bimenace's review
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
baggednboarded's review
4.0
Can be a bit romance heavy at times and is for sure of an emotional journey, but it's really well executed. At the end of the day it's a Batman story and it gives you all you'd want from a Batman story.
scotareademall626's review
5.0
Giving this five starts for issue #83 alone. More of a Superman fan, but Batman gets some of the best storylines.
jackphoenix's review
4.0
Tom King once again brings emotional weight equal to the brutality and giving the fans a glimpse of what a pleasure a happy Batman could be to read.
ktothelau's review
4.0
I haven't read enough Batman to claim Tom King's 85-issue run to be one of the best, but I found this to be much more my speed than Scott Snyder's New 52 run. This run never reached a height where I thought, "This is one of the greatest comics I've ever read," but it was consistently a very good read that creates a giant, complete, and comprehensive Batman story focusing on deconstructing, studying, and reconstructing the character in a way I haven't seen other iterations of the character even attempt.
Some of my friends may have seen my reading history and noticed that I'm working my way through Tom King's work. I really love his writing, his sense of character, and his love for the stories he writes. Knowing he's a former CIA agent who's seen combat in Afghanistan, you can see King's worldview sink into the pages of every comic he writes to make them feel unique and personal. Having that uniqueness and personality in a major title such as Batman is mind-boggling to me, especially right after the more commercialized Scott Snyder run. I mean, right off the bat, the first arc is about overcoming survivor's guilt. There are actual themes at play within these pages.
And it all leads to here, City of Bane. Again, nothing here reaches the heights of being one of the best comics ever, but shows what the standard comic could be: a long-form narrative building up to a definitive ending that ties together everything in its entire run to create not only a strong character arc and a heavy shift in status quo, but also show why these characters are as iconic as they are.
Seriously, when Batman says "I'm Batman" here, you believe him because now you know what that means.
I still have some more Tom King comics to collect, and I definitely have more Batman to read, but I really liked this run and can't wait to collect it all as well as the current Batman/Catwoman miniseries.
Some of my friends may have seen my reading history and noticed that I'm working my way through Tom King's work. I really love his writing, his sense of character, and his love for the stories he writes. Knowing he's a former CIA agent who's seen combat in Afghanistan, you can see King's worldview sink into the pages of every comic he writes to make them feel unique and personal. Having that uniqueness and personality in a major title such as Batman is mind-boggling to me, especially right after the more commercialized Scott Snyder run. I mean, right off the bat, the first arc is about overcoming survivor's guilt. There are actual themes at play within these pages.
And it all leads to here, City of Bane. Again, nothing here reaches the heights of being one of the best comics ever, but shows what the standard comic could be: a long-form narrative building up to a definitive ending that ties together everything in its entire run to create not only a strong character arc and a heavy shift in status quo, but also show why these characters are as iconic as they are.
Seriously, when Batman says "I'm Batman" here, you believe him because now you know what that means.
I still have some more Tom King comics to collect, and I definitely have more Batman to read, but I really liked this run and can't wait to collect it all as well as the current Batman/Catwoman miniseries.
mapatchli's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
indeedithappens's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
molspiration's review
3.0
60% | C+ | Good
" Gotham's peaceful now, that's all they care about. Not who's running it or how "
Let me start off by saying that there is a lot going on in this storyline all at once which can make it hard to follow when each event is happening in relation to one another. That being said, one of the best elements of this novel is the juxtaposition between the Bruce and Selina moments and the utter chaos that has unravelled in Gotham City. One moment you are reading about Batcat professing love for one another, the next you are transported to the streets of Gotham where the infamous villains wreck havoc on the citizens in the name of the 'law'.
The way Tom King uses back and forth narratives to tell a story works about 80% of the time in this book, however, the there are times where the story feels disjointed and all over the place. Perhaps this is due to the way it has been compiled, but I'm reading a story which should have a narrative which can be followed, not playing with a jigsaw puzzle where I have to find out where each random piece goes and how it fits together. Some sections feel out of place within the story and I found myself asking what is going on? on more than one occasion. Although this isn't a recurring problem, it is still jarring when the narrative you've been following suddenly has a moment where you no longer understand what is happening before returning to the familiar.
Whilst I enjoyed the read for the most part, I did end up feeling like I wasn't reading the story I had built up in my head which is partly due to the title of the collection which makes it seem like you'll be reading a Bane centric story. Bane is present, and there are some nice call-backs - accentuated by the wonderful art - to the 'Bane breaks the Bat's back' moment, but this is very much a Thomas Wayne centred story. It's a shame that there is such a focus on Flashpoint Batman as I would have loved to have seen more about Bane actually running Gotham. Batman and Bane barely share any pages together which makes the title and cover art that much more confusing.
" Gotham's peaceful now, that's all they care about. Not who's running it or how "
Bruce Wayne is beaten, and the city of Gotham has fallen into the hands of Bane and the new ( Flashpoint ) Batman. With the help of Selina Kyle, Bruce must regain his strength and take his city back before there are irreversible consequences on both a city wide and personal level
Let me start off by saying that there is a lot going on in this storyline all at once which can make it hard to follow when each event is happening in relation to one another. That being said, one of the best elements of this novel is the juxtaposition between the Bruce and Selina moments and the utter chaos that has unravelled in Gotham City. One moment you are reading about Batcat professing love for one another, the next you are transported to the streets of Gotham where the infamous villains wreck havoc on the citizens in the name of the 'law'.
The way Tom King uses back and forth narratives to tell a story works about 80% of the time in this book, however, the there are times where the story feels disjointed and all over the place. Perhaps this is due to the way it has been compiled, but I'm reading a story which should have a narrative which can be followed, not playing with a jigsaw puzzle where I have to find out where each random piece goes and how it fits together. Some sections feel out of place within the story and I found myself asking what is going on? on more than one occasion. Although this isn't a recurring problem, it is still jarring when the narrative you've been following suddenly has a moment where you no longer understand what is happening before returning to the familiar.
Whilst I enjoyed the read for the most part, I did end up feeling like I wasn't reading the story I had built up in my head which is partly due to the title of the collection which makes it seem like you'll be reading a Bane centric story. Bane is present, and there are some nice call-backs - accentuated by the wonderful art - to the 'Bane breaks the Bat's back' moment, but this is very much a Thomas Wayne centred story. It's a shame that there is such a focus on Flashpoint Batman as I would have loved to have seen more about Bane actually running Gotham. Batman and Bane barely share any pages together which makes the title and cover art that much more confusing.
addyronnie's review
3.0
I preordered this on a whim, thought it would dive into the character of Bane more, maybe explore how the comic book version would rule Gotham compared to Nolan’s version. I was wrong. There is barely any Bane in “The City of Bane.” Maybe 3-4 short scenes if you include parts where it’s just his voiceover. Thomas Wayne is the real villain. 2.5 stars