Batman, Volume 8: Superheavy (Review)

Of all the daring storytelling decisions Scott Snyder made during his run on Batman—and there were quite a few—perhaps none were more risky than seemingly killing Bruce Wayne and letting longtime Batman ally Jim Gordon don the cowl (sans cape).

Batman, Volume 8: Superheavy

Superheavy begins some months after the events of Endgame, which saw the Batman supposedly killed during a final confrontation with the Joker. These days, there's no Dark Knight protecting the streets of Gotham. Yet the people have come together to collectively acknowledge Batman's importance, and leading the charge is Geri Powers, the head of Powers Tech, who has a bold new initiative. By combining both Wayne Enterprises and Powers Tech resources, she proposes a joint enterprise with the GCPD that would see the creation of a new, technologically-advanced bat-suit to be worn by a hand-picked member of Gotham's finest. She's effectively giving Gotham a new Batman. And the selling point? This Batman has the resources and backing of the GCPD. A vigilante no longer, this Batman would operate within the confines of the law.

Her pick for the role? None other than Commissioner Gordon himself. Throughout his run, Snyder has shown a lot of affection for this classic character. And with Superheavy, we are given the opportunity to see Gordon in a new light. We get to know his personal doubts and fears, his insecurities on full display as he attempts to settle into the role. The question of whether or not this works is probably a matter of personal taste. For my money, there's just enough lightness of touch here that you can tell Snyder understands what a hard sell this is. Gordon himself admits to this not feeling right and being a little too different from the usual status quo. Yet Snyder uses this as an opportunity to confirm the things we love most about the stalwart police commissioner: his tenacity, his doggedness, and his no-nonsense and matter-of-fact approach to crime fighting. He's not as strong as Wayne, he knows that. Nor is he as quick. But where Wayne preferred theatrics and used the fear of his enemies against them, Gordon will just as easily shoot his target with his nifty stun gun than try and scare them.

Now, there's a longstanding tradition in comic books that revolve around this sort of big event storytelling. Some of the greatest storylines in comics history have spun out of these kinds of stories, like The Death of Superman or The Infinity Gauntlet. But what readers have wisened up to over the years, is that the powers that be in the comic book industry cannot allow the mainline titles to change too much. The status quo is always reset. Superman must always resurrect. Humanity must always be saved. And, with Superheavy, Bruce Wayne must inevitably return from the dead. Snyder knows this. He knows his readers know this. So, wisely, Jim Gordon's time as Batman parallels a plot which sees Bruce Wayne, alive and well, having taken refuge with his childhood friend Julie Madison, who runs a clinic for underprivileged youth. Bruce is helping her there, but seems to have no memory of who he actually is. Ever Bruce's concerned friend, Clark Kent shows up to get to the bottom of this mystery, only to have Alfred warn him off. Alfred sees this as Bruce's opportunity to finally lead a normal life, free of the childhood trauma that led him down the path to becoming Batman in the first place.

We all know how the story will end. Bruce will return. Somehow, someway. And Snyder knows this too. In fact, he's building toward it. And it seems his philosophy is to have as much fun as possible in getting there. There's a lot of comedy here, from the intentionally goofy design of the new bat-mech armor, to Gordon's personality while wearing his own sleeker version of the bat-suit. The action is big and bombastic, which at this point is just Snyder's modus operandi. These stories feel tailor-made for a big screen adaptation somewhere down the line.

What I continue to find most interesting is Snyder's understanding and use of symbols. He's constantly exploring what Batman represents within the context of Gotham. Now, we're a long way from the mythological underpinnings of The Court of Owls or Death of the Family. I feel as though I can make a compelling case for those storylines being the equivalent of pulp fiction elevated to the level of good literature. Superheavy is a different beast altogether. This is pulp fiction knowing exactly what it is, and choosing to play happily within the confines of its genre. You'll glean some insights into characters like Gordon, but you're not going to find the sweeping, mythological elements present in those earlier volumes making keen observations about the nature of humanity, goodness, and evil. But what this shows us is Snyder's versatility as a writer, and just how malleable the Batman character really is.

Capullo's art is part of what makes the volume so fun to read. His pairing with Snyder is one of those rare comic book couplings where both writer and artist play to each other's strengths. His artwork perfectly captures the tone of the story, and Snyder is more than willing to write in these crazy sequences that let Capullo really go to work creating stunning, instantly memorable imagery.

At the end of the day, Batman, Volume 8: Superheavy is the beginning of a new kind of Batman story. And this story more or less tells you from its earliest pages just how the tale is going to end. If you're a "purist" in the sense of holding that certain Batman fundamentals never be touched, this probably isn't your cup of tea. But if you can accept the story for what it is, see the course that has been charted, and come to this story on its own terms, you'll likely find this a breath of fresh air, a fun and different take on the Batman mythos.