Batman: The Black Mirror

 Batman: The Black Mirror

Apologies for the delay in a new post: I was sick, and I was stuck. I was going to read Multiversity by Grant Morrison, and all I can say is that I really tried. I read the first four issues three times… and I just couldn’t read any more. It’s bad, guys. I know it’s something of a cult classic, but in the way that maniacs will tout its genius without acknowledging the actual substance. Its aggressively not for me. Morrison is an acid addicted lunatic who lives in a Scottish castle surrounded by cats, and Multiversity is one of the titles where you can smell the litterbox.

To counter that I went for The Black Mirror. This arc often tops listicles of must-read Batman comics. This is a cult classic in the truest sense. It’s also good.  This title has a following, but that’s not unusual for a Batman comic: I’ve had conversations with my comic savvy friends that basically devolves into use listing Batman titles at each other, and all sagely nodding as we drink beer. Black Mirror always gets a resounding “Oh yeah that’s a good one!”. That being said, Batman is a Marmite© character to a lot of people. I know avid comic readers who haven’t touched a monthly Batman title in years because they feel every alley in Gotham has been well and truly plundered. I do get that: He’s a rich dude, tied to a location, with bad guys and motivations that everyone knows. How can you make the dark knight fresh again? I think Black Mirror did that for a lot of people.

What am I reading? Batman: The Black Mirror, Collecting Detective Comics Issues 871-881. Written by Scott Snyder, illustrated by Jock and Francesco Francavilla.

What’s it about? With the launch of Batman Incorporated, Gotham has a new Batman. It’s Dick Grayson’s turn to don the cowl and prowl the streets. He works alongside the ever-steady Commissioner Jim Gordon, but can they face a demon from their past?

What’s good about it? Scott Snyder as written a lot of Batman… seriously, a lot of Batman. 426 Issues featuring you’re favourite caped crusader. Safe to say that all that practice has paid off. I like Snyder’s work because it does normally ask you to keep up, it doesn’t hand hold, you need to pay attention. You need to let it run round your mind a few times to bring out the deeper flavours. There’s substance to what he writes.

The theme of reflection underlines everything in this story. The characters, the motivations, the plans, the actions, the reactions. It’s all familiar yet altered away from expectation. Let’s start with the Batman himself; Firstly, this isn’t the Batman, this is a Batman. Dick brings a very different feel to Batman compared to Bruce. A lot of words have been written about how Dick Grayson is Bruce Wayne’s greatest achievement, and I think that shows in this arc. Dick and Bruce’s stories share so much, yet their mindset is entirely different. Dick knows that this is a game made by a scared, hurt child, but he sees that he doesn’t need to follow the rules. That makes his interactions with the world far more thrilling and unpredictable.

Jock’s artwork is scratchy, angular, unrefined, and raw. It suits Gotham and her residents down to the ground. He does great work with negative space and colour clashes that give a paranoid feel throughout the book. The framing and imagery are amazing. I love the image of a dead orca whale abandoned in the lobby of a downtown high-rise bank… classic Batman villain insanity.

What did I struggle with? This may get my access to the bat-cave revoked but I need to ask it… why is this story so beloved? I really like it, it’s a good Batman story, but I wouldn’t say its drastically better than any other of Snyder’s Batman titles. He’s good at Batman, this is good Batman. I wouldn’t say it broke the mould though. It may be because the themes are so evident, that the layer behind the action is so clear, it’s just refreshing enough to stick in the memory. On the other hand, if you spend the time and think about what most Batman titles are trying to convey to you, you will see that most arcs have a deeper craft and meaning. 

In writing this, I learnt that this was Snyder's Batman debut... that makes far more sense as to why this is so beloved, it set the beat for the decades to come. Doesn't change the fact that this recipe is now the standard, and you either like it or you don't. I do like it, but I've tasted it a lot. 

I struggled to engage with the main villain of the piece. I think I’m a victim of seeing the motif too clearly or having too much prior knowledge coming into the story. Once you’ve clocked the reflection in the pattern, its pretty well telegraphed what was going to happen. I’d much rather more time was spent fighting submarine pirates working out of Gotham Bay.

Would I recommend? Tricky. I really like it as a standalone story. If you know enough to recognise who Dick Grayson is, but not enough to know the twist, it’s undoubtedly a fun ride. If you come into this after reading lots of Batman, you’re just getting more Batman. Its not spectacular. It doesn’t expand Batman into anything new. It was probably ground-breaking at the time. It may still be for the newer reader