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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
I was looking forward to Tom King's signature applied to Batman: The application of different framing devices or lenses to look at the same character. But this is more of a straight-up superhero comic.
It's one of those, "It's not bad, but I think it'll slide out of my mind pretty quick."
I sort of can't figure out the tone here. Is it goofy? There's Colonel Blimp wearing a pink getup and driving around in a zeppelin, which is monumentally stupid, right? I mean, I think I could probably stop a blimp by waiting for moderate wind. Pop it with a drone? Like, how much more dangerous is Colonel Blimp than the old guy from UP?
Of course, I'm fine with silliness, I just don't get the vibe that this is a silly book. But then Alfred shows up somewhere and does his best Batman impression in a very baggy Batsuit, for no real reason, and it's like, This has to be a joke, right?
What's even weirder, though, is that I just can't decide whether or not I like it. Maybe I don't give a shit if the tone is consistent. I'm a fella who can be serious sometimes and also turns just about everything into a song to the tune of "Hot Blooded" by Foreigner. Everything works. Try it.
It's one of those, "It's not bad, but I think it'll slide out of my mind pretty quick."
I sort of can't figure out the tone here. Is it goofy? There's Colonel Blimp wearing a pink getup and driving around in a zeppelin, which is monumentally stupid, right? I mean, I think I could probably stop a blimp by waiting for moderate wind. Pop it with a drone? Like, how much more dangerous is Colonel Blimp than the old guy from UP?
Of course, I'm fine with silliness, I just don't get the vibe that this is a silly book. But then Alfred shows up somewhere and does his best Batman impression in a very baggy Batsuit, for no real reason, and it's like, This has to be a joke, right?
What's even weirder, though, is that I just can't decide whether or not I like it. Maybe I don't give a shit if the tone is consistent. I'm a fella who can be serious sometimes and also turns just about everything into a song to the tune of "Hot Blooded" by Foreigner. Everything works. Try it.
Second time through and this book is even better. The Rebirth #0 issue kicks things off with the same wild flair for the dramatic that made King's Grayson run so special, while the first issue of Batman Rebirth proper is an absolute stunner, hammering the reader with a profoundly emotional reckoning that I wouldn't think possible in a first issue with little to no build up.
But I suppose that isn't totally accurate, because Batman as a character has decades of buildup over thousands and thousands of comics. And so the book quickly sets the stage for what seems like will be the defining themes of King's run: how we deal with trauma, and how we can find happiness.
Batman comes to wrestle these questions as two new heroes show up in Gotham. Combined with a harrowing incident, Batman is left contemplating what a post-Batman Gotham City might look like, and for possibly the first time, Batman starts to see it as a possibility. What does that mean for the city, and what does it mean for him?
There is some brilliant writing in here, with several standout Alfred pages and a sneaky good homage to a famous page from Grant Morrison's All-Star Superman.
Wherever King's run goes, this book looks like not only great setup, but also a wonderful stand alone work. Threading that needle isn't easy, but let's hope King keeps it up.
But I suppose that isn't totally accurate, because Batman as a character has decades of buildup over thousands and thousands of comics. And so the book quickly sets the stage for what seems like will be the defining themes of King's run: how we deal with trauma, and how we can find happiness.
Batman comes to wrestle these questions as two new heroes show up in Gotham. Combined with a harrowing incident, Batman is left contemplating what a post-Batman Gotham City might look like, and for possibly the first time, Batman starts to see it as a possibility. What does that mean for the city, and what does it mean for him?
There is some brilliant writing in here, with several standout Alfred pages and a sneaky good homage to a famous page from Grant Morrison's All-Star Superman.
Wherever King's run goes, this book looks like not only great setup, but also a wonderful stand alone work. Threading that needle isn't easy, but let's hope King keeps it up.
I haven’t read a Batman story that I liked in YEARS so this is really nice! The storyline with Calendar Man went nowhere but otherwise I’m so glad I picked this up and I hope volume 2 is just as good!
God, I love this comic so much. I still get emotional at some parts, even though I’ve read it several times. It’s ridiculously good - I’m not loving all the current decisions of Tom King, but this first issue was amazing.
The best that can be said of this volume of Batman is that he doesn't brood as much.
Contained in this volume is the first of Batman's Rebirth issues; he first faces off against Calendar Man, then confronts Gotham and Gotham Girl in a six-issue arc. The Calendar Man issue is, at least, one-and-done, but the Gotham and Gotham Girl issues hang on for too long, and involve too many moving parts to be anything close to a compelling narrative.
Comic book superheroes ultimately should be about building character. Batman, after all, isn't necessarily just about punching bad guys in the dark; this volume posits that Batman, really, is about confronting one's fears and becoming bolder or braver. The message, though, just doesn't really work out, and the book is far too disjointed to make the character beats work. Too many threads are woven to try to make the story more complex, but the result is just nonsense.
This is a Batman book easily forgotten, and probably best left that way.
Contained in this volume is the first of Batman's Rebirth issues; he first faces off against Calendar Man, then confronts Gotham and Gotham Girl in a six-issue arc. The Calendar Man issue is, at least, one-and-done, but the Gotham and Gotham Girl issues hang on for too long, and involve too many moving parts to be anything close to a compelling narrative.
Comic book superheroes ultimately should be about building character. Batman, after all, isn't necessarily just about punching bad guys in the dark; this volume posits that Batman, really, is about confronting one's fears and becoming bolder or braver. The message, though, just doesn't really work out, and the book is far too disjointed to make the character beats work. Too many threads are woven to try to make the story more complex, but the result is just nonsense.
This is a Batman book easily forgotten, and probably best left that way.
I really liked this. I could have done without the emotional Batman, but I think it did play it's part well in the story line. I enjoyed the introduction of new heroes here as well. The art was outstanding.
So, I think the number one issue with this one for me was that it didn't feel like a volume one. Now I realize that this might have something to do with the fact that I haven't read a lot of the other rebirth titles and Batman is a very established and well-known character that a lot of information was assumed. But unfortunately I missed the introduction of Duke, who I really liked. So, if anyone knows where his first introduction is I would be happy for a comment below.
My second issue with this book was that I did not like Batman in this book. I thought he came off very self-centered and something else about his personality just didn't sit right with me, he seemed less cool . May seem like a strange thing to say, but Batman has always been my favorite DC hero so this feeling was very different for me. In the end I didn't like many of the characters' portrayal. The only characters I liked were: 1) Alfred 2) Jim Gordon and 3) Duke. Everyone else, especially the introduction of Gotham & Gotham girl were just not good .
The not-great characterization brings me to the writing. I really did not like it. It didn't feel like a Batman comic. Honestly the writing felt very corny, and the characters didn't feel relatable or interesting. The dark and gritty realism has always made Gotham (the city) and Batman so deep and interesting for me in other Batman comics. There was literally a Britney Spears breakdown, cliched strong guy acts, a near "heroic" suicide, a very familiar origin story, and unbelievable Batman heroics, which are just some of the things I loathed about the story line. Although I will say that the artwork was phenomenal, the story was extremely lacking for me so it couldn't make my feelings change.
Will I continue with this series? Yes... because it's Batman and I want it to be better, but if I don't see any improvements I will probably just move on to another Batman title or Rebirth title. In the end for this one...
My second issue with this book was that I did not like Batman in this book. I thought he came off very self-centered and something else about his personality just didn't sit right with me, he seemed less cool . May seem like a strange thing to say, but Batman has always been my favorite DC hero so this feeling was very different for me. In the end I didn't like many of the characters' portrayal. The only characters I liked were: 1) Alfred 2) Jim Gordon and 3) Duke. Everyone else, especially the introduction of Gotham & Gotham girl were just not good .
The not-great characterization brings me to the writing. I really did not like it. It didn't feel like a Batman comic. Honestly the writing felt very corny, and the characters didn't feel relatable or interesting. The dark and gritty realism has always made Gotham (the city) and Batman so deep and interesting for me in other Batman comics. There was literally a Britney Spears breakdown, cliched strong guy acts, a near "heroic" suicide, a very familiar origin story, and unbelievable Batman heroics, which are just some of the things I loathed about the story line. Although I will say that the artwork was phenomenal, the story was extremely lacking for me so it couldn't make my feelings change.
Will I continue with this series? Yes... because it's Batman and I want it to be better, but if I don't see any improvements I will probably just move on to another Batman title or Rebirth title. In the end for this one...
Okay start for Rebirth. I liked Duke Thomas, even though I don't know his character that well (yet, hopefully). It seems a bit overly dramatic to have Batman accepting death because he's riding on top of a plane? But I'm always a sucker for "tell the kids I love them" shit.
Gotham (the hero) and Gotham Girl were fine? I kept waiting for the interesting part to be revealed, but in reality it was just a weird Evil-Superman-esque situation with an unstable villain named PYSCHO PIRATE of all things permanently altering their emotions to weave them out of the story just as quickly as they were introduced. I guess I liked Duke's conversation with Gotham Girl before she goes to kill her brother - but her shaving her head and going insane leaves a bit of a bad taste in my mouth.
Now Batman has to try and find Psycho Pirate (who Bane has as like a prisoner I guess? For some reason?) and figure out what all these suicide deaths from "the monster men" mean.
Gotham (the hero) and Gotham Girl were fine? I kept waiting for the interesting part to be revealed, but in reality it was just a weird Evil-Superman-esque situation with an unstable villain named PYSCHO PIRATE of all things permanently altering their emotions to weave them out of the story just as quickly as they were introduced. I guess I liked Duke's conversation with Gotham Girl before she goes to kill her brother - but her shaving her head and going insane leaves a bit of a bad taste in my mouth.
Now Batman has to try and find Psycho Pirate (who Bane has as like a prisoner I guess? For some reason?) and figure out what all these suicide deaths from "the monster men" mean.
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes