The holidays are upon us and another year is in the books. But before we move on to the excitement of next year, we wanted to take some time to look back at 2015 and to reminisce about a few of the great things it brought to the world of DC Entertainment. Whether it was a remarkable development inside one of our comics, a cool, game-changing twist that played out on the screen, or a real-life change that will impact the comics, movies, TV shows, toys and games that you’ll be seeing from us in the future, this year had no shortage of moments that stood out. However, some resonated more than others. Some really stood out. These are DCComics.com’s “Ten Moments that Mattered” for 2015.
It began with a lot of head-scratching. As Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s Joker epic “Endgame” wound down, DC released an image of Batman’s new robotic suit. With no explanation given, conjecture and disbelief ran wild. Why would Batman need an enhanced suit? What’s with the missile launchers? And were those bunny ears extending from the helmet?
It wasn’t until the eight-page Batman “sneak peek” that was released in May as a part of Convergence that we got our answers. The suit wasn’t for Bruce Wayne. It was for his successor, Jim Gordon. Bruce seemingly died alongside the Joker at the end of “Endgame,” leaving Gotham without a Dark Knight until an opportunistic entrepreneur, with the full support of the GCPD and Gotham city council, introduced us to Batman 2.0 in a storyline that has since come to be known as “Superheavy.”
Comic creators shake things up all of the time, and this is hardly the first time Bruce Wayne’s been replaced behind the cowl. But this particular variation on that theme has yielded all kinds of fascinating results within Batman’s world. From Alfred revealing his complex feelings towards Bruce’s role as Batman, to the former Commissioner Gordon learning what it’s like being on the other side of the mask, to the lack of a formal Robin giving rise to an underground youth movement of Robins. It’s given us a glimpse into why Gotham needs a Batman and why that Batman needs to be independent and completely free of outside influence or control. And perhaps most importantly, it’s addressed the question of whether Bruce Wayne and Batman could ever exist separately from one another.
It’s done all this while introducing us to one of the creepiest new Batman villains in quite some time, unlocking new depths of creativity and purpose within Snyder’s writing and Capullo’s art, and even throwing in a poignant flashback issue that tackled the real-life problem of police brutality. In short, it’s made a now 76-year-old character feel like a breath of fresh air.
Be sure to check DCComics.com again tomorrow for another moment that mattered in 2015.
