jekutree's review against another edition
3.0
I Am Gotham seemed a bit aimless and having two tie ins to a larger storyline not collected here are definitely not highlights, but I Am Suicide is good enough to save the book.
jekutree's review against another edition
4.0
Closer to 3.5 stars than a 4.
Has some amazing moments and I’m overall impressed with King, but I really can’t get into Mikel Janín. Not a fan of how his characters look like 3D video game models.
Brave and the Mold is still amazing and War of Jokes and Riddles for sure had it’s moments. I liked I Am Bane too.
Has some amazing moments and I’m overall impressed with King, but I really can’t get into Mikel Janín. Not a fan of how his characters look like 3D video game models.
Brave and the Mold is still amazing and War of Jokes and Riddles for sure had it’s moments. I liked I Am Bane too.
bru_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
denjikamato's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
ashleylm's review against another edition
3.0
Can barely remember it. Was trying to get back into comics through the Comixology app. Had tried during the new 52 reboot (which I found terribly confusing, the series' were set in different time periods). I think the key (for us elders) is to pick one title, read the series, possibly reading a few others if your favourite character gets caught in a crossover, but trying to keep up with all the series at once, especially after the fact, made for an uncomfortable reading experience.
(Note: I'm a writer, so I suffer when I offer fewer than five stars. But these aren't ratings of quality, they're a subjective account of how much I liked the book: 5* = an unalloyed pleasure from start to finish, 4* = enjoyed it, 3* = readable but not thrilling, 2* = disappointing, and 1* = hated it.)
(Note: I'm a writer, so I suffer when I offer fewer than five stars. But these aren't ratings of quality, they're a subjective account of how much I liked the book: 5* = an unalloyed pleasure from start to finish, 4* = enjoyed it, 3* = readable but not thrilling, 2* = disappointing, and 1* = hated it.)
sodope's review against another edition
4.0
This book will be rated per arc.
I am Gotham,| 5/5 |: This is a great arc, it introduces some new heroes at Gotham, Gotham and Gotham girl, they were "cretated" after Hank and his parents were assaulted, and Batman saved them, he grew up with the idea of being a super hero and so his sister, the arc has a tragic end for Gotham Girl.
Night of the Monsters men| 3.5/5 ¦: *This arc is not complete, if you wanna go the whole run, get the comic "Night of the monsters men", after this being said, it won't be rated until I fully read it.
I am suicide, | 4/5 |: In this arc, Batman wants to save Gotham Girl from the "charm" that the Psycho Pirate put on her, the thing is that he is with Bane at Santa Prisca's, Batman needs some help so he goes to Arkham and free Selina Kyle, and some others.
Rooftops, | 3/5 |: This is the epilogue to the previous arc, in here we can see the love between Batman and Catwoman, it is a brief arc.
I am Gotham,| 5/5 |: This is a great arc, it introduces some new heroes at Gotham, Gotham and Gotham girl, they were "cretated" after Hank and his parents were assaulted, and Batman saved them, he grew up with the idea of being a super hero and so his sister, the arc has a tragic end for Gotham Girl.
Night of the Monsters men| 3.5/5 ¦: *This arc is not complete, if you wanna go the whole run, get the comic "Night of the monsters men", after this being said, it won't be rated until I fully read it.
I am suicide, | 4/5 |: In this arc, Batman wants to save Gotham Girl from the "charm" that the Psycho Pirate put on her, the thing is that he is with Bane at Santa Prisca's, Batman needs some help so he goes to Arkham and free Selina Kyle, and some others.
Rooftops, | 3/5 |: This is the epilogue to the previous arc, in here we can see the love between Batman and Catwoman, it is a brief arc.
cleheny's review against another edition
3.0
I don't read many Batman comics, in part because I think writers fetishize him; he becomes super-human in his intelligence, physical abilities, and strategic and tactical abilities. But I'd read a lot of good things about Tom King's work on the title, so I decided to check it out.
I don't think King is free from fetishizing Batman; that's most apparent in I Am Suicide arc, in which Batman creates an overly-complicated plan that, of course, goes off without a hitch (even if it seems to have a lot of hitches along the way, and even if Batman is repeatedly beaten to within an inch of his life). Still, it's a clever use of many characters.
Where I think King excels in his exploration of the costs of heroism. The I Am Gotham story is tragic, if somewhat unsatisfying in how and why the tragedy occurs (that basically happens off-page). It's hard to fully sympathize with Gotham and Gotham Girl's plight when we only see the results of what happened to them. I Am Suicide gives a bleaker explanation for Batman's existence, which is an interesting take on the character. I can see how it works to explain Batman, but I'm not sure I'm convinced. I learned of the twist before reading the arc, so I don't know if I would have found it more or less convincing had it been a surprise.
I've never been a big fan of Catwoman, but I liked her here. She's got the appropriate horrific back story, but she comes off as a very good partner for Batman.
I don't think King is free from fetishizing Batman; that's most apparent in I Am Suicide arc, in which Batman creates an overly-complicated plan that, of course, goes off without a hitch (even if it seems to have a lot of hitches along the way, and even if Batman is repeatedly beaten to within an inch of his life). Still, it's a clever use of many characters.
Where I think King excels in his exploration of the costs of heroism. The I Am Gotham story is tragic, if somewhat unsatisfying in how and why the tragedy occurs (that basically happens off-page). It's hard to fully sympathize with Gotham and Gotham Girl's plight when we only see the results of what happened to them. I Am Suicide gives a bleaker explanation for Batman's existence, which is an interesting take on the character. I can see how it works to explain Batman, but I'm not sure I'm convinced. I learned of the twist before reading the arc, so I don't know if I would have found it more or less convincing had it been a surprise.
I've never been a big fan of Catwoman, but I liked her here. She's got the appropriate horrific back story, but she comes off as a very good partner for Batman.
cleheny's review against another edition
2.0
I'd read a lot of praise for Tom King and his run on Batman before all the publicity about the wedding issue, so I looked forward to starting his run. This is probably closer to 2.5 stars than 2, but I find myself disappointed. My disappointment may be the result of disappointed expectations, and perhaps I would enjoy his work more if I hadn't heard so much about it first.
There are times that King is really effective. He gives Bane a background both parallel and dissimilar to Bruce Wayne's. One episode is devoted to contrasting their development and how they connected their choices to the love they felt for their mothers. The origin of Kite Man is poignant and powerful.
But even in those moments, I felt King could and should have done more. For example, in Bruce's conversation with his mother during I Am Bane, King makes clear that Bruce/Batman is the better man because he chose to act from empathy for others, not his own rage and vulnerability. But Bruce, as King depicts, had the much easier life. He was wealthy and had Alfred to love him, while Bane was a child alone in a hellish prison, left in a setting where he was expected to die every day. No one loved him. No one showed the slightest care for him. Why, exactly, would he develop empathy for anyone?
King is very good with the human moments. Most of Bruce and Selina's interactions are genuine and effective. And I love the lunch/dinner meeting that Bruce holds with his "sons."
But I don't like King's tendency to have something major happen off-panel, and without any explanation for how it happened. In the first volume, Gotham's and Gotham Girl's trauma occurs between issues. They went from being optimistic super-beings who want to help Gotham to terror- and despair-ridden super-powered menaces. That dramatic, off-panel change really weakened the climax of the story for me; these characters were just introduced, meaning that the reader is only just beginning to be invested in them, and then, like magic, Gotham is suddenly a (tragic) villain, and Gotham Girl is a dangerously unbalanced mess.
In this volume, most of the recruitment of Joker's and Riddler's villainous armies happens off-panel. It's not clear why these various super-criminals are willing to work in Joker's and Riddler's interests. Further, a critical development in The War of Jokes and Riddles happens between issues. It makes no sense that Batman's plan actually works, unless you buy into King's penultimate reveal, that the War was really about something else all along, and everything managed by one character to achieve an improbable result. I didn't find that twist plausible--it felt over-engineered. I do think that the final reveal, why Bruce tells Selina the story, is well-done, even if I question the internal logic behind the villain's action.
I'll continue reading the series because King is almost-always interesting, and when he's good, he's really good. But I wish the pleasure wasn't so frequently mixed with disappointment.
There are times that King is really effective. He gives Bane a background both parallel and dissimilar to Bruce Wayne's. One episode is devoted to contrasting their development and how they connected their choices to the love they felt for their mothers. The origin of Kite Man is poignant and powerful.
But even in those moments, I felt King could and should have done more. For example, in Bruce's conversation with his mother during I Am Bane, King makes clear that Bruce/Batman is the better man because he chose to act from empathy for others, not his own rage and vulnerability. But Bruce, as King depicts, had the much easier life. He was wealthy and had Alfred to love him, while Bane was a child alone in a hellish prison, left in a setting where he was expected to die every day. No one loved him. No one showed the slightest care for him. Why, exactly, would he develop empathy for anyone?
King is very good with the human moments. Most of Bruce and Selina's interactions are genuine and effective. And I love the lunch/dinner meeting that Bruce holds with his "sons."
But I don't like King's tendency to have something major happen off-panel, and without any explanation for how it happened. In the first volume, Gotham's and Gotham Girl's trauma occurs between issues. They went from being optimistic super-beings who want to help Gotham to terror- and despair-ridden super-powered menaces. That dramatic, off-panel change really weakened the climax of the story for me; these characters were just introduced, meaning that the reader is only just beginning to be invested in them, and then, like magic, Gotham is suddenly a (tragic) villain, and Gotham Girl is a dangerously unbalanced mess.
In this volume, most of the recruitment of Joker's and Riddler's villainous armies happens off-panel. It's not clear why these various super-criminals are willing to work in Joker's and Riddler's interests. Further, a critical development in The War of Jokes and Riddles
Spoiler
Batman joining the Riddler's teamI'll continue reading the series because King is almost-always interesting, and when he's good, he's really good. But I wish the pleasure wasn't so frequently mixed with disappointment.