Batman #57

Beasts of Burden was a solid 3 issue arc that shows the human side of Batman, hurting due to a villains heartless act on one of his own (practically) children. Tom Kings conclusion mixing the folklore element was a fantastic touch, making it easy to see why his run on the publication is continually celebrated. Im looking forward to see how far down the rabbit hole – or pit – we will go to truly solve this mystery of violence in the following issues. Read Full Review

BATMAN #57 is a tale of few words that manages to reach beyond its pages and reverberate into ourselves. Read Full Review

Tony S Daniel's art is gorgeous. I loved every panel and camera angle in this issue. There are shots of Batman in the snow that make it seem like a living shadow is moving across the snow. Daniel adds some great details in the close ups and those moments flow perfectly with the action. Read Full Review

Light on the dialogue it may be, but what a visual spectacle! Read Full Review

I enjoyed this book and I must say that this was one of the best issues I've read this far. Just the fact that there's more to the story let's you know that this is just the start of a long road of revenge for Batman. KGBeast mentions being hired by someone, so now Batman knows that this was more than just revenge. I'm definitely looking forward to reading the next issue of Batman! Read Full Review

Tony Daniel's art is amazing. He's at the top of his game too. The fight scene he draws is fluid and wonderful. He's constantly improving. This is another strong issue in a highly successful run. Thumbs up all around to this creative team. Read Full Review

King doesn't pack a lot of dialogue in this fight until its conclusion, which is where he connects the subtle message between the two stories. The final two pages tease that King's Batman is tired of being on the defensive and in his feelings and is ready to get back to his former status of excellence. Looks like we're in for a very interesting ride over the next few issues. Read Full Review

Taken as a whole, "Beasts of Burden" is a major success. The story is dramatic without being ridiculous, explodes with action without being a dull endless battle sequence, it has pathos"both for the hero and the villain, and it invites us as the reader to question our desires for vengeance as well as what we would choose to do in this situation ourselves. Read Full Review

Overall, this issue wraps up a brief, but important arc in theBatman mythos that continues to send us deeper into the psychology of a character who's been with us for more than 80 years.King's already left his mark on Batman, but he's continuing to make it even more long-lasting. Read Full Review

I do hope that I am wrong on the near murder of the KGBeast and Batmans confusion. Read Full Review

'Batman' #57, by Tom King, Tony S. Daniel, Mark Buckingham, Andrew Pepoy, Tom Morey and Clayton Cowles is brutal, shocking and violent, yet elegantly told.A definite must read Read Full Review

Some stories are fairy tales. Some stories are nightmares. This story incorporates elements of both and the results are explosive. Read Full Review

And overall, King has given us a skillful, suspenseful series of issues that have set up an overarching mystery " one which, at this point we can only assume, is setting up to an even bigger showdown than the ones we've witnessed already in his run. Which means, once again, King has succeeded in making the release date of the next issue one that can't come soon enough. Read Full Review

Batman #57 delivered an effective end to the "Beast of Burden" story arc. Tom King did a great job making the fight between Batman and KGBeast absolutely brutal. How the fight ended created a lot of intrigue around the direction King plans to take Batman. If it wasn't for a questionable story decision Batman #57 would've been an even better issue than it turned out to be. Read Full Review

Hopefully, soon we will have more meat and fewer potatoes with these coming issues from King, the whole thing feels like he now cares about this new crisis. When Batman audiences were told these hundred issues would be the change Batman needs. So far, we've been given a 25+ issue tease of a relationship that never actually went how it was foreshadowed, 3 issue of amazingly critical and self-aware writing of the Batman that hasn't ever really been seen, and this would some up the past six months. I can't help but feel lied to. The only change that has been shown even remotely feel like a diary entry from King himself, in which the consequences of such haven't come to fruition. Disingenuous I'd say. I need some more from my Batman guys. Read Full Review

Another light issue of Batman beating up a guy, crossed with an old fable that probably went over my head. But that's on me. Read Full Review

Batman #57 delivers a disappointing and needlessly bleak conclusion to the Dark Knight's clash with KGBeast. Read Full Review

It's a deeply disturbing issue, yes, but not one that passes the smell test. Read Full Review

With the main story art the only thing to hang your hat on, it doesn't really bode well for the issue's final score, so the less said the better. Read Full Review

The issue is visually beautiful -- a largely wordless fight between Batman and the man who shot Nightwing -- but it lacks substance. Read Full Review

An intriguing thematic exploration, this rather thin plot closes out the brutal Beasts of Burden arc. Read Full Review

Overall, the final chapter to“Beasts of Burdens” was underwhelming. The use of parallel storytelling and great art can only carry the comic so far. The build-up was lacking and the climax was a tad generic. What is worse, King's interpretation of Batman fails to emotionally engage, making the whole adventure feel empty and shallow. Read Full Review

Batman's rumble in Russia is entertaining but not quite as epic as the build-up. Read Full Review

This feels like a misfire of an arc that would've worked better had Batman and the Beast's violence had consumed the issue for its full length. Read Full Review

A public domain folktale shoved into an extended fight scene that ends with Batman doing something he should never do!  This issue was infuriating beyond the lack of a story and while I'm sure some will praise it, I found it appalling. Read Full Review

If this run gets any worse than 'Beasts of Burden,' DC may as well just cancelBatmanaltogether and letDetective Comicsbe the main title for Batman. Read Full Review

I Review Comics

Mar 03, 2019

A couple of months ago Tom King made a Tweet about how he plots out his action sequences. It was extremely simple and didn't really provide any direction for the artist. Seeing Batman and the KGBeast doing battle in the snow with practically no dialogue and a few grunts made me think of that tweet and chuckle a bit.  Batman #57 concludes the KGBeast story arc with Batman tracking the villain to his father's home moments after he commits patricide. The comic is an amazing read even though there isn't a ton of dialogue in the issue. Just two men fighting it out in the harshest of conditions.  This isn't to say that there isn't much story here. The action is ramped up and interspersed with the brutality is an illustrated retelling of a n equally brutal children's bedtime story, "The Animals in the Pit". The story narrative tells the tale of a group of animals that fall into a pit and end up eating each other. A fox ends up tricking a pig into devouring itself and becomes the sole survivor of the pit. The story doesn't say if the fox finds a way out or not.  The story is used to frame the battle and turns out to be one of Bruce's favorite bedtime stories. The fairytale may also be a general commentary on Batman and his relationship with his rogue's gallery. As Batman, Bruce is constantly battling foes bigger, stronger and generally more powerful than him but what he lacks in those areas he makes up with intelligence and cunning to stay ahead of his enemies.  The story may also be a commentary on how Tom King sees Batman's eventual end. There is a strong possibility that Bruce will never make it out of "The Pit" even if the opportunity presents itself.  The art for the issue is outstanding, Tony S. Daniel, and the always steller Tomeu Morey get a lot of mileage out of a relatively simple story which is surprising considering how limited the scope of the comic really is. The Folktale is also beautiful to look at considering how dark it gets in its conclusion.  All things considered, this is a nice arc that only falls apart when you consider that Bruce Wayne traveled to the to one of the harshest locations on the planet just to beat a guy up. more

Linkush

Oct 17, 2018

"I'M THE WORLD GREATEST DETECTIVE. I'LL FIND OUT WHO HIRED YOU. AND I WILL BREAK THEM TOO. YOU CAN GET YOUR OWN DAMN HELP" Pretty great conclusion. Art by Tony Daniel was fantastic as usual and I liked how the fairytale connected to the story at the end. It makes me excited for what's coming next. This is how I think the fairytale connected to the story: Fox (Batman) goes to the church to pray for god and on the way there he meets other animals. Fox seems to be very nice and friendly. After the fairytale takes a dark turn (when they fall to the pit) Fox ends up doing fucked up things in order to survive. Batman (wounded), like fox, realizes that he might have to do "fucked up things" and leave KGBeast out there (which means KGBeast w ill probably die) in order to survive. Overall what I think the fairytale is trying to say is that even the best people (like batman) will do anything in order to survive. My only problem with this issue is that there wasn't enough dialogue between KGBeast and batman. Overall it was a great arc. more

Br'er Lapin AKA 20-Ish Ceiln

Oct 18, 2018

I don't know if seeing all the negative reaction lowered my expectations or not, but I thought this was awesome. I loved the gorey folktale visuals overlapping the fight between Batman and KGBeast, and his reaction at the end really shows we are seeing a Batman who is tired of the whole song and dance. Don't fuck with Batman's batfam.

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Superheroes for Hire - Oct 28, 2018

More like we're reading a writer who is tired of the whole song and dance. There is nothing joyful or interesting about this run on Batman. Lots of clever and self-referential writing though. Issue 55 was full of nods to King's friends and critics.

Br'er Lapin AKA 20-Ish Ceiln - Oct 28, 2018

I'd be tired of it too, after the reaction to #50.

mrDovydas

Nov 17, 2018

What an action-packed issue. It's been a great mini-arc, hoping to see more of KGBeast sometime soon.

Bigbooty

Nov 29, 2018

Still can’t understand all the 10’s. Low threshold for being impressed I guess. Art was really good and the story is not terrible. Long time Batman fans seem to hate it for various reasons. Being a newcomer to Batman and not having all the baggage, I think it’s ok. Fun read.

egonnn244

Oct 17, 2018

"Come along, gossip" Well, that took a turn. Dark and twisted one. And I mean the children story. No surprise that Anatoli grew up to be who he is (was?). As for his battle with the Dark Knight. Pretty straightforward brawl. No dialogue, no narration, just two angry dudes beating the snot out of each other and trying not to die in the process. I like it. It was pretty entertaining and good looking fight. Much of that can be attributed to Tony Daniel's art. The fight looks dynamic and intense, and every shot of Batman's broken cowl is great, especially the one where he walks away. Art in the folktale is pretty good too. Starts innocently at first and that just... Dark and twisted. Yeah, good issue. SPOILER! SPOILER! SPOILER! Is Anatoli meant to be the fox? The story ends and we do not know his fate? Is that was Mistah King was going for? I'm pretty sure KGBeast regrets now shooting his daddy. more

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Superheroes for Hire - Oct 28, 2018

Yes, it's Tom King's attempt at being clever. If only the Beast had someone else in the pit to help him. Except then where does Batman fit into the story?

Dani

Oct 19, 2018

This issue was very lackluster. While the fight scenes were brutal, it moved very slow. There was no excitement until Batman hit that devastating blow in the end. To make matters worse, there was no dialog between Batman and KGBeast until page 21. Unless the folktale was being read, the issue consisted of action sounds as dialog. The folktale was the best part of this issue. "The Animals and the Pit" is a folktale that was read to Bruce and Anatoli by their Fathers when they were children. It follows 5 different animals that fall in a pit and must eat each other to survive another day. The tale ends with you wondering if Batman is the Pig or the Fox. At first I was thinking Batman was the Fox. The Fox outsmarted the Pig by conv incing the Pig to eat himself. In the end Batman outsmarted KGBeast. But now I am thinking the Fox is Bane and the Pig is Batman. Foxes are creatures of the night. They have agile minds that are always active; and have developed a reputation for slyness and manipulation. Bane has manipulated this entire situation (based on Batman # 50). While Batman got the upper hand on KGBeast in the end; what was the cost? Batman has a strict no killing rule; and while he technically didn't kill KGBeast, he didn't save him either. He left him in the snow, in the middle of nowhere with a broken neck. Batman has lost himself. He is throwing his moral compass out the window. He's eating himself up on the inside; which is literally what the Pig did in the folktale. I may be wrong but that's how I see it in this current moment. The other saving grace in this issue was the artwork. The artwork was beautiful. Because of the artwork and folktale, I'll give this issue a 6.5. more

bucswin611

Oct 19, 2018

Some nice fight scenes and the fairy tale art was nice change-of-pace. But I will join the crowds and say that the arc could have been completed in one issue. King's primary objective in his comics is to manipulate time and therefore, the reader experience. He's allowed to not do it perfectly once!

SnakeWilson

Oct 17, 2018

horrible and repetitive, dialogue is a joke but the worst was the end that was just awful, is that Batman a hero or villain?

nec

Oct 17, 2018

Perfect 10 for the art. Unfortunately this overall gets a 6 so take from that what you will.

daddyT

Oct 21, 2018

dangerously closing to dropping Batman, AGAIN.. the second time since Tom King took over... I suppose his writing maybe just isn't for me. from a base of 6, this gets a rating of: 6. +1 because: the art was definitely above average. -1 because: because he only had half an issue of story so we got to see a pig and fox cartoon

bcgocubs

Nov 01, 2018

As much as I like King's style, his choices just don't work in this arc. The fairy tale is cool but a little difficult imo to connect to the story. Not to mention how Batman almost says nothing thing the ENTIRE ISSUE. I get that fighting is loud and can sometimes take a while. But seriously, an entire issue where the dialogue is just grunts?! Because of this, what could have been a potentially great final issue is hard to take seriously. It just doesn't serve the story right and is hideously anticlimactic. What's more this has become a pattern with King. Is he just trying to be different (which can work wonders sometimes for his style) or is he just being lazy? Truth be told, I can't tell anymore and it makes me worry for thi s series. more

Federico Liguori

Feb 26, 2023

As much as I liked the first two parts, this is unnecessarily violent and grotesque. Also, why does this Batman act so recklessly? He almost got beaten to death...

superstan52

Oct 17, 2018

Why does Batman always go to these remote,inhospitable environs the hardest way - on horseback, trudging through icefields? Whats the point? Plus, what exactly was batmans plsn? He couldnt have carried Beast back to civilization, so either he was going to give hjim a bloody nose and leave him there - highly unsatisfying - or kill him. He was never going to bring him in by the book. So thst makes this premeditated murder.

Nihilist

Oct 17, 2018

I don't find anything good about this comic, and that's a shame, because last few issue leading to it were an improvement, compared to abominations like Everyone Loves Ivy and The Wedding. It's so painfully mediocre and features hardly any text to read. I mean, not every comic has to - King usually relies on very minimalistic tone, and sometimes it works out great, like with I Am Suicide arc. But this... This seems like a step too far - Batman and KG Beast literally just growl and scream during their confrontation. Don't recommend this comic, days when King's Batman was one of the top DC series are long gone, and I really don't understand why is he even trying to do a 100 issue mega run, when so much of it already is pure low quality fil ler. more

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ohhaimark - Oct 17, 2018

Exactly... my least favorite issues are 33-49 because they progress the story nowhere and are simply there to add an issue count to the series, getting it to the grand 100.

MKW69

Oct 17, 2018

That's it? Folktales was creepy and interesting but I don't know how it connects to Bruce. Batman breaking KGBeast neck wasn't bad, because it was last resort, but that he left him in the snow, Like He's Multi Billioner, he couldn't waited for Alfred to extract him, and take KGBeast to super secret prison for interregation?

#DontGiveDivasAChance

Oct 19, 2018

Out of character Batman. I didn't get what the stoytime bit was about. *Mild Spoiler* I get the reference, it should have stayed in the 90s.

Full Spread

Oct 21, 2018

Something's a little off if Tom King's sudden retelling of a fairy tale is more interesting than the Batman stuff. I guess I'm left asking: what was the point?

Superheroes for Hire

Oct 28, 2018

Again, some of the best art in the business, but the story is pointless. Batman travelled across the globe to break KGBeast's neck. Wow, that is why I buy Batman twice a month. Add in a Russian folk tale to distract from the main story, and you get 10 pounds of awful with your 5 puns of clever. At this point, I'm hate reading this series. At least Daniel's art was fantastic to look at. I could read a whole issue of Batman trudging through snow and punching bad guys if Daniel drew every page.

cincyfan

Oct 26, 2020

This one wasn’t for me personally. I like a book with a lot of dialogue and this wasn’t it. I would have liked the fairytale to be scrapped and had more dialogue and story telling written. I did like Batman’s final few lines but this was a let down for me

Psycamorean

Oct 17, 2018

Well, that was dissatisfying. Batman and KGBeast could've actually talked a little but instead Batman has to be a moron and alert KGBeast to his presence and get himself shot in the process. I legitimately liked the fairytale, although I'm not sure if Tom King made it up or not. Either way, good job on that. Unfortunately, the way the fairytale relates to the Batman/KGBeast story (which it does) is muddled and made stupid by Batman's dumb decisions, that he only makes because plot demands it. And I wouldn't liken the Fox to Batman, since Batman should put KGBeast's life before his own, like he does with everyone else. But I guess KGBeast doesn't have that Joker level insurance policy when it comes to killing Robins. Oh, and of course, Bruce and KGBeast were both read that fairytale as children, because everything has to be connected for some reason. Maybe if the entire comic was just the fairytale, I would've given this a positive score. But it's not, and I won't. Batman's such a moron for being the world's greatest detective. more

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Talon1load - Oct 17, 2018

King didn’t make up the fairytale. It’s an actual old Russian story. The one ok part of the story wasn’t even his.

Psycamorean - Oct 17, 2018

Well, damn...

Br'er Lapin AKA 20-Ish Ceiln - Oct 17, 2018

This is a comment.

Yam09

Oct 17, 2018

"I won't kill you. But I don't have to save you." -Batman killing someone. When people say Batman doesn't kill, It's like we are not reading or watching the same thing. Issues like this just give fuel to the fire.

Spacey Medicine

Jun 02, 2019

There wasn’t really very much to this issue, and I was pretty disappointed with what was there.

Quinn

Oct 17, 2018

The art in the story is nice. King is a man of few words. Too bad words aren't a bad thing in a comic book. The story picks up right where it left off. Batman goes to the cabin where KGBeast killed dad. Instead of doing something smart like throwing a flashbang stun grenade in the cabin to get an advantage over a villain that can go toe to toe with him, Batman says "Beast" outside the door of the cabin. Beast immediately shoots through the door, tags Batman with a bullet and comes out fighting. They trade blows and the Beast has Batman on the ground and Batman takes out a grapple and fires it at Beast's head, breaking his neck. Beast is paralyzed and says help me and I will tell you who hired me. Batman says no, I'm the World Greates t Detective (copyright pending) and leaves Beast in the snow, presumably to die until some other writer wants to use the character. Interspersed in the story is a Russian folktale about animals trapped in a hole who eat each other one by one until the last one starves to death. We see Beast's dad read it to Beast and it ends with Bruce being read the story by his father. Were their mothers both named Martha? What to like. The art really good. But the fight scenes have no flow. They are just individual shots of big men hitting each other. Also, the use of "Bang" and "Pow" word effects is kind of in poor taste. Those graphics are associated with the 1966 Batman TV show, King's dark, cynical violent storytelling doesn't mesh with Adam West's Bright Knight stories. What's not to like. The writing. Nothing really happens. Batman doesn't defeat Beast in a clever way. His giving Beast a sporting heads-up is really dumb. Having both dads read a real Russian fold tale to their sons really doesn't add up to anything. Oh, having Batman say he has to walk 300 clicks, presumably that means 300 kilometers, to get to his transport is dumb. That's over 160 miles. He walked in the snow 160 miles to get to Beast's cabin? Dude Uber is a real thing. You have Batplanes. Also leaving Beast to die? Really? I know that mimics what Starlin did 31 years ago, but it was controversial then, and Beast was proven to be an unstoppable killing machine. Here, he's just a big guy who can punch one handed. Either kill the guy outright, with none of this coy "I won't kill you, but I don't have to save you" crap, or bring him in. Character is not illuminated, and plot is not so clever that that doesn't matter. All in all, just a time filler until King gets his 100 issues plot line done. Or I could be wrong. more

KFuqua

Oct 17, 2018

Once again, Tom King stinks it up and proves he should not be writing Batman. The Tony Daniel's art is the only thing good about this.

Afre

Oct 17, 2018

If we would review this comic just by it's art, a solid 9. Tony Daniel is a good artist. And I think he is chosen to be artist every time King writes a terrible comic. This and Booster Gold-future-mess proves that. Just two dudes fighting while a fairy-tale is being read in a flashback. And Batman leaves KGBeast dying. King, the last thing you wanna do is take inspiration from BvS. Overall, terrible issue. Batman acts like he is in Dark Knight Returns, but this isn't a Frank Miller comic from 90s. And the most disappointing thing is that King can do better.

Talon1load

Oct 17, 2018

Another pointless issue with a bunch of filler and no real dialogue. The art is great and deserves a higher score but the story was just crap.

waltgator93

Oct 17, 2018

Tony Daniel did a great job... unfortunately can not say same for Tom King. Seriously this is the conclusion?! We get half the issue about a folktale that doesn't connect and other half Batman and Beast grunting and fighting. Stupidity to have people charge money for this issue.

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ohhaimark - Oct 17, 2018

Glad to hear Tony Daniel’s art is back on track, last issue disappointed me. Probably the first issue of the series where I liked the writing better than the art.

Darkseid24 - Oct 18, 2018

Yeah I expected a deeper plot here, but unfortunately I was wrong

Darkseid24

Oct 17, 2018

Yes Batman does brutally beat up his enemies, but he also always saves his villains, no matter what. Therefore it felt totally out of character for Bruce to leave KGBeast helpless in the cold. Batman isn't a murderer and this "I won't kill you, but I don't have to save you" mentality he seems to have borrowed from Batman Begins just doesn't fit him. He also missed an opportunity to get this case solved just because of ego/ emotions. That also was out of character for him. His line "I am the Worlds greatest detective" didn't impress me, it rather felt like what a Batman fanboy would say, but not what Bruce would say. The story with the animals was nice, but overall pointless. I expected more with this issue. This issue feels more like f anfiction to me. more

SomeDummy

Oct 18, 2018

So predicable, oh no my girlfriend and bro are out of my life, Alfrted is my last remaining connective tissue, now I ambiguously kill someone while spouting off hands down one of the most embarrassing attempts at a badass Batman line on the professional level. ZZZzzzZzZZzzZZzZZZ.... LOL did he just say hes the worlds greatest detective out loud? Did he just say he has a body of hurt? You can see why he limits Batman's dialog to robotic repetition; the guy is TERRIBLE, one of the worst in recent memory, at capturing a convincing voice for Batman. AKA Tom King read Year Three and decided to regurgitate it back up for us with his own feckless take on the Dark Knight Depressive.

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myconius - Oct 18, 2018

"Dark Knight Depressive" sums it up perfectly! xD

myconius

Oct 17, 2018

BWAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAAAA!!!!! X'D this is a joke, right? this was supposed to be a joke? why is DC trying to force Tom King on the Batman series for 100 issues? the man didn’t even have 50 good issues in him, let alone 100. DC really needs to find someone who actually understands Batman, and knows how to tell a good Batman story. otherwise we can all sit back and continue to watch King embarrass himself. .5 is added for the good laugh. X'D

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RyanSmith28 - Oct 17, 2018

You give a one on every single Tom King Batman is she there is and it’s getting super annoying. Stop being pissy because of the Bat-Cat marriage debacle and appreciate a well written, enjoyable story that is present in this issue.

Talon1load - Oct 17, 2018

He keeps giving low scores because King has yet to write a story worth a shit.

myconius - Oct 17, 2018

RyanSmith28 - you said "You give a one on every single Tom King Batman"

myconius - Oct 17, 2018

that is not true. every now and again i'll give it a "3" or "4". sometimes even a "5" or a "6".

ohhaimark - Oct 17, 2018

It always annoys me when one person tells another person to “enjoy an issue” just because that first person did. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and blaming someone else’s differing opinion on being pissy about a previous issue annoys me even more.

myconius - Oct 17, 2018

yeah exactly. ... it's hard to have your own opinion these days when so many fans think they can police other people's thoughts. ..i wasn't crazy about this run from the start, and stopped buying it. i was lured back in by a good sales pitch, and now i keep reading just to see what could possibly happen next. i wasn't crazy about King making Bruce suicidal, never did i imagine that he'd have Batman more-or-less murder someone.

ohhaimark - Oct 17, 2018

My feelings for this series differ from issue to issue. I liked the Wedding issue (I know, shoot me), but very much disliked everything leading up to the Wedding issue (issues 33-49). I hated the “I Am” story arcs and loved the War of Jokes and Riddles. But I don’t go attacking everyone who hates the Wedding issue or loves the “I Am” Trilogy just because they disagree with me.

ohhaimark - Oct 17, 2018

Also, I haven’t read the issue yet, but this story arc is going downhill so fast that at this point I don’t even care if its spoiled.

ohhaimark - Oct 17, 2018

Also, my Wedding issue feelings are completely subjective. It is by no means a good issue in terms of quality (i.e, the forced pinups, the “letters” that are just copied storytelling techniques from Suicide, and the shoehorned in Bane). It’s just one that, for some reason, I kinda liked.

myconius - Oct 17, 2018

no. i'd never deny someone to enjoy what they enjoy. but i can definitely agree with issues 33-49 and the I AM arcs. i especially did not enjoy 48 & 49 at all. ...i think it was at i am suicide when i stopped with this series, before getting roped back in with the wedding announcement. i just can't accept Batman as someone who gives up like that. like in issue 1 when he's about to ride atop a plane to his death. Batman always finds a way no matter what.

ohhaimark - Oct 17, 2018

The "is this a good death" thing is what put me off about that 1st issue. And… yes. The Best Man sucked, in my opinion. I didn't like the characterization of the Joker or that the arc had no effect on the overall story whatsoever.

ohhaimark - Oct 17, 2018

Tom King says his Batman story is formatted like a novel. Because apparently a novel has characters that talk like robots and huge chunks of fillers that has no affect on the story. For example, the double date issues. What purpose would that have in a novel? I'm fine with a few kind of less-important, self-contained issues, but 16 in a row is just too much for me.

myconius - Oct 17, 2018

YEAH! that “is this a good death” took me right out of the story. it was like- ok it’s TDKR fan-fiction time. …definitely! i was very disappointed with the Joker in 48 & 49. …hahahaha! Tom King must have some great publicist to come up with sales pitched like his story being like a novel. i think if i bought a novel and the characters kept repeating the same dialog over and over i’d be pretty pissed! at least the comics usually have decent art to sugar coat the bitter pill that is the writing.

ohhaimark - Oct 17, 2018

Yeah… fan-fiction is an excellent descriptor of King's run as a whole. As for the novel thing, I read that in an interview somewhere, and it was also stated that Bane will be the main villain all the way until issue 100.

myconius - Oct 17, 2018

yikes! it just feels to me that the concept of Bane being the main villain through this entire run was an afterthought. when i read the the first arc and monster men cross-over, there were no indicators at all that Bane was behind everything. even the whole wedding idea felt very tacked on. like it was a stunt to pull readers in, but fizzled out. ...i just read my review for Batman issue #1 back from 2016, and i think i had Tom King's number pegged even back then.

ohhaimark - Oct 17, 2018

Yeah, it seems that most everybody else liked the first story arc, so its nice to know I'm not alone in disliking that first issue.

Talon1load - Oct 17, 2018

I hated that first issue. The whole “good death” thing was ridiculously bad and set the tone for the whole series.

myconius - Oct 17, 2018

Tom King totally missed the point of TDKR. Bruce was at the end of his rope, retired and just miserable since he stopped being Batman. ...it's not like he started being Batman because he had a death wish and vigilantism is a good way to get yourself killed. ...i wonder if he had ever read a Batman comic prior to getting signed at DC? ...or did Dan DiDio just toss him a stack of "Batman Essential reading" and tell him to just skim it.

ohhaimark - Oct 18, 2018

Ha. That would explain… a lot.

KesheR - Oct 18, 2018

Tom King can only write robots or stories about terrorism. That is all. If he wants to be praised again as "the next Alan Moore" he better starts writing a story about Machine Man fighting yihadists.

myconius - Oct 18, 2018

i have to wonder if DC Editorial even bothers to review these books? ...in Batman #50 on the splash page by Fabok & Anderson, there's a line- "Another cowardly and suspicious criminal caught." ...i'd always thought it was "Criminals are a superstitious cowardly lot".

Talon1load - Oct 18, 2018

That just seems like they were playing with the alliteration of it.

myconius - Oct 19, 2018

possibly so, but it didn't really improve on the analogy. ...a superstitious person would be more likely to fear an omen such as a bat, a black cat, broken mirror, the number 13, spilled salt, etc... ...a criminal being suspicious really doesn't add up to them being fearful.

Talon1load - Oct 20, 2018

Yeah, being suspicious doesn’t really have anything to do with being fearful. Hadn’t really paid much attention to that but you’re right. Should definitely have been superstitious.

myconius - Oct 20, 2018

i mean it is kind of a minor thing, but that tiny attention to detail i notice quite a bit. especially since i've read so many of these classic stories in reprints over and over as a kid.

ohhaimark

Oct 19, 2018

THE GOOD: -That fairytale part was pretty great. Morbid and original. I dig it. THE BAD: -Tony Daniel's art was still a let-down for me. It felt way too rushed. Not necessarily bad art, just not good Tony S. Daniel art. -Apparently King has abandoned dialogue altogether, and just thinks that as far as the actual story goes, just having the characters making a bunch of noises over an admittedly lackluster battle is okay. Good to know. -Also these noises are somehow worse than the sound-effects from the 1966 Batman show. For example we have wonderful marvels of prose such as phrases like, "GKRK", "KHAA", and everyone's favorite, "GHXN." Because when I get punched in the face by a hook hand, I will definitely exclaim "GHXN" How do you even say that?! -So the confrontation that the issue a few weeks back literally spent over half its page count building up, is Batman and KGBeast saying things like "GHXN" for 10 pages and then Batman defeating KGBeast in both the easiest and dumbest way possible. If he planned to snap his neck, why not just do that earlier on. Oh I know why, there's thing where writers have to fill a certain amount of pages in a single comic book. 20 to be exact. But then there's writers, like good old Tommy boy, who don't have enough ideas to fill those pages, so they come up with something called filler. Oooohhh. -The last page confused me. Why is it important? We may never know. more

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myconius - Oct 19, 2018

what's really sad is the fairy tale that took up half this issue wasn't even King's. ... i looked it up. it's a story called 'Beasts in a Pit' by Aleksandr Afanas’ev. ......... i made a "GHXN" noise as i was reading this comic! x'D

ohhaimark - Oct 20, 2018

Lol! Also I didn't know that! Ironic the one thing I liked about the issue wasn't even written by King.

myconius - Oct 20, 2018

and of course there's no credit to Aleksandr Afanas’ev either. at least i didn't notice anything about Afanas’ev mentioned anywhere in the comic. . . . yeah. that's pretty funny actually! :D

ohhaimark - Oct 20, 2018

Yeah, of course there isn't.

Superheroes for Hire - Oct 28, 2018

Actually, the story book does have all the details of the original writer and translator. It's a public domain story now. Honestly, the regular action would have been better with no sounds or grunts.

myconius - Oct 29, 2018

it’s just really cheesy to fill half the comic with the work of another. this is a prime example of ‘phoning it in’.

ohhaimark - Oct 29, 2018

Truly no sound would have worked better. The silent effect was actually really well used in that last WoJaR issue. Also, I don’t mind filling your work with that of another as long as you actually try to contribute to the story as well.

PacoPavlov

Nov 14, 2018

Nonsense.