This issue has excellent dialogue. It has nearly perfect artwork. It's cinematic in its approach to its storytelling. And I can't wait to see what happens next. Dr. Death. The Riddler. Some crazy stuff going on in the Middle East and some even crazier stuff happening on the streets of Gotham City. Gordon and the rest of the GCPD are about to go through some epic changes. Batman's not quite the world's best, well, anything yet. This is amazingly brilliant (not to mention brave) origin-retooling, world-building, and re-branding. I'm just glad the two creators who are making it so are completely back in control of the book. No more crossovers. No more backup stories. And please, for God's sake, leave the price tag on each issue the same. You know I'll buy it, but seriously" Four bucks is plenty. Especially for a company supposedly still "drawing the line at 2.99." Keep up the good characterization, Snyder! And don't stop reinventing the looks of my favorite characters, C Read Full Review

There isn't much Batman in this issue, but the Bruce Wayne and Jim Gordon parts are excellent. Doctor Death is proving to be a horrifying villain, and Greg Capullo's designs are top notch. The suspense and mystery are on the rise, and things can only get better from here. Overall, Batman #26 is an excellent issue. Read Full Review

Batman is a must read for any fan of superhero comics. Issue 26 just cements this book as one of the most amazing reads one can find every Wednesday at your local comic shop. Read Full Review

Zero Year continues to be a thrilling ride. With each chapter, we're discovering that we don't know everything about Batman's early years like we thought we did. Scott Snyder is carving out a new piece of history and the art team of Capullo, Miki and Plascencia is spoiling us. It's an exciting time for Batman and we're getting to see him like we don't often get to. This is the type of story you can dive into and just turn everything around you off. Zero Year is a time period I don't want to leave. Read Full Review

Capullo and Snyder are literally crushing this new take on Batman's origin and for those fearful of a lackluster story in the show of Year One should take solace in the fact that this story stands on it's own and has carved it's own niche in Batman's utility belt. This story has been beyond epic so far and there's no reason to suspect that the best is yet to come! Read Full Review

This is a year 1 story that is jaw dropping and gripping. Another amazing issue by the Bat team. Synder gives us answers to some questions and more insight on Bruce's past while setting up more mysteries to explore. Capullo is showing his fans how much he appreciate us with his art being 110% every time but he is bested by Fco this issue. This book sells itself but if you ask me, This series has been on top of the charts week after week. This issue is no different and it is a must buy! Read Full Review

Overall, Zero Year is a must read for any Batman fan. The art is stunning, the colors are great even if they are not dark like a normal Batman comic. There is just so much happening right night in Gotham, how will Batman walk away from this. The interactions with Gordon are great, mainly because we know where they end up. Batman #26 really does a fantastic job. Read Full Review

As always, the art and story are exceptional, loaded with grim action, plot twists and powerful visuals. This continues to be one of the best of the New 52 comics, and one that pops to the top of that week's reading stack. Read Full Review

Overall, “Batman” #26 is a surprising issue because there should be no way this arc and this series are still so good, but they are thanks to the talent involved. Somehow Capullo and Snyder have taken apart the Batman origin, a tale as old as a time and as simple a story as you could hope, and put it back together in a sprawling epic that touches every part of Bruce Wayne's life and every part of Gotham City. I have no idea how these guys have pulled it off, but they have turned “Batman” into one of the best comics out right now and this issue is no different. Long live ‘Zero Year'. Read Full Review

Capullo out-Millers Frank Miller in the final page of the comic, where Batman dodges a horde of bullets, and every panel show something different. The separate panels are each a part of a whole, and each separate image link together in the mind's eye, showing us a synecdoche of slaughter while also presenting the terrifying speed that the bullets travel at. Read Full Review

The rich visual exploration of Batman's troubled early days is captivating enough to make even the most cynical reader come back for more. Read Full Review

But overall, this issue was most definitely worth the price of admission. Glad to see the series back on track. Read Full Review

"Zero Year" is yet another mega-storyline that has marched throughout the pages of "Batman," but the latest installment in "Batman" #26 delivers enough action and revelation in one issue to make the story seem instantly refreshed. Snyder, Capullo and team continue to do a fine job of adding more to the Batman mythology without negating anything. Doctor Death's appearance and development throughout the "Dark City" arc just adds more depth to the bullpen of loons Batman calls foes. Beyond simply adding depth to one of Batman's earliest opponents, Snyder serves as architect to the man Bruce Wayne will become in and out of the cowl. "Zero Year" is not just about Batman, it's also about Gotham City and all of the ancillary characters that happen through the life of Bruce Wayne, from Jim Gordon to Lucius Fox. Bruce Wayne is learning about himself, his allies and enemies and what it means to watch over them all. Read Full Review

Snyder and Capullo are inextricably tied to Batman for all time. Your children’s children reading Batman will marvel at them, the way fans do now at Kirby & Lee. Read Full Review

A textbook example of how to avoid the transitional issue. Snyder and Capullo… Powering through quicksand that would swallow lesser creators" Read Full Review

Batman #26 is a great issue. There is great action, stunning artwork, and answers given that we have been waiting for (Lieutenant Gordon). There are still questions of what the introductory and interjected pages are leading to and when they even take place, but because this issue gave us some answers to such questionable pages I am excited for the eventual reveal. I give this a 4.5/5 and the only reason it is not a 5/5 is nothing mind-blowing happened. This is well worth your money and I highly recommend picking it up!! Read Full Review

The series is great. This issue is great. Even the most hardened, anti-super-hero comic book reader I feel would enjoy this comic book. This issue reshapes relationships, fleshes out a new villain and provides powerful and boundary breaking visuals. It's a great comic book. Give this a try. Read Full Review

Batman #26 continues the excellent Zero Year story.  Snyder and Capullo keep giving us little tweaks and nuances to make this origin story their own.  I keep saying it with each issue, but this is a book that needs to be read by everyone. Read Full Review

Zero Year continues to impress. For those of you who have been missing out, seriously get back on the bandwagon, this is not only arguably DC's best book, but arguably one of the best in comics period. Read Full Review

Snyder has already taken on Batman: Year One by redoing Bruce Wayne's formative bat moment, but Batman #26 is great because instead of redoing what's been done, it strikes out into new territory. Read Full Review

Meanwhile, it's interesting to see where Dark City is going. The Riddler is the one behind the blackout, but he's not the main threat yet. He's just kind of lurking at the back, planning on god knows what. Again, Snyder has too much to tell for the story, and I'm really hoping things can just move forward already. This is still a great issue regardless. Read Full Review

My biggest problem is that I'm starting to worry that there's too much going on. I like a layered story but I feel a little ripped off. I was really excited to see The Riddler and while adding such a classic villain like Doctor Death is a great idea I feel the main Riddler storyline is starting to disappear a little bit. I have no doubt that it will all work out in the end but it is a concern of mine. Read Full Review

I don't even know what I can say about this art team anymore. They are beyond brilliant in every way. Capullo's pencils for Dr. Death and his victims have to be my favorite of this arc thus far. And that single page spread of Bruce with the gun. I got chills, bros. Read Full Review

I mean, what can I say that I didn't already? Zero Year is a great story, and hold surprises around every corner. In fact, it being that surprising might be it's only fault, because if you're really looking forward to something that you think is coming, like the Riddler, you're probably going to be disappointed that the only riddle is: Where's the Riddler? It seems silly to complain about a book being unpredictable, and to be honest, I'm not really complaining, because predictability runs wild in modern comics. At this point, it's my fault for having expectations, knowing full well that Zero Year will blow them out of the water, and that's truly what this story does best... Still want some more Riddler, though. Read Full Review

Batman #26 was a step back for the run, which has been improving quite considerably over these past few months. It has good moments and is decently written and drawn, but behavior by the main character just really sinks the issue quite immensely. Hopefully, the issue can step up from that. Read Full Review

It's still better than the average bat-comic, but I can't guarantee it'll knock your socks off quite like previous Zero Year chapters. Frankly, it feels like there's too much story for so few pages– something that's all the more noticeable now that the back-up short is gone and we're coming off an over-sized issue. You'll fly through this comic in no-time. Read Full Review

There is no denying that Snyder's run on Batman will go down as a classic. The guy has some great ideas, and he writes a very solid, very entertaining Batman. But for whatever reason, and maybe it's just me, I'm not connecting with this comic as much as other people. I can recognize it as one of the finest outlets for Batman stories in a long time, but I've never really seen them as anything more than really good Batman stories. Read Full Review

Batman#26 is a bit of a tough sell. While it is a weaker stand alone issue, it is apparent that it fits into the bigger picture. Snyder is building up to something and issues like this are necessary to have those big moments be truly impactful. Similarly, Capullo's skills aren't on display here, but even when not at peak performance, his art still looks great. Hopefully next month's issue brings back the hard-hitting action, as we dig up some Buried Bones. Read Full Review

Zero Year appears to be slowing down a touch to set-up the big clash between Batman and the Riddler, and although this will probably pay off eventually it is slightly hurting the story the now. It is however still one of the better series out the now and it's easy to recommend this issue. Read Full Review

Snyder and Capullo are a great team. Zero Year is not a great event. Hopefully, things will get better as things start to wrap up, but this is taking forever. Its hard to get me to not care about a Batman story, but DC is sure doing a heck of a job trying. Read Full Review

Batman's Zero Year experience started off really well, and yet now, I find myself wondering what the point of it all was. The story being told now doesn't seem to be using the Riddler's blackout, the incoming storm, or the fact that it's set almost six years before the main New 52 universe to any extent at all, and until the point of this storyline comes into focus, I'm going to continue wondering. Read Full Review

Instead of something meaningful or original we get a story that feels like a filler arc on the way towards the Riddler storyline that is the centerpiece of the Zero Year titles. Instead of shining light on lesser known character traits or telling the better known ones in original ways, everything is shoved in the reader's face and the story feels like a complete mess. Exciting? Capullo's art is. The backgrounds reflect the situations perfectly. Always new and different things going on in every page. If only Scott Snyder's story measured up to the art in this issue. Read Full Review

Ok, I read this a long time ago, around 6 our 5 years, but I have no recollection of this plot involving Gordon and Dr. Death at all

Still a good issue, definitely a set up for big things to happen.

The Zero Year story continues to be interesting but not very affecting. The occurrences in this particular issue do move the main story forward, but don't have any profound impact on the Batman origin as we know it. The desert-based subplot continues to be doled out in a feeble trickle; I have no idea what's going on here, and haven't been given much reason to care as of yet. It's hard to be critical of Capullo's work, but I will say that his frequent use of extreme close-ups often disrupts the pace of the visual storytelling. While the close-ups add visual variety, I often find myself having to stop and mull over what it is exactly that I'm looking at and where in the frame the close-up is centered. I can't always sort it out, but even when I do crack the code, the interruption has a deleterious effect on the flow of panels. There was no secondary short-story in this issue, a feature that I've generally been enjoying with the Zero Year run. The idea of showing mini-episodes of Bruce's early training days seems to have fallen to the wayside, creating an unfortunate inconsistency in the rolling-out of the arc. more

An average Batman story.