Batman #28

By Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV and Dustin Nguyen

DC has decided to give us a little break from Zero Year this month. In its place, we have an issue that serves as a teaser for Batman Eternal. For those of you not aware, Eternal is a new series starting in April that will have a weekly release schedule. Believe it or not, DC has had some success in the past with books that released weekly, so that bodes well for everyone involved. Not only that, but if this sneak peek is any indication, we’re in for a wild ride.

This issue kind of leaves everybody in the dark and throws us into a Gotham with a new status quo. It can be perplexing to walk into a story like this, but Snyder and Tynion manage to replace our confusion with pure excitement. Harper Rowe is now part of the Bat Team and going by the name “Bluebird.” Her and Bats are infiltrating a secret club, in an attempt to retrieve a cure from an unknown disease spreading through Gotham. Batman and Blubird are a lot of fun to read. This new Dynamic Duo is a goldmine of clever stories. They work well together, despite Harper’s rebelliousness and apparent inability to follow Batman’s instructions to his high standards.

The internet has probably already spoiled the ending, but we won’t discuss the details here. Let’s just say that this “cure” is not what you would think. The final page will have longtime Bat Fans screaming in excitement, as a fan favorite finally makes his/her way into the New 52.

I regret to inform our audience that Greg Capullo is not a part of issue 28. Luckily, Dustin Nguyen fills in nicely. His work is not as clean and perfected as Capullo’s, but Nguyen also has a different style and way to go about telling stories. Actually, it’s unfair to compare the two. Nguyen has a few splash pages that are quite impressive. His depiction of Catwoman is a bit odd, but this is also a Catwoman who’s in a very different place in her life.

Batman #28 has me very excited for Batman Eternal. Gotham seems to be in a very different place. It’s going to be a blast to find out how things got here and what Batman and Company can do about it.