Batman's origins are revisited with gritty realism.
I read this because a.) it was on my list of must-read superhero comics and b.) I wanted to see how Mazzucchelli's artwork differed with his work in Asterios Polyp. On point a.), yay! I can see where this fits in nicely with Miller's The Dark Knight Returns as a turning point in the way superhero stories were told. On point b.), holy cow, what a chameleon. You think you know an artist or writer's style, but then you see what they can do when they're not bound by industry genre standards. While Mazzucchelli's skilled art here is more realistic than what was common for the industry at the time, it bears little resemblance to the highly personalized style he reveals in Asterios and I doubt I ever would have realized they were drawn by the same hand had the name on the cover not told me. That's one talented fellow. Obviously, Miller's got kudos here, too, but my brain is focused on the visuals since I just read Asterios.
