3. The Art
In the prior article I spoke of how up until Zero Year Batman's artwork had evoked certain conventions of Noir. Conforming to a gritty hardboiled detective idea of Batman through a use of Chiaroscuro, tightly focused panels and washed out colouring. I also briefly spoke about how Zero Year had turned this particular notion on it's head as well at least in the color schema. As the series progresses it does seem like the gritty, dark or muted Noir Batman we all know appears to have swallowed a rainbow. Even in the few instances prior to Edward Nygma's powering down of the city; where the action does take place at night, there is just as much colour and perhaps even an increase in saturation thereof when compared to the many scenes that occur during the day. Having given up my artistic studies in my early teens I decided to invite a more artistically inclined friend of mine to have a look at Zero Year and give me his opinion. He agreed that it was surprisingly bright and the almost wild colouring could connote the idea that Bruce is not only creating a new identity but also a new reality. Thinking of this I find this quite plausible. True Bruce's attempts to fight crime before donning the mantle do occur in the bright light of day, which in itself may be a commentary of how dire things have become in Gotham, however it is only with the appear of the cape and cowl that we are treated to a sky made up of varying hues of yellow, orange, and red. Finding anyone who dislikes Cappulo's artwork is nigh on impossible and Greg continues to bring us his unique and beautiful vision of Gotham and her inhabitants in Zero Year as much as any prior story.