Batman #62

Batman #62is an essential issue to Tom Kings run but holds legitimate educational value as a perfect example for any aspiring writer on how to write a tragic monologue. It reflects on all that has happened and makes us excited and a moderately terrified of whats to come. Read Full Review

Overall Batman #62 is a good read. It's dark and gritty and puts you directly in the mind of Batman right from the beginning. Mitch does a great job of matching Tom King's dark storytelling and dialog with incredible art from start to finish. Throughout the entire book King makes you wonder if it's all real at all– and Batman is just as clueless as the reader is. I'm definitely looking forward to reading the next issue! Read Full Review

It's an unusual turn for Batman but one that was both entertaining and thoughtful. I recommend it. 5 out of 5! Read Full Review

The art by Mitch Gerards is brutal and breathtaking. There is visceral emotion in each panel and the terror and confusion on Batman's face is amazingly rendered. Brilliant art from first panel to last page. I loved it. Read Full Review

The art and the writing work perfectly together. You can't get a much better team than these two working together. It's a great little stand alone issue that works and links up to a bigger storyline. And it's very interesting and intriguing indeed. Read Full Review

rise run on its visual audacity alone. Read Full Review

Batman's head is twisted around now and he is losing his mind. But King and Gerads depict a man whose paranoia is starting get to him. The comic is wonderfully fractured and the art is the perfect accent to the script. Despite the criminal underuse of Professor Pyg's character and lack of follow-up from previous issues, this comic was one of King's strongest. Read Full Review

Given the high bar that King and Gerads set for their collaborations with Mister Miracle, Batman #62 I think clears that lofty standard nicely. Read Full Review

Ultimately, this is a very well-executed issue, but it lacks that special touch that's made King's other issues in this vein stand out so perfectly. Read Full Review

The surreal, deranged Batman #62 is a major step up from its underwhelming predecessor. Read Full Review

This was a hallucinatory, nightmarish episode contributing a vital splash of blood to an interesting story. The art is worth the cover-price alone. Read Full Review

Lastly, it's good to see that this issue was still tangentially connected to the events ofBatman #60. If we had to sit through 4-5 issues that didn't build on that story in the least, it'd be more than a little frustrating. But it looks like the story is still moving forward, albeit at a slower pace to build up anticipation. Read Full Review

Following up on the success of their fantastic run on MISTER MIRACLE, Tom King and Mitch Gerads reunite for a creeping and unsettling story in BATMAN #62. This ain't your standard Bat-story (then again, what is these days?), but I'd say it's definitely worth the cover price. Read Full Review

I liked this issue for what it's doing creatively. The ending, and payoff, however, is so limited you're going to feel a bit cheapened. It's well crafted visually and the idea permeating the issue is great. You'll want more, so if it's about selling comics I suppose it did its job. Read Full Review

A bloody brilliant read bolstered by the incredible art of Mitch Gerads! Read Full Review

Batman #62 is, in a word, weird. But that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Read Full Review

Knowing Tom King, these issues won't really be filler, just that right now it seems that way. Pick up these issues so you don't get blindsided later on. Read Full Review

BATMAN #62's artwork is absolutely mesmerizing. However, its story leaves much to be desired. Read Full Review

Ultimately I feel like this issue does a pretty good job at recapping and reassessing what's going on currently in Tom King's run of Batman. We learn what happens to Batman after he was attacked in the cave during issue #61. We push the story forward but are also left with many questions. I enjoyed the unique method of storytelling that gave us a look into the inner monologue of the Dark Knight and how he views and handles his issues at hand. The artwork was incredible and reminded me of Gerads' work on Mr Miracle which was also written by Tom King, and that series was amazing so I guess that shows you how dynamic of a duo these two truly are when they work together. Read Full Review

Batman's Knightmare continues as he struggles to make sense of a world thats been spinning out of control since issue one. Read Full Review

Sadly, Gerards' talent is wasted on a weird and unsatisfying story. It might end up being more important in the longer run since, after all, it is a part of an (loosely connected) arc. But that doesn't change the fact that, as a one-shot, it's kinda mediocre. Read Full Review

This issue doesn't do a lot to advance the overall narrative, but Mitch Gerads art almost makes up for that all by itself.  If you are a fan of King/Gerads, then I'm sure you will get more out of this than me and if you just look at it as a one-shot and not worry about the stalled overall story, you may love it.  However, if you have been frustrated with this book and are looking for an issue to get you back into this entire series, you may have to wait a little longer. Read Full Review

Like last issue the main saving grace here is the artwork of King's Mister Miracle collaborator Mitch Gerads. Gerads is such a unique artist and his style works well with this chaotic Batman introspection. It's just too bad Gerads couldn't get another Batman story with some real meat to it instead of one that's largely treading in place. Read Full Review

Tom King's Batman psychomachia continues with more self-drubbing from our caped crusader, this time in the form of a nightmare experience with Professor Pyg as an adversary. Pyg's abattoir runs with blood as our hero talks himself through the predicament of finding himself slung up like a side of sow. The rabbit hole narrative combined with the trippy offset print-style art from Mitch Gerads makes the whole thing feel like an acid trip. You be the judge whether that's a good thing or bad. Read Full Review

This is the comic book equivalent of writing a paper the night before it's due and increasing the font size and margins to hit a page count. It's empty, and it's not enough. Read Full Review

axdn

Jan 09, 2019

Chillyyy

Synthozoid

Jan 10, 2019

Welcome to the "Let's $h!t on Tom King" homepage so glad you could join us. All of your favorite reviewers are here to squeeze out a hot deuce on the comic that they supposedly paid money for, even though they have hated every issue for the past two years. Would you like a review? I'm sorry we only drop deuces over here. There are possibly professional critics on this website, but ignore them. Pay attention to the guys taking dumps, it's much more fun.

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Br'er Lapin AKA 20-Ish Ceiln - Jan 13, 2019

I am going to get so much hate for liking this comment. I'll say that it is okay for them to dislike and keep reading the book though, I do that with so many books.

The-MJP - Jun 7, 2020

I don't like this book

slumber

Jan 16, 2019

On it's own, I love how the entire issue consists of Batman's interior monologue, as his thoughts jump around between strategy, memories, observations and interjections. All while moving the story forward and maintaining the tension --just great. This issue also ties in ,both directly and indirectly, with Mister Miracle. Batman references MM as he tries to escape. But the line between reality and dreams (or illusion) is also blurred. We're left not knowing into which group this story falls --much like King and Gerads recent MM run. Batman #61 also dealt with the theme of reality not being what it seems. It's cool to see King's interests cross between issues and titles.

Linkush

Jan 09, 2019

"LITTLE PIG... LITTLE PIG..." King and Gerads team up for the first time after mister miracle and it's pretty damn good. This issue didn't expand on the big story, so if you expected something like that you might be disappointed. In this issue, we get to see the thought process of Batman while he's trying to figure out how to handle the situation. It really puts you in Batman's shoes and I was so immersed by that. But all of this wouldn't work without the art, which is the highlight of this issue in my opinion. It was so damn good. So good that the art alone is almost enough for me to tell you to read it but luckily, the writing was also great. That being said, the cliffhanger was a bit confusing and even after a second read I don't really know what it means, But it sure is interesting. more

Br'er Lapin AKA 20-Ish Ceiln

Jan 13, 2019

I didn't think of the rooftops connection before, I really loved the art and trippiness of this. Intrigued to find out just what the hell is going on.

CoffeegirlQueren

Jan 14, 2019

was interesting, Tom King is presenting a vunerability in Batman that is pleasing me very much. A sensational art.

cincyfan

Nov 10, 2020

The artwork was fantastic and I think the writing was good as well. It definitely felt like a dream or “knightmare” Batman would have

bcgocubs

Jan 12, 2019

This issue is out of place and it's annoying to see the main storyline take such a long time. But, personally, I felt that this issue was excellent. It was an inner look into Batman's psyche like nothing I had read before and the art was phenomenal. The art added much more to the atmosphere than other art I usually see. To me it feels wrong to judge this issue solely by its place in the story arc (which is excruciatingly slow). It's too good not to.

bucswin611

Jan 09, 2019

A polarizing issue, no doubt - so I settled for an average score. This is exactly what you'd want from a Gerads-Batman issue in terms of color and specific choices (ex: panel split choices). I actually enjoyed the inner monologue as well as Pygmalion story but over the course of the run there have been too many nursery rhymes (+ fables, myths, etc). Sheesh. Let the story speak for itself! Like the last Knightmares issue, this was disorienting and not in a good way, and it felt like a cop-out once again.

nec

Jan 10, 2019

Much better than the previous issue and a decent one shot. Story doesn't progress but atleast it refers to issue 60. The ending is interesting hopefully there is a good payoff. Art was great.

ohhaimark

Jan 11, 2019

THE GOOD: -I liked Mitch Gerads art, but it wasn't the usual quality we get from him. Some of the pencil strokes were too thick, making things look overly simple, and one panel with Batman's face was just yuck. But it was still good. Also, sometimes too much blood is just too much! -I actually like the format for this issue with Batman's thought process. I had problems with the execution, but its a good idea. -I was genuinely disturbed and freaked out by this issue. Especially the part where Pyg eats the pig. Ew! It's kind of the intended effect of this issue. -I liked the way we saw Pyg in this issue. It was pretty creepy to never see him talk until the end of the issue, I was getting some chilling vibes from that effect. -I liked the way this issue foreshadowed the end. Those parts in parentheses were really cool and kind of eerie, it kind of reminded me of Stephen King and how he uses parentheses. -This Knigthmares stuff is really growing on me. It's one of those ideas I love, but I have trouble getting to the why. But I do love the idea of seven-ish standalone issues, each one turning out to be only an illusion in the end, with some kind of explanation for it in the end. -I'm not super pissed about the fact that we're not seeing Thomas Wayne yet. I like the way the suspense is being dragged out. That's just me though. -"Little pig, little pig," I really liked that line. Great use of a public domain story, unlike Pygmalion. -I really loved the end. Why? i'm not sure. It simultaneously felt WTF and deeply disturbing, a combination I love to see. In comics I mean! Sorry if that sounded wrong. THE BAD: -Wasn't a fan of the Pygmalion stuff. It didn't really have a purpose in the story and it felt like filler. -Eventually it felt like Batman's narration was trying to be meaningful, but was just empty. -This whole issue felt very, very pointless. I have a feeling it could've been left out and the whole series would be the exact same. I can't help but feel like these stories would read better if there were 3-ish stories in only about two issues. Both this one and the previous one could've been shortened. more

Federico Liguori

Apr 07, 2023

7 is all for the amazing art. The rest is Tom King blabbing about something only he knows.

MKW69

Jan 09, 2019

What Happened? Drug trip?

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myconius - Jan 9, 2019

ultimately nothing happened.

Darkseid24 - Jan 9, 2019

LOL 😂

myconius - Jan 10, 2019

aye. t'is sad but true, Matey. YAR HAR HARRRrrrr ;)

I Review Comics

Mar 16, 2020

My last Batman review was a few months ago. I remember being confused and not much else. I definitely didn't remember Batman being captured by Professor Pyg. This is the second book in the Nightmare arc which covers a series of dreams Bruce is having. The concept is cool but there isn't much recap which makes reading this issue in a vacuum and understanding whats going on practically impossible. Mitch Gerard is a fantastic artist and the linework and color direction are great. Most of the book revolves around Batman's fight with Pyg. It's an awesome back and forth exchange between the characters and would work great as a silent issue. What takes me out of the comic is the absolute trash dialogue and scripting from Tom King. King' s use of repetition combined with the dreamlike nature of the story makes actually reading the comic a chore. Line's of dialogue are repeated over and over again with slight variations. This happens throughout the book and by the time I put it down, I wasn't just irritated I was pissed. The art is so good that it prevents me from giving the issue an absolute fail but as great as the art direction is the script is just the exact opposite. For More: GTMediareviews.com more

Darkseid24

Jan 09, 2019

This issue was ok. I liked how King portrayed Pyg, he definitely was in character. As for the story it feels kind of weird, since we are coming from probably Thomas Wayne invading the batcave, to the annoying Master Bruce psycho to this issue, where we don’t know, why Bruce is hanging there. It’s not real in the end, what also feels kind of weird, but King stated on Twitter, that it will all make sense in the end, so I’m giving it a chance. This issue unfortunately doesn’t have a real plot, it’s just Bruce hanging there& confronting his inner demons a little, but also not really. What I like about King‘s run, that he also gives the villains an amount of „screentime“, he doesn’t replace them with new characters you never see again. So that’s a plus for me. As for the art, I wasn’t a fan of it in Mr Miracle, because Barda sometimes looked like a guy, but it fitted this issue. more

Full Spread

Jan 10, 2019

My thought process. Hmm. This is a cool concept: staying in Batman's POV the whole time. Wow. Hey... This is really good. Is the whole issue going to stay this way? If it does--that's awesome. Dope, trippy art. Oh. You just had to bring in the whole backstory with Bane and Thomas Wayne, didn't you? Sigh...

waltgator93

Jan 09, 2019

What just happened? This feels like a classic Tom King issue (which is never a good thing). Worse of all, it was majority of narration! Although I enjoyed the Batman thought process, got too much of it. Could have split this issue in half and the other half made it progress the story.

egonnn244

Jan 09, 2019

"Lost" I think that's a pretty apt name for this issue. Because that's the feeling you are left with after reading it. Well that and maybe a little bit of annoyance cause again, we learn absolutely nothing. I was a bit reluctant to start this issue because we all know that the recent issues weren't exactly stellar. But when I started it was quite ok. Batman is captured somewhere, he starts to evaluate, reassess his predicament and it was not bad. But then, right around when Pyg got a knife to the head, something changed and the story went down the rabbit whole form there. It got very weird but not in a good or fun way. Batman starts rambling, Pyg eats a dead pig and there's some mythology added for... reasons. The way I see it is tha t Batman is losing his marbles and as an unfortunate side effect we, the readers, are losing are own also. more

Cosmic Ray

Jan 09, 2019

Art is really sub-par.

Batmanchuria

Jan 18, 2019

Gerads did a great job with the art, as usual, but that's just about all this book has going for it. King delivers another slog of a narrative, not unlike what we've seen from Heroes in Crisis. What's even worse, though, is that they put out a book featuring Professor Pyg on the cover, and he has next to no visible dialogue! talk about a missed opportunity...

Adsun22

Apr 19, 2020

I guess it was a bit better that the previous issue. Gibberish.

Nihilist

Jan 09, 2019

Filler. More filler from King. At this point the entire 62 issue run has more filler than actual relevant content, and I wish that was a joke. And also, 2 more public domain stories were just used as substitutes for this issue's lack of any story - one about three little pigs, and the other being the myth of Pygmalion and Galatea. Just put the series out of its misery, because there's 38 issues to go, and I simply can't imagine it going on for so long without properly constructed narrative and identity. Sometimes I feel like Tom King should return to his previous job, since quality of his recent comics made me realize that abolishing democratically elected governments, what CIA specializes in since 1950s, clearly has to be easier than w riting a good story. more

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myconius - Jan 9, 2019

beautifully stated, Nihilist.

RBL - Jan 9, 2019

Hahahaha that was well put, better written than the issue itself. That said, I feel you are being generous with your score.

Nihilist - Jan 9, 2019

I may as well be, RBL, but it really hurts me to give a Batman comic even lower score. It's like watching your favourite sports team losing because they absolutely suck, but even then you try to somewhat defend them. 4/10 possibly would be a more accurate rating, but I need to think it through and browse the comic again to be certain whether or not I should change it.

RBL - Jan 9, 2019

I understand that, I hate I am rating the current runs of Nightwing, Action Comics and Superman below 5’s but to me they are legimitately that bad. That said, this non-issue could be up there due to the artwork which was great but the writing is a decided 0/10 because as verbose as it was nothing was actually said and the overall story had nil progress.

myconius - Jan 9, 2019

how do any of these last few issues tie into one another. this series becomes more and more of an incoherent mess.

Nihilist - Jan 9, 2019

Well, I wouldn't give it 0/10 story-wise, personally, even if there's no story to begin with. At least it didn't insult me, like Batman Damned, or Heroes in Crisis. To me, it was just a shallow, meaningless filler, and as myconius said, the series is becoming more and more of an incoherent mess.

myconius - Jan 9, 2019

i'm thinking more and more that this 100+ issue Batman run is solely an editorial mandate that King had thrust upon him. IF that is the case he should at least do better than phoning in this jumbled mess of empty fillers.

myconius - Jan 9, 2019

my predictions for the course of the series .... next issue, Batman goes to the Dentist. he has a cavity. ....following issue, Batman & Alfred eat cucumber sandwiches. .....next issue, Batman punches Kite-Man. .....next issue, Batman rearranges his Bat-a-rang collection. .....next issue, Alfred teaches Batman how to Dougie. you know why? cuz all the girlies love 'em.

Nihilist - Jan 9, 2019

Oh, yes, a batarang organizing issue. I can already see it. "How did they get so disorganized?", "How do I organize them?".Preferebly with a legend serving as a parallel to it.

RBL - Jan 9, 2019

I’d actually find an issue devoted to the organization/functioning of the utility belt amusing. But as that seems like a sensible choice and something people would enjoy, I doubt it would happen.

Darkseid24 - Jan 9, 2019

King said this issue would fit with the last one in the end, so Ill wait. As for this one, it was ok, but nothing great either.

myconius - Jan 9, 2019

i'm still waiting for the follow-up to the cucumber sandwiches.

Darkseid24 - Jan 9, 2019

Well Pyg still wasn’t that bad portrayed here, but since it was just an illusion, it ruined him somehow

myconius - Jan 9, 2019

i just felt Pyg's appearance here was totally out of left field and ultimately pointless. especially since the series left off with Alfred all beat up in the bat-cave with Flashpoint Batman sneaking up on Bruce. this is now TWO whole issues wasted that should have furthered the plot. ..or whatever it is that Tom King is trying to pass off as a plot.

Darkseid24 - Jan 9, 2019

I know& agree, but I’ll wait until I fully judge it, because King said that after Flashpoint Batman there was this 7 issues Knightmare arc& that it would all make sense in the end. I didn’t hate this issue, it was ok, but nothing special.

REYNARD - Jan 9, 2019

Loved your review, don't know how I feel about the CIA comment.

myconius - Jan 10, 2019

i always felt that someone bragging publicly that they were in the CIA was just a bad idea. i mean IF you have knowledge of covert ops of any kind, wouldn't you want to keep that secret? it just seems like very immature behavior and very irresponsible. the guy's as subtle as a bullhorn.

Darkseid24 - Jan 10, 2019

It somehow makes King cooler. FBIwould have been cooler though. Think of X Files I mean.

myconius - Jan 10, 2019

i personally think it's been cooler of him to not boast and be more humble about it. plus if you really do know some deep dark secrets of the government you shouldn't make the wold aware that your heads full of all kinds of private information.

Darkseid24 - Jan 10, 2019

Yeah that’s kind of true, but maybe it’s just me, but I think it’s weird, that DC hires a former CIA agent, they aren’t authors.

RBL - Jan 10, 2019

Tom Clancy was not involved in espionage yet wrote almost solely about that. It can be done, ya dingus. Just having writer as your profession doesn’t mean you’ll be able to produce great comics.

Darkseid24 - Jan 10, 2019

You should have some talent& with the bad dialogue King often is writing I think I have a point. The way Dick sounded in Batman 55 made it unreadable for me.

Nihilist - Jan 10, 2019

At first there was hope, at least I fel like it. I Am Gotham and I Am Suicide were great, and then Mister Miracle was generally praised. It just feels like King burned out completely in recent year, year and a half. Batman went completely downhill with #50 causing an avalanche of hate, and Heroes in Crisis is utter trash. Don't know what happened, he's just unable to write well anymore.

myconius - Jan 10, 2019

DC has burned Tom King out. he rose far too quickly, and now he's peaked and is nose diving FAST! ...if DC editorial was smart (which they are NOT) they'd end his run at the original planned 100, and get a few co-writers in there to help him finish the run. he had a co-writer with Grayson, but even then he didn't actually finish the run. it was passed off to another team.

Darkseid24 - Jan 10, 2019

First Batman titles were ok& I was disappointed by Mr. Miracle in the end, but 100# are just too much for him& he has this 2week schedule, so I’m not surprised, that the quality isn’t that good. But overall he’s a mediocre talented writer.

myconius - Jan 10, 2019

DC's biggest problem is they enjoyed the success of Grant Morrison's incredibly long Batman run, and have been trying to replicate it ever since. they can't! they prolonged Snyder & Capullo run on Batman and that overstayed it's welcome. and now DC is running Tom King's Batman into the ground.

Darkseid24 - Jan 10, 2019

I didn’t like Morrison’s Batman run, but Doug Moench& Chuck Dixon did a great job with Batman in the 90ies. They deserve to write 100 issues, but I can’t see King managing that.

myconius - Jan 10, 2019

Morrison's Batman is definitely not for everyone. though i can understand why some are turned off from it. though i'm still baffled as to why anyone can praise Tom King's Batman as anything more than being mediocre at best. even his 'I AM...' stories were very cringe worthy. hell! i was cringing at issue #1.

Darkseid24 - Jan 10, 2019

Yeah I agree, maybe they see it from a different point of view. If it was an Elseworld it would be way better. King at least uses the villains. Doug Moench was one of my favorite writers. Wish he would return. Or Manning could write Batman.

myconius - Jan 11, 2019

my thoughts are that some folks just worship and praise anything he turns in, no matter what the level of quality. that can actually be said for just about any writer honestly.

RBL - Jan 11, 2019

That happens, inversely as well, but I think regardless of that people can agree that these past 2 issues have done nothing to advance the plot and are thusly pointless. Regardless of dialogue and presentation it did not do what a comic is meant to do which is tell a story.

myconius - Jan 11, 2019

textbook filler.

Darkseid24 - Jan 11, 2019

Yeah some fans do, but I’m not. Like Dan Jurgens for example. Hunters Prey was great, but Batman Beyond is so disappointing.

ohhaimark - Jan 11, 2019

I have never believed in the whole “praising every work from x writer because I liked all his/her other stuff.” I am constantly disappointed by some of my favorite writers. In fact, before Batman I was a pretty big King fan. :)

Darkseid24 - Jan 11, 2019

Wasn’t disappointed by my favorite writers yet, but I expected more of Dan Jurgens. Yeah sorry to hear that, maybe Batman becomes better at some point. It’s just too much work King has I think.

myconius - Jan 11, 2019

i can't blindly praise. Grant Morrison, Peter Tomasi, Chuck Dixon, Frank Miller ... (OH! especially Frank Miller!) have all done stories that i don't care for.

Darkseid24 - Jan 11, 2019

With Chuck Dixon it’s weird. I like many of his stories, but his newest Babe story was underwhelming. Doug Moench never disappointed me so far.

myconius - Jan 12, 2019

but it's perfectly normal for a writer to have an "OFF" story that doesn't quite cut it. people are only human. can't reach perfection all of the time.

Darkseid24 - Jan 12, 2019

That’s true though.

myconius - Jan 13, 2019

that being said... i think King might be holding the comics record for the most consistent "OFF" Batman stories in a row.

Darkseid24 - Jan 13, 2019

Ive read stories where characters were way more out if character, so King is ok for me. Nothing great, nothing bad, just mediocre.

myconius - Jan 13, 2019

i find King's Batman to be a parody of the character. funnier than most comics that are actually trying to be humorous. unless that was his intent all along?

RBL - Jan 14, 2019

I mean, if you want to look at the gold standard for off character’s look at bendis writing event books and anyone iconic or long-storied. If you don’t want to look far, look at current state of Superman and pretty much everyone in the book and Lobdell’s Nightwing.

Darkseid24 - Jan 14, 2019

Comics from The 80- 2000+ were funny. Don’t think it’s that bad, I’ve read worse like Darkseid War or Rock of Ages both were awful in so many ways. Nightwing was great.

myconius - Jan 14, 2019

there's a big difference between intentional comedy versus trying to be taken seriously but coming off as a joke. ...case and point "save Martha".

Darkseid24 - Jan 17, 2019

With Martha I think many didn’t get it. The jokes are funny, but I didn’t think it was funny, when I first watched the movie, because I got what Batman was thinking.

Nihilist - Jan 17, 2019

I didn't find it funny either. I mean, it was clearly poorly written, after all who normally calls their mom by her name? The joke indeed may have been a bit funny at first, but after few days it got old. But as with anything normies touch, it has become painfully overused.

Darkseid24 - Jan 17, 2019

Some people do indeed, but it made sense for calling her Martha, since how else would Batman know if he saved the right woman? Besides it was to show, that Superman is human.

myconius - Jan 24, 2019

at least he called his mother "Martha" and not "Brick House". . . . . . she's a BRICK . . . HOUSE.

myconius - Jan 24, 2019

maybe he should have? ... The lady's stacked and that's a fact Ain't holding nothing back

Ken b

Jan 09, 2019

Waaaaaay too short. Feels like I wasted 3.99 on a boring filler.

Quinn

Jan 09, 2019

I get it. Bruce feels bad about himself. We know that. Telling us the same point over and over again, doesn't make the story more intersting. And the twist ending really doesn't have the impact that King probably meant it to have. The whole issue until the last couple of panels is him trying to escape from Mr. Pyg, a villain that I truly hate, not love to hate, but just hate. In his attempts - Bats is slung upside down in a slaughter house like a slab of beef - Bats cuts himself to the bone with a hidden batarang to escape. He fights Pyg and only really does damage when he throws Pyg's knife at him. He notes that he really only hurt Pyg by using Pyg's weapon. Pyg easily catches the thrown batarang. There's almost no dialogue. It's all Bats in text boxes talking in present tense. While Bruce wonders how he got into his current troubles (again King is all tell, not show) he thinks the the tale of Pygmalion - a sculptor who fell in love with his own creation, but when that creation gained life, she rejected him. Then when Pyg is unmasked, it's Damian reciting a line from the three pigs - hair of chinny, chin chin. IT WAS ALL A DREAM. PSYCH. More like Yawn. The art is incredibly bloody. So while well-done, I found it off-putting. But that's me. If you like a comic literally dripping in blood in every panel and full of self-mutilation and horrific violence, then this is the book for you. Psycho. I hate dream language. No doubt things like only using the enemy's weapon works and falling too much in love with your own creation are supposed to tell us about Bruce's mental health. But that's all King has been doing - driving home the same point over and over again. It's boring. I am so tired of psycho Batman. I miss the days when he was smart, self-aware and a true force for good. Now it's all just "you make things worse" and "you're a driven psycho that damages everything you touch" and blood, blood, blood, bodies, bodies and more bodies. Enough. But that's me. I am a bit of delicate flower. Or I could be wrong. more

Afre

Jan 09, 2019

Art was okay. And that was the only positive about this issue. What are the negatives you may ask? Well, first of all, nothing happens to move story forward. I get it King, 100-issue story arc is a lot of writing and it is certain that some of the issues would be filler. I'm okay with that. But having an exciting cliffhanger and then not continuing it for two issues? Now that is a problem. It wouldn't be a big one, if this issue was good. It wasn't. And why you may ask? If I look this issue as it's own, not thinking other issues, it has a big problem. I don't hear Batman in most of the inner dialogue. I just don't. Usually when I read character's inner dialogue, I get who that character is. If this was some father in Batman costume, I would totally believe it. So, bottom line: avoid this one. more

Spacey Medicine

Jun 03, 2019

Every annoying writing quirk was dialed up to 11 throughout this issue and I found it really hard to stop myself from just skipping forward, felt like a waste of my time, tbh.

myconius

Jan 09, 2019

well that was a complete waste of an issue. just a whole lot of pointless nothing. this series is all over the place, yet goes nowhere.

Branden Murray

Jan 09, 2019

Terrible issue with no forward progress and art some may find enjoyable but hurts the hell out of my eyes personally. King continues to keep the Batman book at a very below average clip.

Talon1load

Jan 09, 2019

I feel like I'm living through Office Space but instead of every day being the worst day of my life, ever new issue of Batman is the worst issue I've ever read. This was a lot of, just stupid dialogue. Batman was tied up and in order to get free, used a batarang, that's taped to his chest for some reason, and cut himself until it's embedded in the bone so that he can pull it off of his chest and use it....riiiiiiiiggghhhttt. That was beyond stupid. The rest of the issue doesn't really improve from there. I didn't care for the art and the writing is pathetic at this point. Please, DC, find someone who actually likes the character and who isn't trying to work their own mental issues out through so many people's favorite character.

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myconius - Jan 10, 2019

what do you think Tom King is going to do when he's not writing Batman anymore?

Talon1load - Jan 11, 2019

I don’t care. I just want him to stop writing and destroying characters I love.

myconius - Jan 11, 2019

i say he should go back to Marvel, and take Bendis with him.

Talon1load - Jan 11, 2019

I actually heard he’s going to write for TV. I just wish he’d go ahead and go. And yes, take Bendis too.

Psycamorean - Jan 11, 2019

Uh, no. Us Marvel fans would rather they stay with the Distinguished Competition, alright? We got 20 years of Bendis, we've served our time. And we got exactly what good there is to get from King: A 12 issue miniseries that focuses on a character small enough that no one gets too upset with if something doesn't exactly fit.

myconius - Jan 11, 2019

hahaha! you're very right YourGreenMuse. my apologies. maybe King and Bendis should head over to IDW. they can team up and write Go-Bots together.

Psycamorean - Jan 11, 2019

I don't think they'd ever team up. According to Bendis, when he worked with Mark Millar, they had a lot of trouble because Bendis' writing is ultimately optimistic whereas Millar's writing is ultimately pessimistic... Or something like that. King's writing is definitely pessimistic, or I forgot what that word means.

myconius - Jan 11, 2019

well, there's only ONE thing for it then.... they both head over to IDW, then duke it out over which one writes Go-Bots and which one writes My Little Pony.

Psycamorean - Jan 11, 2019

King has to write My Little Pony, I'd take it as seriously as I do his Batman.

myconius - Jan 11, 2019

HAHAHAHAHA!!!!

Darkseid24 - Jan 11, 2019

Pessimistic? I rather think King tries too hard to make it sound more demanding and intellectual, but fails with it.

Psycamorean - Jan 11, 2019

Yeah, King isn't as smart as he thinks he is, I guess. I mean, he didn't realize that Troy was a real place. But I was speaking more to his tone. He writes very dark stories and sometimes it works and sometimes it's really stupid. Just like pessimism. ;D

ohhaimark - Jan 11, 2019

Very well put, YourGreenMuse. Very few people like this melancholy and depressing Batman, in fact it seems like the brighter issues are people’s favorites (the double date issues), whereas many people liked Vision (including me). I think at first he had a lot of gimmicks that worked, but as he ran out of ideas he just used those same gimmicks and people stopped falling for them (I sometimes still do... look at me, the easily entertained).

Psycamorean - Jan 11, 2019

All writers have tropes, but his are so apparent that people have caught on very quickly. Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to be adapting or becoming more diverse as a writer.

Darkseid24 - Jan 11, 2019

@ohhaimark I like a depressing Batman, but Kings dialogue often isn’t that great. That’s my main complain when it comes to him. Some sound pretty weird.

myconius - Jan 11, 2019

the problem when a writer gets stuck on a book for an extended amount of time is they eventually run out of ideas. they keep recycling the same stories over and over. look at Scott Snyder with his "dark reflection" trope, or the "he thinks he knows, but he DOESN'T really know at all". listening to him pitch a story, i couldn't differentiate one from the next. Back to King, i just don't like how his Batman is all mopey. he's usually pretty incompetent until the "plot" needs him not to be.

myconius - Jan 11, 2019

ohhaimark - i agree. the double date issue was probably one of the few arcs that i really enjoyed. pity that story had gotten completely forgotten about afterwards.

ohhaimark - Jan 11, 2019

Yeah, those were really fun issues. I wish we could get more stories like that.

Psycamorean - Jan 11, 2019

I'm here to remind you all that the Double Date issue was part of the arc with that terrible Wonder Woman characterization, where King made it look like she was trying to seduce Bruce.

Darkseid24 - Jan 11, 2019

I didn’t like that one. Actually nothing that has to do with Batman& Catwoman wedding. I liked the one with Bane& Penguin.

ohhaimark - Jan 11, 2019

Yeah, no sorry, those were terrible. I was talking strictly about the issues with Superman, which could’ve and should’ve been a standalone arc.

myconius - Jan 11, 2019

oh yeah! that Wonder Woman story with the Gentle Man. YEESH! that was pretty awful!

myconius - Jan 11, 2019

ohhaimark - yeah! i was JUST thinking the same thing!

Darkseid24 - Jan 11, 2019

They really were terrible.

Psycamorean

Jan 10, 2019

This issue is weird. In a shocking turn of events, I think this issue of Tom King's Batman is overwritten. We get Batman monologuing the entire issue and it's repetitive, which is a staple of King's writing, but in this case, it's completely intentional and makes sense for the story. But ultimately what kills the issue for me is having almost no context for this and therefore not caring. Why and how is Batman here? That's the question of the week and we don't get any answers when that is the only reason to care. And the ending makes it clear that it's some hallucination or a dream. So I'm guessing Flashpoint Batman knocked him out or something like that? I mean, that's a sensible theory, isn't it? I'm sure it won't be anything that simple, because that wouldn't be as "smart and thought provoking" as King's writing is. Speaking of "smart," there's another myth/legend/story that frames the issue. And this is the most throwaway example of that. Although, I do agree that Catwoman is a stone woman. I just found this issue more annoying than immersive and crazy. Also, I really loved the art in Mister Miracle, but here I think it's bad. There's just way too much blood to the point that it almost washes out the entire page. And makes your eyes bleed, ironically. Maybe my phone was just too bright for the art. I have no idea, I just know that I thought this was an ugly and annoying issue. more

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myconius - Jan 10, 2019

this issue definitely took repetitive to a whole new level.

Psycamorean - Jan 10, 2019

And the sad part was that was the whole point, and they fucked it up somehow. It was their forte.

myconius - Jan 11, 2019

what's even worse is someone cut down a tree to turn into paper, so that they could print this trash.

Psycamorean - Jan 11, 2019

It's official, Tom King is the sole cause of deforestation. At least that's what us haters think, right?

myconius - Jan 11, 2019

see that? deforestation! just when he couldn't get ANY lower. . . . hahaha. we're not haters. we just have standards. :D

Psycamorean - Jan 11, 2019

Trust me, whatever we say will get under the skin of the fans to a severe degree. I've seen it first hand. With Batman and Heroes in Crisis. We're haters, man.

myconius - Jan 11, 2019

hahaha. well hopefully they won't lose too much sleep over criticism of their favorite cartoon books.

RBL

Jan 09, 2019

Waste of an issue. Nothing happens, does nothing to further the plot, pure and utter pointlessness put to page. Don’t bother with this. Anyone rating this as “average” or higher really needs to reassess how they evaluate things.

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myconius - Jan 10, 2019

i really dig that last line of your review. that's some poetry right there!

myconius - Jan 10, 2019

i've had this theory for a very long time, DC Comics could publish a completely blank comic with no art or words at all, just empty pages. and as long as it has Batman written on the cover it'll still sell.

KFuqua

Jan 11, 2019

King's run on Batman just gets worse and worse. Please get him off this book and off any major DC property!

ryaleus

Jan 17, 2019

Another one shot,another filler,another bad issue.