Batman #47 preview

[Talon1load]

Or King should probably learn something about the characters he’s writing. Doesn’t really seem like too much to ask.

[TheCape]

He did it because he knew it would have huge effects on the timeline. That was the point. In fact, his knowledge that the death of Batman's parents is a fixed point helps to convince me that he knew the changes he incurred would not end up being permanent no matter what transpired. Time would correct itself.

Reckless? Sure I guess. But again he knew it would fix itself because he was messing with something that could not be changed.

I think you probably shouldn't be reading King's Batman because you don't like it.

I don't know, i respect your opinion, but this whole arx just feel.... contrived for me.

[Scott Taylor]

I don't know, i respect your opinion, but this whole arx just feel.... contrived for me.

Thanks for the nice words. I get it, this wasn't my favorite arc, either. It may be the darkest Batman arc I've ever read, and thats saying something! And its not really a good thing. Hopefully we'll see a big change of pace in the next arc so we can put this wacky arc well behind us.

[CryNotWolf]

He did it because he knew it would have huge effects on the timeline. That was the point. In fact, his knowledge that the death of Batman's parents is a fixed point helps to convince me that he knew the changes he incurred would not end up being permanent no matter what transpired. Time would correct itself.

Reckless? Sure I guess. But again he knew it would fix itself because he was messing with something that could not be changed.

I think you probably shouldn't be reading King's Batman because you don't like it.

That doesn't hold water at all. Booster DID save the Waynes, and Bruce DID grow up without ever becoming Batman. That's not exactly the make of an inflexible temporality. In fact it was Booster's actions that pretty much defined everything that happened in that timeline. He fucked everything. He took a massive, time-breaking risk just to get Batman a god-awful wedding present? Firstly, Booster would never be that sentimental for Batman's sake. Second, he certainly wouldn't jeopardize the the timestream itself for that. It was all so completely contrived.

It was quite obviously all a setup for Booster's sake because King wants to use him in his Sanctuary or whatever. Everything else felt like a COMPLETE handwave for which nothing was even attempted to be explained. There were so many random, pointless scenes it just didn't make sense. Like the thing with Thomas collapsing and going to the ER and then just being perfectly fine and it never coming back up. Dick Grayson randomly being an unhinged, murdering Batman and Bruce being a completely self-centered brat. All that crap felt like stuff he HAD to add in because he couldn't get away with writing nothing but Booster Gold for 3 issues of Batman. And in the end none of it felt natural, or like it had any real point, it was all just...there. Difference for the sake of difference. It was all overtly synthetic.

I also hate the idea that the Waynes went into the alley as a result of Booster and Bruce fighting and firing guns. It's unsatisfying in every way and serves only to put a middle finger of a nail into the coffin of this sorry excuse of an arc.

Also sidelining the Batman mythos for 3 issues of the main Batman book just to hurriedly and nebulously write some kind of PTSD-inducing story solely to warp the character of Booster Gold for King's upcoming event, well that just seems to be in poor taste to me.

[JBatmanFan05]

Thanks for the nice words. I get it, this wasn't my favorite arc, either. It may be the darkest Batman arc I've ever read, and thats saying something! And its not really a good thing. Hopefully we'll see a big change of pace in the next arc so we can put this wacky arc well behind us.

I'm finding King's run interesting and has some great issues, real classics. But you hit on the thing that makes King's run very akin to Snyder's and not akin to the Bronze Age (like some thought or wanted)...King's run is dark, really dark. It feels like not even comedy or wedding bells can make any of this not feel dark.

[Aioros22]

The setup for the timeline is contrived enough without how the characters are handled. For one, this dark desire of Booster breaking up and apart because he wants to be part of the "family", when he was learning the ropes about Time Travel it was equally learning and accepting being the "the greatest hero nobody has ever heard of". That was done over a decade ago. Batman is obviously laid out as one of the few who know the truth behind his cover but as shown time and again, Booster takes his role as Time Keeper, seriously.

Second, the premise doesn`t work on itself, really. How would Bruce not be Batman led to Dick Grayson being Batman? How would Bruce not be Batman and M.I.A in the JL led to everyone else dying? Why would Bruce not be Batman make Selina a serial killer with no humane emphatic connections? How would a Joker, let alone a following of jokerized citizens, still be around destroying the city with a murdering Batman on the streets still happening? Is Dick that much incompetent without moral restrainsts? How did Bruce, who is not Batman and never had any motivation to be Batman manages to shut down an advanced android lifeform from the future with crap he had on the desk?

That is of course, if you look past basic Booster characterization which is shamessly handwaved just to fit in the plot. We get it, you like it dark, Batman is all about fighting suicidal tendencies. Yeah, okay fine. That doesn`t mean every character should be boxed in in similar fashion and certainly not a character who`s dealt with the terrific weight of responsabiliy and loneliness of the role he accepted for himself, despite anything people might think of him. Why would a guy who`s already dealt with that, even his own future demise do something like this only to conclude that he should have sent a cheese stray all along?

[batfan08]

I think this is the first arc that I’ve genuinely disliked. Primarily because, as much as I’m a Batman fan, I’m also a Booster Gold fan, and this story just does a profound disservice to Booster’s character and...well, character. He’s never been this much of an imbecile, and the whole storyline not only makes him seem like a complete idiot, but a callous and cruel one, as well.

That he would deliberately alter something so meaningful, knowing full well that it would need to be altered as some sort of lesson in the transcendental power of love is not only absurd, it’s just...I don’t know. In all honesty, this whole thing just felt like they ran out of ideas and needed something else to buff out the numbers so the wedding could take place at #50. The whole thing just felt unnecessary and kind of off. Which kind of sucks because I feel like, as someone who’s never been a big Tony Daniel fan, it’s probably some of his best work.

[justinslot]

I think this is the first arc that I’ve genuinely disliked. Primarily because, as much as I’m a Batman fan, I’m also a Booster Gold fan, and this story just does a profound disservice to Booster’s character and...well, character. He’s never been this much of an imbecile, and the whole storyline not only makes him seem like a complete idiot, but a callous and cruel one, as well.

That he would deliberately alter something so meaningful, knowing full well that it would need to be altered as some sort of lesson in the transcendental power of love is not only absurd, it’s just...I don’t know. In all honesty, this whole thing just felt like they ran out of ideas and needed something else to buff out the numbers so the wedding could take place at #50. The whole thing just felt unnecessary and kind of off. Which kind of sucks because I feel like, as someone who’s never been a big Tony Daniel fan, it’s probably some of his best work.

Me too (the bolded part.) Booster was so bad and out of character in this, not just his actions but his choppy, choppy dialogue. Maybe they were trying to do a parody of the "dark alternate timeline that gets reset at the end" sort of story? And that's why everything was so silly, like Selina speaking entirely in meows? I can't figure it out. Whatever they were trying it did not work for me.