Well, what an awesome new series.  The announcement of Scott Snyder on this book some time ago got me excited as I don't think I've read a bad word written by the man, but my anticipation was tempered by the presence of an unfamiliar co-writer, Kyle Higgins.  I really needn't have worried. 

The first couple of pages are historical, set in 1881 and depicting a triumvirate of wealthy Gothamites planning the creation of the Gotham you and I know today.  It's the kind of historical backstory that occasionally reads as dry, but not here.  This book gives the city and it's history the depth and richness that James Robinson achieved in Starman in the 90s.  It's about the vision and character of these three men, and how their ambition ties into the fabric of Gotham.  And that's just the first three pages.  From there we travel to the present and a "terror" attack on the three bridges originally named for those three men, and the Bat-family's investigation as a result. 

It's a mystery that gallops along, yet feels detailed and hefty in a very good way.  Pretty much all the story is told with speech and images, there are no dense patches of narration.  Snyder and Higgins seem to have solved an equation for the perfect economy of words on a page, while at the same time ensuring the story never wants for substance.  The characterisation is spot on, Damian's on page for about 2-3 panels yet he's right on the money with his speech patterns, and the exchange between Gordon and Dick is superb.  In terms of "moments" the writing duo give us creepy as Batman guides his submersible through a river of dead victims, and then they wrap with a touch of cliffhanger as a mysterious but intriguing new villain seems to make his presence known.  (At least, he was no one I was immediately familiar with, I could be wrong.)

In art terms another unfamiliar talent has made his presence felt.  Trevor McCarthy channels everything good about classic Batman cover artist Brian Stelfreeze, employing dynamic panel to panel movement and beautifully angular character portrayal.  His Penguin looks like a shark in a suit, and there's nothing wrong about that.

Just lately DC have been steadily losing my interest, at least in their superhero books.  Apart from brilliant oddities like Xombi and Thunder Agents, it's only the Batman books that are really holding my attention.  With work like this however, that attention is never likely to wander too far.