King Batman Run: Analysis and Enjoyment Thread

[Chubistian]

I was expecting a good issue, but this one surpased my expectations. First, I loved the interrogation set up and Fornes knock it out of the park with his pencils, kudos to Stewart doing colors too. That could have suffice, but King managed to do a plot progression towards what I guess would be the last part of his run, the reunion with Catwoman, by making implications (all in Batman's mind, but I doubt it will remain there) that love didn't make Batman weaker, but on the contrary.

I like this because with issue #50, there were interpretations that Tom King had sold the matrimony only to say at last minute that Batman must not be happy, but, as in I Am Suicide, I see a double intention, what the characters say, and what King (or the story) is stating. On one hand, Catwoman said Bruce can't be happy, or Batman will dissapear, and people need his protection. But now what Catwoman said contradicts what the comic is showing.

In I Am Suicide, one could deduce that Batman was implicating that all he does is in great part the search of a death that makes his parents proud, but by the end of I Am Bane, the true message appears. Batman did all that because a girl was in danger, period. Batman does what he does because he's Batman.

Batman is pain? Sure. But Batman could also be love

[millernumber1]

This! This is why I started a thread to highlight positive critical approaches to King's Batman! Your final line is brilliant.

The idea that King is running two lines in most thing is a really great insight. I love that when Catwoman says "I wrote a note" - you could also say that about her letter during "I Am Suicide" - and that was a lie, too.

And yes to all the art. It's just amazing stuff. I can't wait to see what Weeks does (and it looks like Fornes might lend a hand on that issue, too).

[TheJudge95]

Can someone explain the Zen Buddhist mantra about the flag waving in the wind?

[millernumber1]

I'm not Zen Buddhist, but my understanding of how it was used in this issue was that the question isn't one of reality (is the flag or the wind moving), but of how Batman's mind is changing and being manipulated.

[Kurisu]

Here's a cool little parallel I saw on Twitter.

Annual 2:



66:

[millernumber1]

I saw that too! It was so powerful and painful and beautiful. Man. This book is so good.

[Arsenal]

When King’s 109 run epic (annuals included) is done, I’m gonna have to revisit it properly.

[millernumber1]

That's quite a task. I've tried a full readthrough of Batman Eternal in one sitting, and I don't think I made it.

[Chubistian]

This! This is why I started a thread to highlight positive critical approaches to King's Batman! Your final line is brilliant.

The idea that King is running two lines in most thing is a really great insight. I love that when Catwoman says "I wrote a note" - you could also say that about her letter during "I Am Suicide" - and that was a lie, too.

And yes to all the art. It's just amazing stuff. I can't wait to see what Weeks does (and it looks like Fornes might lend a hand on that issue, too).

Thanks! I really appreciate it. Nice reading on the two letters Catwoman wrote!

Even if someone doesn't like King's writing, there's no denying that his run has been a great opportunity for different artists to make their impression in the Batman title. Some incredible diamonds have shined here. I loved Greg Capullo in the title, but it's good that others have had the chance to do their version of the character, giving the spotlight to people like Lee Weeks, who is amazing but I think he has been underappreciated over the years

[millernumber1]

So true! I hate the double-shipping schedule's effect on artistic consistency, but the chance to get Lee Weeks, Jorge Fornes, Amanda Conner!, Joelle Jones, and Clay Mann in Batman is really wonderful!

I've enjoyed Weeks since he did the Lois and Clark stuff for Convergence and Road to Rebirth, but his stuff on Batman made me really look back and his older stuff on Daredevil. He's truly a master, and I'm really bummed he didn't get an Eisner for the Elmer Fudd mashup, as it's sadly unlikely that he'll get another one-shot like that where his talents can really shine in a way that will get the recognition he deserves.

And I do think that King's writing is something to study and feel intensely. It can take some getting used to (and I think I said in my own review that there were some times when his terseness and repetition were perhaps a bit overdone early on in the run), but it's incredibly poetic and carefully put together to create effects of great passion and wry humor.

[Inversed]

Yeah, like everyone else mentioned, that was an extremely wonderful issue. Fornes art was so wonderful, I loved the sketchy nature of it in the flashbacks, and the cleanness in the "present". Reminded me a bit of Leonardo Romero's artstyle, a simple but really effective and powerful, like that rooftop image that was posted.

I'm glad this appears to have Bruce retroactively figure out himself that the "I can't be Batman and happy" is complete bullshit, and realizing through the eyes of Selina helps to bring out his true feelings, with the Question standing in as his "voice of reason".

I think the "Okay I lied." is really interesting, because while this isn't the real Selina as the one who is thinking this, the fact they go off about how much they both know about each other, it's his way of essentially confirming that this is basically how the real one's feeling too, which is a creative way of getting out the information, which he's proven himself to be quite good with.

This! This is why I started a thread to highlight positive critical approaches to King's Batman! Your final line is brilliant.

The idea that King is running two lines in most thing is a really great insight. I love that when Catwoman says "I wrote a note" - you could also say that about her letter during "I Am Suicide" - and that was a lie, too.

I've been going back and re-reading some of the issues, but I really need to go and re-read the 3 letter issues back-to-back and see if there are any interpretations. I was able to find what I think was a really early tease/hint towards the Knightmares in I Am Bane, although that read through still made me less certain that Bane was planning this all from the beginning.

[TheMaker1610]

Truth to be told, I was bored to no end with this whole Knightmare Arc, specially the "Pyg" issue. HoC being horribly tedious (imo) didnt help matters either.
HOWEVER, I read this issue, and I really liked it a lot.
It has nice throwacks to key moments of this run, while also progressing the plot in a really nice way
Wish we could have more issues like this one
Oh, and the Art was great too

[millernumber1]

Glad you enjoyed it! This was really a standout issue!

[Scott Taylor]

Amazing issue. I love how this issue is exposing the crock that the Joker came up with to mess with Batman, and that we are starting to get a glimpse of the hope that is within Batman coming out in his nightmares. I believe that Batman has the same hope inside of him that Superman and Wonder Woman do, and that it is truly behind everything he does, but that his hope is much more subtle and hard to see. This issue highlights how Batman's mind works, how in the midst of an emotional crisis he can find his inner hope that keeps him going.

[TheJudge95]

Since Batman #66 had the callback to Annual #2 with the splash page of Batman and Catwoman on the roof in the rain, I thought we could go through and find other instances of parallelism and references in King's run.

From Batman #25:
RiddlerWalks.jpg

From Batman #59:
BatmanWalks.jpg

From Batman #9
GordonPunch1.jpg