Batman noir: the black mirror
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Aside from the truly phenomenal comic itself, The Black Mirror hardcover includes plenty of worthwhile content for those that collected the story in its initial run.
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Again, this is the kind of thing that is sometimes unavoidable in a collection this massive, but that doesn't mean it should go unmentioned. In addition, there's one occasion that puts what should be a page-turn reveal on the right side, spoiling the splash page early. Especially with the heavy focus on visual storytelling, it's an unfortunate detriment to the flow of the incredibly engrossing story at hand. It happens often in collections, but in the case of Black Mirror, it's more often than I'd like. There are some double page spreads that suffer from the binding of the book, with the inner most portions of the page becoming obscured and thus, some beautiful artwork sullied. There is a downside to the collection, however, but they stem entirely from some production issues. in being the most permeating factor of the book. Because of Francavilla's approach, the creep-factor is turned up to eleven, assisting Snyder's intentionally ambiguous portrayal of James Jr. It's simpler, in a way that's fitting to the very human nature of Gordon's plight: dealing with the return of his estranged son. Meanwhile, Francavilla's work on the Gordon chapters is more refined with a heavy focus on colors and atmosphere. The elements of horror are exacerbated by Jock's work, yet it maintains the primary superhero comic sensibilities that you'd expect from a Batman book. Jock's rigid, angular style is the perfect complement for exploring the ominous, bizarre streets of Gotham as it warps in an attempt to swallow Dick Grayson whole. The two artists feature vastly different styles, yet the book gels, due in part to how appropriate each style is for the installments they are drawing. Jock and Francesco Francavilla tag team the art of the story, with Jock handling the Batman-centric chapters and Francavilla the Gordon installments. Though they start separately, the tale of Dick Grayson assimilating to the new villains awaiting him on the streets of Gotham and Gordon's past coming back to haunt him eventually tie together in a crescendo of horrific beauty, playing on the expectations of the reader while expanding the Bat-mythos wide open in both love letter and forward-thinking fashion.
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The story that Snyder weaves is an increasingly tied together saga of how Gotham corrupts its heroes, formfitting its challenges to the characters that experience them. While some unfortunate production issues on the hardcover keep the collection from being flawless, this is still a must-own piece of Dark Knight history.įor the uninitiated, Black Mirror collects Detective Comics #871-881, which spans story arcs like the titular "Black Mirror," "Skeleton Cases," and "Hungry City." Though they are technically separate entities, collecting them under one roof, so to speak, was the right decision. By all accounts, from writing to art, Black Mirror is a perfect 10 in storytelling, no doubt about it. Birthed out of a love for the seminal Batman story Year One, Snyder forms a creeping epic that will no doubt be referenced as a modern classic in much the same way as its inspiration or Batman: The Long Halloween. From start to finish, the team created an eerie and definitive story for not only Dick Grayson's stint as Batman, but for Gotham City and Jim Gordon as well. If you follow IGN Comics regularly, then you know how much we praised the run of Scott Snyder, Jock and Francesco Francavilla on Detective Comics.