Following on from Night of the Owls and Death of the Family will come an 11-part storyline from Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo called ZERO YEAR. Taking the sime kind of approach as Frank Miller’s ‘Year One’ story, this will see Batman in the New 52 — establishing the Bat Cave, meeting his first super-villain, and hopefully painstakingly working out just how pointy the ears should be on his costume.
Snyder is careful to establish that this isn’t going to be a story which dismantles the story and idea behind Year One, but will instead be a new story giving a different perspective on Batman’s origin, and building up the character in a different way:
We tried to preserve as much of Batman’s history as we could and keep what we could of this history intact. It’s ‘The Zero Year,’ the one that no one has told the story of before. We see how Bruce became the Batman, built the cave, faced off with his first super villain … It’s time for a new story showing how Batman became who he is in The New 52. It builds up the mythology
And, as the creative team established a short while ago, the story is not intended to cross over into any event storylines – like the last two Batman stories have. This is set to be self-contained. And looking at Capullo’s lovely, simple cover for the first issue of the story (issue 21) it looks as though DC are hoping to turn this into the first properly notable and standalone graphic novel collection for the New 52. So shiny.
Batman in the new 52 currently has a wonderfully convoluted and messy backstory, with countless robins, a son, a couple of rebirths and a few vanishing Batgirls currently crammed into what DC says are the first five year’s of the character’s life as Batman in the new DC Universe. How is Snyder going to deal with all that?
And most importantly – when is Bat Mite coming back?
As long as he remembers to keep the part where Batman pisses himself, it’s all good.
Another origin story/year one? Really? Because there’s still a gnat in Timbuktu who doesn’t know little orphan ‘I shall become a bat’? Feeling sick already, but eurgh.
I agree w/ the above poster. Sick and tired of origins. I already messaged Snyder on fbook to tell him I’m dropping the book.
First we have a “Death OF the Family” in which the family doesn’t die in any sort of way that remotely makes even metaphorical sense.
Now we have a “Zero Year” that is said to simultaneously respect “Year One” and yet totally rewrite history.
I’m done with this. Snyder has written entertaining stuff before, but he can’t just continue to try and have everything both ways, being on the one hand over-reverential to history, while on the other hand giving us anti-climactic retcons and out-of-character moments for no conceivable reason.
Whatever anyone feels about redoing or retelling the origin, eleven issues is WAY too long. $44 for this? A year of keeping up with it? NO, dude, just NO.
Echoing the sentiments here. The calcified little core that hangs on through the thick and the thin of ongoing superhero comics can have this stuff. I’m out.
I follow w/the sentiment uttered here. ANOTHER origin story, dragged out for almost a year?!?
Thanks but NO thanks. I’m bailing too…
Surprised by the opinions here. Love Snyder’s work and the batman stuff so far has been thoroughly engaging. It’s been what 30 years since year one I think it would be interesting to see a new take on his origins.
30 Years since Year One, perhaps, but in the past couple of years we’ve had The Earth One ogn, the Year One animated dvd, and multiple flashbacks to Batman’s early days in both Snyder and Morrison’s Batruns. Push it back to less than a decade ago and we had a hugely successful film, Batman Begins, devoted entirely to his origin. Seems like horse is dead and pretty well-beaten to me.
Finally new ground for DC! I was hoping Snyder would break out with the character great news!
“…no one has told the story of before. We see how Bruce became the Batman, built the cave, faced off with his first super villain …”
lol
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