All-star Batman

Fresh off an extended, character-defining run on Batman, the much-lauded Snyder returns with a brand-new writing assignment on . . . Batman. He's always had a penchant for highlighting the character's strength by subjecting him to a pounding, and Batman receives some grueling beatings here, racing across the country handcuffed to archenemy Two-Face in hopes of restoring the criminal's sanity. But Two-Face is blackmailing a nation's worth of thugs, murderers, and assassins into intercepting them and sending Batman straight to Hell. Taking advantage of the former friendship between his two characters, Snyder lends the speeding thriller some psychological weight, while Romita Jr. manifests it all with some truly R-rated violence and its consequences on the Dark Knight's bloody and battered body. The artist's pages are so dense with intense faces and satisfyingly thick bodies in motion, it's easy to take for granted that he's among the smoothest, most flowing visual storytellers in the business. A backup story features Batman's latest sidekick, the African American Duke Thomas, as he faces a psychological gauntlet known as the Cursed Wheel.--Karp, Jesse Copyright 2017 Booklist

Not to be confused with the infamous Frank Miller and Jim Lee project, this new series from Snyder (Batman, American Vampire) showcases different all-star artists and a new direction for both the Dark Knight and the duplicitous Two-Face. Romita (Kickass) partners with Snyder in the title story, taking Batman on a violent B-movie-esque road trip to cure Harvey Dent of his psychosis. It's a much better fit for Romita than his previous stint drawing Superman-his sketchy lines combined with White's vivid, occasionally dreamlike colors make for bright yet gritty visuals. Snyder has the most fun of anyone, though, allowing Batman to finally make jokes again. Despite a cameo-crowded nonlinear narrative, his story never becomes tangled or impenetrable. A backup story, "The Cursed Wheel," with art by Moon Knight's Declan Shalvey and Jordie Bellaire, is a quieter, more precise detective tale that contrasts with the main story both thematically and visually. As Batman collections go, this has it all. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.