Batgirl #0: One of the most interesting things that Simone does here has nothing to do with Barbara. It has to do with Batman, with Simone portraying him as he was originally perceived by Gotham, as some sort of supernatural creature of the night. The whole plot of the story revolves around it, with Barbara inventing a reason to go to the GCPD HQ so that she can learn more about him. When she overhears the cops talking about how they think he uses tech (and not some sort of supernatural powers) to fight crime, the rest is history. She realizes that he fights crime simply by being smart, just like her.
In terms of #0 issues, this one does more than I thought it would. I had originally assumed that we would get the history of Babs' regaining the use of her legs, but I get the sense that Simone has said all that she plans on saying about that part of Barbara's history, at least for now. In fact, interestingly, Barbara's time as Oracle isn't even mentioned in the bio page that runs after this story. We're simply told that, after her paralyzation, she pushed herself to her mental and physical limits to regain her ability to walk. So, with this issue, Simone (probably wisely) instead focuses on the moment when Barbara realized that she wanted to be Batgirl.
Simone really sells the story, using some pretty clever twists to get Barbara into the costume for the first time. First, it makes sense that Barbara would've taken years of self-defense classes, since, as she said, she's the daughter of the GCPD Commissioner, so she ranked pretty high on most criminals' "good people to abduct" list. But, it's her ability to defeat this issue's villain by using these skills that gives her the confidence she needs to believe that she can handle herself in a fight. Second, when it comes time for Barbara to defend herself against said villain, Simone's decision to put Barbara in the mocked-up Bat-suit that she saw the cops discussing earlier was a great move. Although Barbara might've been thinking about fighting crime in some form before that moment, it's pretty clear that putting on that suit opened some doors in her head. Finally, the appearance of Batman at the end -- and the praise that he gives her -- really clinches the deal. One or two of the events alone might have impacted her, but it's pretty clear that it's the sequence of all three happening in short succession that leads her to become Batgirl. Simone hints at other moments to be explored during an expository narration of Barbara's tenure as Batgirl, such as the mistake that led her to hang up the cowl in the first place. But, I guess that's a story for another day. For now, Simone goes the job that this #0 issue was supposed to do, clarifying Barbara's origin in the DCnU. We'll see where we go from here.
Batman #0: [Sigh.]
OK, the main problem I have with the main story is that I'm not sure that even Scott Snyder can really add anything that new to the story of Bruce's early days as Batman. The most interesting twist that he manages to put on the story is Alfred wisely noting that Bruce needs to be seen as Bruce, or, at least, the Bruce that Gotham expects him to be, in order to distance himself from Batman. Alfred is proven correct a few panels later when Commissioner Gordon notes that Bruce himself also appears to be on some sort of crusade, having decided to reside in a brownstone near where his parents were killed upon his return to Gotham, a neighborhood that also just happens to be where Batman has been most seen. I'm not sure anyone's really gone to the care of showing the sequence of events that led Bruce to realize that he had to adopt the playboy persona to distance himself from Batman, so Snyder does manage to put him mark on Batman's origin, or, at least, his new origin. But, the rest of the story is same old, same old. Bruce isn't quite the fastidious detective that he'll eventually become, and his failure to do his homework gets him in trouble when he tries to take down the "Red Hood Gang." It's nothing you haven't read in at least a dozen different tellings and re-tellings of Bruce's early days. The most interesting implications for the future is what shady business dealings Philip Kane is making and whether the Red Hood is really the Joker. (He does seem to have a flair for the dramatic like our guy...) I guess we'll see. (On a positive note, I want to say again that Capullo makes a young Bruce Wayne the handsomest man in comics.)
It's Tynion's back-up story that causes problems, though through absolutely no fault of his own, as we see Dick, Jason, and Tim in their pre-Robin days. The biggest problem is that Dick appears to be WAY too young. If we follow Simone's timeframe for Barbara in "Batgirl" #0, she was a freshman or sophomore in college four years ago, putting her somewhere around 22 or 23 years old today. Unless she's robbing the craddle, Dick should be roughly the same age as her. When the events of this issue happen, five years ago, he should then be somewhere around 17 or 18 years old. The problem with that is that he's one of the Flying Graysons in this issue; in fact, the events of this issue take place on the eve of his parents' death. If he were 17 or 18 years old and still a member of the Flying Graysons, DC has just essentially erased the entire history of Dick as Bruce's adopted son; after all, a 17 or 18 year old doesn't really need to be adopted by a wealthy millionaire when his parents are killed like a 10 or 11 years old does. (Moreover, I think that we're supposed to believe Dick to be around 24 or 25 years old in the present day, which makes it all the more difficult to believe that Bruce adopted him at the age of 19 or 20 years old.) However, to complicate the problem even further, I'm not even sure if he is in his late teens here. Clarke draws him to look hardly older than Tim, who's in middle school at the time of this issue. On some level, I'd be glad if it were true, since it would be more in line with the DCU past, where Dick was 10 or 11 years old when adopted. But, if it were, Dick would be no more than 17 or 18 years old in the present day, something that clearly isn't the case.
But, Dick's age isn't even the most vexing continuity problem. Instead, for me, the biggest problem is believing that everything that has happened in the entire history of Batman and Robin has happened over the last five years. We're apparently pretending that Tim was never Robin, which, admittedly, buys DC some time. Assuming Jason was at least dead a few months and has been back alive for a few months, it still means that Dick and Jason shared the role of Robin over a four year period or so (with Damian presumably taking up the mantle at some point in the last year). Maybe Dick was Robin for three years and Jason for a few months? I could buy that. But, I thought the whole point of these #0 issues was that I wouldn't still be trying to place their history into some sort of continuum; DC would do it for me. I'm willing to wait to see what explanations the other Bat-family #0s offer, but, if they don't clarify who did what when, I'm going to be seriously disappointed.
I know it seems silly to worry about continuity and, for a lot of people, they don't care. But, for me, comics is really about the fact that you develop a relationship with these characters over a long period of time. To see characters you've followed for 30 years suddenly and magically have less of a history than they used to have seriously detracts from of that enjoyment. It's hard to accept the wonder that Tynion is trying to instill in us as the boys' see the Bat-signal for the first time when you're wondering why Dick hasn't hit puberty yet. I know that's not the case for all readers, but it is for me.
On
a more positive note, Tynion does the most with Jason here, who
expresses sheer horror when his friend murders a woman observing the
robbery that the two of them are committing. Tynion and Clarke really
show Jason as the broken street-kid that he used to be and I'm hoping that the
"Red Hood and the Outlaws" #0 issue goes into more details about his
past (and wish that Tynion were writing it). It's really heart-breaking to see him here, wedged between
Dick and Tim; he's got his friend's blood on his shirt, he's walking to
wherever it is that he's living, and he's wordlessly staring at the
Bat-signal in a deserted, depressing alley. It actually makes me mad all over again at Bruce for failing him so terribly. (Is this event the one for which Bruce told Jason that he should've gotten Jason help in his holographic will?) It's hard to watch his innocence when you know how it's all going to end; it just reminds you how tragic of a character Jason has always been. Beyond Jason, Tynion also excels with Tim, showing him as the precocious whiz-kid that we all know him to be. (I once again wish Tynion were writing his series.)
All in all, this issue is more distracting than it is exciting. Whereas Simone was able to use the premise to help clarify Barbara's new origin, Snyder and Tynion struggle under the weight of the editorial mandate. I'm glad we'll return to normal next issue.
Batman and Robin #0: Argh.
OK, quickly: According to the information that he gave Commissioner Gordon in "Batman" #0, Bruce Wayne left Gotham ten years ago to start to train to become the Batman. According to this issue, Damian is roughly ten years old. Why would Talia al Ghul sleep with the Bruce Wayne that recently left Gotham? He's not Batman yet and, in fact, doesn't necessarily have a plan to become Batman; he's just starting on his journey. In fact, when Damian asks about his dad for the first time, Bruce has probably just started to appear as Batman. As such, how does Talia have a copy? Are we supposed to believe that they had a romance ten years earlier and resumed it after Bruce became Batman?
It would be really nice if these #0 issues answered questions, rather than raising them.
Superboy #0: Meh. This issue is OK. DeFalco's main problem is that Kon's history only really started with "Superboy" #1, so it's hard to write a prequel to that issue, given that he didn't exist before it. DeFalco instead tells the story of the clone named Kon who led the revolt on Krypton. It's not the most fascinating story, but, for this title, a half-way decent issue is something to be celebrated. So, hurrah! I didn't hate it.
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