          Danny Miki

Cover: Greg Capullo






The Rundown:
Taking a break from the really good story arc "Zero Year", we're given a glimpse into the upcoming weekly Bat-title, "Batman: Eternal".
Story begins with Harper Row out on the streets being confronted by a group of police officers (dressed in riot gear) claiming she has broken the 8pm curfew that is in effect. They give her a ten second countdown to either clear the streets or suffer a beating at their hands. Harper gets lippy as they approach, saying first that she wished that they knew who her mother was, and then uttering, "Midnight In Gotham Is The Bee's Knees" which stops them from cracking her over the head. They blindfold her and take her to apparently the only nightclub left in Gotham City called "The Egyptian" (a large luxurious place, giant gold Egyptian cat statues). Harper says that she is there to see "the boss" for help for her infected brother, who is at "Ground Zero". She is taken to a backroom where there are a group of armed men and a giant man with a dead eye and scars on his face around both eyes who informs her that her "password" given earlier was an old one and now they were to hurt her. Harper remotely turns out the lights, when she turns them back on we see Batman standing over the group of men now unconscious on the ground. Batman receives information he needs to locate a vault within the club from someone at the Batcave (only see them from behind, Carrie Kelly?), then informs Harper to get dressed so they can continue their mission. 

After an explosive entrance back into the main floor of the nightclub, we're given a full page panel of Batman and Bluebird (Harper Row), who looks like a female cross between Nightwing and Red Hood, armed with some very large firearms. Batman notices that Bluebird holds her own while clearing the room of thugs and has been training to which she tells him to blame his sidekicks. She then proceeds to do a back flip off of a bad guy, throwing a grapple line, then hooking onto it with a clip on her boot, ready to fire. Which she does, firing an electrical charge and disabling a small group of thugs below her. Things come to a halt when we are introduced to the "boss", who turns out to be Selina Kyle. During a conversation between Batman and Selina, we learn that he's lost the police, his friends and the city. Where Selina claimed top spot and rebuilt Gotham City's underworld. Selina brings Batman to his knees whipping her whip around his neck, and informs him that the mask wearing Catwoman of old died when he left her for dead. She was possibly close to killing him when Bluebird reminds them of her presence via pointing her gun at Selina. Batman pleads with Selina to give him the "key" to reclaiming and saving the city, all he had to do was ask, and she leads them to her vault and its contents. The contents of the safe is a person who is the only one who knows how to stop whats coming. That person is Stephanie Brown aka Spoiler.

Story ends with Stephanie tied up with in the vault, dressed in her Spoiler costume, and then we're given a few pages of previewing Scott Snyder's "American Vampire".



The Review:
They may have to wait until April 9th, 2014 before they get more of her, but Stephanie Brown fans everywhere must be as happy as can be with finally seeing her in the New 52. Whether or not they will be happy with how the former Batgirl and Robin is presented is yet to be determined of course, but she's somewhat getting the red carpet treatment with her full debut being in Batman's new weekly title, "Batman: Eternal", as well as already being revealed to be a big part of what is made out to be a massive event in Gotham City. Speaking of which, Scott Snyder and company have gotten me quite intrigued with what is to come during this break from the current major Batman story arc, "Zero Year". When I had first heard that this would be a "spoiler" issue (as Snyder put it), I was a bit unsure of what I would be reading, luckily I was quite impressed. 
Although showing us the near future, there were a number of things that will definitely need to be answered. Love or hate her, Harper Row is now a member of the Bat-Family now known as, Bluebird, and she showed she is quite capable. Be interesting to see how they brought her from a smart yet  "punk" kid from the narrows, to this cross between Nightwing and Red Hood, and "Kick-Ass" character, Hitgirl (visually speaking). Who was Batman talking to in the Batcave? I may have been right in the "Rundown" above in saying it is Carrie Kelly, but may also be Harper's brother. Again, they only show the person from behind and they have short slightly spiky hair. And then of course there is apparent crisis that has hit Gotham City. By the sounds of it there was some sort of outbreak, and people are dying from it. Batman himself seems to be kind of starting a new in regards to his relationship with the police department, what caused that to happen? Where's Jim Gordon? Infected? Batman has also lost some friends. Did things get worse between him and the other members of the Bat-Family? Did someone else die?

Clearly the writing is top notch as it has been really since the relaunch, lot of large story arcs, but well written. The art is right up there with the writing. Snyder and Capullo are a winning team in my humble opinion. Again with Bluebirds visuals, although it looked like a blend, it fit well into the traditional "look" of a Bat-Family member, as well as looked good. Even the nightclub, "The Egyptian", looked really good especially the statues which were in hindsight a giveaway as to who was the "boss" of the establishment. Visually interesting to see what unfolds in "new" Gotham and all the possible changes and events that occur.
Overall, it was yet another great issue of "Batman". The break from the slightly origin based "Zero Year" heavily surpassed my low expectations going in, and has me eager to pick up the first issue of "Batman: Eternal" in April, and of course refreshed to be hyped about tuning in next month at the same Bat-time and same Bat-channel for "Batman #29".

Stay Nerdy!