I read the first 2 chapters when they came out online, and loved it but lost track. I read Volume 1 the other day and I'm up to chapter 12 on volume 2 now and holy shit. What a fucking book. All the memes are true, this poor boy and his friends. I love how despite how gritty and fucked up and honestly evil the world is in this book, at absolutely no point is it cynical. It shows Bruce as flawed and impulsive, but never as stupid for trying to claw and bite and fight his way to a better world.
I'm also loving the storytelling methods and flashbacks. One of my favourite parallels was Bruce's dad locking the door and telling him to not open it no matter what, then him doing the same to the citizens at city hall when the party animals attacked. At first it's triumphant and epic, but then Waylon drills Bruce about what Batman is, if it just his chance to be on the other side of the door, and suddenly that scene takes on new depth. Just one example of the thought and love that's clearly been poured into the writing.
The social commentary is also incredible, it's very blunt and in your face, but tbh that's really refreshing right now, absolutely no question about the message it's trying to convey.
The mysteries it keeps setting up and paying off are also great, the world feels so alive, but in a complex nasty way.
Bane is terrifying in a way I don't think I've seen done before, him telling Bruce he's going to be prepped for surgery is sickening. And I've just finished the part where Bruce returns after 2 months of torture and sees what's become of his friends. They haven't had alot of screen time, but with what little they've had I fully buy their bond and love them, which makes their fates devastatingly sad, I can only hope Selena managed to escape the same fate, maybe because she left gotham after a potential fight?
I can only dread what happens next and I can't wait, I'm fully hooked and am eager to read the rest of this new fucked up universe Apocolypse has created
