The conspiracy of the Court of Owls grows ever deeper this month in Batman #4, but writer Scott Snyder adds a new layer that readers might not expect. Instead of outright continuing Bruce's investigation of the explosion that ended the last issue (spoiler: he survived!), Snyder opts to devote most of this issue to a flashback, revealing that this isn't Bruce's first encounter with the Court of Owls. Snyder brings us back to a time following the death of Thomas and Martha Wayne, as young Bruce begins to develop his detective skills while searching for a greater answer to the death of his parents. Being unable to accept that it was merely a random act of violence, young Bruce hunts for the Court of Owls he'd heard about in nursery rhymes.
While the pacing of this issue slows down the ongoing plot considerably, this new layer broadens the scope of Snyder's story in a big way. With the underlying theme of the tale remaining Bruce's over confidence in regard to his relationship with Gotham City, seeing that his assertion of there being no Court of Owls actually stems back to his childhood is important. Snyder has deepened Bruce's stake in this story and for the first time brings in another character to truly suggest that Bruce is wrong. Dick Grayson has a supplemental part to play in Batman #4, acting essentially as a foil for Bruce to tell his tale. While the beginnings of the issue are fairly heavy on recapping the events to date, once Bruce gets into the swing of his story you'll be fully engaged.
By nature of Batman #4's narrative, Greg Capullo's bombastic storytelling and explosive layouts are toned down almost completely. Instead, he takes a more structured and refined approach to the flashback segment, telling it all in very standard and rigid page layouts. He focuses on the atmospheric qualities of his work, enlisting the help of inker Jonathan Glapion and colorist FCO pretty heavily to make the aesthetic work. Some pages serve better than others; particularly one sequence that explains the beginnings of young Bruce's investigation and has a map of Gotham City underneath the panels, suggesting the vast integration that an organization like the Court of Owls could have. Snyder and Capullo continue to work in sync in terms of their thematic beats, even if this issue falls slightly short on some of the other fundamentals we've come to expect from the book.
However you slice it, Batman #4 is another solid entry in a deep tale that continues to get ever the more sinister as the months chug on. Something big is on the horizon, and issue #4 makes it quite clear that Bruce has no clue what's coming. I can't wait.
Joey is IGN's Comics Editor and a comic book creator himself. Follow Joey on Twitter, or find him on MyIGN. You may or may not discover a profound number of cat pictures.
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