Batman vol 9 'Bloom'

[Jimmy T]

Or is it 'Epilogue'? Hell I can't remember the title right now, but I'll be damned sure to come back to my placemarker and write up a review a bit later!!

[Jimmy T]

So, this story continues the near amnesiac Bruce Wayne dealing with a history that threatens to come back to him. Jim Gordon is Mecha-Batman, and the myth of the man that is the Bat rears his long casting shadow.

I wondered if at one point I should think about the word 'letdown.'

That would only be used because I can't imagine it ending better, but at one point, I think I wanted something just a bit more to the ending confrontation with Bloom. I mean, he become a weird city stomping monster...and I think that's what gave me a bit of  sense of letdown.

What didn't let down was watching Bruce be tortured by shadows of memories he couldn't bring up, and be tortured by what it means to be Batman. Loved, loved, LOVED his self-sacrifice to become what he once was. That was great writing.

It was great to see him take back the city, to interact with Jim Gordon (who TOTALLY knows his secret I.D.), and to see him confront...Joker? Perhaps, perhaps. But man, the writing style, the connecting the two separate storylines with converging themes? Awesome. Masterstroke.

While Bloom left me wanting, knowing that this was really a book end to everything Snyder more or less started with 'Gates of Gotham' (which I have to get now), this was in its entirety just amazing. So glad to have it!!!

[Perry]

I waited until you were done reading before I said anything, but I think you summed up my feelings about the arc.

Other than Bloom. I felt a similar feeling at the end of it all (didn't stick the landing for me), I was let down by Bloom personally as all I kept seeing, on the periphery, was another Dr. Death. Not in drive or ambition ... well, no ... but just in pointy, pokey fingers.
 

I know it makes no sense, and it is stupid, but that is all I kept seeing.    It just seemed like a revisit of a character we just saw not too long ago. Again, yes, silly, but ...
 

Still, all of the Absolute Editions (or some great collection) of the Snyder/Capullo complete run is gonna be on my shelf one day. For sure.
 

[Jimmy T]

Oh, the pokey stick-y fingers bugged me, after having been the same shtick as Doctor Death. Bah!