Cool issue, I'm intrigued where this´going
Cool issue, I'm intrigued where this´going
"The Batman is Gotham City. I will watch him. Study him. And when I know him and why he does not kill, I will know this city. And then Gotham will be MINE!"-BANE
"We're monsters, buddy. Plain and simple. I don't dress it up with fancy names like mutant or post-human; men were born crueler than Apes and we were born crueler than men. It's just the natural order of things"-ULTIMATE SABRETOOTH
I... what?
It's the Dynamic Duo! Batman and Robin!... and Red Robin and Red Hood and Nightwing and Batwoman and Batgirl and Orphan and Spoiler and Bluebird and Lark and Gotham Girl and Talon and Batwing and Huntress and Azreal and Flamebird and Batcow?
Since when could just anybody do what we trained to do? It makes it all dumb instead of special. Like it doesn't matter anymore.
-Dick Grayson (Batman Inc.)
On one hand King is intentionally writing it so you walk away thinking “wtf did I just read?” so he definitely accomplished that goal. On the other hand he’s got to deliver something at the end of all this, and I haven’t been too happy with the payoff thus far in his run, so we’ll see how this goes.
I was about to go get this, see what the fuzz is all about. But after reading YJ i just dont care, im in such a good mood.
Ugh.... This issue was horrible . I don't see any actual direction with respect to King's run . The narration in this issue is totally ineffectual.
This issue was amazing. The art was perfect to convey the mood. It was macabre. The way Bats keeps saying "Why can't I hear him" is definitely a clue. This is the team that gave us Mister Miracle. I'm convinced Batman is being manipulated, probably by Flashpoint Batman (who works with Hugo Strange and Psycho Pirate, for Bane), which explains why everything looks so odd and off.
King and Gerads manage to make us feel the same way Batman was feeling, which is quite an accomplishment. I don't agree with people claiming nothing happened. A story is not just a matter of plot. If the writer only cares about going from A to B, he's not an artist, he's just a mechanic. But if he works every aspect, be it character development, be it mood, etc, he's more than just a plotter. He's a storyteller. To me, that's what King is.
Also, did I mention the art was incredible? I did? It doesn't matter, I will say it again: the art was incredible and it fits so well the story.
The reference to Flashpoint Batman having red eyes is interesting. That seems to be the last thing Bruce remembers from reality, which makes me think there’s some sort of hypnotic or mind-altering affect in play.
Loved the art - it reminded me, weirdly, of Bernie Wrightson’s work on The Cult. The almost-psychedelic coloring helped lend the issue a surreal feeling, another clue that Bruce is not in his right mind.
Cheers - CL
It's a good idea that just went on too long and was way too self-indulgent. It's an attempt to be clever and artful that doesn't work and it was almost embarrassing to read. And I don't usually go out of my way to rag on an issue, but this time I'm actually angry to have paid money for it so I'm going to subject you to my grumpy ranting.
What's frustrating about this issue is what frustrates me about a lot of King's work--it COULD be good if it was only edited down. If he'd cut out 65% of it, if he'd made better use of the real estate, if he'd stop beating a single idea to death, it would actually be good. But instead what we have is several panels of Batman and Pyg standing across from each other and pages and pages of filler nonsense script.
It's so annoying because there are good metaphors in this. The pig carcasses being the Batfamily Bruce has been raising for the slaughter. The Pygmalion and Three Little Pigs references. The way Bruce is so focused on The Fight that he can't figure out how he got there, how to get out, or who he's fighting anymore. All good stuff. But oh my GOD it is completely ruined by the 18 pages of inconsequential wank that you have to wade through to get to anything interesting.
And to top it all off, nothing happened. Nothing mattered. And I'm not saying you can't have an artistic issue that deviates from the plot. But it has to be good. It has to be a strong statement piece. And when you can cut out half the pages of this issue and it wouldn't really matter, you have a problem. This was filler masquerading as art.
And it's such an easy fix. Edit down. Have something HAPPENING in the panels, so that your artist isn't stuck drawing scenes of the characters doing the same thing at different angles. Make every page matter. Tell us something new. Stop saying the same thing in slightly different ways while taking forever to say it.
On the other hand, I think the artist did a marvelous job. One great thing he did was use only shades of red, yellow, and green to color the entire issue. It's a brilliant way to foreshadow the twist at the end, and is the only truly clever bit of storytelling in this comic. Great work, Mitch Gerads.
Guys, just a piece of advice, don't ever try watching Twin Peaks the return, you would hate it and ask for a change of director.
Anyway, you should be relieved, since King has already announced 105 would be his last issue, at least you know when a new writer will come.