Batman #71

King, Janin, and Fornes have crafted a thrilling, psychological mind-trip in Batman #71. It shows Bane at his most manipulative and Batman becoming more broken. This comic is an exciting shocking, unpredictable experience. Read Full Review

This book just hits all of the right notes month in and month out! Read Full Review

Mikel Janin and Jorge Fornes deliver on the art with contrasting and complementary art styles for both parts of this story. The transition is amazing and there is a brilliant tonal and emotional shift conveyed through the art. Read Full Review

There's a few rough patches specifically the order of events, but otherwise this was an encouraging sign that Batman is making a comeback after a disappointing Knightmares arc. Read Full Review

Intimate and intense,Batman #71sends Batman, and bat-fans, through the wringer, and come issue's end, leaves them in anticipation of what's to come. Read Full Review

Batman #71 ramps up the drama as even the reader is forced to question whether Batman can triumph against Bane. Read Full Review

This is a tightly constructed ratcheting of tension that pushes the story to the very edge, with strong writing and perfect art. Read Full Review

Although the script seemed to be a bit muddled in places its deficits were balanced by the strength of the dialogue and art. Clearly King is building to an emotionally-powerful conclusion. Lets hope that he sticks the landing. Read Full Review

While the execution of this comic is excellent, the never-ending bleakness and dark turns make it a little hard to stay invested. Read Full Review

This issue built the mystery successfully and kept me on the hook and guessing. Tom King is a fantastic writer doing interesting things with the characters while still referencing the past in a way that doesn't feel stale or overly nostalgic. Read Full Review

After being introduced to Tom King through his work on Batman, I have branched out and read some of his other work (like his amazing run on Mr. Miracle) where Ive had the advantage of reading his stories in the context of a complete story, which I think is how King's work should be read. King is a writer that enjoys a slow burn and while the story is definitely moving, its hard to really gauge the story in pieces. That being said, King has excelled at writing a Batman who's unraveling appears to be picking up steam and there is definitely a feeling that the hammer is about to drop and the word is already out that its only going to get worse. Read Full Review

Batman #71 is a good read but really doesn't add too much to the story that we don't already know and that's pretty disappointing. I'm eager to find out Flashpoint Batman's motivations and I thought we'd at least get a hint with the encounter in Wayne Manor–but we got nothing. I really hope the next issue gives us more clarity on Flashpoint Batman, Bane and the overall direction of the run. I thought this issue would give me some answers. Instead I'm left with more questions. Read Full Review

I'm mostly excited to see what King has in store that will “change the character for a generation.” Typically, a creative team's run is isolated and pieces of the story are reset when they're done. It doesn't sound like we'll be getting that this time around. So buckle in, because it sounds like whatever is coming is going to stick. Read Full Review

BATMAN #71 is moody and tense, suggesting that all Bruce has been put through might finally be causing him to crack. We're building suspense and picking up momentum as we move toward the big issue #75, so it's wise to follow these next few issues closely. Read Full Review

It has some shocking moments, and some non-linear narrative you'll either get or be confused by. But the characterizations of the Bat family are a little off here and the dialogue isn't exactly a strength of this issue. It might represent a low point after a very solid first part of this arc, or it might be a sign that Tom King's run needs an injection of a new direction. Still, he managed to steer the previous Knightmares arc home strong, so there's no need for alarm bells yet. Janin's art is as excellent as always and Fornes has been a revelation since joining the art team. Read Full Review

BATMAN #71 is a frustrating issue that continues the shortcomings of its predecessors as it fails to establish any concrete movement in the series' narrative. Read Full Review

We still have some 30 odd issues of King’s Batman yet and it’s hard to know what that means. It’s hard to really know where we stand right now. And again, I think a lot of that is by design but King’s work leaves a lot to be desired in terms of execution and it relates to the larger mythology of these characters. I still don’t know what King is trying to say about himself or Batman or Bane or Gotham or any of it. And as Batman continues to be punished by his writer, it’s understandable that some readers have felt similarly about this run. Read Full Review

Batman #71 had all the potential to be an excellent chapter in Tom King's run. That unfortunately didn't happen. The structure King chose caused this issue to never gain any sort of momentum due to the constant shifts between past or present day scenes. Luckily Batman #71 was saved by the strength in how King has executed Bane's plan to break Bruce Wayne in a way that is both sad and fascinating to read. Read Full Review

The issue is filled with switching storylines, broken continuities, and beautiful art from panel to panel. So basically, it's a Tom King book. This issue finally brings our hero face to face with his enemy and yet it feels like almost nothing happened in this book until the very end. It feels like we keep building and building to something and we never end up getting there. Hate to start my time with this book on such a down note but unfortunately, that is the case. The saving grace of this book is the art and it is damn beautiful. Unfortunately, not much else to say about it. Read Full Review

If you are looking for a solid Batman comic that delves into the darkness of Bruce Wayne, like this comic attempts to do, I recommend picking up The Batman Who Laughs instead. Read Full Review

King's Batman will, undoubtedly, continue to be a polarizing topic of conversation for many fans. Many will love this issue, and many will hate this issue. Yet again, I feel as though the art team does most of the leg work to make this an enjoyable read, as King continues to fall into bad habits concerning dialogue, lack of progression, repetition, odd story structure, and potentially another "mystery" that will lead nowhere. I enjoy seeing the Bat-family together, but I can't say that this did much for me outside of that. Maybe next month? Read Full Review

Switching storylines, inconsistent continuity, and a disconcerting sense of not ever really be certain what parts of the story are "real" and what parts are hallucination has become almost a default for Tom King's Batman run, and that holds true for Batman #71. Unfortunately, that also means that Batman #71 is a bit of a mess to read. Read Full Review

axdn

May 15, 2019

Can't wait for next issue!

Batman Jones

May 15, 2019

Transcendent.

Ken b

May 15, 2019

Tom King hasn't always hit the mark in this Batman run of his but I especially enjoyed this issue. Heartbreak can do a lot to a person and the batman is only human and Tom King is exploiting that aspect of the batman. Honestly, I rated this issue a 9 but I'm am still trying to figure out has Batman gone insane ???

bucswin611

May 15, 2019

No nursery rhymes. No repetition. No nightmares. Yes Bat-family. Yes moody shadows. Yes emotional turmoil. Biggest minus? The last line was a little on-the-nose. My favorite issue of this run in a while.

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Br'er Lapin AKA 20-Ish Ceiln - May 16, 2019

Let's be honest, there haven't been an excess of nursery rhymes.

Br'er Lapin AKA 20-Ish Ceiln

May 15, 2019

I feel like I just read Moon Knight...

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Psycamorean - May 16, 2019

You didn't.

Br'er Lapin AKA 20-Ish Ceiln - May 16, 2019

As far as you know. Maybe the big twist is this was Moon Knight and he thought he was Batman the whole time.

Psycamorean - May 16, 2019

Moon Knight has a history of love interests far more interesting than Catwoman could ever be, so I doubt it.

Br'er Lapin AKA 20-Ish Ceiln - May 16, 2019

You're right, they are all so iconic.

Psycamorean - May 16, 2019

But this is not, tonally, Moon Knight. Moon Knight, at its most cerebral, unreal, and depressing, is like a depressing that's actually functional, even with the whole reality vs unreality concept. There's illusion and dream-like concepts, but they have greater meaning than anything King has done lately.

Psycamorean - May 16, 2019

And just because you don't know them doesn't mean they aren't good characters.

Psycamorean - May 16, 2019

That's your burden to bare as someone who ignorantly called this issue Moon Knight.

Br'er Lapin AKA 20-Ish Ceiln - May 16, 2019

Yeah, I got so much meaning when I last read Moon Knight. It completely changed my life and made me feel really big brained the way he escaped that asylum and didn't know what was real... wait, that sounds familiar.

Psycamorean - May 16, 2019

You didn't even finish that run. And if you've read classic Moon Knight, you'd know it was way more than this shit.

Psycamorean - May 16, 2019

And the mental illness aspect of the character has been focused on lately, but it's not his entire character either.

Psycamorean - May 16, 2019

Comparing this to Jeff Lemire's Moon Knight run is an insult.

Br'er Lapin AKA 20-Ish Ceiln - May 16, 2019

Sure, if you don't like it. I however do and I liked Jeff Lemire's Moon Knight too.

Br'er Lapin AKA 20-Ish Ceiln - May 16, 2019

So... compare I will.

Psycamorean - May 16, 2019

You'll also be incredibly wrong. But that's what happens when someone doesn't really understand the difference between good storytelling and bad.

Br'er Lapin AKA 20-Ish Ceiln - May 16, 2019

Clearly, I mean Alan Moore is my favourite writer. He isn't responsible for any good storytelling. X Hack at Marvel? Now that is who I am talking about. You don't know truly good storytelling until you've read Hunt for Wolverine and Iceman.

Psycamorean - May 16, 2019

Spoken like someone who thinks they're smarter than they actually are.

Br'er Lapin AKA 20-Ish Ceiln - May 16, 2019

I don't think I am that smart tbh. Clearly you do though. I can practically hear your head inflating with each comment.

Linkush

May 15, 2019

Decent. We get to see Batman gather up the Bat-family and preparing to fight Bane and we also get to see him finally face Bane again. I really enjoyed the mood of this issue, feels like something really big is about to happen. The narrative was a bit confusing at times but I liked the non-linear approach. There's also a hint about how Batman might just be going mad and I'm really interested to see how King will develop this, though it could end up being a big mess if it turned out that he's just making things up because he's still in pain because of what happened at the wedding (I don't really think this will happen). Still, the ending has me excited for what's coming next and I'm hoping for the best. Oh, and I didn't really like how Gor don was written in this issue, I don't think his reasons to be against Batman are justified. Janin and Fornes's art is fantastic as usual and I can't praise it enough. more

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Darkseid24 - May 15, 2019

I think Gordon has every reason, because Batman is acting like a total asshole since issues. He beat up Arkham staff for no reason some issues ago& now he beat the inmates up for no reason at all. When you are a commissioner& aren’t pissed, if someone is doing that, you are doing something wrong.

Linkush - May 15, 2019

Idk it's just feels forced but you have a good point. Guess I just don't like how it's done.

Darkseid24 - May 15, 2019

You aren’t wrong either. A lot of things are forced in this run.

mrDovydas

May 15, 2019

Not the best issue by any means, but it's getting better. I am enjoying the story, especially now that the members of the Bat-family are included as well. Bruce seems to be going mad, and it shows. Of course, due to this, the issue was a bit confusing at some parts, as it seems to be following a non-linear plot. Some of the characterisation was a bit off, which is quite a common thing in this book these days. Artwork, however, has been fantastic.

Tony

May 15, 2019

The artwork is 10/10 but I have some issues with this one, Wasn't the bat-signal broken? and what's wrong with bat-family, Bruce is the greatest detective or at least he used to be and just because what he said to them seems wrong they belive he's crazy, instead to say, we need to find what's happen here. I feel Gordon was a little out of a place. I don't think this was already planed, I mean, they changed the whole issue 70 and the cover for this one (Batman in a fight with tigers) hasn't any relation with the story until they show the Kubert cover, so the story changed too, and only God knows if issue 72 suffered some changes until issue 73 that suposed to be issue 70, anyway, at this point I don't see any great revelation. I remember Jan ín was the only artist for this story arc. It will be interesting what will happen after the punch. I don't why but I enjoyed that "Yes, master Bane" line. more

Bigpoppa393

May 15, 2019

I'm not sure I understand what the hell is going on.

ComicNerd96

May 15, 2019

It was fine, though I admit I'm ready to move on from this story.

LunaMoody

May 23, 2019

Bane has always been a weak character to me. Every time he ever gets one up on Batman it's always after Batman is at his lowest point from dealing with all the other stuff in his life. The only way Bane can ever win is if Batman is already worn down and weakened. And even then Batman manages to kick his ass eventually. How does this make Bane a strong character? Even this time around Bane has others helping him. When he broke his back he watched as others wore Batman down first. Even worn out, Batman only lost because Bane had to juice up in order to be strong enough to beat him. Bane is just a pathetic character. I wish this story line would just move on already. The only thing of interest in it, is the adding of Batman's father from anoth er Earth. Otherwise it's just hasn't been that good. To me this issue was a let down in that the Bat family knows how strong Batman is. Knows all ( well a lot of, I mean we are talking Bat's here) the things Batman has had to deal with over the years. Do they really think after all that, all it would take to truly unhinge Batman mentally is a broken heart? Really??? The anger issues and losing control like he did in the beginning I can see after a break up but to think he would image all this stuff about being drugged, held prisoner and Bane being behind it all. Some family they are. Good thing Bat's never has to ask them for a character reference he'd be screwed 6 ways to Sunday. As for hitting Tim, well he has been drugged and held prisoner. So he really isn't at his best mentally. And yes going in he was already rocked from the break up and then in a way losing Dick. So I can sort of see him lashing out but regretting it later. A least the writer better make him sorry about it later and not just drop it. I hate it when they put unnecessary conflict and distance between him and his boys. The part with Alfred saying he lost and was broken. Well Bane and Daddy Bat's were both right there and Bat's really wasn't in shape to fight them so Alfred said what he needed to say to buy him time. I just hope that when this is all said and done we get some real closure dialogue between Bat's and Daddy Bat. As well as Bat's and Tim, Alfred and Gordon. It's annoying when they just drop things and move on to Bat's fighting someone else. I like real dialogue between characters where needed. I'm paying for a story. So dammit tell me a story. more

pizzamain

Feb 12, 2020

it's like it's trying to confuse me on purpose

Afre

May 15, 2019

Well, eh. It's odd. And a hard to review. Non-linear narrative is a new thing now for King and it works and doesn't at the same time. I feel like King doesn't get Bat-family so well, would explain why he doesn't have them so often in his books, except Nightwing. But why non-linear narrative works: we get new revelations at the same time and we get to great artists at work. Why it doesn't work: one could think the other one is a dream. Or they both are. King is known to be very vague about this things, it wouldn't surprise me if one of those was a dream. After the disaster that was Knightmares, where you couldn't figure out were they dreams or not, in about half of them. Also, when Bruce talks how he is gonna break Bane? It doesn't feel like it is Bruce talking. It feels like Miller is writing those lines and that is not good. I kinda get it, Bruce is so broken as he was in Millerverse that he would say these things, but on the other hand, just no. I don't hate this like I did Knightmares. It is not terrible, it is something that you like, hate or are just confused about it. Art is great, writing very on-off. And the last thing that I don't like, Thomas and Bane. ´They don't appear much and I'm afraid that we will see them more in issues 95-100. And all this is just build-up. It's not a bad idea, but 20-40 issues of build-up is too much, because it won't live up to the hype in this case and I know it. more

waltgator93

May 15, 2019

All I’m thinking as I am reading this is what the fuck is Tom King doing. Enjoyed the artwork. I am quite curious to where the punch will lead to with the Bat-Family. I know I am not going to like it especially how my favorite scene in Rebirth Detective Comics was when Bruce and Tim got reunited.

Spacey Medicine

May 20, 2019

The thing I like about Batman is that it’s always a fast read.

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myconius - Jul 3, 2019

you got that right!

Nihilist

May 15, 2019

The worse thing than telling one story with no substance is telling two at the same time. King's writing reminds me of drunk or drugged people mumbling incoherently, probably believing what they say (or try to, at least) makes some, any sense, but it doesn't to anyone who's not as wasted as they are. We've got an antire arc worth of hallucinations and delirious nightmares coming true. And it was a terrible arc, I may add. King, seems like it, didn't get over it, though, and continues to serve us the same dish over and over again. It's not just bad at this point. It's also cold already. Half of the art looks great, and that's the only reason this comic got any points from me. Avoid this garbage.

Talon1load

May 15, 2019

Ahhh, The continuing story of how to not write Batman, by Tom King. So in this poorly crafted tale, we have what appear to be two separate timelines, presumably both actually happening but with King you never know, one shows Batman sort of gathering the family and the other shows him finding out that he's lost. We start with him on the roof with Gordon lighting up the Batsignal, that Gordon destroyed just a few issues before, but he's changed the bulb out to be red. The significance? Who the hell knows, it's never been referenced before that I'm aware of and isn't explained here. The only way anyone knows anything is because Batgirl just happened to be at her dads office and was told. SHE goes and makes the calls to the Batfamily memb ers to get them to come help. I guess Batman is for some reason unable to actually call them? Pretty damn stupid but whatever. One bright spot here is that Young Justice gets referenced which is cool since I don't think that's really happened anywhere else. The rest of the story is switching back and forth between the two timelines. One could be a dream maybe? I don't know, it would be pretty bad if it was considering the shit show that was the Knightmares arc. Batman confronts Bane and his dad just stands there while we continue to not get any explanation regarding why he's there or working for Bane. Batman say's he's going to break his damn back, there's more bad dialogue, Alfred seems to have been lured to Bane's side through we can assume Psycho Pirates manipulations aaaaannnnndddd not much else of substance happens. Oh, Batman leads the batfam into Arkham and calls out Bane but everyone there seems surprised because they said everything is fine. King is trying to make it look like Batman has gone mad but after 71 issues of this writing, who wouldn't. It ends with Batman bitch slapping Tim Drake for no damn reason soooo, yeah there it is. This issue was better than some but was still poorly constructed and written. King continues to rely on the artist to carry his books but, honestly, you could have Jim Lee drawing this book and it still wouldn't make up for the inability to tell a coherent story or follow the writers own damn continuity. more

Darkseid24

May 15, 2019

Meh, guess Kings Batman run is a good example for what happens, if you make fanfiction canon. King doesn’t know how to write these characters at all& at this point I can only hope, that it won’t be that bad after all, when he said, that his run will change Batman‘s character for generations. Hope this is just his ego speaking. Anyway we should believe, that Batman was imprisoned in Arkham for weeks without the batfamily noticing or looking for him? Doesn’t make any sense. The Batman King is writing is an unlikable, infantile crybaby, who is nothing but agressive. However being Batman means to be able to control emotions. And yeah some people are saying, this is a broken Batman, who is brought to his limits, but how? Because he brok e up with Catwoman? King is overrating their relationship& still doesn’t get, that Gotham& Batman are Bruce’s main priority not having a normal relationship. He doesn’t get his character at all. What is a shame. Or was is because Bruce was affected by one of the weakest version of Scarecrow’s fear gas ever? If it at least was a strong version, but no it wasn’t. Or was it, because Dick was shot? Bruce doesn’t care about Dick since issues. Same goes for the dialogue: For example Batgirl is saying „I reached out to them...Jason is Jason& Dick...is Ric“ That’s how, fans of Dick would talk, but not the characters. Or lines from Batman like „I’m going to break your damn back“ doesn’t fit his character at all. Are the editors all sleeping or why is King allowed to write such bad& unfitting dialogue? Batman also acts like an overly agressive asshole for no reason: Why does he slap Tim in the face? Doesn’t make any sense, He slapped Dick in Bruce Wayne Fugitive, but it made sense back then. We should also believe, that Batman is loosing his mind just because Bane tricked him by apparently working together with the staff in Arkham? You think Batman wouldn’t figure that out? Or at least consider it? Instead he gets all agressive& beats Tim? We still don’t get any explanations for Thomas Wayne being in the story at all& I have my doubts we ever will. King also seems to make a Knightfall 2.0., but just in lame. Nothing, that happened in this run so far is believable in any way. We had some ok stories at the beginning, but everything we got since Jokes& Riddles is just bat& it’s getting worse in every issue. I can only hope no character I care about gets a big role in this story, but thanks to King I can’t take Bane serious anymore& it’s terrible to see Batman‘s character butchered like that. It’s also a shame how much the great art gets wasted in every issue. more

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Tony - May 15, 2019

Each time I become more convinced that the expectations of really raising the level of this series to one that doesn't divide so much and that is accepted more unanimously is the arc of "City of Bane". I don't even know how much the editorial has to do with this story to tie in with the whole "Year of the Villain" thing. But this can be dangerous since you can generate many expectations that may not be met.

Tony - May 15, 2019

I just saw that King said that at number 74 there will be revelations that will make everything fit but no longer believe that.

Darkseid24 - May 15, 2019

Yeah you are right& King keeps saying that since like 15 issues& it doesn’t make much sense. Not all of his ideas are bad, but they are terribly delivered.

myconius - May 16, 2019

"The Batman King is writing is an unlikable, infantile crybaby" ...Darkseid24, you summed it up PERFECTLY!!

Darkseid24 - May 16, 2019

Lol

Michaelbn - May 17, 2019

I praise you for giving this a 3.5

Darkseid24 - May 17, 2019

Thanks 😁

Superheroes for Hire - May 24, 2019

"That’s how, fans of Dick would talk, but not the characters" If you know anything of the criticism Tom King has gotten (i.e., just read our comments), you will quickly see them echoed in his own dialogue. He's either antagonizing readers or thinks he's being extra clever when he puts the words of critics in his characters' dialogue.

Superheroes for Hire - May 24, 2019

The KGBeast arc was full of that offhand acknowledgment of critical comments.

Darkseid24 - May 24, 2019

It was mostly grunts in KGBeast arc& that’s not very clever. These lines just don’t fit the characters. It’s always weird, when Batman shouts „I’m the worlds greatest detective!“

myconius - May 24, 2019

"i have a body of hurt" x'D

Darkseid24 - May 25, 2019

Lol did he really say that? Lol

egonnn244

May 15, 2019

"You don't know a damn thing!" Just what is it with King having Batman punch everyone in the face? For a moment there I thought he will punch Alfred. Make him angry, make him scream, but enough with the lashing out and waving his fist around. I was on board with that during the Freeze trial and the KGBeast thing, but it has gone on for far too long and now it only makes Batman look pathetic and weak. And let me tell you, that is not a good look for the Dark Knight. I'm not even going to touch on the general story in this issue, because it is practically in the SAME DAMN PLACE that it was in the last issue and in the last couple of months. But there is a far more serious matter regarding this issue. What was done in this issue to Al fred is atrocious. No matter how dire the situation might be, no matter how hopeless it would seem, I will never believe that Alfred would tell Bruce that he lost. What he said here felt like a betrayal. It is unacceptable. This is what you have done Tom. For a brief moment, you have made me dislike Alfred Pennyworth. more

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myconius - May 17, 2019

great review. very good point about Tom King making Batman punching everyone in the face like a lunk head. ....but just remember, this isn't really Alfred that you are disliking. it is the poor writing for his character that should be disliked. it's just a further testament that Tom King has no respect for any of these characters.

WeeklyComicPulls

May 17, 2019

Tom King once again proves that he was a terrible choice for Batman.

ohhaimark

May 21, 2019

THE GOOD: -Sorry about the late reviews. Been a busy week. Anyways, I thought this issue was fine. I'm just honestly glad to be done with Knightmares and all that garbage. -Jorge Fornes' art was great. Definitely the best creator involved with this issue. -I'll be honest, I liked that page with Batgirl calling the Bat family. -Honestly, I though Alfred was the best here. That scene with him and Batman was good, for me at least. THE BAD: -I guess this issue is supposed to be like the sequel to issue 60. Not sure how well that works, especially considering I liked that issue. The juxtaposition effect here didn't seem as strong. Probably because it was already used. -Sadly, Mikel Janin's art fell apart here. That panel with Batgirl doing contortion was ugly as sin. -Why does nothing ever happened in this series anymore? It gets really annoying, especially when you know they're just trying to get to 100 issues. -Batman was just obnoxious in this issue. I hated all of his stupid temper tantrums. -"I'm going to break your damn back," just felt like an excuse for what could've been an interesting confrontation between Batman and Bane. -Batman's speech to the Bat-Family was just really corny. -I thought Bruce was over Selina? But apparently all it takes is Tim to mention her and Batman goes crazy. more

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myconius - May 22, 2019

YES! i'm glad i'm not the only one to be repulsed by that awkward pose Batgirl was in. ....yeah. Batman's tantrums were ridiculous. Tom King has turned him into BRATman.

ohhaimark - May 22, 2019

Hahaha! Too true!

Psycamorean

May 15, 2019

I guess telling two halves of a story at once is a good way to engineer a false sense of forward momentum. I wish King would just stop with the gimmicks. He exhausted my good faith 30 issues ago, at least. I think even King is starting to realize that people are catching on to his writing tropes, and since they're not ones that you can easily diversify (There's only so many ways you can tell a "character driven" story about your own form of depression.), he's had to resort to style over substance. Can we just make this a weekly series? I don't want to spend another year on this.

Big Brother

May 15, 2019

Another bewildering installment of Tom King's Babyman.

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myconius - May 16, 2019

this is how Tom King will "break the Bat", by turning him into a miserable little crybaby.

cincyfan

Dec 15, 2020

I dislike the nonlinear approach and was completely confused until around the halfway point. However I did like what the bat family said to him it answered a few lingering questions I had though I still have quite a few. Finally i’m sorry but Batman has suffered loss a ton of times before so I don get that and why is he such a irrational prick right now when he hit Tim for no reason they should’ve done something idk this was disappointing again

Quinn

May 15, 2019

OH MY GOD. This is just a rehash of the Knightfall story arc from the early 1990s. Bane breaks out the Arkham crew. Batman is stressed out, pushes allies away. Hits Robin the same way Hank Pym hit Wasp back in the early 1980s. (The action, while bad, is not a symptom of being a wife beater, but rather psychological stress). They have two or seven artists, so the look isn't consistent. For some reason Alfred is telling Bruce he lost and is serving Bane and Thomas Wayne/Batman. This is just a whole lot of who cares, and rehashed who cares at that. King recently boasted that he finally got permission from the suits to do something that will shape Batman for a generation. (It's going to actually have him marry Catwoman after he shak es off the psychological damage done in the war with Bane). Here's a thought. How about writing Batman as a smart, dedicated crime fighter who is not a dark psycho. That would be refreshing. How about writing smart villains and not rely on CRAZY as a character definition. Or I could be wrong. No, I'm not. more

Mikethe#1batmanfan

May 15, 2019

The 2 pts this issue recieved are purely for the beautiful cover. Its a great looking issue setting on the shelf till you open it and read it. It made very little sense and added ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to the current story arc involving Thomas Wayne and Bane. On occation ive enjoyed Tom Kings attempt on writing the greatest comic story told but i know im not alone in saying most of the time i just wanna dig into my back issues and reread some of Scott Snyders amazing stories. It just seems to me King has failed to even come close to matching Snyders incredible writing. Thank god for "The Batman Who Laughs" series because ATM is ur a Batman fan THIS IS STORY TO READ! King you need to seriously sit down with Mr. Snyder and learn how to make Bat man exciting again. Bring a notepad and pen and be ready to take notes from the BEST BATMAN WRITER OF ALL TIME! more

Another Nerd

May 15, 2019

King can write a good story but his run on Batman the past several months has been infuriating. Just when you thought the narrative was going to move forward this issue takes us two steps back and we're still stuck in the weeds.

KFuqua

May 15, 2019

More terrible writing from Tom King. Just an awful story.

myconius

May 15, 2019

aside from these plot points being left to hang for months on end, King kicks batman through the dirt a little more. and he's not done making Batman an unlikable idiotic jerk, now he’s going for broke. OMG is this bad!!! SO freaking bad!!! this comic reaches a whole new level of stupidity! ...and Tom King still hasn’t explained WHY Flashpoint Batman is helping Bane!! the lousy frigging hack that he is!!

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• Darkseid24
• ohhaimark
• KFuqua
• Superheroes for Hire
• Michaelbn
• SomeDummy

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Darkseid24 - May 15, 2019

I begin to think we will never find out, why Thomas is.

myconius - May 16, 2019

at this point we can definitely write off geeting any explanation whatsoever. that could be why this run keeps jumping all over the place? maybe Tom King is hoping to distract us so that we'll forget? ....well King had never try to become a magician. he slight of hand is absolutely awful.

Darkseid24 - May 16, 2019

I also doubt it. Maybe King just thought it would be cool to have Thomas in the story, but never thought about the why.

myconius - May 16, 2019

i really think you're onto something there. otherwise we'd have had answers by now.

Darkseid24 - May 16, 2019

I hope I’m wrong here& everything makes sense in the end. But everything I read from King never made much sense, so my hopes aren’t high.

myconius - May 17, 2019

no. don't bother getting your hope high with Tom King. not at all. you'll only be disappointed.

Darkseid24 - May 17, 2019

Looking at the Solicitations I’m just happy, if no character I like dies. Unless it’s Thomas Wayne, but I don’t like him anyway

myconius - May 17, 2019

i just take solace in the fact that all of this mess will eventually get retconned and ignored. like it was just a bad dream.

Darkseid24 - May 17, 2019

I hope it will. I’m still trying to find some good things in it. And isn’t it a little cruel to make a Thomas vs. Bruce story? Because that’s what is going to happen. I’m worried though

Brego

May 15, 2019

Straight to garbage bin

Michaelbn

May 17, 2019

I dislike Bruce Wayne overall and like the persona of Batman but this is too much, it's making me like the usual Bruce Wayne I don't like; it's really impressive for this fetish-trashy-badfanfiction-garbage for doing something like this. At this point I don't even care if editors are going to change King or something, all I want from them is to use Janin's art for better stories.

Superheroes for Hire

Sep 22, 2019

Makes no sense even after reading later issues.