Batman #53

I thoroughly enjoyed this issue as well as this arc. Overall, this close was much darker and philosophically deeper than I expected. I would love to see more into Bruce Wayne's understanding and interpretations of the Bible. King has consistently surprised me with intelligence and emotional depth of this comic. Read Full Review

This issue let alone this entire story had no problems at all. I loved every second of it. Read Full Review

I've really enjoyed this arc and the final page of this issue should have classic Batman fans psyched. After this arc and Bruce's new mission statement, Batman might be better than ever in the Rebirth era. Read Full Review

Powerful and thought-provoking; Tom King continues his examination of the Dark Knight in Batman #53 and does so in a way that resonates with readers. Here begins a new chapter in the life and times of the Dark Knight. Read Full Review

A true testament to the idea of rebirth! Beautiful and poetic, this is one of the most satisfying story arcs to ever come out of DC Comics! Read Full Review

BATMAN #53 is a phenomenal comic book that challenges Bruce Wayne and the very essence of Batman, bringing a refreshing change to the series. Read Full Review

Batman #53 is a great reminder that there's a bigger story to be told in King's run than just the love story between Batman and Catwoman. Read Full Review

This was a great read, I personally recommend all Batman fans read this arc if you're not now. Its essential to what Batman could be, but certainly should be. His influence on the people is something unshakeable and must be respected and treated with care. Having the people support your exploits as an abuser of the downtrodden with the system behind you that's a problem, and Bruce know that. It's very much refreshing to see him actually being written to pay attention to that Read Full Review

Overall Batman #53 is a decent read, but we still have no clues as to another potential suspect since apparently Freeze is innocent. It's later revealed that Bruce actually paid his way to be on the jury just to make sure Freeze would be declared innocent. Although it seems that Batman made a grave mistake, as Bruce Wayne he's gone to great lengths to make sure that justice is done fair–even for a repeat criminal such as Mr. Freeze. Hopefully next issue King will give us another suspect in our murders. Read Full Review

BATMAN #53 is a phenomenal comic book that challenges Bruce Wayne and the very essence of Batman, bringing a refreshing change to the series. Read Full Review

Batman#53 is the perfect conclusion to the “Cold Days” storyline. It feels emotionally right and offers subtle character twists and turns that makes it interesting. Read Full Review

The art backs up the power of the story. Lee Weeks has done his best work here, bar none. I can't believe that King's already amazing run is getting better. This issue and storyline shows the power of what comic books are capable of. Read Full Review

The narrative looks to be taking an interesting twist in the near future; if King's doing what I think he's doing, Batman #53 could turn out to be one of the most groundbreaking Batman issues we've read in some time. And for that reason, I say: go read it now. Read Full Review

As the second half of King's Batman run begins, I see no reason to believe it won't be just as exceptional as the first half. Read Full Review

King does a great job of bringing humanity to Bruce and giving the reader multiple sides of this enduring character. Both the tragedy of Bruce's past and his present are laid out in this issue and Bruce lays out some bitter truths about the Batman and, by extension, himself. Read Full Review

Batman #53 is one of the best chapters of a series already full of winners. Read Full Review

Batman is one of the most fascinating, engaging comics out today! Read Full Review

“Cold Days” is a cant miss, instant classic arc. Yes, it was a missed opportunity to not showcase Dick Grayson as Batman more, but it gave us a broken, defeated Batman that we have never seen before. This story will be remembered for years to come. Read Full Review

While Batman #53 does end this story rather abruptly and leaves a few threads dangling, overall it is a good issue and probably ends this story before it got stale. I am going to miss Lee Weeks on sequential art. I need more of that in my life. That goes for Elizabeth Breitweiser on colors as well. Read Full Review

This entire arc feels like a play with actors taking on roles and delivering an emotional punch. It's a story that helps define Batman not as a god who is always right, but as a man who makes mistakes. It's a realization of reality by Bruce. This is one hell of an arc and a story that I can go back to over and over to pick out the tiny details. A fantastic ending that launches both Batman and Bruce Wayne in a new direction and a dose of reality. Read Full Review

It appears that King and Weeks have finally learned to work together in a complimentary manner. Read Full Review

Per usual with both comics and Tom King's run, the best-landed punches are saved for the final pages. Those won't be spoiled here, but it is a great segue into issue #54 where Batman pairs up with Dick Grayson again for some good nostalgia. Read Full Review

Batman #53 is a damn good issue. It has its flaws, but the emotion King puts into it and the art of Weeks and Breitweiser is incredible. This one definitely earns a recommendation. Give it a read. Read Full Review

The way Tom King explored the pain Bruce Wayne was dealing with the sadness he felt after he was dealt serious emotional blow made Batman #53 a strong conclusion. This emotional weight in King's story is made even better by the great artwork provided by Lee Weeks. Now with the ending King created a lot of intriguing avenues to explore who Bruce wants to be as Batman moving forward. Read Full Review

Delving further into Bruce Waynes psyche, Batman #53 does a terrific job exploring what the symbol and moniker of Batman means to Bruce Wayne, why Wayne has devoted his life to embodying that figure, and how deeply hes begun to question his actions and who he is following his recent emotional turmoil. Read Full Review

The first arc after the wedding that wasnt, closes with a powerful expression of loss and pain, illustrated with stunning beauty. Read Full Review

It's human. It's fallible. It's messy. It's Batman. And maybe that's the only verdict that matters. Read Full Review

On a purely superficial note, I was really unsure about them bringing back the original costume for Batman until I read this issue. Its an important part of his character and his journey through emotional recovery, and by the last panel all my doubts had gone and it truly felt like a cathartic trip with a beloved character. Read Full Review

Bruce Wayne gets philosophical in a really strong, character-focused issue of Batman. Too bad about the miscarriage of justice, though. Read Full Review

This was a fitting end to the story. It gave a better understanding of who Bruce Wayne is, and is kind of a surreal out of body experience as well, with Bruce Wayne questioning Batman's methods. The writing was well thought out and plotted. It read just like a Daredevil story (which I enjoyed), but it had what seemed like much lower stakes. I am not sure that Mr. Freeze was the most riveting villain, yet this still works. The Art from Lee Weeks is at times dirty and exudes grittiness. I like it for this arc, but it's not my go-to for a Batman story. I would have rather some more splash pages and less dramatic courtroom drama. A good story, and serviceable art. Read Full Review

King might be building up a larger narrative, something that will pay off somewhere down the lineand leave me feeling stupid for ever doubting him. But my job is to review the issues as they come and this one, on its own, is a letdown. Especially compared to its predecessor. Read Full Review

Tom King finally derails this runaway train with a lengthy theatrical screed about obligation and godhead which maybe could have worked out of the mouth of just about any other character other than Bruce Wayne. Unfortunately, Wayne is the chosen mouthpiece and while he spews a lot of interesting thematic ideas well worth exploring and considering, the character just comes off as narcissistic and melodramatic as ever. Read Full Review

Bruce Wayne talks for an entire issue about.......... Well, nothing really.  It's just some faux deep moments that fail to do anything other than bore the shit out of me as we get another issue of nothing.  The art is decent, but I'm stuck just sitting here, wondering what happened to Batman. Read Full Review

Batman Jones

Aug 15, 2018

WOW. I'm practically speechless. I think that was the most perfect issue of a Batman comic I've ever read in my life. That was a perfect comic book. I almost regret giving any other comic a 10 because if anything else got a 10 this issue deserves an 11. WOW.

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Super17 - Aug 16, 2018

Keep sucking king's balls, you are good at ir

Mister Bungle - Aug 19, 2018

Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?

Ken b

Aug 15, 2018

Love this issue. Weeks and King pulled off the perfect epilogue to the wedding. To see Batman this way has really surprised me and I love what king is doing because we all can relate to this arc. Everyone has had there heart broken and has to find themselves all over again. So hats off to king he killed it.

Æther

Aug 15, 2018

Dark Knight NO GOD! Interesting issue, comparing Batman to God. Bruce used to believe in God, and he used to believe in Batman. But now like Job, he is broken. The Batgod asks "who are you?" And Bruce replies.

Br'er Lapin AKA 20-Ish Ceiln

Aug 17, 2018

Wow. Some of King's best work on Batman to date, I would put this just under Batman Annual #2. Lee Weeks' art was perfect for every scene, and the trunks are back!

Dani

Aug 27, 2018

This was the issue I have been waiting for. I have been saying since Batman 48 that I wanted Bruce to really do some self-reflection; and we got that in this issue . This issue was very emotional as Bruce spoke honestly with 11 citizens of Gotham about Batman. Bruce has finally come to the realization that Batman alone cannot fill the voids in his life. Batman cannot bring him peace. Batman cannot bring him love. The symbol that he originally thought gave him salvation has actually left him damned. There were a lot of poignant comments in this comic; but the main takeaway is behind the cape and cowl is a man; and men makes mistakes. There was a humbleness in this issue that we rarely get to see in Bruce; and I’m glad we finally got to see it. I am looking forward to seeing where Batman goes from here. more

John Powell

Aug 15, 2018

This issue was amazing! Very thought provoking and intriguing and left me wanting more.

cincyfan

Oct 12, 2020

This arc was a perfect transition from issue #50. I enjoyed all of it but this issue in particular had tremendous writing

Linkush

Aug 15, 2018

"GOD BLESSES YOUR SOUL WITH GRACE. BATMAN PUNCHES PEOPLE IN THE FACE." A great end to a great story.

WhistleBlower

Aug 15, 2018

Excellent self-reflective issue. People need to learn about how jury trials work.

Afre

Aug 16, 2018

This was an interesting story arc. Good, but it came out of a bad 50th issue. So that is my one of my issues. The other one being that that the killing of those 3 women is not yet resolved. i hope it will be. Still, comparing Batman to God was interesting and it shows how Bruce has lost his faith in Batman. In himself. Artwork was very good to this arc. It wouldn't normally work, but in this one, it works very well.

mrDovydas

Aug 18, 2018

King's Batman has been on a roll recently. This was one of the best issues of the series so far. Bravo.

Federico Liguori

Feb 15, 2023

Yeah, maybe this is a weird story for Batman, but I personally loved it. The theme of miscarriage of justice is very important to me, so this hit in the feelings.

ohhaimark

Aug 15, 2018

Another good issue in the series. Considering the issue is essentially just a speech given by Bruce Wayne, it works better than expected. The speeches powerful moments really struck hard and ended up being very memorable. Some of the lines rung throughout my head after I heard them. The falling metaphor was the best part of the speech. It worked effectively and had the emotional gravity necessary for the callback to the wedding, unlike what the Catwoman series has done wrong. The biblical allegory was odd and oddly enough, it worked, although it was a bit overdone at some points. I have to say Lee Weeks did an excellent job of still telling the story well and with some excellent panels that complimented the writing well. I especially liked all of his portrayals of the Batman rogues gallery. The issue does end abruptly, I wish we could have gotten more tension/buildup to the verdict. That said, the last panel was very effective and well done. more

SomeDummy

Aug 18, 2018

Tom King makes Batman an atheist (when hes not making him a feckless victim), fans of progressive agendas in the culture war rejoice, as fans of the character wonder about the 80+ years of contradictory evidence. But Lee Weeks, a Christian, uses his direct hotline to God and shunts power directly through his pencils in a miraculous effort to save this issue from buyers remorse. sincerely, an athiest, or agnostic, I dunno

egonnn244

Aug 15, 2018

"Without Him, how many of you would be in a grave?" Mr. Freeze's trial reaches its verdict and, although the ending, in trying to be profound, starts a little bit pretentious and then goes full blown pretentious, it was an interesting and intriguing ride. Some people ask and say, as a negative, why Bruce bothers with this jury shenanigans when he can just suit up and clear Victor's name later? That's true, but after reading this one issue, I say it was never about Freeze, reexamining the relationship between hero and foe and all that. Bruce went into this to put Batman (himself) on a stand, to basically, tell himself "I'm Batman and I'm human, so I'm not infallible". Of course, Tom King goes overboard in his attempt to be smart and p rofound, with his God metaphors and comparisons, because of that the message gets overshadowed by the style, but it is still there. I feel like I'm starting to ramble, so it's time to end this review. Overall, a good issue. A bit too much Tom King-isms in this one for my taste, but Lee Weeks on the art does not disappoint. That panel with Two-Face, just magnificent. P.S. The Bat-trunks are back. It makes me sad. more

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Nihilist - Aug 15, 2018

I agree, King went overboard with some biblical references, and tried to make the comic more complex and smart than it actually is. That being said, however, I enjoyed Bruce's explanation of how people perceive Bats as good, and Mr. Freeze as bad, because of how the one saved their lives. That's a good twist in my opinion, and a highlight of this issue - sadly, overshadowed by these faux-smart things you've mentioned.

egonnn244 - Aug 15, 2018

True, it was a good twist. I really liked how Bruce pointed out to the other jurors that they think Freeze is guilty, just because Batman said so.

daddyT

Aug 15, 2018

not a big fan of the art, but.. the story finally makes sense. he knows that he let his emotions lead him into a mistake, but with Freeze already in custody, he's had to bribe his way onto the jury and convince the others to vote not guilty. he's just in pain over what the villain Tom King did recently. I get it.

W_himself

Aug 30, 2018

The art is INSANELY good. The writing though... psychology for dummies and just boring.

MKW69

Aug 15, 2018

Nice try King, but as Someone who remembers that, Bane was responsible for Bruce break up with Selina, this story suffers, since It is Bane plan, not Bruce normal decision. Dick was a less than a footnote in this story, and we still don't know who killed this women.

Nihilist

Aug 15, 2018

The issue feels disjointed, which is a huge problem for the series since few months. King added some heavy biblical elements to his take on Batman, using them to show that Batman is just a man after all, not a god-like figure - and I have to say, it's better than it may seem at first. The moment Bruce says people treat Batman as good, and Mr. Freeze as bad, due to their personal experiences, is a nice twist, so I gotta give credit where credit is due, but overall, this comic doesn't feel complete, doesn't feel like it's enough. In result, the entire short arc feels like a filler of sorts - maybe not necesarily out of place nor unnecessary, but surely not strong enough to stand on its own. You know, like I Am Gotham, I Am Suicide or even The War of Jokes and Riddles. Remember these? I don't know what future brings, but I know it'll take way more than this for King to redeem himself and make Batman comics outstanding once more. Because for now, the run feels just underwhelming. more

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egonnn244 - Aug 15, 2018

King's run is REALLY uneven. It has some great arcs and some that make you scratch your head and think "just where the hell is he going with this?"

Nihilist - Aug 15, 2018

Absolutely. It started great, then has become uneven, and now it's a rare sight to see genuinely good Batman comic, front to end. I think Everybody Loves Ivy was the first signal something's clearly wrong.

egonnn244 - Aug 15, 2018

I think there might have been some glimpses before. Batman's plan in I am Suicide became really crazy. Get captured, fix broken back by himself, Catwoman's "betrayal". And I am Bane, for me, devolved into a big punching fest between Bane and Bats. But then King gave us The War, that I really enjoyed, and amazing double date with Superman. So it gets really hard to tell what you will get from him.

superstan52

Aug 15, 2018

I'm confused. If Batman gets married, he's no longer a good Batman because he's "happy." Now he's not a good Batman because he's "sad." What Batman clearly needs is Meds! As for this issue, it "sounds" good, but really, makes no sense. Superman is god-like, not Batman. Batman is a vigilante who beats the snot out of people and is a polarizing figure, in "real" life. Plus, what kind of sense does it make for a whiny Bruce Wayne to lament (in vague terms) that when his heart was broken, he turned to Batman to fix it? Batman doesn't do Romance! And geez - "Playboy" Bruce Wayne, you're the first person who ever got dumped?? It comes off pathetic. And finally, what does any of this have to do with the EVIDENCE, which was still pretty over-w helming, if "baked." more

Bigbooty

Nov 28, 2018

Wow! “Critics” dropping 10’s like this ridiculous, boring crap is the best shit ever.

DarePool53

Sep 16, 2018

For as long as I have been reading Batman, I never would’ve taken him as the type to allow his fee-fees to get in the way of his obsessive pursuit of justice. Clearly, Tom King has different ideas. Which doesn’t surprise me, as his favourite thing to do with the protagonists he writes is to emotionally deconstruct them, and build subsequent plots about how depressed they are. I’m not saying that Tom King’s approach to characterisation is inherently bad. However, I just don’t feel that ‘muh depression’ is appropriate for every character (especially those with long-established core traits). I will give King one more arc before (reluctantly) dropping Batman (as I’m aware he’s been slated for a run lasting 100 iss ues). Taking all of the above into account, I am all the more thankful for Bryan Hill’s supremely solid run on Detective! The main plus of the post-wedding issues has been Lee Weeks’s art. more

myconius

Aug 15, 2018

this is fan-fiction level writing just to get Bruce back into the ‘Year One’ Bat-suit. more time wasted with Bruce trying to sway the jury, instead of just exonerating Freeze as Batman. now we get a theological analogy of Bruce comparing Batman to God that will make your eyes roll so hard, they just might pop out of your skull. at any point as Bruce rambles on you’d think ANY of the Jurors who are already fed up of this whole thing already, would tell Bruce to shut the hell up and get to his point. i was not convinced that Bruce's argument actually changed the minds of the jury. it just felt like these events happened and were not earned. and i still say that Batman should have just proven Freeze’s innocence AS Batman, and not wasted everyone’s time. also, we could not get past another issue without Bruce mentioning how sad he was when his parents were killed. Tom King just loves flashing that 'pity' card. it's obvious that Tom King just wants to forgo all the emotional breakthroughs and progress Bruce has made over the years, and revert him to Frank Miller's Batman Year One. at least we hopefully won't have to see that awful purple caped, yellow-trimmed 'Rebirth' Bat-suit any more. more

Bloodraven

Aug 15, 2018

At this point I’m just reading this book for the lolz. Tom King, I once had faith in your writing ability, not so much anymore. Over emotional Batman is just boring. Why does King feel the need to deconstruct Batman? I want a alpha male Batman who doesn’t talk about his feelings for whole issues.

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myconius - Aug 15, 2018

previews for the next upcoming Batman story, Bruce joins a sewing circle. ...by the end of the arc they all have a group hug.

Bloodraven - Aug 15, 2018

Haha at this point I wouldn’t be surprised. King will probably have Bruce listening to emo music and cutting himself(again) by the end of the next arc

myconius - Aug 15, 2018

exactly! i'm surprised Tom King didn't have Bruce buy himself a new Bat-suit from Hot Topic. he might as well just get "Damaged" tattooed across his forehead. maybe he'll get a tattoo of a razor blade on his wrist along with the caption "edgy boy".

Talon1load

Aug 16, 2018

King once again shows that he has no idea who Batman is. Instead of finding the actual killer, he bribes his way into a jury and sabotages his case against Freeze who would be freed if he just found the real killer. This continues to be the worst Batman run ever made.

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myconius - Aug 17, 2018

"Instead of finding the actual killer, he bribes his way into a jury and sabotages his case against Freeze who would be freed if he just found the real killer." <- EXACTLY!!!! this whole story was just dumb!

Talon1load - Aug 17, 2018

Yeah, this is ridiculous. I don’t understand the mind sets of those who enjoy this bullshit.

myconius - Aug 17, 2018

Batman has always been my absolute favorite character, but i can’t just blindly worship any trash thrown my way. there has to be some standards. ...i was leary of this run since the beginning. i couldn’t see what everyone else did, but enough people recommend it as “AMAZING” i had to see for myself. i’m just not seeing it. ...i stopped reading a while ago but got lured back in with the proposal. ...after the whole wedding fiasco, now i’m just ‘Roast Reading’ this mess.

Talon1load - Aug 17, 2018

I’m convinced that these are just King fans and not Batman fans because the shit way he’s writing this character can’t be pleasing to anyone who enjoys Batman. Nothing ever makes any damn sense. He just tells his “story” without regard to making things and events connect in a coherent manner. The book actively pisses me off now.

myconius - Aug 17, 2018

i think you’ve definitely have something there. no one who’s been following Batman for years would accept this as a faithful representation. …now i just read this dumpster fire of a comic out of morbid curiosity, just to see how silly it can get.

KFuqua

Aug 16, 2018

I have been a Batman fan for most of my life and I think this run by Tom King may be the worst I've seen. So out of character and poorly done. If DC lets King stay on this book, I may have to drop it and I really hate that thought.

Quinn

Aug 15, 2018

Wow, I am not going to sugar coat this one. This issue just plain sucks. Bruce's entire explanation that Freeze is innocent is that Batmanis human and humans make mistakes. Bruce talks to a juror about God and how Bruce's father wanted Bruce to believe in God, but when Bruce's parents were killed he stopped believing in God and was lost until he found Batman. But Batman is human and Freeze said something was off about Batman and Bruce was hurt and Batman was hurt and the whole world was hurt etc. We are told this stuff and we see images of Bruce, but we don't actually see Batman make a mistake in the investigation. We don't actually see the investigation or all the other people involved - cops, DAs, medical experts, forensic exp erts. You know the people that exist to actually put together a homicide case. So huge problems. First Bruce introduced not a bit of evidence to disprove or cast doubt on the theory of the crime. To make things worse in my mind, the entire case is a big MacGuffin. The death of three women amount to nothing in terms of story telling. I am getting older and have lost my appreciation of random death and violence, even in fiction. Body counts don't strike as deep and dark and grown up. They just depress me. King has killed three women and their deaths don't count. As I said, I know this is fiction, but in the old days when kids would stay off my lawn, life counted, even fictional comic book life. If three women were killed, by God the killer would be found, because life matters and the nice thing about fiction is that the dead can find justice. Bruce's sad story convinces the jury to vote not guilty, but then who killed the women? Are we going to see that? Also, idiot plot time. We do learn that Bruce got on the jury because of a bribe. Who did he bribe? The judge? Not cool, dealing with corrupt judges. Did he bribe the potential juror pool selector guy, the defense attorney? Saying he bribed someone doesn't cut it. Too many people are involved on the selection of jury for that to fly. Again, unless the defense attorney was bribed, and who want's a defense attorney who can be bribed, no way Bruce is on the jury. Idiot plot point 2. Instead of this three issue "tell, don't show-athon" Batman could have gotten Freeze off by saying in public that he now has doubts about Freeze's guilt. Avoid all the kerfuffle of a trial and let the police look for the real killer. Three issues to "show" that Selina leaving hurt Bruce. Wow, profound King. You're the man. And don't get me started on the whole religion thing. I hate when comic writers try to give us their view on religion. Usually is ham-fisted and shows their prejudices. Very rarely, if ever, meets my high standards of good story telling. Or I could be wrong. more

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nec - Aug 15, 2018

All your complaints were addressed in the previous issue where Bruce explains that the whole case was based on Batman finding the slug off ice in the brains that the police missed and that the police later varified was there after batman found it, but no one considered this slug was added after the first autopsy and is reasonable doubt but only if you believe batman is fallible. So yes you missed something.

Mister Bungle - Aug 19, 2018

Some of these subjects of complaint only came up in this issue. How could they have been addressed in the previous issue?