Detective Comics 27 was a landmark issue; the 900th issue of the series, filled with 90 pages of creator passion. And while not every story deeply resonated you could feel the creator enthusiasm practically waft off the pages. That sentiment is especially true of Scott Snyder and Sean Murphy’s aptly titled contribution, Twenty-Seven. I could say that the art’s incredible, the story poignant, all of which is true; it’s definitely powerful storytelling for the allotted 12 pages. But I’m not out to review it, there are numerous outlets that can give you a review of this issue, this will not be one of them. No, what I’d like to do is analyze it. Because, in the end it truly does define what Scott Snyder has done, is doing, and will do with Batman.
For starters, Scott Snyder has said that this is the Batman he and Greg Capullo are using, it’s not a what if or elseworlds tale. It’s not a parallel world either, this is the legacy of the Batman you’ve seen in Court of Owls, Death of the Family, and Zero Year. It will likely never be “official” canon; something Scott recognizes. But in his mind “which I think is most important” this is how his Batman tale will end. And it’s as much an interpretation of the “Batman is eternal” concept, made popular by Grant Morrison, as it is an introspective look at what Batman sees in himself. And yet, you see this through a lense that seems to belong to the Bruce we know; while in fact the narrator is someone we’ve never seen before. It’s here that the genius of Twenty-Seven lies.
In some form or another we’ve seen the mantle of Batman passed on before. Dick Grayson, Damian Wayne, Terry Mcginnis have all had their turns as Batman. I enjoyed those stories; but they never satiated my need to see how Batman himself would cope with his death and secure his legacy. Also, from a broader narrative perspective, to see him secure the mythology of his story, since it feels like it deserves to far outlive the life of the “man” in Batman.
In this next section of this article, I go into the finer details of the story. If you haven’t already read Twenty-Seven, this is where you should stop reading, lest you find yourself spoiled.
The story begins with that iconic scene of Bruce in his study, looking at the bust of his father and muttering the iconic words “Yes father...I shall become a bat” It’s right after that moment that the Bruce we all know awakes to a world that is as bewildering to him as it is to the reader. He awakes to a cave he hasn’t built filled with futuristic technology that he doesn’t recognize. And an old man telling him (quite cryptically,) “you’re here, you’re home.” For you see, Bruce has awoken in what is the 200th year of the Batman. As Scott Snyder wonderfully writes, “there have been many threats, but there’s also always been a Batman to fight them,” to which we are presented a glimpse to the Batmen that have served; come and gone. Yet the Bruce that awoke has no recollection of any of these other Batmen, a fact that was intended by the first Batman. Explained by the Old Bruce as a mean of “renewing” things. All the Batmen awake to the new Gotham upon the moment they swore to become Batman. Meaning, they all experienced the training and the loss that made Batman, well, Batman. And yet the allies and the villains, the kind of Batman they become. Well, that’s all the stories yet to be told.
And that’s the genius of it: Bruce is still Bruce. Never once does Scott Snyder use the word clone. As old Bruce explains, “I’m you. And your me. And we’re both Batman”. Every story before has featured the son of Batman, or the apprentice of Batman; the torch bearer if you will. But in Twenty-Seven, Scott Snyder gave me the answer I’d always been wanting and yet never knew I wanted. Which is: Bruce is Batman and Batman is Bruce, never the end.
I know now, how Bruce becomes immortal, and who knew that it began with showing how mortal he truly is. When you read this book there’s more than one throwback to past Batman writers. Visual cues that are teasers to work past, present, and very possibly future. It’s truly an inspired take on the most resonant themes of Scott’s work on Batman. His ego, His self sacrifice, and a touch of his own “personal” brand of insanity. I wouldn’t want it any other way.
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