Batman #85 Review
Writer – Tom King
Art - Mikel Janin & Hugo Petrus
Colors – Jordie Bellaire
Letters – Clayton Cowles
Publisher – DC Comics
Well, here we are. The end of Tom King’s run on Batman that started all the way back with Rebirth number one. It’s been one heck of a journey, with some stories being a lot better then others but overall, Tom King has given us some truly amazing Batman stories and will go down as one of the best to ever write the character. I think he may also always be known as the writer who angered millions of Batman fans by killing off Batman’s trusty Butler Alfred, but we won’t focus on that right now. It’s been fun reading and reviewing King’s run and hearing the input from all of you guys on your thoughts of the story. While it is sad that this is his last, it also is exciting moving forward knowing that James Tynion IV is ready to step up to the plate and give us a fresh spin on the series and take us a new direction.
Batman number 85 takes us right back into the middle of Bruce and Thomas Wayne’s showdown after the last issue took us away from the main story to answer some questions that were still looming. This issue also bounces us around a little bit, but shows us some intimates details that happened during the run and gives us a personal look at the relationship between Batman and Catwoman. While there are some really memorable moments in this issue, I was really let down by it beings that it was the finale of City of Bane, I really expected some big event or battle or a climax of some sort and we get none of the above. I really feel like King could have given us so much more and had some kind of epic showdown for the finale but unfortunately it came up very very short. There are some great dialogues in this issue from Bruce and some unforgettable quotes that make this issue enjoyable, but still made me feel empty after reading it.
Now where the writing does fall short for this issue, Mikel Janin &bHugo Petrus do a great job making sure at least the art is up to par for a final story. There is some amazing panel work in this issue and some stunning character art. In this issue, we see a lot more of Bruce as Batman and the detail in Janin's Batman drawings are just stunning. Whether it’s a close up of Batman’s face and cowl ,or a full body drawing, the art does not lack any detail. The colors are also all done beautifully, really bringing the characters and backgrounds to life and helping create one fluid art piece. There are no instances of over inking or color bleeding and the creative team did an awesome job of working together to make one eye pleasing issue.
I really was hoping for more from King with this one because in previous issues of the City of Bane story line there have been times where he has really shown and proved he deserved to be the head writer of Batman and I feel maybe since he knew he was at the end, he just did the minimum to finish the story up. It is still an issue worth reading because of the intimate side details, but if you are looking for an epic action packed finale, you will not find it here. Hopefully moving on, Tynion will give us something more to help ease us off of this story and keep us hooked into the rest of the series until he finishes it out with issue #100. Batman #85 is available today, so head to your local Comic Shop today and pick it up! Let me know what you thought about this final issue in the comments section below!
--Wes Greer
Art - Mikel Janin & Hugo Petrus
Colors – Jordie Bellaire
Letters – Clayton Cowles
Publisher – DC Comics
Well, here we are. The end of Tom King’s run on Batman that started all the way back with Rebirth number one. It’s been one heck of a journey, with some stories being a lot better then others but overall, Tom King has given us some truly amazing Batman stories and will go down as one of the best to ever write the character. I think he may also always be known as the writer who angered millions of Batman fans by killing off Batman’s trusty Butler Alfred, but we won’t focus on that right now. It’s been fun reading and reviewing King’s run and hearing the input from all of you guys on your thoughts of the story. While it is sad that this is his last, it also is exciting moving forward knowing that James Tynion IV is ready to step up to the plate and give us a fresh spin on the series and take us a new direction.
Batman number 85 takes us right back into the middle of Bruce and Thomas Wayne’s showdown after the last issue took us away from the main story to answer some questions that were still looming. This issue also bounces us around a little bit, but shows us some intimates details that happened during the run and gives us a personal look at the relationship between Batman and Catwoman. While there are some really memorable moments in this issue, I was really let down by it beings that it was the finale of City of Bane, I really expected some big event or battle or a climax of some sort and we get none of the above. I really feel like King could have given us so much more and had some kind of epic showdown for the finale but unfortunately it came up very very short. There are some great dialogues in this issue from Bruce and some unforgettable quotes that make this issue enjoyable, but still made me feel empty after reading it.
Now where the writing does fall short for this issue, Mikel Janin &bHugo Petrus do a great job making sure at least the art is up to par for a final story. There is some amazing panel work in this issue and some stunning character art. In this issue, we see a lot more of Bruce as Batman and the detail in Janin's Batman drawings are just stunning. Whether it’s a close up of Batman’s face and cowl ,or a full body drawing, the art does not lack any detail. The colors are also all done beautifully, really bringing the characters and backgrounds to life and helping create one fluid art piece. There are no instances of over inking or color bleeding and the creative team did an awesome job of working together to make one eye pleasing issue.
I really was hoping for more from King with this one because in previous issues of the City of Bane story line there have been times where he has really shown and proved he deserved to be the head writer of Batman and I feel maybe since he knew he was at the end, he just did the minimum to finish the story up. It is still an issue worth reading because of the intimate side details, but if you are looking for an epic action packed finale, you will not find it here. Hopefully moving on, Tynion will give us something more to help ease us off of this story and keep us hooked into the rest of the series until he finishes it out with issue #100. Batman #85 is available today, so head to your local Comic Shop today and pick it up! Let me know what you thought about this final issue in the comments section below!
--Wes Greer
A Look Inside
