Batman #58

Batman #58 was an issue that stood out for me. Penguins sympathetic side story and Batman having to use his better judgement to keep himself and his loved ones safe will draw the attention of any reader fond of these classic characters Kings The Tyrant Wing is already shaping up to be a deep dive into what defines Batman, something the writer has been tackling throughout his run thus far. Read Full Review

King's work easily stands toe to toe with the very best, easily offering up some of the greatest tales to feature in the Caped Crusader's 80 year history! Read Full Review

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this issue! The action is great, the story is emotional and very impactful and I thought that the clues to the Freeze case fit together perfect. Although we still don't know who's killing these women throughout Gotham it's clear that Bane and Penguin were involved, and now it's obvious that Bane is the mastermind. It seems that Bane pulling all the strings from the lowest depths of Arkham Asylum, and I'm starting to wonder if Bane had Penny killed in the first place as a warning to Penguin about his failure. I definitely can't wait to read the next issue! Read Full Review

King is just killing it on this title. It just keeps getting better. He deserves all of the accolades he is getting. The art by Janin is tops too. This could be a definitive Penguin story arc for the character. Let's see what happens! Read Full Review

All in all, an auspicious start to "The Tyrant Wing" arc and one that portends plenty of compelling interaction and synergy between Batman and the Penguin. Flock to this one. Read Full Review

I'm hoping to learn more about Penny Cobblepot, because her random introduction is sort of an odd touch for the issue, but this is much closer to the best of King's run than we've seen in a while. Read Full Review

An interesting issue from start to finish and worth reading. Read Full Review

To end on a good note, I've got to give credit where credit's due. The plan that Penguin puts in place to get to Batman fits his character to the core. It's cruel, but calculated. It's bloody, but not over-the-top. It's truly the result of a sadistic mind. Read Full Review

Batman #58 is a visually stunning comic that also adds new layers to the Penguin. Read Full Review

"The Tyrant Wing" kicks off what may prove to be a nasty showdown between not The Penguin and Batman, but Bruce Wayne! The fallout from Mr. Freeze's acquittal is starting to rain down Batman's world in an intimate way. And with Bane calling the shots, you know he'll want to make this a fight to the death. While it's questionable whether any of the principal players are going to die, King nicely ratchets up the tension and throws Bruce's most valuable assets into the direct line of fire"let's just hope the suspense pays off! Read Full Review

BATMAN #58's conclusion may feel anti-climactic, but the focus on The Penguin's most recent tragic journey in addition to the intensity of his confrontation with Batman is more than enough to satisfy. Read Full Review

PICK THIS ISSUE UP, I am beyond hyped to see what comes of this arc. ITS ABOUT TIME TOM. Read Full Review

Tom King created greater interest around Penguin in one issue with Batman #58 than the character has had in recent memory. In doing so he further developed the major story involving Batman and Bane's rivalry. These elements came together extremely well to make Batman #58 another strong chapter in the long-term narrative King is crafting in his run on this series. Read Full Review

This is a remarkably clever, multilayered narrative which balances a measure of heart with an abundance of punching. Read Full Review

Given the state of the Batman books of late, King is able to sell a very suspenseful moment before a big twist that could lead to Batman getting a pivotal victory over Bane. In spite of the brief narrative challenges, this new arc has me looking forward to what King has in store next and if this take on Penguin will be as memorable as his work on The Joker, Catwoman and The Riddler. So far he's off to a promising start. Read Full Review

Fourth months after Batman #50, Penguin steps onto the balance point between Batman and Bane in this powerful issue. Read Full Review

While Tom King's Batman run has a larger game plan in mind, certain installments like this issue can feel a bit slight. Read Full Review

King's script is both competent and flawed. He has many good, fun ideas, but the execution is always a bit flat. Fortunately, he is bolstered by great artists like Janin. This issue is a good example of what makes King'sBatman both a compelling, but also frustrating read. Read Full Review

While this was one of my favorite Batman issues in a while, I am pretty fed up with the lack of details in the storytelling.  This book has a very forced feeling to it and even though I really appreciated the callbacks to some loose threads, I was pretty bored will reading it.  Read Full Review

This issue sees a slow down in the action as Oswald Cobblepot and the Batman deal with another death. It's a poignant issue and brings the antagonist to a point where he has to contemplate the reality of this situation. The Penguin seems to be going further off the deep end with the death of his daughter. His behavior is erratic even for him. The Batman is thrown for a loop while investigating the Freeze case. He winds up in the Penguins lair! To be continued! *** (8.2 rating) Read Full Review

A tense and twisty issue has some odd storytelling choices that hold it back. Read Full Review

Setting up an interesting team up and finally starting to develop the over-arching evil plot, Tom King puts Batman's beaky friend in an interesting spot. The start of a new arc, I'm interested to see what happens with Penguin and his revenge. Read Full Review

One thing Tom King has excelled at during his Batman run is humanizing the villains in a way that doesn't make them sympathetic but instead gives better insight into who they are. Unfortunately, despite a genuinely intriguing setup with The Penguin, the issue continues with a further dehumanizing of Batman. Read Full Review

Linkush

Nov 07, 2018

"TO THIS URN LET THOSE REPAIR. THAT ARE EITHER TRUE OR FAIR." King's stories are starting to connect and it's so interesting. Art was great and this issue also reminded me how much I love Bruce and Alfred's relationship. I honestly can't wait to see what bane's big plan is. Recommended.

Aussie Dad

Nov 09, 2018

Tom King has incorporated a Shakespearean poem "The Phoenix and the Turtle" to mirror the tragedy that has occurred to the Penguin. He has also created a mystery as to who was Penny Cobblepot and that is only a fraction of what transpires in this well written and drawn issue

Br'er Lapin AKA 20-Ish Ceiln

Nov 08, 2018

Loved the tone in this one, and it is nice to see some of the ties coming together.

Synthozoid

Nov 08, 2018

if you’re a fan of his writing you are in for a real treat. if you’re not a fan, best stay away. there’s a lot to keep up with. and you’d better read it slow and carefully.

I Review Comics

Mar 13, 2019

There is a huge contrast between Tom King's Batman and Heroes in Crisis. Batman has been rolling the last several issues while Heroes in Crisis has been running in place during the same length of time. The Penguin figures heavily into this issue as he actually gets more panel time than Batman.  The comic follows the villain as he grieves the loss of what I presume is a family member. After being defeated by Batman Penguin is sent to Arkham and subsequently dressed down by Bane and given the mission to kill Alfred.  The comic ends on a cliffhanger and pivots into a completely different direction than I expected initially. Hinting at a possible team-up.  As a single issue, the comic is fantastic. The art direction from Jordi e Bellaire and Mikel Janin is great and atmospheric. It perfectly captures the somber nature of the issue. Penguin is given more characterization here than I've ever seen him given in any other comic. It was also pretty cool seeing him engage Batman in a fist fight. I don't remember ever seeing Penguin actually fighting Batman. ​ It's a nice introduction to the new story arc and manages to keep the momentum going that was built up from the previous issue. It escalates the overarching Bane storyline while also functioning as a great single issue. There's honestly not much to complain about here. more

mynameisraj

Nov 07, 2018

Solid issue for the new arc. I like how the court room arc had consequences outside of itself. Batman not wanting to talk about what happened to Dick was a nice touch as well. I do like how Penguin cowers when it comes to Bane and will shoot his own man to prove that Alfred is in danger. King’s writing along with Janin’s pencils was great!

bucswin611

Nov 07, 2018

The series is back on track! While something about Janin's figures has never clicked with me (it looks kinda...'90s CGI, right?) - I have come to appreciate his strengths: angles and storytelling. Plenty of intrigue in this issue and Alred's facial expression in one panel will stay with me. The series is back on track!

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Talon1load - Nov 7, 2018

You say the series is back on track but you on,y described the art. What about the story did you think was an improvement? Was it the sudden and never before established wife? Kings use of poems to prevent him from having to create dialogue of his own? What?

Br'er Lapin AKA 20-Ish Ceiln - Nov 8, 2018

I agree with you about Janin. I actually like his art, like the composition and all, but it looks like 3D models painted over with line art. It shouldn't work, but it does... mostly.

bcgocubs

Nov 08, 2018

A good return to form for the series. I'll have to wait to see how long it lasts, but this is good solid writing in my opinion. It has a complex plot and interesting details as well as excellent artwork as always from Mikel Janin. The one complain I would have is that I'm too dumb to understand the poem at the end of the story (turns out its an obscure Shakespeare poem) and so that was a bit frustrating for me.

waltgator93

Nov 06, 2018

I will give King this, his stories do connect. Unfortunately now I have more questions about a previous story arc and even this current one! For starters why is there a Batman behind Bane and is that the same Batman we saw on splash page of Batman 50, if so then that’s Flashpoint Batman which what the fuck is going on?! It would be nice if Bruce talked about the whole shot in the head situation. Batman comes off as a dick in the whole issue, like he has no soul. For being the first issue in the story, it definitely caught my attention at the end. However, King has a record of losing my attention the more the story continues. All that narratives at the end was not needed. Job well done for artwork by Mikel Janin

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mynameisraj - Nov 7, 2018

It's probably the "Batman" from issue 50.

Psycamorean

Nov 08, 2018

Well, this was definitely playing to my sensibilities. To see things start to connect is nice, because up until this point, I was thinking it was just bullshit that Tom King has a plan. Maybe it still is, who knows? I don't know why Bane would set up Mr. Freeze? I'm sure that might be explained, or we'll be forced to just accept it. Never know with Tom King. But just the idea that maybe, maybe there's some plan here makes me more optimistic. I'm annoyed that Penguin isn't dead, but I blame editorial on that one. I think the death of Penny was forced. Why should that resonate with anyone? Penny didn't exist before this. And I don't think Penguin's men are the time to kill themselves on command. I think with Joker running around, all the craz ies roll with him and the normal henchmen stick to the other villains. Especially Penguin, since he's probably the most business-oriented and legitimate one. The Shakespeare poem was a bit much. The more I think about this issue, the more I dislike it, so I'm just going to stop. Make of that what you will. more

MKW69

Nov 07, 2018

Meh.

ohhaimark

Nov 09, 2018

THE GOOD: -Art is fantastic. Mikel Janin is easily the best artist working on the rotating series of artists for this run. -I actually liked King's portrayal of Penguin. He makes the reader empathize with him in the same way that worked with the Ballad of Kite Man. -Also a great portrayal of Batman's relationship with Alfred. -I'm actually curious about the direction the mystery from the Freeze arc is going. I liked that arc, and I'm curious. It's nice to know all of these post-wedding arcs aren't just one and done. Well, for this series' sake, let's hope they don't revisit the KGBest arc. -I'm not a fan of doing the same thing over and over and over in comics, but that double splash page of Bruce fighting henchman overla id with dialogue was cool. THE BAD: -The worst part of this run is quite frankly, the main character is the weakest link in the series. I am more compelled by both Penguin and Alfred than Batman. -Another huge issue is that the plot is stretched out again, and the story is very uninteresting. I feel like these villain arcs are becoming really repetitive, with the exception of the first one. -I'm just so damn tired of the whole, "let's do bad things to everyone Batman cares about" dynamic of this issue that we've not only seen literally 3 issues before, but many, many times before. And this issue would be fine if it brought something new to the table in that area, but it doesn't. more

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myconius - Nov 10, 2018

maybe Alfred will get shot in the head, lose his memory, start driving a cab, and tell people to start calling him "Alf"?

ohhaimark - Nov 11, 2018

Hahahahaha! I hope not!

Nihilist

Nov 07, 2018

There's no denying Batman is struggling - and I'm not talking about his life as a character, I'm talking about Tom King's writing in the series. His run has become so stretched and unnecessarily long, it feels like a cable TV show these days, which would work as a 10-12 episode one, but was turned into a 23 episode giant. I have nothing against writers taking their time to tell a story, I even said so while reviewing Bendis' Superman comics, but the point of a story, slow or quick, is to lead somewhere. I don't have that feeling with King's Batman anymore, unfortunately, and the saddest part is, this issue for once contained something that connects it to the big masterplan teased in #50. You know, the one everyone hated. Am I happy to se e Penguin getting some character development? Yeah, but then again, King gave him the same type of development he gave many other characters, being in a way the mirror opposite of what Bruce went through - Gotham's parents were assaulted in an alley way like Waynes, except they were saved, Bane's connection with his mother mirrors what Bruce feels towards Martha, and KG Beast's relationship with his father mirrors the one of Bruce and Thomas. Heck, he even created a kid who wants to be like Bruce Wayne, and he orchestrates murder of his parents. I get it, all it takes is one bad day, and there's a very narrow line between being good and turning bad. It's a fine trope, but reading the same since the beginning of Rebirth gets not just pretty repetitive (considering King loves using repetition), but plain boring. Let Batman and Penguin talk already, and finally move the story forward, because while it's by no means true, I feel like absolutely nothing happened in the series since The War of Jokes and Riddles, which was a retrospective, so nothing really happened since I Am Bane arc. Minus Catwoman's vanishing in #50 (the wedding issue). No more filler material, please! more

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egonnn244 - Nov 7, 2018

Very true, nothing really happens anymore in this book. I used to read Batman because I was excited for the story. Now I read it because it's Batman and I'm just curious what King will come up with next.

egonnn244

Nov 07, 2018

"How thrilling" I'd rather go with how confusing. The issue started good with, as always, strong art form Mike Janin, but then it kinda became "meh". So Bane shakes the Gotham's criminal underworld and he doesn't like failures. To remind Penguin of that he has his, I believe wife, killed. So now Oswald needs to "earn back his life". From this point on the issue drops the ball so to speak. Alfred plays Nightwing, oh I'm sorry, Ric. He could have used a ladder really. People still use the word "yeah" and couple pages is "narrated" by some poem. Then there is this bizarre page where Alfred "plays" Bruce and tels a message to himself? What's that about? I always thought of Alfred as the sanest person in Gotham. But the kicker comes a the end. Penguin tells his men to kill themselves and they apparently do it. Never imagined that Penguin employed fanatics willing to die for "a cause". Especially when they were portrayed as normal henchmen that respect their boss in the first half of this issue. Yeah... more

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Linkush - Nov 7, 2018

"Then there is this bizarre page where Alfred "plays" Bruce and tels a message to himself?" No, he just predicted what Bruce is going to say (because he knows him so well). I found it very touching.

egonnn244 - Nov 7, 2018

Maybe that was the intention, but I found the execution confusing and I started to question Al's sanity.

Br'er Lapin AKA 20-Ish Ceiln - Nov 8, 2018

I also read it as Alfred so used to what Bruce says while he is out, that he is able to predict exactly what he will say when an intruder is detected in his manor.

daddyT

Nov 08, 2018

from a base of 6, this gets a rating of: 6. -1 because: if only Tom King could tell a story without trying to be so surreal all the time +1 because: overall the 1000000 foot view might be a good story, if you ignore the actual pages involved

Spacey Medicine

Jun 02, 2019

This was okay, but that extended poetry jam sesh really dragged the whole thing down for me, it went on waaaaaay too long. I feel weird about this whole Penguin thing and I don’t believe his dudes would kill themselves for him.

Darkseid24

Nov 07, 2018

I expected more with this issue, because of Penguin, but the plot seems weird and comes out of nowhere. Out of nowhere we learn, that Penguin is married, even so there was no character development shown for him. Last time Penguin had a love story it was in Pain& Prejudice& he wasn’t capable there to have a normal relationship. So we suddenly should believe he can, because King decides? Another thing that didn’t fit was, that Penguin could aim at Alfred, since Wayne Manor has excellent security& Bruce is prepared for everything, but suddenly he isn’t.

Full Spread

Nov 07, 2018

It's perfectly serviceable. But like many Tom King issues, Batman #58 just doesn't give me anything truly spectacular or special to remember.

Quinn

Nov 07, 2018

Nice art. But King uses a whole issue to tell us that Bane has ordered Penguin to kill or maybe hurt Alfred. The issue ends with Alfred at the Manor and we see a red dot on his forehead, telling us that a sniper has him in his sights. (By the way, as an ex-CIA agent, King should know that real snipers never use laser sights because they do tip off the intended target. It's just Hollywood nonsense.) That's it. Also, another woman is killed by the "freeze" technique. The hit of Alfred was ordered to punish Bruce Wayne for interfering with the Freeze trial. Boy, I hope King has something clever up his sleeve with Freeze, because right now framing him makes no sense, except maybe to get Batman crazy for sending an innocent man to prison. But Freeze has killed so many people, he hardly qualifies as innocent. Again, an issue where the pace crawls at a snail's pace. The action is hardly compelling and the dialog consists of poems. So King is letting other writers do the hard work. Just get on with it. more

Talon1load

Nov 07, 2018

Sigh. Once again, King writes a character with additions they’ve never had before just to take those additions away because you have to constantly have a shocking death. He also, once again, forces some ridiculous parallel between Batman and his villain. He’s apparently got a lot in common with every villain in Gotham. How King has been able to stretch out this one troupe for 58 issues is beyond me. He’s never done it well but he’s always done it consistently, I’ll give him that.

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myconius - Nov 7, 2018

didn't this story made Penguin look like a weak little punk? you'd think if Bane had his wife killed, he'd want to declare war on Bane for revenge. not just roll over and hope to win back favor. he looked pathetic. ....one thing's for sure, Penguin sure ain't no Marcellus Wallace. that dude would have someone thrown out a four story window just for giving his wife a foot massage.

Superheroes for Hire

Dec 14, 2018

I've really tried to hang on. I really have. I'm catching up on the last few issues, and this start to the Penguin arc is a waste of a comic book. The Mikel Janin art is fairly good, although panel comment is sparse. And panels are few. So 3 points for decent art. The story is okay, but goes nowhere. We get poetry, and poetry that is so difficult to read. What was it written in the 1700s? Then the implication Penguin loved an actual penguin. Great. Except we don't just get an implication; Tom King feels compelled to explain and reference and explain and hint and explain again that Penguin really loved this penguin. The key to writing a great gag is showing it and then moving on. Tom King does not understand nor employ subtlety. There is als o terrible dialogue. Characterless and disembodied voices. Sad characters. Pointless action (threaten Alfred just to have mobsters kill themselves). Hints at Bane (boring, saw that 8 issues ago). 1 point for ending all sentences with a period. I'm just tired of this boring nonsense. There isn't even intrigue too babe Bane pulling the strings. Dropped, but unfortunately I still have 2 issues I already purchased... more

myconius

Nov 07, 2018

right from the beginning there was no hook. dull panels filled with dull uninteresting dialog. i'm told Penny's throat was cut. who's Penny? why should i care? but, i did get to see Penguin get punched in the face, then get naked and take a shower. so at least there's that. i've seen very few modern writers actually tell interesting Penguin stories. this was not one of them. there are slight hints to the Bane story, but no real advancement made. now Tom King it threatening the welfare of Alfred Pennyworth. he must have mistaken himself for Scott Snyder? nothing redeeming here. this comic is trash.

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ohhaimark - Nov 10, 2018

I just looked on King's Twitter. Apparently he submitted an issue to DC that he himself hated.

myconius - Nov 10, 2018

yikes!!!!! . . . . well, as the narrator of the 1966 Batman live-action television series used to say . . . “THE WORST IS YET TO COME!”

ohhaimark - Nov 10, 2018

Lol!

Talon1load - Nov 10, 2018

He says shit lik that about all of his issues though. He wants people to tell him how great he is. His need for validation is actually pretty pathetic.

myconius - Nov 10, 2018

he's either too cheap to pay for therapy, or so insecure that he needs the constant adulation. .... yeah that is really sad.

myconius - Nov 10, 2018

whatever he's got in store couldn't possibly be any worse than naked Oswald Cobblepot showering!