All Star Batman #1 review – Snyder remains king of the road

Pack your bags for a fun ride with All Star Batman

Batman on a road trip with Two-Face is certainly an out there premise. Good thing All Star Batman has Scott Snyder telling the story. By the time he wrapped his run on the main Batman title, Snyder established himself as one of the all-time Batman scribes. Snyder doesn’t rest on his laurels as he kicks off what’s widely believed to be his final Batman story arc in encouraging fashion.

After Two-Face’s latest heinous crime, Batman’s had enough. Despite most of his allies against the plan, Batman takes Two-Face out of Arkham Asylum to take him to a mysterious location that could hold the key to restoring Harvey Dent’s mind. Not ready for rehabilitation, Two-Face offers his secret stash of dirt on everyone in Gotham. He’ll give it up to anyone who rescues him from Batman.

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That prize proves very attractive for everyone from criminals like Killer Moth and Firefly to regular folks at a diner. With his vehicular advantage taken out quickly, Batman has to use all his resources to get Two-Face to the destination spot. But with unexpected forces working against him, the odds are long that Batman will see the end of the road. Batman and Two-Face play off each other well and Snyder certainly teases numerous philosophical clashes between the former allies.

Riding shotgun is John Romita Jr. With his signature style, Romita’s Batman definitely looks distinct. It’s not as jarring as it could be since there’s some similarities to Romita and former Batman artist Greg Capullo’s style.

With Batman out of the shadows of Gotham, colorist Dean White has to utilize more colors than typical for a Batman title. It’s brighter and sunnier making for a nice contrast to the regular black and greys we normally get.

In addition to the main story, Snyder and artist Declan Shalvey craft a side story looking at Batman’s newest partner, Duke Thomas. Batman is exploring a change from his traditional Robin apprenticeship program and Duke is the guinea pig. Duke has been kind of hovering in the background post We Are Robin so it’s good to see a storyline giving him some attention.

For Snyder fans, this is more of the same high-level Batman they’ve come to expect. For newcomers, it’s not too late to get a good seat and enjoy the ride.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10

Images Credit: DC Comics