10 Reasons Why New 52 Batman Was The Best Ever

Scott Snyder’s roots in literary and horror fiction are well suited for Gotham’s grand rogues. In the beginning, he gave Batman a brand new yet fully realized adversary in The Court of Owls. The Court’s initial effect was maybe diluted by subsequent spinoffs, tie-ins, and follow-ups, but doesn’t that happen to all the great villains? (Imagine creators twenty years from now doing their own spins on The Court and its Talons.)

And at the series’ end, another original villain sprouted up in the ambiguous Mr. Bloom. This slender creep in skinny jeans and fishnets is a kind of anti-Joker, in that he represents the actually justifiable meanness of Gotham’s streets.

Present through it all is Snyder’s Joker, who will go down in history as one of our greatest Jokers— clingy, verbose, full of ugly questions and challenges. Plus, the Riddler here is the best iteration of the character in years. Not since the animated series has Riddler been so compelling in his own unique way (the Arkham games go too far to make him an obsessive trap-making killer).

Snyder delves into what these eccentric criminals really want, so that villains whose appeal had dulled over the years come up shining like rare gems. Also who knew forgotten guys like Dr. Death and Crazy Quilt could be so interesting?