Batman Vol. 4: Zero Year, Secret City

With this volume Scott Snyder's characterization of Bruce Wayne is starting to wane on me as a reader & a fan.  Scott Snyder is taking us back to the early days of the Batman in Gotham City.  The main antagonist in this story is the Red Hood Gang run by Red Hood One who any real Batman fan knows is the Joker.  This tale is very surreal when compared with Batman: The Man Who Laughs & Batman: The Killing Joke both of which touch on the origin of the Joker.  This book has made that tale a little more convoluted than it was previously.  Especially with the involvement of Bruce Wayne's uncle & Wayne Enterprises.  So the overall story I have some issues with but the little things are what truly make this book amazing & are where Snyder excels.

This is the early years of Batman so seeing an early version of Batman without a cape in cobbled together tactical gear on a dirt bike with purple gloves is awesome & a nice throwback to earlier stories.  There are some great bits of dialogue in this book one moment in particular is between Alfred & Bruce about how is conducting himself.  The real jem of this book is the introduction of Edward Nigma.  He starts out as a consultant for Philip Cain & Wayne Enterprises.  There is a nice exchange between him & Bruce Wayne in the museum before they ever meet in at their alter egos.  

The reveal of the origin of The Riddler was particularly impressive because it is plays off the way he was introduced in Batman Forever.  I am interested in seeing where this is going, however I feel that this is story-arc will not live up to the previous stories of Batman or the Joker's origin.  This book is not a replacement for Batman: Year One it is to be read in addition to that title.  Frank Miller's four part story-arc is still the definitive version of the origin of Batman. Hopefully part two raises the bar a little higher because I am expecting more from Scott Snyder.