Scott Snyder began this issue with a really awesome scenario. He gave the people what they wanted and in that moment they wanted Batman. He blasts the bat mobile into the middle of a stadium then shoots him out the top to take down Hush. What a show! Who wouldn't want to be in that audience? The crowd goes wild! This was a great intro to a great issue, I could feel myself wanting to punch the air in triumph. It was a very cool scene.

However, this comic is much more than just this moment.  This is the beginning of a new arc entitled The First Ally. I have high hopes for it because in my opinion this series has not yet returned to the heights of the first Two Face-themed arc.

We are shown a time long ago when a young man was causing trouble in London. Then we skip back and forth between modern day and this flashback. It's interesting to see who we assume is Bruce in his younger days and its even more interesting to see him causing trouble on rooftops, long before the days of Batman. There's even a great bit of slapstick comedy thrown into the mix!

Seeing Bruce Wayne's ability to hop on a personal ferry or a plane and go globetrotting makes the issue feel very Bond-inspired. This, accompanied with the big action set pieces creates a very fu issue! Also, PIRATES! (Kind of)

Even the back up story was great in this issue. I am usually frustrated when the main story finishes and I begin the back-up, there are never enough pages to make something that compelling. Definitely not enough to make the second story satisfying! However, I really enjoyed this one! Also, it implies that Batman's got a thing for punk chicks... who knew?

I can't wait to see what comes next and for once, that goes for both stories in the comic!

I'm rating the story an A and the artwork an A, Rafael Albuquerque is brilliant!