There's a lot we loved about Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's recent "early years" Batman story, Zero Year, but following the particularly shadow-drenched - but brilliant! - arcs that the duo had created in the past, the bright, vivid colour scheme was what really got us. The idea that the Caped Crusader is a fundamentally dark, grim character is almost as old as the character himself. You could even argue that it's right there in his origin story - he's a tragic orphan - but we're gonna go ahead and blow that argument apart right now, if that's all right by you. Okay? Okay. There are plenty of superheroes - nay, fictional characters in general - with tragic origins. Harry Potter. Spider-Man. Luke Skywalker. Spider-Man. Spyro The Dragon. And you know what all of those characters also have in common? Their adventures are brightly coloured, fun, and contain over your recommended daily allowance of quips and heartwarming moments. We bet some crappy stuff has happened in your life and you haven't let it define you, right? Those who still have the studded belts and the sweeping fringes, you're exempt from that last point. Batman's inherent grittiness is a kickback against a couple of things. Originally he was a pretty dark, pulpy character, which changed with the introduction of the Comics Code Authority, who censored any violence, mention of drugs or organised crime and essentially enforced several decades of goofy, harmless and silly primary colour comic books. This was the version of Batman that informed the 60s TV show, with all its pop art costume designs and campy tone. In the seventies the comic book Batman made a conscious move away from that sort of thing, readopting the earlier, more stony faced appearance. We're not saying that one's necessarily better than the other, just that you can have both, and one doesn't in any way damage the other, either. We love The Brave And The Bold, we love Year One, we realise that they're different takes on the same material. Everyone's happy!
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
