Batman Vol. 8: Superheavy

Endgame has ended and the ending was quite shocking to say the least it was the most gruesome fight the Joker and Batman have ever had.  With that being said I feel that story-arc could have been executed better.  It seems like Scott Snyder has been chasing the great Batman scribes that came before him. writers like Frank Miller, Alan Moore, Jeph Loeb, Dennis O'Neil, Chuck Dixon and Grant Morrison.  I know there are others but these specific writers left a mark on the Batman mythos that others have not been able to.  Scott Snyder seems to be trying really hard to be counted among those writers, each of his story-arcs can be tied to one of the stories by those writers I have listed and this new arc is no different.  

Its starts off that Batman is gone since the Endgame event,  Snyder does do a lot of set for this volume and if you have been reading his run your used to this.  Powers International has swallowed up Wayne Enterprises through a take over.  I had to look up Powers International because I didn't know who they were it would be nice to have some more build-up when the writer makes some changes to Gotham City because the as Snyder has voice before along with other authors the city is a unique character to the Batman mythos.  Anyway Batman is gone and Powers International has taken it upon themselves to build a better Batman.  Geri Powers teaming with the GCPD is sanctioning a new Batman that works for them, is trained by them and answers to them.  The person they choose to take the mantel of Batman is Jim Gordon.  It sounds like a bad idea and fans have been very critical of this move.  Unlike the Knightfall saga where Jean-Paul Valley took over as Batman when Bruce Wayne was broken by Bane; Jim Gordon is very aware that this is a bad idea but he does it because he doesn't trust anyone else to do it.   But also like the Knightfall saga Jim's tenure as Batman is short lived and confined to the Superheavy story-arc.  

Batman has been replaced three different times in main continuity the first by Jean-Paul Valley, Dick Grayson and now Jim Gordon.  The only one that fans have loved was Dick Grayson because of the way it was executed and built up.  Jim Gordon's suit is very reminiscent of Robocop and makes me long for the days of the Jean-Paul Valley suit.  However Batman is not the only change to Batman mythos but also the villain who is Mr. Bloom is brand new.  Mr. Bloom started out as a very cool creepy and awesome villain for this whole first volume.  Could Mr. Bloom be the evolution of where we see Batman's rogues gallery going.  

It is revealed that even though Batman may have died at the end of Endgame, Bruce Wayne did not he just has amnesia.  This part of the story I loved the most because it is really well constructed and executed and it is a unique enough to work.  In the past Bruce Wayne has been framed for murder, replaced by Hush in the public spotlight and declared dead.  But until now he was never given a clean slate.  This isn't turning me away from Batman I'm to invested but I am taking a more critical stance on Snyder's choices during his run on the character.