Tom King's Batman: Yay or Nay

[MajorHoy]

Too decompressed for my taste.

Too repetitive for my taste.

And repeating bad dialogue isn't very interesting.

[SiegePerilous02]

Chances are pretty good that, had Thomas and Martha not died, Bruce would have just been a doctor like his father. There would be no Batman. Now whether or not Gotham would have been better under that scenario is a huge debate. Joker probably would have murdered quite a few more people in his first few crimes. But he also probably would have been executed.

(Guess who just re-read RIP?)

There was also the fact that in that scenario, Dick dies because he recklessly sought vengeance and had no one to relate to or guide him. I think Bruce's life as Batman is more nuanced when there are pluses and minuses. Not everything is black and white. As a darker character than the majority of his peers, these kind of things being confronted aren't that off putting.

Though I mostly find it interesting when it comes to examine Bruce, his psychology and motivations. Once we get into territory like "he's a rich white dude who takes out his anger on the lower class" I tend to lose interest real fast. Mostly because it's a gross oversimplification of the character and what he's actually done the majority of his fictional existence.

The idea that being Batman is a childish idea really doesn't work when Bruce's best friend Space Jesus, along with nearly everyone he knows, is doing the superhero thing too. This is also the reason why I ignore any complaints that Batman stories should be grounded in reality. Gotham isn't magically different from the rest of this universe. And within the confines of this universe, if you have the skill or ability, putting on a costume and fighting crime is a perfectly rational thing to do.

Hell, even in our world, among the all "Real Life Superheroes" who do work for charities and stuff, there's at least one guy I know of who really does put on a costume and act as basically a comic book hero.

For better or worse though, Batman has become the mainstream character most capable of generating interest in telling deconstructive stories and coming out of the process more or less intact, and sometimes stronger. He's been that way since post-Crisis, and you can tell some creative teams would love to have him be separated from the rest of the DC universe because of it (NML stops working the instant you remember the JL exists). It's probably why he and his world have such wide appeal as they do.

[Assam]

(NML stops working the instant you remember the JL exists).

This can be said for almost any Batman story.

And yeah, Batman really doesn't fit in this universe. Not since Morrison's JLA. On top of "Just call the Justice League" always being an option, there's the often brought up ridiculousness that Bruce can face constant world ending threats with the Justice League and then struggle with a killer clown.

[Scott Taylor]

Batman operates as his own Deus Ex Machina most of the time. I can't even think of the last time he called in the Justice League to be anything but a distraction for whomever he was fighting at the time. Even Injustice was like that for most of the way.

[SiegePerilous02]

This can be said for almost any Batman story.

This one was especially noteworthy because it lasted a year. The majority of Batman's one and done plots can happen while the various League members are off doing whatever at the same time, but a solid year of the government shutting down Gotham City and leaving the people in there trapped in reprehensible conditions? A properly written Superman or Wonder Woman would be shutting that crap down.

We put the League out of our minds because it's a good story, but you still have to do some mental gymnastics to make it work. That problem wouldn't be present in an isolated Bat-universe, though cutting off Batman from the wider DCU for the sake of one story isn't worth it either.

And yeah, Batman really doesn't fit in this universe. Not since Morrison's JLA. On top of "Just call the Justice League" always being an option, there's the often brought up ridiculousness that Bruce can face constant world ending threats with the Justice League and then struggle with a killer clown.

Batman struggling against the Joker isn't really unique. Luthor, the Cheetah and Black Manta aren't world ending threats either, yet their super powered opponents struggle against them.

[Frontier]

Batman struggling against the Joker isn't really unique. Luthor, the Cheetah and Black Manta aren't world ending threats either, yet their super powered opponents struggle against them.

Not to mention The Flash's villains are usually just people with special guns and trick boomerangs.

[Old Man Ollie 1962]

I like Tom King's writing. I don't know where to begin with his Batman run.

[Byrant]

Nay because i hate Dick and Damian bond. Yes that's all.

[chachi]

I've temporarily dropped it from my pull list. Skipped the last 3 issues, and if King does 2 part stories with "How does this Justice League member feel about Bruce and Selina's upcoming nuptials", I don t see myself jumping back on anytime soon.

[SamGuthrie1977]

The editors should take most of the blame for this.

Back in the day editors used to do their jobs. They reigned in creators when they became too self-indulgent. Editors used to clarify storytelling by emphasizing story structure and purpose, and they helped to keep creators on task, focused, and helped establish cohesion to the narrative. I don't know what comic editors do nowadays. Play on their iPhones? Watch YouTube? Nod at everything that crosses their desk?

This is lazy, sloppy, incoherent, pretentious, and decompressed to the point of being insulting, and it's been so for 34 issues straight now. It shouldn't be allowed to go off to the printers. This title is ridiculous.

[Barbatos666]

The first year had its problems but I feel we got a whole bunch of stories. You know things happened,The Gotham siblings, Psycho Pirate,Bane,Button, a reverse Knightfall style storyline, Batman's own Suicide Squad and finally the proposal. The second year is literally a waste of time so far. All we've gotten is an overhyped war that wasn't a war and Talia thrown under the bus because both storylines existed to facilitate the Bat/Cat romance instead of playing out on their own terms. We've got team up with Superman and Diana in the future cause we dont see them together in Trinity or JL(sarcasm). King has wasted 11 issues so far and he looks to waste atleast 4 more. The Ivy storyline also looks like its filler and that will probably last 5-6 issues and then 3-4 issues later we get to 50 where the marriage will happen most likely. Having the marriage be hang over the head of his stories like the Sword of Damocles is really making his run feel decompressed. Since he wont get them married then he should just focus on the stories he's writing. Its bad enough he never bothered addressing the origin of Gotham siblings power even though logically that's the first thing Batman should have investigated or atleast asked.

[Coal Tiger]

I really had to think about this, and I can't decide. On the whole, I like Tom King's Batman. I like the storytelling, I like the plotting, I really like the art. I just don't think that King has the right voice for Batman. I like the comic, but I don't really care for his characterization of Batman himself.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Hard nay. I dropped the book after the sixth issue and never went back. I simply didn't see anything that made the book worth reading.

[Soubhagya]

Yay.

The book is trying sometimes. It does things which would honestly annoy anyone. But it rewards sticking with it. At least that's what i feel about it.

I have complaints. I have problems with some things Tom King has done. But i find it interesting.

[BruceWayneJr.]

The editors should take most of the blame for this.

Back in the day editors used to do their jobs. They reigned in creators when they became too self-indulgent. Editors used to clarify storytelling by emphasizing story structure and purpose, and they helped to keep creators on task, focused, and helped establish cohesion to the narrative. I don't know what comic editors do nowadays. Play on their iPhones? Watch YouTube? Nod at everything that crosses their desk?

This is lazy, sloppy, incoherent, pretentious, and decompressed to the point of being insulting, and it's been so for 34 issues straight now. It shouldn't be allowed to go off to the printers. This title is ridiculous.

As someone who's been dissatisfied with Marvel since the beginning of the Quesada/Bendis fratboy era and DC with Didio gone wild after 52, this post made me cheer.