Is It Good? Batman #32 Review

We’ve reached the second to last issue of Zero Year and it’s been a wild ride over this past year, hasn’t it? What does the latest issue of this story hold for us? Will the Riddler ever get his comeuppance? Is it good?

Batman #32 (DC Comics)

Batman, Jim Gordon, and the rest of the gang may finally have a read on exactly where the Riddler is hiding out and they’re ready to put a stop to the madness. While scoping out the area, they make some rather interesting discoveries they weren’t exactly expecting. Also, they wander into an even bigger surprise…

“Where does he get those wonderful toys?”

Last issue felt like it was biding time until the big climax/finale. That holds true for this issue as well; in fact, even more so. Everything that was accomplished in the last issue feels undone and the characters are back at square one with still very little idea on how to find the Riddler. It felt incredibly dense in all of the dialogue and narration, slowing the pacing down as well. Just a lot of padding in general.

Snyder’s writing otherwise isn’t too bad. The characters are still written well and given plenty of great moments that fit them, even some touching bits. The dialogue and narration are very dense in a lot of places like I said, but none of it sounds all that unrealistic and is perfectly fine. Heck, one of the wordiest pages is probably the one with the most heart and emotion. The ultimate solution and how Batman finally finds the Riddler is very clever. The ending is also pretty good as well and really does get me excited in seeing how the whole arc ends.

Dialogue for everyone!

Capullo’s artwork is strong as usual. The characters look good with a broad range of emotions and facial expressions. The action is energetic and looks great. The layouts are decent overall, the inking and coloring are as solid as ever, and scenery and backgrounds are interesting.

Is It Good?

Batman #32 is alright overall. It’s not the big exciting lead in to the finale like some are probably expecting and it’s a bit slow at points. However, it’s still a decent read overall with plenty of good moments, good artwork, and a nice cliffhanger ending to get you pumped for the finale. Hopefully the big finish for Zero Year can live up to hype when we see it next time.