Batman #49

style over substance is an excellent analogy for what we will probably get with issue 50. though if the last few issues are any indication i'm getting the feeling it won't be a very good style. i really wish DC had gotten Jeph Loeb back writing Batman for rebirth. Superman/Batman and Hush were far from perfect comics. but at least they were a good interpretation of the characters. Loeb's writing for Bruce and Selina was so much more powerful than these Bat & Cat imposters here.

What is Tom King doing? Is this really not obvious? It's a juxtaposition between two of batman's most interesting and iconic villains, a fascinating character study bursting with fresh perspective. This is not rocket science. Wont batman be mad at catwoman? SO WHAT. Do you not remember Catwoman recently stole her wedding dress, just because she's getting married doesnt mean she is changing who she is as a person. She's still got claws, and she had more reason to take joker out then ever before.

When did Batman get poisoned? Might it have been at some point while Batman was knocked the fuck out? Does Tom King really have to hold your hand like some toddler as he tells his story? Stop writing batman so inept? The joker is good at making batman inept, if he wasn't he would be a bad boring villain! He showcased perfectly how good joker is at taking advantage of Batmans weaknesses, exploiting him with his chaotic insanity.

There is nothing wrong with being clever or meta, especially when it's done well like it is here. Stop reading comics that aren't ment for you if you cant handle it. Tom King respects your intellect, why don't you respect his.

I think someone's feeling were hurt by this review.

My brain was hurt.

Hehe. One could argue it's the same thing.

These are the definitions of the words used in context. Argue away brain brān/ noun plural noun: brains intellectual capacity. "I didn't have enough brains for the sciences" synonyms:intelligence, intellect, brainpower, IQ, cleverness, wit(s), reasoning, wisdom, acumen, discernment, judgment, understanding.

feel·ing ˈfēliNG/ noun plural noun: feelings 1. an emotional state or reaction. "a feeling of joy" synonyms:love, affection, fondness, tenderness, warmth, warmness, emotion, sentiment

In other words that means you could argue it, but it would just make you an asinine snark.

Haha! Ok, “airwaves,” I guess trolls are gonna troll. You’re obviously a pretty big Tom King fanboy. I don’t really care that you like his version of Batman, but I prefer him to be at least somewhat competent and not a complete idiot. Plus, if King is so clever how does he write a story where the villain fires 15 shots from a revolver. Also, Cat and Joker sit their chatting like long lost pals after mortally wounding each other. Who does that?!? They were never friends.

I’m pretty sure your hero has no knowledge of the history of the characters he’s writing about. It’s very apparent in the way he portrays almost everyone.

So I'm an asinine snark, ok. Thanks ÆTHER for keeping the internet a place where having a civil conversation with people is damn near impossible.

Revolvers are not allowed to shoot more than 15 shots now? It's pretty clear Joker had extra cartridges in his friggen pocket. Can you not imagine he easily reloaded as she was ducking behind the benches, or picked up his second revolver? Again why must our hands be held like babies, the total lack of imagination is astounding. Besides it would be the artists fault for not drawing an actual reload, but to be so nitpicky is ridiculously silly. Definitely not worthy of criticism.

Would it really be more interesting if they sat around yelling obscenities at one another? They didn't seem like old pals to me either, they were obviously trapped in a situation, and behaved just as I would expect. To me these are two criminals who never cared for each, but very plausibly might have worked together, since they have/had a common enemy in Batman. King is in charge and gets to write/enrich their history, and it work. It's all about doing something new and original.

can't you guys see? you both made Æther cry!!! ;n;

Boring ad hominem is hypicritical, since most of you wrote reviews open to the public crying in the first place.

call it what you will. a shyte comic is still a shyte comic.

ÆTHER, no one is crying. It's about the fact that you literally attacked someone, in a very condescending way, for having a different opinion than you. "a shyte comic is still a shyte comic" - that's a good summary

Another criticism I have is how King very obviously states that Batman is in full body armor. This includes his cowl. Yet when Joker points a fun to his head he just stops and let’s the lunatic rant some more until he shoots him. Why not go for the gun or just duck. Then when Joker points the gun at his own head he inexplicably stops again. Now I know the Batman doesn’t kill, but would he be all that concerned that the Joker shot himself? So, Batman not only stops, but kneels next to the Joker

And raises his hands like he’s praying. Out of character. Then, Joker blows up the dais and the one wearing full body armor is more affected than the guy in a regular suit?!? Plot holes all throughout King’s Writing. It makes no sense. I really enjoyed “Sheriff of Babylon.” I think that’s because they were King’s own characters. He just hasn’t done the research on what makes a Batman fans tick. Anyway, have fun trolling.

I'll take that one. While I think that the armored cowl would stop the bullet, the sheer force of the hit might have scrambled Bat's brain.

i for the life of me will never figure out why Batman knelt down to pray with the Joker. Batman obviously didn't really care that Joker just killed all those people. in a way i wish Batman's cowl wasn't armored when Joker shot him in the head. it would have been a mercy kill.

Batman didn't know what kind of ammo joker had, hes lucky they weren't armor peircing rounds. I believe Batman would definitely care if the joker shot himself, especially if he was the cause. Batman Hope's all criminals can be rehabilitated, he prayed and complies with the joker only because he is being threatened also. Batman would definitely say Amen to no more people getting shot also.

Joker is a broken man, he probably wanted a peice of paradise in his life but he seems to have lost it to the chaos, even though he was likely heading "true north" as his mother advised him. But she was wrong and chaos stole his life, and he has become its insane avatar.

Sure King may have taken some creative liberties with Batman being knocked out by the explosion, while joker made out just fine. What can I say "Everything else is just chaos" , that was the theme. I appreciate the story thats being told more than counting "Bangs" or being hypercritical of details that hardly matter, especially since the plot is so damn interesting, and it's just plain fun to see the characters interacting in such a manner.

you enjoyed the comic. fine. other people did not. that's just life.

If you don't know how gun ammo works don't pretend you do. You can do a quick reload with a speed loader, which is essentially a "magazine" for a revolver. They even drew him using one, secondly if you put a bullet in your gun it wouldn't do shit. A bullet is only the metal tipped part of a cartridge. A cartridge is the metal casing containing the explosive charge with the bullet still attached on the open end. I've been shooting guns since I was 10, you are obviously ignorant.

Why didn't the GCPD show up? LOL are you kidding me? This is Gotham... HELLO ever heard of, o I don't know... the bat signal? Lol omg the police are probably the ones that sent batman holy shit people. There is nothing wrong with reinventing and retelling stories, artists do it all the time, as long as you bring something new to the table. It helped create character depth and perspective very specifically between joker and catwoman.

Catwomans eyes look blue from further away on one page, glass wasn't drawn broken... ok if this was anyone's fault its all on Janin and Chung. Not even Tom Kings fault, maybe they should stop pumping these out every 2 weeks? Or maybe you can get over a few minor flaws that happen in almost every comicbook. Seriously pathetic, shallow carping brat.

DC Stuff , you bring up so many excellent points. people that are showering Tom King's run with praise and perfect scores completely overlook the obvious. this series is horribly flawed, it's completely phoned in and uninspired. but as long as it's Batman it'll continue to sell. i just wonder what's going to happen to this title post issue #100. they'll just hype up the next writer as the best thing since sliced bread and the masses will all love and praise it.

Yeah the guy that thinks you only need a bullet to fire a gun... bravo amazing points... Not.

I feel like it's pretty clear now that most of you just have total lack of imagination. If king doesnt literally show you batman on the GCPD rooftop being informed of the situation, you just cant even imagine it can you? Despite the fact this is how Batman and the police how operated for DECADES. I'm at a total loss for words, its actually amazing another person thinks that was a good point he made, fucking jaw dropping astonished.

the only thing that is abundantly clear is you need to get over the fact that there are people in this world that don't love Tom King's Batman the wat that you seem to.

Trust me, I'm not surprised at this point.

why would i ever trust you?

Lol

So because the GCPD May have sent Batman they just don’t bother to show up? DO you realize how dumb that sounds? No one needs their hand held or has a lack of imagination but the story needs to make sense and Tom Kings don’t.

O yeah cause it wouldn't definitely be smarter to endanger a bunch more lives rather than let batman take care of it, cause you know it's not like Joker had the place rigged or anything... /eyeroll. How do you know Gordan and the members from the GCPD weren't watching from a distance either? And guess what they are going to see Batman and Catwoman dragging out the joker now. No extra lives had to be endangered, if you were in charge I bet a lot more people would have died unnecessarily. Good job

Not you all not remember the joker in Snyders run was literally turning the lights on and off snapping neck one at a time... this was INSIDE the department. Lol if you wanna talk stupid, talk about that.

You realize it is the GCPD’s job to take on the Joker, right? They’d have snipers set up to take him out, stuff like that. I’m glad you’re not in charge of a police department, people would be dying left and right. And for $4 an issue, you shouldn’t have to write half the damn comic in your head.

Your vocal cords are actually pretty high up in your neck behind the Adam's apple. Getting an artery cut open in the middle portion of your neck wont necessarily take away your ability to speak. Also it's the police job to take down the joker in a Batman comic now? What the fuck ever man.

I personally love the fact Tom King doesnt waste my time. I like how he leaves minor things up to the readers imagination. He let's us fill in the blanks, forcing me to think and become engaged with the story as few have done. He gives us all the meat, and leaves us to find our own drink to wash it all down, I appreciate his unique voice. Also It's a comic book you have to actively become a part of the story, like any book, you are the narrator.

If you read it like a shit, no surprise its gonna be shit. Massive failure of the imagination is all I chalk this discourse up to. Sorry.

Tom King, like you, had done nothing but waste our time. He doesn’t leave minor portions of the story to your imagination he just fails to write a coherent story. And if you have a slit throat, whether it severes your vocal cords or not, it’s pretty damn difficult to speak because it’s more than likely opened up your airway but thanks for the anatomy lesson. It goes right along with your bullet critique. Was the Joker shown with a speed loader?

Oh never mind, that’s another part of the story we have to fill in for King. Hell, if I have to fill in half the damn book for him then he should be sending me a check.

all this talk of imagination... i think all of these things you are reading into the comic, are just you imagining them.

Yes joker was drawn with a speed loader in hand... literally. Go back and read when he got up to shoot Cat, he obviously had all his cartridges preloaded. Also the jokers dialogue box had more wiggles in it after his throat was cut, I imagined joker talking with greater difficulty and more of a rasp when he was speaking during these scenes. The dialogue box was drawn in that way to imply that's how he was speaking. For people who are so overcritical of details, you sure miss a lot.

i also like how Tom King's Batman is solely limited to whatever little box Tom King writes around him and disregards everything anyone else has recently done or is doing with the character. Peter Tomasi wrote an Annual for Super Sons and included his own Wayne family pet Titus that he created, as well as King's version of Ace. Tomasi even includes Morrison's Batcow as well as Alfred the cat. King barely even addresses characters or situations of his own making.

King constantly contradicts himself! even in the first issue- Batman flies an ejector seat up to an airplane, effortlessly mounts jets under the wings, and rides it like a bronco. Batman does all these impossible feats yet were supposed to believe that somehow the landing will kill him??? GTFO of here Tom King!!!

i bailed on this run long ago. i eventually stared reading again once they announced Batman & Catwoman's wedding. a pairing i've been very eager to see since i've ever started reading Batman comics all these years. and or course! wouldn't you know it! it's being written by potato.

Man, you guys went from semi-coherent argument to full blown nitpicking just to prove your point. King's run isn't the best thing since sliced bread nor is it as terrible as people say. It's just uneven as hell. It has great story arcs like War of Jokes and Riddles and Rooftops and mediocre ones like I am Bane or the one with Wonder Woman. It also has really good issues like #9 and 24 and the double date with Lois and Clark, but it also has issues like this one and the previous one.

Why wasn't Batman arrested leaving Kadym? You're right the justice league and the U.N. should have been there to give him a good spanking, thrown him in jail and locked away the key. Or you can assume their actions were forgiven, superman clearly wasnt letting anyone else in though.

As for Catwoman being a mass murderer, well some my still think that, but anyone who can actually get to her (namely Batman) likely already knows she isn't responsible. So why would they bother? also Holly is likely going to take responsibility at some point, Catwoman just wants her to confess willingly, and not forcefully, she loves her.

What would King have to resolve with Johnny Suntres from the Everybody loves Ivy arc? Ivy was hiding him somewhere cause she wasn't able to control him due to his allergy to "greens" once Batman saw he wasn't under Ivys control in his house, he knew his hunch was right, end of story.

As for the issue with the Gentle Man, they said the portal can only be opened from earthside, sure. This must only apply to humans entering and leaving however, the Demons were obviously not bound by such rules, thus they needed to be continually faught back. Not that big of a stretch to come to the conclusion that mythiological creatures don't have to play by the same rules.

Also being the world's greatest detective Batman probably figured out he wasnt aging in that realm after 30 some years, he probably realized there was some sort of time distortion of some kind. His last good memories before entering that realm were of Selena and Ace as well, I would like to think about them often if I were in such a situation to give myself some respite also.

Booster Gold probably took care of Bruce Wayne and his own dead body, realizing his plans went to shit. He wanted to show our Batman how happy he would have been had his parents lived, but in a twist of dark humor alternative Bruce Wayne blew his own head off before he could do that lol. So his gift just became a story to tell Batwoman and Catwoman, I found it all sorta twisted and goofy, it was a nice change of pace though.

Anyways, most of these details you're so worried about aren't even a big deal either, as there were major themes at play in these issues telling a rich interesting story, which is much more important at the end of the day.

He was not shown with a speed loader when he fired 14 consecutive shots but if you like to assume the best then have at it. As for details not mattering, that’s his job. To give details. To write a coherent story. You’re such a King fanboy though that you’ll argue anything. So you enjoy the continued nonsense while those who care about a well written story keep criticizing this crap writer.

He was shown with a speed loader at the end of issue 49 the very same issue he shot the 14 shots that are driving you all mad. So yes you can assume all his ammo was prepared as such. To assume anything else would just be silly, you'd be stubbornly assuming the worst even against the evidence. He's given me all the details I've needed, and his story is coherent me. I've explained all my reasoning clearly.

Also I said THESE details, as in the ones the rest of you brought up, the ones I addressed. That does not mean I think details matter not at all. I just prefer writers who dont coddle me in an overly convoluted style as most comic writers do. You're free to criticize all you want, and I'm free to tell you you're being silly. So what.

Other members of the legion have used the time sphere to travel in time besides Booster, I assumed he wanted to show alternative timeline Bruce Wayne how he would have made the world a better place by becoming Batman, and the Batman we know would have seen the man he could have become. It was a gift of perspective and understanding, it wasnt my favorite arc but it was fun. Time travel stories are always a little iffy in my opinion.

Also even if the dead bodies were left behind, again big deal. I've worked in a graveyard for 5 years, if we dont know who you are and were found randomly dead just lying around... well, we just bury you in the back of the graveyard in an unnamed grave marked with a number, end of story.

I enjoyed Tom Kings version of Booster Gold over all though. He strikes me as a rash guy who doesnt think things through very well, a goofy humorous hero, not just another generic one. Any probables you had with the story should probably be explained by Boosters ineptitude. It was all in good fun.

I think all of the improbables are explained by King’s ineptitude, not Boosters. And you don’t think Bruce Wayne’s dead body would cause an issue? They don’t just find bodies and say “oh well” they run finger prints, dental records, face matches, all sorts of shit. That is the dumbest thing you’ve said so far.

Yeah and what sort of finger prints, dental records, and face matches do you think they would have for two guys who haven't even existed in their reality yet smart guy. /facepalm O right, they wouldn't have a shred of evidence as to who these individuals were.

I actually dont know that much about Booster Gold, and yeah I have heard people say he was written out of character. I can sorta understand the frustration there, but at the same time I liked how Tom King wrote him as such a dork, I felt like it worked, even though I think that Arc was honestly his weakest. Again not a fan of the time travel/alternate timeline stuff. I still enjoyed it, but cant totally understand how others might not, especially since he made Booster the butt of the joke.

Bad choice of wording on my part. Clearly the demons of that realm were not bound by such rules, or yes they would have been of no threat. Clearly they were a threat that needed to be handled though... that all I needed to know, to come to the conclusion they had other means of escape.

Selena sentence was changed after I am Bane correct? This was before Batman even knew about Holly then, I think we can assume he took her under his wing once he did however.

Didn’t exist? It was Brice Wayne? Regardless of whatever reality he was from he was Bruce Wayne. He has the same damn prints. You can’t honesty be this dense.

poor William McKelder. his inbox must be getting FLOODED with notifications from all this mumbo jumbo! x'D

Yes it was Bruce Wayne, they are gonna see a 35+ year old males dead body, do you honestly think they are gonna run those prints with babies that have been born less than 12 years ago? It souldnt make sense, and this is a time before computer tech has become so advanced, you'd have to cross check the hard way. This is a stupid non-issue. They would throw his body in the back and be done with it.

If it ever came to Batmans attention in the future I'm sure his response would amount to little more than an "O, Booster" since he knows the story already.

Yes Selina sentence was changed from from death to life during the rooftops arc, in that same arc Batman learns Holly is the one actually responsible, so why continue to hold Selina responsible? Batman does what he feels is right, and Its batmans responsibility to detain and bring catwoman in, why would he do that now that he knows for fact she is innocent? If any of his superfriends questioned him dont you think he would have explained her innocence?

Batman doesn't just blindly obey laws either, I think that's pretty evident just by him being Batman. If he takes you under his wing, I think it's safe to assume your gonna have a hard time catching her as well, especially since it was likely Batman who caught her in the first place. These are all minor hiccups also, not worth being so concerned with.

Bored...I’m bored. This conversation has gotten fairly pointless. I don’t think anyone is going to change anyone else’s mind. Aether is obviously a troll that has drank the Tom King cool-aid. Some people like King’s Batman and others do not. I do not. I will continue to think that way and rate his comics that way. At least until he changes my mind.

Tom-king cool aid? I didn't even like Omega Men. His only other comic I've read. So far he's 1 for 2 in my mind. also yeah, I'm done with this thread, we got way off topic. We should just stick to talking about issue 49.