Review: Batman #76

There is no question that Tom King“s current run on Batman is one of the most polarising comics going today. His approach has not been the most conventional, especially for a Batman title. For some that simply has not worked. Personally, even though not every issue or concept has worked for me I fall down on the more positive side of his run. I would rather read an interesting failure than a mundane success that plays into what is expected. As King“s run is coming to its end what he has been building since the beginning is coming full circle, however as this issue demonstrates, that does not necessarily mean everything is becoming more clear.

Gotham has been lost. Now under the control of Bane and under the watchful eye of Flash Point Batman. Unlike past occasions when villains ruled Gotham this time the city has not fallen into chaos. Those not aligned with Bane, such as Kite Man and Scarecrow, are finding despite the change in leadership they are no safer than they were before. Despite the Presidential orders to leave Gotham alone some refuse to follow those commands including Captain Atom. Who quickly finds out that taking Gotham back will not be an easy task.Â

When people discuss King“s style one of the biggest pieces is his decompressed storytelling. Each issue tends to divvy out story bits in minute pieces. There is more going on than simply slowing the pace down. Information is delivered and in most cases not delivered in a very judicious way. Skipping over pieces most would focus on to place you in a similar headspace of these characters. By all accounts, this can lead to a frustrating experience as it is hard to place when and where you are in the story. King trusts the reader to rely heavily on their inference skills to plug in the holes that are clearly left behind. If you are someone who enjoys putting those puzzles together there is plenty of satisfaction to be had.Â

Still, there is this lack of foundation that makes it nearly impossible to comprehend what is happening within specific moments. King likes to keep the reader at a distance which opens the door for plenty of surprises.Â Isolated it is a joy to watch Flash Point Batman chase down the likes of Kite Man, yet when motivations of major characters remain unaddressed how sequences relate back to the larger story lacks clarity. This approach will reward rereading but at the moment the impact of events can become muted.Â

One of King“s more underrated skills is how he writes to the strengths of his artists, and when you have some of the best artists in the business today that leads to a consistently great-looking book. Here, artist, Tony Daniel gets a lot of room to flex his action sequence muscle. As a book opens with a major throwdown between Gotham Girl and Captain Atom that that has that blockbuster level of destruction you would want when two powerhouses face off. This issue also includes multiple inkers and that often leads to an inconsistent looking book. There is some inconsistency here but it makes sense. There are scenes with Batman and Catwoman intercut between what is happening in Gotham. Aesthetically those scenes have a much softer and distilled vibe compared to the rest of the issue that is quite chaotic.Â

Final Thoughts

Those scenes are when King is at his best as a writer. Finding the small moments of humanity within an others superpowered world. Here it is a quiet moment between Catwoman and an ailing Batwoman as she speaks to the merits of an infamous painting by Vermeer. Within that conversation is what could be the key force of this entire epic-finding beauty in the mundane. In a medium filled with great works about astronomical feats perhaps it is within the quiet everyday moments we can find something new. As we have seen some may want something different from their Batman title. Ultimately comics are better when creators take chances because even a failed chance is more valuable than a predictable success.Â

[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]

Writer: Tom King
Artist: Tony S. Daniel
Inks: Sandu Florea, Norm Rapmund
Colors: Tomeu Morey
Letters: Clayton Cowles

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Daniel Clark

A fan of all things comics. Growing up on a healthy diet of 90's Batman and X-Men cartoon series ignited a love for the medium that remains strong today.