Batman #51 Preview / Discussion (Spoilers)

[Katana500]

Awesome issue! I love courtroom drama!


Two questions why are the people in the room deliberating different from those in the courtroom?

And which one do you suspect is silver st cloud ��

[SixSpeedSamurai]

Am I the only one that thought the art looks pretty trash for a Batman title?

I'm not a fan of Weeks really, his work always looks unfinished to me. At least it's clean and you can tell what is going on easily though.

[Drakeon]

I find it hard to imagine Bruce being allowed on the jury given he bankrolled Batman Inc.

Or is that no longer canon?

[millernumber1]

I find it hard to imagine Bruce being allowed on the jury given he bankrolled Batman Inc.

Or is that no longer canon?

It's definitely ambiguous...the last mention I remember was in Batman Eternal, four years ago...

[Miles To Go]

Still think you could have accomplished the same results if Bruce was married to Selina and she was forced on the run with Bruce being frustrated and all too worried about her well being

As it stands, throwing a fit over a girl dumping you comes off as lamer than it ought to be

[gooch4011]

Did we read the same issue? There was a Batman story in this? It was Bruce Wayne going to jury duty and one boring story about that. It jumped around so much, it was like watching a terrible court room drama. I'm also sorry but this art was trash tier for a Batman comic. It was just awful, I missed the Days when Batman was Batman and actually did Batman things.

[Rakzo]

I actually digged this one. The consequences of the last arc are realistically felt including the fact how Batman becomes more violent when he's broken while the references to other classic moments like how Dick is always forced to become Batman once that Bruce is not able to and how Gordon noticing how the one under the mask is not Bruce are appreciated.

Fantastic art from Weeks as well. Not bad overall but let's see how it continues.

[Daniel22]

Really liked the issue.. I appreciated the shift to a more plot driven story, with characterization mixed in, after a run of character and emotion driven stories. Definitely had a classic feel to it, and I liked being dropped right into the story. Looking forward to seeing how it plays out. It also gave a kind of Spider-Man feel to me, with Bruce's personal life intertwining with his costumed life and having possible negative results. Usually I don't care about the Bruce side, but this dynamic is interesting to me.

Count me in the "Lee Weeks is amazing" crowd. Perfectly fit the tone, shifted masterfully between quiet civilian moments and violent costumed moments.. Understated yet powerful. I'm a big fan and definitely want to see more.

[Chubistian]

Great art and great writing. It's nice to see the people of Gotham appreciating Batman, and I like the reason behind Dick taking on the mantle for a time, also, him facing Croc seems as a reference to Prodigal, where the first rogue Dick tackles as Batman is Croc. I can't say I'm a big fan of Batman being angry and harder on criminals, or better put, I'm tired of it, so I liked that it was so short lived before Bruce realized that he was being too hard and that it was him who became aware of his behavior, not his partners, and that he wants to remedy his mistakes going as far as opposing his other self. Bat really can't deal with rejection

RCO005.jpg

[millernumber1]

Great art and great writing. It's nice to see the people of Gotham appreciating Batman, and I like the reason behind Dick taking on the mantle for a time, also, him facing Croc seems as a reference to Prodigal, where the first rogue Dick tackles as Batman is Croc. I can't say I'm a big fan of Batman being angry and harder on criminals, or better put, I'm tired of it, so I liked that it was so short lived before Bruce realized that he was being too hard and that it was him who became aware of his behavior, not his partners, and that he wants to remedy his mistakes going as far as opposing his other self. Bat really can't deal with rejection

RCO005.jpg

I mean...I fundamentally disagree with the idea that Batman alone and unhappy is the best Batman. I think Batman wouldn't allow himself to get soft, would keep himself more vigilant because he knows he's a role model for his family, and understands the positive effect of his work better by seeing how it inspires them. Whereas, every time DC decides it's time to cull the Batfamily and kills someone off, Batman immediately becomes terrible and needs help desperately (see also: Death in the Family, War Games).

[Maxpower00044]

I'm also sorry but this art was trash tier for a Batman comic. It was just awful, I missed the Days when Batman was Batman and actually did Batman things.

Says a poster with a Van Sciver avatar. Easily, one of the worst artists AND a human beings in comics.

This was a good issue. Interested to see where it will go. They mention Bruce’s “past associations with Batman”, so it seems INC. is still in play, but I guess since Bruce has publicly stopped funding Batman (INC. Vol 2.), he’s allowed to be on the jury. Lee Weeks slays on art and between this and his prior work has easily become on of Batman’s best artists.

[Maxpower00044]

Maybe I’ve missed something but why does the D.A day they have no objections to juror 10, if Bruce is juror 4?

[ZeroBG82]

I thought this issue was excellent.

The underlying issue, with Batman's increasingly violent behavior, and Bruce being forced to confront it directly as a juror, is a fascinating (if contrived, and really, really unlikely) way to approach this. The art was beautiful.

The two best moments of the issue, for me: 1) Freeze's testimony. The acknowledgement, from a villain that has faced Bats before, that something was different, and unstable. But done in a way that makes Freeze both chilling (cue *rimshot*) and yet sympathetic. 2) Gordon. "You're not him. You're the other him." That Jim Gordon can tell, at distance, and in the dark, that it's a different guy in the suit even before Dick speaks. I do love me a good Gordon moment.

[Mantis Dad]

Seems like this issue is a love it or hate it one. Sadly, I am on the hate it side. After issue 50 I thought I would give the next arc a try. The previews of what the story was about summed up the whole comic, I felt (after reading it), that I did not even need to waste time reading it. I really am a huge King fan, but this individual book felt like a waste of money. Maybe in the long run the arc will be awesome, but I feel cheated a little bit. I hope the next couple of issues turn my opinion around.
Overall, thumbs down for this issue.

[millernumber1]

Seems like this issue is a love it or hate it one. Sadly, I am on the hate it side. After issue 50 I thought I would give the next arc a try. The previews of what the story was about summed up the whole comic, I felt (after reading it), that I did not even need to waste time reading it. I really am a huge King fan, but this individual book felt like a waste of money. Maybe in the long run the arc will be awesome, but I feel cheated a little bit. I hope the next couple of issues turn my opinion around.
Overall, thumbs down for this issue.

Sorry to hear that - I can understand the feeling. It was all about the mood and the art. Hopefully the end of this arc will recontextualize it, so there will be stuff that we didn't see happening here. I loved it, but I can see where you're coming from.