"Batman" #44 ties carefully into the current storyline running in the series; this isn't merely a flashback for the heck of it. Mr. Bloom's earliest moves are part of this story, and you see just how long he's been working on his transformative seeds. Even more importantly, it's an indirect look at the state of present-day Bruce Wayne as he volunteers with disadvantaged youths, drawing a comparison to the Bruce Wayne moving through this story. There's a strong connection between them, with the current Bruce understanding how to help in a way that Batman was unable to do so in this time period. Snyder, Azzarello, Jock and Loughridge should be proud of what they've done here. What could have been a throwaway issue turns out to be the cornerstone of not only the current storyline, but Snyder's "Batman" run to date. Every extra page in this issue is used with great effect; this is how you pull off an over-sized issue. Very well done. Read Full Review

It's a story that could easily fill an entire installment of Batman: Black and White, an outside-continuity anthology series that distilled the essence of the Dark Knight into his most potent and primal form: a strange, righteous creature who stalks prey that may not know it needs to be punished, a dauntless crusader who only rests when the sun's piercing beams begin to stretch along Gotham's narrow, broken streets. It's a story I actively wish for every time I pick up a book titled Batman. Read Full Review

This is a stellar piece of work, inside a run that is already becoming definitive. Pick it up. Read Full Review

It is nice to see Bruce back in the cowl, albeit briefly, and the issue overall is a strong look at how the normal people of Gotham need a protector. Here, the villains aren't cartoonish, but they are definitely deadly. This noir-style issue is a nice pause in the more action packed “Superheavy” arc, and it shows that while Bruce Wayne might not be in the cowl at present, his heart and soul will always belong to the people of Gotham. Read Full Review

BATMAN #44 contained everything that made me love Batman. We get a very good detective story that takes place in a city so run down that it resorts to further destroying itself. We also get a very compelling and realistic story that can be compared to various people's plight in real life. While different, the art in this issue was just beautiful. The entire team did a wonderful job of capturing the mood of the story with the art. Both story and art together made this a very enjoyable read. If you are a fan of a good ol' Batman story featuring Bruce Wayne then this issue is for you! If you are already loving the current arc then this story is just another purchase from your pull list. Read Full Review

With my only caveat being something that has nothing to do with this issue, the rating will go without saying. I want these types of one-off Batman stories every now and then, and with All Star talent like this issue, its an absolute must buy. Read Full Review

This is an exceptional story with its finger right on America's pulse when it comes to gun violence. The mystery weaves in and out delectably and you'll be hard pressed to find a better single issue read in 2015. Read Full Review

Batman #44 fully gives us Bruce Wayne in detective mode and, like all of the best Batman tales, he's a better man by the story's end. If you haven't picked this up already, you should go grab it now before it goes back to the printers for a second printing. Read Full Review

"Batman" #44 is one of the best issues of 2015. It is a call to arms and, through the character and mythology of Batman, emphasizes the power of inspiration and hope. Batman must interact with his city, understand its people, and become an essential catalyst for its very survival. Though simple and effective in its execution, this issue also feels revolutionary. Snyder, Azzarello, Jock, and Loughridge have seamlessly worked together to create an example of the various feelings that a great comic can inspire in its readers. Read Full Review

The books is a side story. It gives us small pieces to the main story, but not enough to really be related to it. That doesn't matter this time around. This book is perfect. The story is solid and well rounded. It hits every note right on the head and introduces some more that I never expected. The art for this book is different, but this was a different story that Snyder hadn't really told in Batman yet, so it worked. Even if you don't normally pick up Batman, just get this one. Read it. Read Full Review

Batman goes there, as we see him destroy the gardens. The serum worked. It gave Peter the power to stand up for his side of town. Protect it, like Batman. But his power lasted only so long. He was shot, grew batwings, and flew away. He lost these abilities in mid-flight. Who do you blame? The crooked cops? The gangs? Mr. Bloom? It's all cause and effect. One bleeds into the other. Batman goes back to Peter's corner of Gotham, and in a final black and white page, asks to have a talk to the boys he scared off earlier in the issue. Read Full Review

Its really not hyperbole when I say that this is one of the best Batman issues in years. This is more than likely the best issue in Snyders run and probably the best Batman comic since Morrisons RIP. Its actually kind of friendly to new readers, so you really have no excuse to miss out on such a true gem. Read Full Review

BATMAN #44 is the comic you didn't realize you wanted. No one digs when we have a fill-in issue interrupted a story arc. Scott Snyder takes the idea of a fill-in to a whole new level. Joined by Brian Azzarello, Jock, and Lee Loughridge, BATMAN #44 is a superb stand alone issue which actually does tie into the current Superheavy story arc. If you've been missing Bruce as Batman and the early detective days, you just can't miss this issue. The story is heavy and will give you a slight punch in the gut but you'll love every minute of it. Read Full Review

Batman #44 is everything that a single issue of a superhero comic could hope to achieve in 2015 and it took nothing less than the combined concerted efforts of everyone who contributed to it from the writing, drawing, coloring, and lettering to do so. Read Full Review

Go grab it now before it runs to a second printing. Read Full Review

Though this may be an interlude issue, it's not a filler chapter by and stretch. Batman #44 features two talented Batman writers working in sync alongside a very stylish artist, resulting in a very cohesive collaboration. This issue is less about the murder mystery or the origins of Mr. Bloom and more about challenging Batman's world view and place in his own city. In other words, it's a perfect companion to Snyder's ongoing storyline. Read Full Review

A Simple Case is a good Batman story, and it's entirely possible I'm as excited as I am about it because I miss the adventures of Bruce Wayne when he is under the cowl, but I also think that Batman #44 is the strongest issue featuring Batman since the mechanized suit debuted. On top of that, whileJock's layouts and art work are spectacular, and well worth any and all praise, it's the work ofLee Loughbridge that elevates this comic to the next level. Read Full Review

Though this issue takes a slight break from the main Superheavy storyline, this is NOT Naruto-type filler. Snyder, Azzarello and Jock gives us a completely immersive, visually arresting story that masterfully cleanses the palette for what's to come. Read Full Review

It's great to see Snyder reunite with Jock again. The artist is great for the issue, and his style is perfect for the tone of the story. The surreal style is great, and I'm a big fan of newspaper text as part of the overall art. Overall, this is a great issue that looks into Gotham's past, and we continue to see Batman challenging the ever-changing city. The murder mystery and Mr. Bloom are both great as well, and I love how everything ties back to the current storyline perfectly. Read Full Review

Overall, this is a strong showing and a great reminder of the abundance of stories that can be told with Batman at the center. Read Full Review

We may not have needed a break from the current storyline, but nevertheless Batman #44 proves to be an enthralling one-shot tale. Featuring a simple, yet enthralling narrative, as well as some extraordinary artwork, this issue only goes to build on an already iconic legend. Read Full Review

This issue is, on the surface, a great detective story; it's a great "whodunit?" laid out, and the final answer makes perfect sense while being simultaneously surprising. Read Full Review

Make no mistake: Snyder's current run with Jim Gordon in the role of the mechanical Batman is a superb shakeup of a familiar continuity. Yet as it touches on salient social issues, including police shootings of unarmed youths and disenfranchised quarters of society, this issue reminds us not just of why Snyder remains such a fan-favorite for the character, but what we have loved about the modern version of the Dark Knight for at least the last 30-plus years. Read Full Review

After it is said and done, Batman #44 is one of the best superhero standalone comics for this year. Scott and Brian craft a psychoanalytical and reflective tale of the Dark Knight that fuses with their signature noir and detective storytelling that point out the frailties of the supposedly powerful figure. It is a fact that this kind of exploration is nothing novel at all, but the current creative team enhances that discourse, resulting of producing a rare visual literary gem. Read Full Review

This issue features the hero that fans deserve, but not the one DC has been giving us of late. That's right! For the first time in 5 months, we actually get an issue of Batman featuring Batman. I feel kind of silly shouting that out as a selling point (since he should be in every issue), but given the current state of things, it's something to treasure since we don't know how long it will be till we see him again. Given how happy I am to see Bruce, I'm sure that some of you are wondering how much of that score is merely a knee-jerk reaction to his presence. Yes, it does factor in, but even if this issue weren't showing up after such a drought, I'd still give it a good grade. Brian Azzarello truly does the Dark Knight justice. When I look at this one-and-done, featuring an array of interesting characters and coupled with a thought-provoking theme, I can't help but think of some of the classics from the late 70s and early 80s….and smile. Read Full Review

Where the story falters is, unfortunately, at its core. For a story about the early days of Mr. Bloom, we learn very little about Mr. Bloom. He is only question a mysterious and powerful fixer dispensing questionable technology in the midst of an overgrown urban garden. But perhaps this very mystery is the point. Bloom is not really a character but a growth, a thing the thrives in poisoned soil, a deadly plant feeding on despair and decay. Like so many of the people we meet in Snyder's writing, Bloom is a child of Gotham. Perhaps, in some sense, he IS Gotham. And so the tale of the malevolent city, a story begun by Snyder and Jock in THE BLACK MIRROR nearly half-a-decade ago, continues to unfold. Read Full Review

BATMAN #44 is a heartfelt offering from Scott Snyder, Brian Azzarello, Jock and the rest of the BATMAN crew that takes us back to ‘simpler' times in the career of Batman to tell a tale that manages to offer more on the Mr. Bloom character, show us a younger and less experienced Batman still learning the inner workings of Gotham and be a social commentary all at once. Because of the nature of comics and the need to write for the trade, small one shot stories like this don't come around very often, which makes it all the greater that the team took this opportunity to tell the story that they did. That they did it so well is icing on the cake. And though Greg Capullo is an amazing artist and his return to illustration duties will be a welcome one, if there's any luck in the world one day Jock will illustrate a long run on a Batman series. Read Full Review

A really strong one-shot story, with a young Batman in action, impressive art and REALLY stunning colors. Read Full Review

Good story, good art, a bit misleading in its synopsis. Enjoyable as a stand-alone story. Read Full Review

"Batman" tells a one-shot set outside of the Snyder-Capullo narrative. Snyder, Azzarello and Jock put the Dark Knight in a situation where he is investigating a murdered fifteen-year old. The comic book contains stunning visuals that make this story a memorable one. However, the book is slowed down by the lack of detective work on the part of Batman. He seems to simply ask questions or beat people while Gordon runs police tests on evidence rather than connecting his own dots and working things through on his own. The comic also tries to jam in real-life social topics to create a more tragic victim and this tactic doesn't fit the story. The comic is worth a look but there are plenty of other Batman one-shots that are better and cheaper than the five dollar price tag that this one carries. Read Full Review

That all being said, many people love Jock's style and were happy to see him working with Snyder on a superhero comic again, after their critically acclaimed work in Detective Comics, The Black Mirror. For those searching for a traditional origin, you may be caught off-guard, but for those of you who are like me and are liking the direction in which Mr. Bloom is headed, definitely pick up this series to see a little glimpse into the danger he poses to Gotham. Read Full Review

Unlike most such shows, though, the villain at the heart of the murder isn't caught or even uncovered - it's all just setup for a story that may or may not be told in the future. Read Full Review

Batman #44 struggles with lengthy narration and an antagonist who Snyder and Azzarello attempt to get you to care for, but his own choices and actions really leave no sympathy for him. They also attempt to use current events in the story and it can feel a little too obvious in that sense. The artwork had its shining moments, but also its difficulties. There were some cool scenes with Batman and lightning, but the combat sequences were almost impossible to tell what exactly was happening. Not helping the combat sequences were Lee Loughridge's colors, although he did excel at capturing the feel of Gotham. Read Full Review

This really feels like a refurbished Detective Comics story and while some might say that isn't a bad thing, it really upheaves us from our current story line and offers us nothing for what we've been dealing with..... you know, except having Mr. Bloom in one panel of a story that takes place five years ago.  It's just a real letdown after having such a great cliffhanger last month and not dealing with any of the aspects to that story here.   Read Full Review

This was an excellent comic. Jock's art is not the cartoony realism style from Capullo but for how gritty this story is, the style works perfectly. While this can be treated as a one shot, it gives a glimpse on how Gotham at its worst can really make desperate people unintentionally cause more problems for the city. The story of a kid down on his luck who gets involved with the wrong types of people is a story that exists in real life everyday. The story alludes to some current events that America has struggled with. Whichever side of the fence you're on, shootings of young blacks especially by police has been a hot topic since Ferguson. This comic voices some of these issues. While, the main storyline is put on hold this month, this issue is worth a read. more

Kinda disappointed at first because i thought we were gonna get a Mr Bloom Origin story (SPOILER ALERT>>>>>>> He is in this issue for one or two panels), but when i reread it and started paying closer attention i really liked it, mostly cause the story unfolds a bit like Snyder/jock/Francavilla's Black Mirror arc(one of the greatest Batman stories in recent years). Overall I think this is another great issue in an already great Batman run with some really noirish art from Jock.

Filler issues can be really tricky to deliver, but Scott Snyder (here aided by another amazing writer, Brian Azzarello) is able to emotionally strike in issues like this one just as he's capable of exciting in big events in the Bat's continuity he's unfolded in these years. #44 is a story about forgotten people, about revenge, about how stupid and arrogant Bruce was in his first years as the vigilante, about redemption. It touches the main story by giving us a glimpse at Mr. Bloom's beginnings, but it can really be appreciated on its own as a standalone as well. Jock's brutal style is always on point, and his collaborations with Snyder (other Batman stories and "Wytches" are those that I know of) deliver in a great and creepy way.

Great issue like usually. Story is combination of Snyder and Azzarelo. And you know these writers are pretty much great. Art is really pretty. Jock's art is better when comic write Scott. Complex story, great idea, but i think Snyder can be more critic to society. Some thinks are only to comics, but i like this style. It's not very complicated story, but the idea is remakable.

We break into a one-shot here in the middle of the ongoing story arc, but it ties loosely in with events in the current arc so it's not a big. It's also much better than issues in the current arc have been, so that's a welcome plus too. This is one of those batman issues that brings real world problems into the spotlight, so it's worth reading.

An interesting one-shot that takes a hard look at the societal problems in Gotham

What is this BLM propaganda? This is a filler issue with no relevance to Superheavy whatsoever. Throw it in the trash and move on.

muddling tripe!

not the Mr Bloom origin we were promised!

a big sob story about a poor boy who gets killed, and Batman runs around like a blind idiot trying to solve the case!

i haven't seen such red herring bad detective work from Batman since 'Batman Eternal'

definitely NOT worth the $4.99 cover price! just awful!