Anyone who reads or watches Batman knows how determined he is in the face of impossible odds. The first time this is truly seen in Zero Year is in Batman #29, the last chapter of Dark City. Gotham City has gone to hell in a hand basket thanks to Riddler's meddling and a super storm barraging the city. It's up to Batman to stop Riddler's plan from gaining complete control of the city's power by shutting down his machine. The major problem is the fact the machine floats high above Gotham and near impossible to get to due to the storm. This, however, doesn't stop Batman as he commandeers a prototype blimp and flies above the city, but can't quite reach it because of the high winds and extreme lightning. Still, he perseveres against the odds and, though the Riddler's airborne station is over 70 feet away from the blimp's door and his grappling gun can only reach 50, he admits the wind is 'mostly' at his back and jumps. In a page echoing Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns, Batman is silhouetted in the night by a bolt of lightning, the sky red around him. Greg Capullo's vivid colours bring the chaos and awe of the scene to life as the Dark Knight encounters one of his first death defying moments. It doesn't matter to him the odds are impossible, he's willing to find a way to win no matter the cost. Though he ultimately lost the battle in the station, Bruce Wayne is quickly on his way to becoming the Batman fans know, love and cheer on. Bring on Zero Year: Savage City!
Richard Church has a Bachelor of Arts in English and a diploma in Television Writing and Producing. He is an aspiring writer for short stories, novels and screenplays. He is also an avid fan of comic books and graphic novels.
