In many ways, Scott Snyder is the perfect Batman writer IMO. I'm not saying his stories are the best but what I mean by that is that he gets everyone right and manages to perfectly integrate all aspects of the Batman mythos in his stories. Regardless of what you like about Batman, that aspect is present in his stories (unless you're a fan of the Silver Age Batman). He manages to find a good balance from the tone to the balance between realism and fantasy to character portrayals to themes to everything else.
I'm going to have to disagree. Entirely. Ever since he got his hands on Batman (the title) everything he has done has been aping either Christopher Nolan (whose dialogue he's stolen several times) or rehashing Grant Morrison (The Court of Owls was near enough the same as Doctor Hurt and The Black Glove, but not as good).
I think considering the two are peers, it's only fair to compare Scott Snyder's Batman run to Grant Morrison. Everything from Scott Snyder's Batman #1 (vol. 2) is a poor rehash of Grant Morrison's work from Batman #655 (vol. 1)- Batman & Robin #16 (vol. 1). To begin, let's go over their big antagonists over these respective works, The Court of Owls and The Black Glove, respectively:
The Black Glove is an organisation that has ruined people all over the world for years, and is introduced as a faceless, mighty organisation. Then Batman enters their sights and they have been stalking him for years.The Black Glove make their attack on both Bruce and his allies and Bruce is left drugged and at their mercy for days. Bruce then discovers that the head of the Black Glove, is Thomas Wayne, an ancestor who worked at Willowood Asylum.
The Court of Owls is an organisation that has recruited people from all over Gotham for years, and is introduced as a faceless, mighty organisation. Then Batman enters their sights and they have been stalking him for years. The Court make their attack and Bruce is left drugged and at their mercy for days. Bruce then discovers that the head of the Black Glove, is Thomas Wayne, potentially his brother who was raised at Willowood Asylum.
Starting to see some similarities? Simon Hurt/Thomas Wayne was already a reintroduction of the Thomas Wayne of the 60's. However, instead of being Bruce's brother who was raised in Willowood, he was treated by Thomas Wayne (Bruce's father) and worked in Willowood. 2 years later Scott Snyder writes nearly the same story, but March is back to being a brother Bruce never noticed his mother being pregnant with.
As for integrating different eras of Batman, that's gone now, near enough. Scott Snyder has been given free reign over the Batman universe, hence his removal of Year One from continuity. However, Grant actually
did incorporate every aspect of Batman's history into the character, even the Silver Age, where much of the storylines had been unretconned to have been hallucinations, either due to Fear Toxin, Joker Toxin, the isolation experiment or some other hallucinogen. He brought back Kathy Kane and Bette Kane as well as many other classic ideas of the character.
There is a modern retelling of the "Robin Dies At Dawn" story of Batman #156, as well as:
Batman #62
Batman #65
Detective #215
World's Finest #89
Detective #235
Detective #241
Batman #112
Batman #113
Detective #267
Batman #134
Batman #153
As well as bringing in pieces of the much maligned Batman: Year Two. He drew from all corners of the Batman mythology and made it all relevant.
The only thing I'd say they are equals on is their balance of realism to fantasy, though they each lean to one over the other.
I also love the fact that his stories have an epic-in-scale film feel to them as well as some philosophical themes and ideas that the Nolan films also had.
I just don't see it. Grant Morrison deals with archetypes, he turned Batman into King Arthur- through amassing his knights of the round table a theme later reinforced in Batman Inc, St. Michael in his battle against 5th world evil incarnate of Doctor Hurt, and St George when he was the archetypal man against the Dragon (Darkseid), he looked the dragon in the eye and says "Gotcha!"
I very much encourage you to read this blog on the matter:
http://rikdad.blogspot.co.uk/
However, my personal favorite thing about Snyder's run is how 1980's/TAS Batman it feels Batman's entire aura (specifically the detective side) and his language gives off a 1980's/early 90's/Batman TAS feel from Batman that I often don't see replicated in a lot of places. It's little things here and there like Batman saying "I deduced it" that give off that vibe. I absolutely love that.
t:
I hated the 90's era Batman, or as he was dubbed on the DCO site the Bat-dick, or the Bat-jerk.
As for the detective side in Batman Incorporated #6, because Grant hadn't written anything with Gordon for a while, he introduced a plot involving the mob and the mayor trying to frame Gordon for murder of illegal immigrants, tracing back to their feud from RIP. Batman (Bruce), Batman (Dick) and Robin scour a landfill to find the body of the hitman hired. They find sections of his body and how the evidence of the bruising on the hand matches the callous on Jim's from his gun. As well as telling Jim how to find the rest of the body, to create a watertight case of defence.
All that was done in one page and 6 panels, including drafting Jim into Batman, Inc.
As much as I like the guy though, I was a bit dissapointed with the way he concluded Court of the Owls. I really wasn't fond of the Court of Owls being taken out that fast. I would have much preferred if they were still around for a bit longer or if it was revealed that the Court of Owls was just something that Thomas Wayne Jr./Lincoln made up just to screw with Bruce's mind.
Disappointed does not being to cover it. The Court worked much better as an actual nameless, faceless organisation without hierarchy. They should have been defeated, but not vanquished, an ever present threat that could have anyone at their head. But they had to reduce it to Batman v Anti-Batman, a story that has been told so many times it's become a parody of itself.
However, that did not turn me off from Snyder's run, especially since the second arc with the Joker was so well done IMO.
Even that arc was awful and filled with terrible character moments. Bruce's interaction with Dick early in the story honestly infuriated me, Alfred raised both of them, Alfred was the only person who stayed by Dick's side when everyone thought Bruce was dead. Alfred is as important to Dick as he is to Bruce.
I know this is extremely unlikely but I would love to see him write the Batman reboot.
He's done nothing of merit to deserve it. If anything he has done ever permeates to other writers, the way Grant Morrison, Denny O'Neil, even Judd Winick has, then he can start to be considered a good writer.
Until then he is a poor unoriginal writer. Having said that, I have high hopes for Zero Year.