Scott Snyder is already being hailed as one of the best Batman writers of all time, with his New 52 stories seemingly barrelling from one instant classic to the next. He is soon to start on a new arc named 'Endgame', the contents of which are so secret that DC have only revealed the title in their solicitations. We think that's pretty cool and, like most fans, are on-board for whatever Snyder comes up with. Some readers may think that the New 52 launch was Snyder's first Batman work, but that would be incorrect. He actually had his first crack at the Bat with this run on Detective Comics #871 to 881, which took the title right up to the start of the New 52 relaunch and it was the strength of these stories that convinced DC that he was the right man to then steer the main Batman title. The Black Mirror met with much critical acclaim upon it's release, so in a sense it could be said that it isn't really underrated, but we reckon that so much focus and praise has gone to The Court Of Owls and Death Of The Family etc that it is worth discussing this masterwork again. The series is notable for featuring Dick Grayson as Batman, thereby giving the story a grippingly different feel than if it had been a Bruce Wayne tale. The series tells two main stories, with the first being Dick going up against a new villain named The Dealer, who is selling stolen pieces of supervillain equipment at macabre auctions where all attendee's have to wear gas masks to protect their identities. The story running parallel to this involved Jim Gordon's son James, a character who hadn't appeared in DC continuity since he was a boy in Year One, returning to Gotham. James Jr is presented as a cold, emotionless man who many, including his sister Barbara, suspected of being a remorseless serial killer. Snyder weaves an intoxicating mystery, subtly laying down clues but holding off on a definitive explanation of James Jr's true nature until the very end of the story.
