Batman #82 Review

Writer – Tom King
Art –  Mikel Janin
Release Daye – 11/6/19
Cover Price $3.99


It’s hard to believe that we are already almost at the end of Tom Kong’s run with Batman. There has been a lot of mixed emotions when it comes to Kings run and I know a lot of fans are counting down the days until James Tynion IV gets his shot but I still feel like when it’s all said and done, King’s version will remain one of the better runs of Batman we have had and it’s because when he shines in a story he shines! This issue also has a really cool acetate cover. If you don’t know what acetate is, it’s a plastic cover that makes the image look like one thing but when you open it, it reveals a second image behind the first one. This one reveals Bat-Dad pulling on Bane’s strings like a puppet master and is just awesome. This issue also comes in a cardstock Variant cover.

Batman #82 is a prime example of King putting his all in and shining. My review for the last issue wasn’t anything special and that’s because the last issue was kind of just filler material to get us to this one. This issue is one of King’s best in a while and really got me hooked into the story and right from page one, we are given the action we have been waiting for! To begin the story we thrown right into the middle of a showdown between Brice Wayne and Bane, who have both agreed to a clean fight with Batman stripping down to his super hero rights and Bane unmasked and in-tubed. A real old-school Bare-knuckle boxing match. The fight is very suspenseful and the two characters both have their own surprises for each other and when it gets down to the end, a huge event throws everything off and we are left wondering what is next from our mysterious Bat-Dad, Thomas Wayne and what has been his plan all along? Still no real clue on how Thomas survived Flashpoint or what he is really doing, but we do get a glimpse that he has a broader plan for his son Bruce and Bane and for all of Gotham City.

For this issue we also get some new fresh art from Mikel Janin. Janin’s work throughout this entire issue is stunning and is a nice new style to the Batman series. Throughout this issue there are a lot of close ups on the characters faces all of which have different expressions and Janin has done a beautiful job with the details in each character face and it really shows that he took his time to be sure to help sell the dramatics of the story. His shapes and defining edges are all smooth and there is not one panel I can find that would separate it from the rest of the book. His character profiles are stunning and overall his work goes hand in hand with bringing this story to life.

After reading this one, I am actually excited to read the final ones to find out the date of our current heroes in Gotham as well as how Thomas survived Flashpoint and why he has set all these things in motion to destroy his own son, who in his universe is the reason he became Batman in the first place. Is he truly evil or is there a huge twist we don’t see coming yet? It’s been awhile since I’ve been excited to read the next issue of this series and it is a great feeling to have back again!

If you have kept up with this series and have been waiting for some kind of exciting action, this is the one! Make sure you do not miss out on this one. Batman 82 is available as of today, so head down to your local comic shop or purchase it through your favorite online retailer and be prepared to get pumped. Just do me a favor and stay away from that venom stuff. I’ve heard it’s not good for you!

-Wes Greer