Broken Frontier

Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo bring the Dark Knight “Rising” to a whole new level.

One of the most thrilling story arcs in superhero comics today catapults us towards a startling quasi-conclusion as a severely battered Batman, drugged, dehydrated and lost in a labyrinth of Gotham’s secret past, confronts the dreaded Talon. Shifting from dreamlike hallucinations to harsh reality, this chapter of the Court of Owls saga builds on the eerie suspense expertly laid out in the previous issues and will lead you with every passing panel to an overwhelming question: Will the Dark Knight make it out of this place unscathed?

What makes Batman #6 even more appealing is that just when you think Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo have already topped themselves numerous times as storytellers, most recently with the mind-bending and hands-on experience that is Batman #5, these boys yet again one-up themselves with a tale that is just as packed with literary allusion as it is with ultra violence. The closest comparison I might make is Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus, at once gory and beautiful, with a strange, almost terrifying finale that leaves behind a haunting chill; the same holds true for “Beneath the Glass.”

And one look at Capullo’s frightening cover –– certainly the creepiest Batman cover I’ve seen these last couple of years –– will make just about anyone drop what they’re doing and dive into this book. And if not…well, beware the Talon!