Zur_En_Arrh

I jumped ship on the Tom King run back when the Monster Man event started and man, am I glad I did, obviously, you may be able to tell from my handle my favorite Bat books haven't been the most popular, but this crap that's running now, I don't know how it got cleared!

He is! Read the latest collection of The Vision from Marvel, or Grayson: Agent of Spiral, or the excellent Omega Man mini series from earlier this year. This is the crux of my confusion. I've loved almost everything else he's written.

http://io9.gizmodo.com/batman-s-about-to-start-unraveling-dc-rebirth-s-watchme-1787749224

I know, I know, ugh Gawker media link, but this interview with King sheds a little more light on his intentions and plans. As people mentioned here, he explains his logic behind bringing a bunch of old villains back, such as Kite man and Stingaree saying Batman villains look funny till you realize what their doing is so scary. I can buy the intent, but their not scary if you don't write them well, an so far there hasn't really been anything ominous or memorable about these returning villains.

He also mentions the story happening in a "New Continuity" which had me doing a double take, has he not been told its a soft reboot? And mentions not writing Batman's reaction to Tim's death because basically...he doesn't think he'd write it that well.

I don't know...I'll wait for the next arc, but if THIS is the next five years of Batman...

Okay I've made it to issue seven, and I simply can't understand what's gone wrong. Tom King's Vision has to be one of the finest Marvel comics from recent memory, but this Batman run so far has killed my enthusiasm for coming arcs. Why's the dialogue so stilted and/or, ill timed? Why did they spend one issue making the Justice Leauge look like a joke? Why are all these incredibly lame new background villians popping up? (the blimp man, the pirate captain, etc) Why is Alfred so darn snarky? Why the build up to Pyscho Pirate and then no confrontation? Were Gotham and Gotham Girl really the only names they could come up with?

These are all just minor complaints by themselves, but taken together this first arc of King's run has smacked of poor pacing, rushed scripts, and maybe most worrying, a misrepresentation of the character. So far I can buy Batman in Detective Comics and All Star a lot more than what's here, and I'm all for new characters, but dang, the twins had almost no build up, were shattered, and then comforted all too fast for me to care that any of it happened to them, that's not good writing.

I'm thinking its time for me to stop my Batman Subscription for the first time in over ten years.

Thoughts?

http://screenrant.com/dc-rebirth-top-comic-book-sales-july/

The title is un-apologetically click bait in classic bombastic Screen Rant style. But the numbers ARE interesting, I'd say this is every bit thanks to Rebirth going off well, but it may also be a response to a lot of recent let downs by Marvel's comics.

Thoughts?

Wow, I'm really surprised at all the complaints. What happens when an actually bad Batman book hits? This was well written start to what sounds like a creative journey with some actual stakes, great characterization, and glorious action. Its asking some important questions while still moving the story along at a great pace, and unlike any dozen of alter universe takes, its very grounded in current events and themes continuity-wise.

Batman trying something new, and not accepting another Robin really that poor a choice? Anything from Jason's death, to the battle for the Cowl, to Damien's assassination shows why recruiting a robin is becoming more and more a unfair risk to anyone who gets involved. And the Robins have their own movement now, they are their own entity and have grown apart from Batman and his work, though they will always be supportive of it.

*shakes head* truly don't know who opened the hater-aide on this book.

Since we have no new Arkham games on the horizon *sniff* I'll be snapping the disk for this one up as soon as its available. (ironically on my birthday) Thanks a lot for the detailed review Black Arrow!

@elijahbaldwin

If your looking to totally immerse yourself in the Batman Mythology, jb681131's above list is impressive and pretty all inclusive. I highly recommend you read them all!

However, its pretty easy to just hop into the current timeline of stories starting with the first New52 volume, The Court of Owls, its a somewhat helpful starting point because DC went ahead and numbered this volume #1 and counted the regular Batman stories from there.

From here you can get through Court of Owls, Death of the Family, Zero Year, Endgame, and SuperHeavy. From here you just jump into the Rebirth Batman comics and your up to date.

Of course, your entitled to your own opinion, but two lines of dialogue was all it took for you to drop the book? Also, considering the trauma Batman went through losing his son and nearly losing his family to the Joker, its entirely possible he's "done" with the idea of Robin, since his recovery he's stronger and more capable than he's been in years (thus his easy dispatching of the bugs) and may be grooming Duke to be something stronger and better than the Robins. Bruce may be considering a proper protege, rather than a sidekick/child dynamic. I think you might be judging the whole thing a tad too harshly considering its only the first issue, and all of Snyder's arcs since the Black Mirror have read better as a whole.

I didn't feel Superheavy (the Gordon and Mr. Bloom arc) fell into secret organization or secret that will change batman forever, so I'd say he can tell more than two stories. Also, most Batman (and comic book writers in general) writers have a couple of themes and neuroses that they always feel they need to cover, I'm willing to let them slide if the story is good, and Snyder has been at his worst incredibly solid, at best a revelation for the Bat, so I'm thinking he'll pull this arc together, I'm hoping Tom King fairs half as well on the regular Batman book.

It's not? Which Superman origin is it supposed to be then? I mean, I thought current superman was from the pre-52 continuity.

In any event, like a lot of Landis productions good ideas, but usually not pulled off well.

I agree with you Hound, and Snyder's Superman made since for the world they'd setup. Also I agree you have to keep an open mind with each interpretation of Superman, or indeed and adaptation or interpretation of any existing character, but it does sound like I'd take issue with some of the basic conceits written into THIS interpretation.

Still, I'm intrigued enough to read it and see what shakes out, I might be pleasantly surprised, I'm just not going to buy it til I've read it.