King Batman Run: Analysis and Enjoyment Thread

[Chubistian]

This was a great Annual. First, the art was consistent and awesome. I love how Jorge Fornés draws Batman with that Year One vibe and, among the usual homages to older stories that Tom King loves putting into his work, we have an unexpected reference to Steve Ditko's Dr Strange that Fornés does amazingly. Mike Norton was a great fit to continue the story, as he has an unique style that mix well with Fornés's art and the coloring keeps it all in the same line, so there's no jump when the artists change.

The script was great as it summons up so many aspects of Batman and shows him not only as the hero we know, but as a human person with feelings and a sense of family, which is one of my favorites things about King's run. The pacing was great and I have the theory that the Mike Norton's pages were made after Fornés was done with the issue, since Jorge drew from the beginning to middle plus the last page of the story. But if it was like this or not doesn't really matter, because the Norton's pages add interesting depictions of Batman's activities and I was always enjoying each new thing that the team added.

Personally, this issue was a success

[Steven Caldwell]

I have been reading a lot of pre-crisis Batman and if you want to see him and Catwoman married, those are the stories to check out. Plus, the writing is better.

[millernumber1]

Wow, the Annual was beautiful.

This easily could have been the final issue of King's run and I would have been completely happy.

King captured the essence of Batman and his never ending journey for justice; moreover, he also invokes a lot of Morrison, which was a pleasant surprise.

Interesting - what are some Morrison connections you see?

[charliehustle415]

Interesting - what are some Morrison connections you see?

Basically that everything happened all the way to the first introduction of Batman.

One day he is a pulp hero another he is fighting ultra-dimensional monsters, in another he is fighting mobsters, and in another he is a knight of the round table.

This is the same view Morrison had during his run i.e. The Black Casebook.

[K. Jones]

Kind of a clip show, just clips of mostly stories we've never seen. But definitely a sort of Batman Thesis issue.

Good excuse for some absolutely lovely artwork.

[millernumber1]

Basically that everything happened all the way to the first introduction of Batman.

One day he is a pulp hero another he is fighting ultra-dimensional monsters, in another he is fighting mobsters, and in another he is a knight of the round table.

This is the same view Morrison had during his run i.e. The Black Casebook.

Someone pointed that out with the Beach arc - Bruce and Selina meet in Miller's gritty street, and then meet again on Sprang's lighthearted boat. I do like that King has fully embraced Morrison's groundwork of "everything is canon in some way".

Kind of a clip show, just clips of mostly stories we've never seen. But definitely a sort of Batman Thesis issue.

Good excuse for some absolutely lovely artwork.

Solid take. Also a nice insight into Alfred and Bruce's relationship - especially when I compare it to The First Ally arc in All-Star Batman, where Alfred's voice just strikes me as really wrong.

[lilyrose]

I thought it was kinda boring.

[Pohzee]

By God, I almost tossed my tablet across the room with the artist change. Norton isn't bad, but Fornes truly is a modern Mazzucchelli and he hasn't been able to draw a SINGLE complete Batman story that I can cherish from this run.

But it was a great issue regardless.

[millernumber1]

By God, I almost tossed my tablet across the room with the artist change. Norton isn't bad, but Fornes truly is a modern Mazzucchelli and he hasn't been able to draw a SINGLE complete Batman story that I can cherish from this run.

But it was a great issue regardless.

Fornes did get 66, the Knightmares with Question.

[cgh]

King never promised a wedding. Why do some keep saying that? Who spoils their own story?

Saying wait to the end isn't a lie or a promise.

Make up for it Make up for what?

Were you only reading this in hopes of a wedding for your ship and not because you were genuinely enjoying the run?

King has nothing to make up for since you paid for entertainment and he gave you that with each issue you digested

Yes, thank you and well said. It’s Batman, not The Days of Our Lives. Also, it’s corporate superheroes - nothing really changes and it’s all meaningless.

The annual was fantastic and the part about Batman’s fear was particularly insightful. Whether or not he really feels fear like normal people has never been explored, to the best of my knowledge.

[Steven Caldwell]

I suppose people were just thrown off about the wedding thing since the name of the story line was "the wedding", they advertised a wedding, the wrote the word wedding over and over. I understand you like King but they most certainly promised a wedding of some sort.

[Celgress]

I suppose people were just thrown off about the wedding thing since the name of the story line was "the wedding", they advertised a wedding, the wrote the word wedding over and over. I understand you like King but they most certainly promised a wedding of some sort.

True, at least with Kitty & Colossus Marvel did give the fans a wedding if not the one which was advertised DC by way of contrasted failed miserably to appease the fans in any, way, shape or form.

[millernumber1]

I suppose people were just thrown off about the wedding thing since the name of the story line was "the wedding", they advertised a wedding, the wrote the word wedding over and over. I understand you like King but they most certainly promised a wedding of some sort.

True, at least with Kitty & Colossus Marvel did give the fans a wedding if not the one which was advertised DC by way of contrasted failed miserably to appease the fans in any, way, shape or form.

Please remember that this is not a King or DC bashing thread. While there are many criticisms that can be and have been made in this thread of King's writing of this run, it's supposed to be balanced by enjoyment.

[Inversed]

Please remember that this is not a King or DC bashing thread. While there are many criticisms that can be and have been made in this thread of King's writing of this run, it's supposed to be balanced by enjoyment.

I would argue, no matter what you feel about the run overall, fair and balanced criticism over how both King and DC handled the wedding is understandable.

I will also say I agree that the expectations some may have regarding where the two end up in the end is well stated. Especially considering how the run has been structured "Build Up to Reconciliation followed by Proposal", "Build up to Wedding followed by Break-up", and "Build up to Reunion followed by Team-Up book", what would be the next logical conclusion? There very easily could be some other direction they could go, but with how much time and emphasis the run itself has put in them being "married", you can see how the story ending with them not being together, despite how importance their love supposedly is, could be considered underwhelming.

[millernumber1]

I would argue, no matter what you feel about the run overall, fair and balanced criticism over how both King and DC handled the wedding is understandable.

I will also say I agree that the expectations some may have regarding where the two end up in the end is well stated. Especially considering how the run has been structured "Build Up to Reconciliation followed by Proposal", "Build up to Wedding followed by Break-up", and "Build up to Reunion followed by Team-Up book", what would be the next logical conclusion? There very easily could be some other direction they could go, but with how much time and emphasis the run itself has put in them being "married", you can see how the story ending with them not being together, despite how importance their love supposedly is, could be considered underwhelming.

There is nothing I said about prohibiting fair criticism. However, if you make posts here only about the negatives, that is the opposite of the purpose of this thread.

I have said, I believe in this thread, that if we get a Hush style ending, breaking Bad/Cat up, in Bat/Cat 12, I will be in board the "this run failed" train. I don't think it will, but there are certainly ways King could fail still. However, the purpose of the thread is to provide a space where we aren't posting short takes about how the run or issue just sucks every time a new issue drops.