“There was never any question that something was different about James… that something was wrong.” - Jim Gordon
Batman: The Black Mirror is written by Scott Snyder and is illustrated by Jock and Francesco Francavilla. It ran for ten issues in the year 2011 and is known for being the last Batman story written before the introduction of the New 52. The book is now considered a modern classic, and many people consider The Black Mirror to be some of Scott Snyder’s finest work.
Batman has always been my favorite superhero. There are just so many things to love about Batman as a character. However, my favorite Batman stories are ones that give us a completely new look into Batman and the world in which he lives, and more importantly, ones that ask the question “What if?” For example, Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns asks “What if Batman were an old man?” Brian Augustyn’s Gotham By Gaslight asks “What if Batman fought Jack the Ripper?” In The Black Mirror, the question is “What if Dick Grayson was Batman instead of Bruce Wayne?”
In this story, Dick Grayson takes up the role of Batman and investigates a number of different cases that at first seem unrelated. However, as the story goes on, we start seeing a common thread that links the cases together. On the other side of the story, James Gordon Jr. is back in Gotham city, which becomes a serious cause of concern for his father Commissioner Gordon. Why? Because James Jr. may or may not be a murderous psychopath.
When I first heard the premise of this story, I was immediately intrigued. Suffice it to say that I was very happy that The Black Mirror lived up to my expectations. However, this is probably not the best book to start out with if you don’t know much about Batman. There are some moments in The Black Mirror that directly relate to events that happened in Frank Miller’s Batman: Year One, and Alan Moore’s The Killing Joke. If you don’t know your Batman lore, you’d be better off doing some research, reading some of the essential Batman stories, and coming back to The Black Mirror later on down the road. However, if you’re already familiar with Batman lore, I can’t recommend this story enough.
My favorite thing about The Black Mirror is the fact that it hints at major events from past Batman stories in ways that are new and, quite frankly, brilliant. One of my favorite examples of this is the introduction of The Dealer. The Dealer is a new supervillain who hosts elaborate underground get-togethers where he auctions off dangerous artifacts belonging to other Gotham City supervillains, such as the mutagen that gave Killer Croc his powers or the crowbar Joker used to torture Jason Todd in A Death In The Family. There are multiple callbacks to previous Batman events that are absolutely chilling if you pick up on them.
For the most part, the writing by Scott Snyder is brilliant. The character work is completely investing, and the story is carefully crafted and has a phenomenal ambiguous ending which acts as a bonus. It works well as a Batman story, but it works even better as a psychological thriller. Picture Batman meets The Silence of the Lambs, and you have The Black Mirror. The pacing is fast and air-tight, and it rarely gives you any moments to breathe. There’s always something dangerous going on that could result in the death or bodily harm of a character, and as a result, even the quiet moments are overflowing with tension and dread. There are a few misplaced attempts at humor that end up affecting the tone, but those attempts aren’t very frequent, so it’s easy to overlook them.
Francesco Francavilla and Jock are rotating artists for this story, and both of them do a wonderful job. Jock has always been great at creating pictures that are dark and gritty, and there has never been a better example of his signature style than this book. His lines are jagged and angular, which is a perfect fit for a psychological thriller like The Black Mirror. Francesco Francavilla excels at creating simple images that are very reminiscent of David Mazzucchelli’s artwork from Batman: Year One. He makes James Jr. look stoic and emotionless, making the character all the more creepy. Both artists are at the top of their game here.
Overall, The Black Mirror is an awesome Batman story. I love how it plays with familiar tropes while also being incredibly original. If you love Batman and are looking for a new version of the character, look no further than The Black Mirror. Scott Snyder, Jock, and Francesco Francavilla have created a Batman story that will stay with me for a while.
Grade: A-
Comments
Post a Comment