Running concurrently were two miniseries that showed that Snyder was also very proficient in writing more conventional superhero stories: “Batman: Gates of Gotham” which was co-written with Kyle Higgins, and “Flashpoint: Project Superman,” which was co-written with Lowell Francis. “Gates of Gotham” particularly evinced Snyder’s ability to tell compelling stories by marrying his love for history with traditional superhero stories.
His track record having been firmly established, very few fans were not overjoyed at the announcement that Snyder would be handling both the flagship “Batman” title, as well as his dream title “Swamp Thing,” even if these fans were otherwise skeptical of the DC relaunch. Thus far, both “Batman” and “Swamp Thing” have continued Snyder’s trend of releasing great quality stories, with “Batman” proving that “The Black Mirror” was not a fluke and that Snyder wouldn’t be suffering from a sophomore slump, while “Swamp Thing” is on its way to being the best its been since Alan Moore left the title.
From: Gates of Gotham #3 (DC Comics)
Of course, Snyder did not neglect “American Vampire,” which received both the Eisner Award and the Harvey Award for “Best New Series,” and has only grown stronger as its issue count increases. This year saw the miniseries “Survival of the Fittest” spin-off as concurrent stories about World War II ran. Rather than distilling the quality of the series, this move further bolstered the quality of the title, providing two unique yet complimentary stories that thematically revolved around the horrors of war.
American Vampire: Survival of the Fittest #1 (VERTIGO COMICS)
Finally, “Severed,” co-written by Scott Tuft, seems to be the ultimate distillation of Snyder’s strengths as a creator, providing a tense, subdued and genuinely terrifying story, where the horror lies in both the anticipation and the execution, while also playing with Snyder’s love for history, and his knack for making instantly memorable and fully dimensional characters.
Project after project, Snyder has proven himself to be incredibly consistent, with his unparalleled skill in effectively using both horror and history (both real and character history) birthing instantly compelling stories. In the short span of two years, Snyder’s effectively guaranteed that any project with his name on it is worth buying. There’s no doubt that he’s amazing now, and no doubt that he’s only getting better; I can’t wait for what he has in store for 2012.
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Sean Tiu is a co-moderator of The Comic Book Group. His butt is huge.