An homage to the first ever appearance of the Batman in the original Detective Comics #27, this issue is nothing short of a celebration of itself. Apart from its main feature, "Gothtopia", every story in this super-sized issue is wonderfully "meta", reflecting on the very nature of Bats and what it is exactly that keeps audiences coming back for more than 75 years. All this is accentuated by ever-changing art styles that elegantly chronicle the series' visual development over the decades.
Here's a short look at all of them:
- "Gothtopia: Part 1 of 3": I like the idea and execution of a somewhat psychedelic Gotham, where utopia and dystopia are almost interchangeable. Unfortunately, it feels as if it is to become a rather more conventional Batman story towards the end.
- "The Case of the Chemical Syndicate": A modern re-telling of the first ever Batman story. It feels charmingly dated, but the inner monologue here is simply outstanding.
- "Old School": It's first part is a hilarious homage to the early days of Batman, with art and language that skilfully and ironically capture the style from the 30's to the 60's, while the second part mirrors the darker images of Miller's interpretation from the 1980's.
- "Better Days": Featuring a very, very, very old Bruce Wayne and lots of well-known Batman faces, but unfortunately never convinces in what it tries to do.
- "Rain": It looks stunning, but can anyone please tell me what's going on? Who's that boy?
- "The Sacrifice": A "What-If" type of story, imagining what would have become of Bruce Wayne had his parents never died. It's well-executed, although with predictable conclusions.
- "Twenty-Seven": Anticipates what will happen in later Batman comics, especially in the "Mr. Bloom" story arc. A great idea in itself, I still don't think the sci-fi elements necessarily fit Batman.
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