- What do you consider the low point of the Snyder/Capullo Batman era? Was there a story or arc that just didn’t click with you?
Greg: “Death of the Family” never really clicked with me. The Joker was supposed to be scary (and Capullo certainly rendered him in the freakiest way imaginable), but there was an air of “tryhardness,” for lack of an actual word to describe it, about the entire arc. Where “Endgame” felt visceral and earned, DOTF felt like an uncharacteristic (for this team) venture into the clichéd. I also resented the all-too-common Batbook hallmark of sacrificing the entire Bat-family to build an opponent for Bruce. It hurt the momentum of Nightwing in particular, who for years has seemingly served the role of being beaten by the next big Bat foe before he gets to Bruce. Still, there were some great moments that will last in my memory, such as Joker taking out the Gotham P.D.
Todd: Batman 35, the first issue of “Endgame,” really rubbed me wrong. Oversimplified art and a sparse script led to a comic that I read cover-to-cover in two minutes. The arc finished up strongly, though.
Russell: I loved all of their stories. The only time it felt like it dipped down a bit for me, ironically, is during their creative high point on Zero Year. Things got a little drug out and it felt like a story that shouldn’t have taken so long to tell. And most of the tie-in issues were unnecessary, but that’s not on Snyder or Capullo. Batman Eternal was another point that, while good for the majority of its existence, had a few points that seemed like padding. Otherwise I see nothing to complain about.
Nick: This is a cop out, but I honestly didn’t feel there were any low points. Sure, I liked everything that followed the first nine issues slightly less, but it was the second best book in all of comics for most of its run (behind only Thor: God of Thunder), and the best book in comics for the tail end of its run. Just a consistently great 50 issues.
- How has Capullo’s Gotham (and the cast of characters therein) stacked up to your favorite renderings of the Batman corner of the DC Universe?
Greg: Like the great Batman artists of days gone by, Capullo left his own stamp on Gotham. In some ways, I think he made it more like a real, living city than almost anyone before him. It’s not exactly my favorite Gotham – that would go, perhaps, to Tim Sale – but Capullo belongs in the conversation with the best who have ever drawn this city and its characters.
Todd: I have liked Capullo’s storytelling throughout—again, the sideways-drawn issue really stands out. The art is quite good (especially on cityscapes and technology), though I don’t really like the way Capullo draws female faces. His covers are generally outstanding.
It’s a pipe dream, but I’d love to see a Snyder & Jim Lee reunion on a Bat-project.
Russell: Oh, it’s the best for me. This rendering of Batman and Gotham will go down as my all-time favorite run on the characters. Even stacking up to Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee’s masterful “Hush.” Mostly it’s because this run has all the best parts of Hush, but adds in longevity and doesn’t leave you with a feeling that more could have been done. And it shipped mostly on-time, too.
Nick: It’s a great rendering, no doubt, but I wouldn’t put Capullo among my top 5 Batman artists. Mayyybe top 10, but that’s a tough debate to have.
- Nearly five years in, how would you compare this Batman era to the one it followed, the Grant Morrison era?
Greg: Look, I don’t think anyone could argue that this run took as many bold chances as Morrison did, but I think it executed its risks at a much higher clip than did Morrison. Snyder managed to weave a complex tapestry that never became too overwhelming for the reader, a problem the previous run encountered pretty quickly. Snyder and Capullo created a smart, heady Batman comic that didn’t rest on its laurels, but it maintained its consistency and tone throughout. It ended up as a more consistently satisfying comic, though the Morrison years certainly added much to the mythos.
Todd: Snyder’s tenure on Detective/Batman has been a slow burn of sustained creative excellence, as compared to Morrison’s one of dramatic upheaval for upheaval’s sake. I want all memory of the Grant Morrison Batman to fade away, beginning with Damian Wayne (who we luckily didn’t see too much of in Snyder’s Batman).
Russell: 180 degree turnaround. Morrison’s run had a few points I liked, namely his turn on Batman and Robin, but for the most part it was not for me. It tried way too hard to incorporate odd ideas from the Golden Age and felt so continuity-heavy that you had to have a reader’s guide to make sense of it all. But that’s Morrison for you. It’s kind of an all-or-nothing deal when you pick up a DC book written by him.
Nick: I’ve been down the Morrison-bashing road many times, and don’t feel the need to go down it again. Suffice it to say that in every tangible way, I find the Snyder/Capullo run to be far superior in doing everything I want out of a Batman story. Morrison’s run clearly was for some people, but it was in no way for me.
- What do you consider the defining characteristics of the Snyder/Capullo Batman era? What will be their longest-lasting contributions to Batman lore?
Greg: Though we haven’t talked about it much here, one of the defining features of this run has been FCO Plascencia’s coloring. The almost-neon-but-not-quite Gotham daytime skyline will sit in my mind for years to come. But beyond that, the team’s commitment to themes throughout the stories was a consistent characteristic from the first issue through today. Each arc represented an aspect of Bruce Wayne and his fight with, for and against Gotham. And, indeed, transforming the city itself into the ultimate Batman character was an early decision that informed each subsequent arc.
Their longest-lasting contributions will likely be the Court of Owls, which happened to be the best original Batman villain concept since Hush, and a general (and slight) lightening of Bruce Wayne’s world. Snyder and Capullo’s Batman is one who will, when the time is right, smile and crack wise. He’s still the tortured, obsessed soul characterized by Miller and others, but his world is not as unrelentingly bleak as it was, perhaps, a decade ago.
Todd: During this era of Batman, we’ve seen a greater emphasis on the villains’ psychological make ups, a fleshing-out of the history of Gotham, an expansion of Bruce’s supporting cast and a sea change in the way DC portrays Jim Gordon.
The Court of Owls and bizarre new villain Mister Bloom will likely be the most enduring contributions to the Batman tapestry by Snyder & Capullo. Bunny-ears Bat-Robot/exosuit “Rookie” not so much.
Russell: I think they brought a sense of wonder back to Gotham. They made readers feel like the city itself was alive in a way it hadn’t been for a long time. It scared us again. It made us wonder what was around the next corner. You never knew what was going to happen next. As for their best contribution…they reminded us why there must always be a Batman. No matter who is wearing the suit, the mission remains. From the past to the future, we saw Snyder trace a line that ends with Bruce ensuring the mantle of the Bat would always be there to protect the city he loved. And that’s an element that shouldn’t be lost in all the terror, action, silliness and fun of this run. Batman loves Gotham City in a way that only he could. No matter how bad it treated him or what it threw his way…he never lost that love and sense of purpose. I don’t know if that’s ever come through in any other Batman story. Certainly not since Frank Miller’s “Year One.”
Nick: Snyder’s mentioned in several interviews that he views Gotham as a character unto itself with a personality all its own. In many ways, that will stand as the defining characteristic and their greatest contribution. If you’re looking for something a bit more concrete, I’ll go with the Court of Owls. Just a great concept that provides a unique challenge to Batman due to the group’s ability to infiltrate every aspect of Gotham infastructrue and society.
- Finally, where does this run of 50 issues stack up in the pantheon of Batman’s publication history?
Greg: The combination of quality and longevity puts it on a very short list. For my money, this is the best run of this length in the character’s history. The Batman tales I like more tended to be short creative bursts from teams like Loeb and Sale, Loeb and Lee or Miller and Mazzuchelli. The fact that Snyder and Capullo have been THIS good for THIS long is amazing and a testament to the fact that, even 75 years after the fact, there will always be great stories to tell about Batman.
Todd: This will make a hell of an Omnibus edition or two. If we include Snyder’s pre-New 52 Batworks (specifically “The Black Mirror”), then this is the finest long-form work on Batman since perhaps Denny O’Neil & Neal Adams’ collaboration. I am a tremendous fan of Geoff Johns and Gary Frank’s Batman Earth One hardcovers (being the other definitive modern Batman), but they are oranges to these apples. In an era of monthly comics written for the trade, Snyder & Capullo made each issue (OK, except for issue 35) something special worth reading.
Russell: I think you can make a case for it being the all-time best up to this point. In fact, I’ll put it there. It had it all and it never let us down. Some day some new team will come along and top it, I’ve no doubt. But today, Snyder and Capullo deserve to stand tall as the true kings of Gotham City.
Nick: Hard to say. Based on longevity alone, it has to be one of the greatest runs ever. It’s just a question of how high. Based on its quality, I’ll go with somewhere between the third and fifth greatest Batman creative team of all time, surpassed only by Jeph Loeb’s parings with Tim Sale and Jim Lee, and Frank Miller’s various pre-2000 Batman efforts.
And with that, our look back at Snyder and Capullo’s run comes to an end. Don’t forget to pick up Batman #50 from your local comic book shop!
