Am I the only one who doesn't like Snyder's Batman?

[JesseBerberich]

Hi guys, sorry if there's already a thread like this somewhere, but I didn't find it, and I wanted to open a discussion about this.

I haven't been enjoying Snyder's Batman run since the New 52 started. I don't even find the "Death of the Family" story all that exciting. It's been OK at best.

I bring this up because it seems everyone else on the planet is in love with Snyder's Batman. Am I the only one who isn't?

Thoughts/opinions?

[batGRRRl4ever]

I agree, and here's the interesting thing. I think Snyder has been KILLING it with his writing in Swamp Thing and I am a definite fan of that book, but the writing in Batman has been hackneyed and unoriginal. And despite the abundance of prose, the writing itself in Batman is just a LOT of recycling of previous storylines.

Some writers shine on some properties like Swamp Thing, but can't necessarily maintain the magic with other properties like Batman. It would be better if he moved on to another book, IMO. I'd be curious to see what he could do in a Red Robin solo.

[maxpower00044]

Yea, plenty of people around here don't like it. Just go into any of the Batman threads. You'll see the same 10 people complain about everything and anything Scott Snyder. But, for the most part, people love it.

I find him to be great on Batman. I Enjoy the stories and he nails the character voices. I enjoy the heavy handed prose and the monologues. I also enjoy how Batman has his flaws, and isn't a Bat-God who knows everything (one of the reasons I love Batman so much, is because he is human and not super.), and how he doesn't mind trying to shake things up in Batman (new characters, wrinkles in the mythos). One thing I feel he's not doing is recycling old stories. The whole DOTF story (from the horses mouth) is supposed to be a Joker's greatest hits. So if you're seeing similar things being done in that story, it's on purpose.

[MajorHoy]

In the beginning of the New 52, it felt like Snyder had the best handle on the Batman.

But the menace of the Talons and the Court of Owls was a bit long, and it did make Batman seem a bit clueless not to realize any of this had been going on in "his" city. Then, less than half a year later, we're getting another mega-crossover event with Death of the Family, meaning Bats is being caught off-guard again?

The violence/death level in Death of the Family is also getting to me a bit, but that's also an unfortunate coincidence because of the timing with what's going on in Newtown, Connecticut, which is not that far away from where I live.

[SonicOS]

It all comes down to personal taste. There is something you want to see and experience in a comic book, if you dont, you are left disappointed :P
There is nothing on this planet that everyone would agree on... kinda sad actually...

I love everything Snyder put out so far, unlike Grant Morrison's Batman which I tried sooo hard to like. Just yesterday I flipped through some of his work and read a few issues. Nothing, no sparks.
Just not me style. So dont worry, you dont have to like it...

[The Beast Of Yucca Flats]

Would apathy do okay?

[The Beast Of Yucca Flats]

I mean, I guess I'd put him in the same category as uh, J.M. DeMatteis or JMS: i.e., material with great aspirations but ultimately is really just rather workmanlike at best.

[shark]

Like many popular writers, like Simone and Morrison, Snyder is pretty overrated.

His Batman is nothing special to me. Just ok.

[The Duke]

Hate is a strong word. Someone suggested apathy.

I find myself going back to the past a lot more lately.

I've been doing this for 35 years, I might be burnt out.

[Xarcon]

I think Snyder's Batman is overrated, but I don't think it's terrible. Personally, I've enjoyed Layman's three issues on Detective a lot more than I've enjoyed most of what Snyder's been doing, but that's just personal taste. I can certainly see why Batman is so popular; I just don't get the same thing out of it that a lot of other people do.

I think the biggest problem I have with the book is the scope of the stories. I don't mind large scale stories with tie-ins when they're done sparingly, but that seems to be the driving force behind Batman--to shovel out long, "epic" story after long, "epic" story with only a minimal buffer time between each story. I guarantee that there will be tie-ins to the nine-issue Riddler story that's coming, and all those tie-ins are going to involve the Riddler specifically targeting Batman's allies, exactly as the Talons did, and exactly as the Joker is doing now. It gets repetitive after a while (I know, repetition in comics is to be expected, but come on).

And before anybody tries to discredit my opinion by accusing me of simply being a Snyder hater or whatever, American Vampire is my all-time favorite comic book series and I am very much looking forward to The Wake.

[Brave Sir Robbin]

Since Snyder's Batman title is the biggest selling comic for DC, and has been the biggest selling single character comic much of the year, by definition your dislike would put you in the minority. The book sells like crazy

My personal opinion is shaded by the fact that I am not a big Batman fan at all. I read The Long Halloween and thought it was simplistic and the hook of the story was thin. I read the Court of Owls, by Snyder, and never could get into the Batman character. So I am probably not a good judge of what makes a good Batman book good.

However, I do love TDK since Hurwitz has started writing it and of course like Layman's start on Detective. I think I can like Batman in smaller stories. But the Batman fans want, for the title, the big over reaching sagas. Snyder has been killing it for his fans. So it is probably a matter of taste for a lot of the dislike.

[zur en arrh]

Well...not all of us.

I find it to be very average. It kinda reminds me of the comic books based on the animated series. Just a little too fluffy for my liking so far.

Snyder's Batman pretty much blows so far with minor exception.

Yeah, I'm not a fan of Detective either.

[B. Kuwanger]

Funny you mention Long Halloween, Brave Sir. I think that's the perfect book to lump in with the Snyder run.

I think the Morrison Batman is like Venture Bros. while the Snyder Batman is Naruto: entertaining on a basic action comic level, but never seems to have made any progress when I peek in. Visually overrated and so dramatic I'm not sure I should read it as being played straight. I laughed my ass off reading a recent torture scene.

[dubbauw]

I think Snyder's Batman is overrated, but I don't think it's terrible. Personally, I've enjoyed Layman's three issues on Detective a lot more than I've enjoyed most of what Snyder's been doing, but that's just personal taste. I can certainly see why Batman is so popular; I just don't get the same thing out of it that a lot of other people do.

I think the biggest problem I have with the book is the scope of the stories. I don't mind large scale stories with tie-ins when they're done sparingly, but that seems to be the driving force behind Batman--to shovel out long, "epic" story after long, "epic" story with only a minimal buffer time between each story. I guarantee that there will be tie-ins to the nine-issue Riddler story that's coming, and all those tie-ins are going to involve the Riddler specifically targeting Batman's allies, exactly as the Talons did, and exactly as the Joker is doing now. It gets repetitive after a while (I know, repetition in comics is to be expected, but come on).

My personal love of Snyder has dwindled over the past few weeks partially due this "epic" motif (rest cause of you crazy cynics out there ) I'm still pretty new, but with both CotO and DotF being very ambitious, it kind of bothered me that Snyder is playing up the Riddler arc too as being this massive "epic" story as well. Every single arc can't be the best Batman story. I still love the series right now, I'm just a little worried that it'll get old soon if every arc has so many expectations.

And before anybody tries to discredit my opinion by accusing me of simply being a Snyder hater or whatever, American Vampire is my all-time favorite comic book series and I am very much looking forward to The Wake.

AGREED 100%

[JasonTodd428]

To the OP: No, you're not the only one that dislikes it but there are quite a few people who do like it. Me, I'm more middle of the road myself. I'm enjoying it but I do think all this talk of how "epic" tends to get overblown, which is why I don't read interviews or reviews regarding it anymore.

Well I'm glad we can all agree the Detective Comics is great now.

I agree that 'Tec is an excellently written book now, at least stylistically speaking, however the stories have yet to resonant with me. I'm really finding it merely okay but nothing to write home about, which has annoyed me to no end because I'm not enjoying it at all and ordinarily this would be the type of book I would love.