Batwoman: 5 series to read while waiting for season 2
By Scott Brown
Batman: The Black Mirror
The final story arc of Detective Comics, running from issues No. 871-881, before the New 52 reboot in 2011, The Black Mirror contains two stories, one featuring Dick Grayson as Batman and the other focusing on Commissioner Gordon and Barbara. If you’re wondering how and why Dick Grayson, aka the first Robin, was Batman during this story, Bruce had died at the hands of Darkseid causing Dick to reluctantly take over the mantle.
There’s a lot to love about this arc; from the fantastic art by Jock and Francesca Francavilla to the incredibly interesting mysteries in both storylines. However, what is so great about it is how writer Scott Snyder (who would go on to write The Court of Owls among other storylines) handles Dick Grayson and Jim and Barbara Gordon. There’s a lot of emotional heavy-lifting to do in this arc and it does so wonderfully.
Dick’s arc here consists of becoming comfortable with taking over the mantle of Batman, which as referenced two paragraphs above, didn’t last long. However, that doesn’t make the character work for him any less effective. Whereas for Jim and Barbara, instead of moving forward, they are looking at their past as they need to come to terms with James Gordon Jr.’s return to Gotham.
They are drastically different stories that work together very well in showcasing how people can move on with their life, even if they may not be ready and it’s definitely worth reading.