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yubnub23 's review for:
Batman Vol. 1: I Am Gotham
by Tom King
Tom King is very likely my favorite current comic writer, but I had never read his seemingly controversial Batman run. Looking at any Reddit thread or comment section you'll see a wide variety of criticisms on this run and people panning it as "the worst thing DC has ever done to Batman" and saying that "Tom King is the worst thing to ever happen to Batman." But I actually really liked this!
After the first issue providing a bit of a bridge from New 52 into Rebirth, Batman begins to reckon with his overall powerlessness in defending the city of Gotham and the insecure feelings of Gothamites about their lack of a "super"hero protecting them like there is in any other city in the DC Universe. Batman likes to have a solid ownership over Gotham and doesn't like to share his responsibilities with other non-Gotham heroes, and that selfishness is challenged here and Batman actually has to learn and grow (what a concept!). After a wonderful scene when all hope seems lost, two super-powered heroes arrive on the scene determined to save Gotham and the first story of this run begins with a goal of challenging Batman to see Gotham outside of himself.
What I loved most about this book was the drastic change in tone from most Batman comics. It's actually really funny at times, characters have fantastic moments of introspection, and there are some great scenes that I feel like I've always wanted but never knew to ask for (I'm thinking of one particularly amazing scene with Alfred). What doesn't work for me as much is some of the main plot points and inclusion of some characters. While I really liked the overall story and its progression, the way that it was rolled out felt a bit messy at times and characters seemed to just disappear from the story completely or appear without the sort of impact that I think King was going for. Also, the second to last issue of this book had a couple moments of dialogue that were just very cringy and the pacing was a bit disastrous making me feel like that issue was rushed out.
Otherwise, I had a good time with this and I like where it's taking the character of Batman. Looking forward to continuing this run in the next volume!
After the first issue providing a bit of a bridge from New 52 into Rebirth, Batman begins to reckon with his overall powerlessness in defending the city of Gotham and the insecure feelings of Gothamites about their lack of a "super"hero protecting them like there is in any other city in the DC Universe. Batman likes to have a solid ownership over Gotham and doesn't like to share his responsibilities with other non-Gotham heroes, and that selfishness is challenged here and Batman actually has to learn and grow (what a concept!). After a wonderful scene when all hope seems lost, two super-powered heroes arrive on the scene determined to save Gotham and the first story of this run begins with a goal of challenging Batman to see Gotham outside of himself.
What I loved most about this book was the drastic change in tone from most Batman comics. It's actually really funny at times, characters have fantastic moments of introspection, and there are some great scenes that I feel like I've always wanted but never knew to ask for (I'm thinking of one particularly amazing scene with Alfred). What doesn't work for me as much is some of the main plot points and inclusion of some characters. While I really liked the overall story and its progression, the way that it was rolled out felt a bit messy at times and characters seemed to just disappear from the story completely or appear without the sort of impact that I think King was going for. Also, the second to last issue of this book had a couple moments of dialogue that were just very cringy and the pacing was a bit disastrous making me feel like that issue was rushed out.
Otherwise, I had a good time with this and I like where it's taking the character of Batman. Looking forward to continuing this run in the next volume!