Something from Bruce Wayne’s past has come back to haunt Batman’s present! When an item of personal value is stolen by a thief named Crypsis, Batman goes on a manhunt to get it back! Just what is this item? And why does this thief want it so badly?
The Positives
“The List”, written by Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, and penciled by Riley Rossmo takes us back to Bruce’s youth in this story. Here we find that after the death of his parents, Bruce has become withdrawn and distant. Dr. Leslie Thompkins, a family friend and also a positive influence on Bruce’s life encourages him to write a list detailing all the things he would have to do to get over the death of his parents. It seems that this particular list grew into a large book–and it’s something we see that is very close to Batman’s heart. We don’t see many times where Batman is shown vulnerable for a second in the DCU, but Scott and James do a great job of telling it here in this book. Crypsis seems intent on having this book strictly for blackmailing Bruce Wayne–which was a setup for failure from the beginning!
The Negatives
I really wasn’t at all impressed by the villain Crypsis here. I really hope that Scott and James use this particular villain as a one shot story because he was pretty forgettable. The overall story is what’s impressive here as I cared more for the contents of the book than what the villain wanted with it. I think however that maybe that is what Scott and James however was aiming for and if it was–they hit the target.
The Verdict
“The List” is a good read on its own if you want to know some history to the story of Batman/Bruce Wayne. It gives us a story that shows the steps Bruce took to become the hero he is, and how unlike some who got powers or responsibility in their prime years, Bruce took the tough road of becoming a hero while literally still a child! Here we see a great story unfold around Batman and a pretty pointless villain–however the story surrounding Bruce is so entertaining you really don’t care about the motivations of Crypsis. Check out Batman #52–if you’re a fan of Bruce’s origins its a read for you!
