Scott Snyder is the best writer to touch Batman since Miller went crazy.

[The Sevenshot Kid]

It stands to reason that Batman: Year One, probably the most important interpretation of the character in comics, is the best Batman comic ever. It's a compelling origin that leaves plenty of room for other writer's to work in, it's a great crime story, and it practically reinvented the character. It set the stage for great works that include The Long Halloween which, in turn, helped inform Nolan's film trilogy just as much as Year One did. Year One is the benchmark for every Batman story, hell, every origin story to be measured by. It's a masterpiece that has never been equaled.

Scott Snyder's done better. Much better.

He started writing comics in 2009 and now he's practically been handed the keys to the Batman kingdom after DC had to pry the keys out of Grant Morrison's multi-colored fingers.

In a year he has become the Batman writer after one 11 issue run of Detective Comics, a five-issue mini-series, and a current run on the relaunch of Batman that is still in it's infancy.

Snyder tells great crime stories, character pieces, and history lessons. Often in the same issue. Picking up a thread that Grant Morrison left hanging, Snyder explores the history of Gotham and her architecture. And it's fascinating. His Gates of Gotham mini-series managed to weave a mystery centered around the cities skyline.

And his run on Batman is telling a story tying into the history of Gotham while using it to examine Bruce Wayne's character and what his real strengths and weaknesses are.

That's what Snyder's real strength is: he knows his characters. He explores them in relation to their city and their enemies. To him, Gotham is a Black Mirror that seeks to twist everything about it's heroes. His understanding of Dick Grayson was so great that he was able to make the greatest Batman comic ever written be one about Dick. And, in a nod to Year One, Jim Gordon.

Scott Snyder is the best writer DC has. And he needs to stay on Batman until he can't write anymore. Also, American Vampire is the shit. Buy that.

[Token]

It stands to reason that Batman: Year One, probably the most important interpretation of the character in comics, is the best Batman comic ever.

Stopped reading right there.

I mean come on

Azrael isn't even in Year One

[A Zarkin' Frood]

I stopped reading at Miller. Because Morrison. Okay, I didn't stop reading there. But still. I'm a Grant Morrison Fanboy.

I'll see how Snyder's run turns out and then consider giving it a read. I mean, I usually wait for TPBs anyway.

Oh, what happened to that other Batman thing? Odyssey? That finished yet?


Scott Snyder is the best writer DC has. And he needs to stay on Batman until he can't write anymore. Also, American Vampire is the shit. Buy that.
Nonononono, If he's that good he should do original stuff, not mainstream superhero comics.

[The Sevenshot Kid]

I stopped reading at Miller. Because Morrison. Okay, I didn't stop reading there. But still. I'm a Grant Morrison Fanboy.

I'll see how Snyder's run turns out and then consider giving it a read. I mean, I usually wait for TPBs anyway.

The Black Mirror is already available.

Oh, what happened to that other Batman thing? Odyssey? That finished yet?

That book is batshit crazy. Not in the Morrison way, but in the "this is such garbage" way. Art's not bad though.

Nonononono, If he's that good he should do original stuff, not mainstream superhero comics.

I agree that he should stay with his creator-owned books (Severed and American Vampire) but he's so good on Batman that a lot of his work comes off as incredibly fresh even if he's exploring ideas laid-out by previous writers. He's got the touch. The guy's even writing Swamp Thing and it's great.

[A Zarkin' Frood]

The Black Mirror is already available.
Oh, Nice I just might check that out then.



That book is batshit crazy. Not in the Morrison way, but in the "this is such garbage" way. Art's not bad though.
I know, I know, isn't it just great? It's like an accident, you don't want to see it but you can't look away. From what little I read it seemed like something so insane I have to read it at least once.

[Fifthfiend]

Oddysey is the book Frank Miller dreams of being brave enough to be crazy enough to write.

[Amake]

I got as far as typing "Batman od" into Google before it suggested "Batman Odyssey wiki". Sadly there isn't a wiki dedicated to deciphering this one comic book, as we clearly need there to be. If someone's read the whole thing, please make this happen post haste!

Meanwhile I just read Year One and it totally holds up. When you read it in the light of Miller outing himself as a complete crazypants it even becomes more sad and poignant.

Only, Merkel? Flass? Skeevers? In what world are any of those words people names? Such a thing.

[The Sevenshot Kid]

Oddysey is the book Frank Miller dreams of being brave enough to be crazy enough to write.

Have you read Holy Terror? There is not enough racism in Oddysey to make Miller jealous.

[Fifthfiend]

Racism is the madness of cowards

[Fifthfiend]

Miller is sittin in his corner seein' ayrabs and black helicopters, Neil Adams is up on the table frothing at the mouth screaming about THE LIZARD MEN, THEY'RE EVERYWHERE DON'T YOU SEE THEM, THEY COME FROM THE HOLLOW EAAAAAAAAAAAARTHHSG;ALKJSH;LKAJSF *bites off elbow*

[The Sevenshot Kid]

Meanwhile I just read Year One and it totally holds up. When you read it in the light of Miller outing himself as a complete crazypants it even becomes more sad and poignant.

Only, Merkel? Flass? Skeevers? In what world are any of those words people names? Such a thing.

Holy shit, Batman, stop the presses. Miller made up some shit that sounds stupid the instant you put thought into it?

But seriously, Flass is totally a believable name. Merkel, I'm willing to accept but Skeevers as the name of a black drug dealer just... there's just something oddly racist about it that I can't identify.

EDIT:

This (http://www.comicsalliance.com/2011/03/08/batman-odyssey-neal-adams-insane/) is a pretty good rundown of all the crazy in Adams' initial run of Odyssey.

[Amake]

I believe it's the kind of racism where a character is turned into a caricature and his skin color ends up being about the most distinguishable character trait he has. While also cheaply buying into racial minority crime statistics stereotypes.

Skeevers is the only non-white character in the entire story, too. I'll have to look into this but I think he's the only non-white character in any Batman story Miller has written. Damn that's terrible.

[The Sevenshot Kid]

I believe it's the kind of racism where a character is turned into a caricature and his skin color ends up being about the most distinguishable character trait he has. While also cheaply buying into racial minority crime statistics stereotypes.

Skeevers is the only non-white character in the entire story, too. I'll have to look into this but I think he's the only non-white character in any Batman story Miller has written. Damn that's terrible.

There's at least one more black character in Year One: Selina Kyle. Miller totally made her black. And a dominatrix/prostitute. He's funny that way.

[Amake]

Huh, I never noticed. I guess that's pretty racist of me lawl

On closer inspection it seems Selina has the exact same skin tone as anyone else on the same page as her, except for this panel:
http://i696.photobucket.com/albums/vv324/immortalpictures/Screenshot005.jpg
An arbitrary sample tells me Selina is #8e5655 while her sidekick sports a #7d4e54. (I'm not sure if I mixed those up.)

Of course there's usually more to someone's ethnicity than skin color. Like, I don't know, mannerisms, body language (she acts like a cat), hobbies (she has a bunch of cats), social circles (she hangs out with a white underage sex worker), err, I forgot where I was going with this.