Apparently, The Horde Is Everlasting
Written By: Tom King
Art By: Joelle Jones, Jordie Bellaire, Clayton Cowles
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: February 7, 2018
*Non Spoilers and Score At The Bottom*
It's time to finish up the Super Friends arc by getting back to Batman and Wonder Woman fighting for decades in an alternate dimension, where the sins of man-made flesh are relentless in their fight to come into our world............. Somehow........ because it seems that you can only open that door from our side. Nonetheless, Catwoman is losing her mind now that she knows how many years she's been apart from her husband to be in his mind and now it's up to her to get the Gentle Man to replace them. Hopefully, he doesn't lose his nerve after he sees his wife again for the first time in thousands of years. Let's jump into this issue and check it out.
Explain It!:
Our issue begins with Catwoman threatening The Gentle Man so that he'll bring Wonder Woman and Batman back and now that Selina is apparently able to kick the shit out of anyone in the DCU, he better listen to her, which he will, but first he still needs to go visit his wife.
Back in the other dimension, Batman and Wonder Woman don't kiss like the previous cliffhanger would like you to believe and instead go through years where Wonder Woman's dialog is terrible and where they both say over and over again how the horde is everlasting.
In the end, after The Gentle Man sees his wife and the two have a chat about her passing the police academy, he suits back up into this armor, opens the gates and replaces Batman and Wonder Woman. As our issue closes, Selina says that the next time the Gentle Man needs a break, she'll be the one to go with Batman and with that, the heroes go off to have their next adventure............ after Selina finds out the dirt about what Batman and Wonder Woman did over there all alone for all those decades.
That's it for this issue of Batman and like you'd expect from Tom King, he gives us repeating dialog, a Catwoman who can beat up anyone and the bare minimum of storytelling because the most interesting part of this story was the Gentle Man, who we find out nothing about. The art in this issue is pretty damn terrific and like the majority of times in this Batman run, the story is the biggest problem because there are plot holes and barely any writing involved. It seems that as long as Tom King can just say "Bat" and "Cat" in his issues he thinks his job is done and at the end of the day it just makes a really lackluster issue that thankfully has some of the best artists on it so at least we can say that the book looks fantastic, but besides that........ There isn't much to it.
Bits and Pieces:
Our Super Friends arc comes to a close and by the end...Well, we really learn nothing besides for if Batman will cheat on Catwoman and for how interesting the story concept was with the Gentle Man and the dimension full of man's sins manifested, that's not enough. The art looked great, but all in all, the story was just dull and full of the normal King tropes that just pad out of the issue until it's over.
5.3/10
Oh, Mr King you're such a tease!
ReplyDeleteI did wonder whether they'd actually kiss or not. At least we're spared an issue of Bruce and Selina arguing in repeating dialogue. ☺️
I’m curious of the age the Gentle Man And his wife when they started dating. He doesn’t age when at the battle he looks to be upper Thirties. His wife on the other hand appears to be twenty. When was the last time he saw here? Seems like a while ago. I’m going to guess she was fifteen. Also curious as to how a guy can fight off endless hordes by himself when Batman and WW can’t keep going? But yet he can’t take Catwoman?
ReplyDeleteMost annoying issue since Rooftops. "I have fought the horde. I will fight the cat." Go fuck yourself Tom King, this is literally you caring more about your dumbass "cat" name sticking and making a "cool" line then making any kind of decent dialogue. This dude is in limbo fighting for years and he comes out calling her "The Cat"?
ReplyDeleteThis just sucks. Let's put Bruce and Diana's face real close for half the issue and make it be about how they don't go that one step further. It's just stupid.
What a waste of time. I don't consider this a Batmanatman/ Wonder Woman story because I do not see Diana in it. I don't know who this foolish woman is. I do think his using Diana to state something about infidelity is really lazy. There is no sense of any real connection or deep friendship between Batman and Wonder Woman at the end of this arc.I left this arc really disliking this Wonder Woman intensely and almost wished Selina just scratched her eyes out.
ReplyDeleteI felt Diana's tit and I got some
ReplyDeleteI fought the horde and the, the horde won
The critics here are perhaps the only ones immune to King. I am glad I am not alone.
ReplyDeletewe are all not alone!
DeleteTom King writes Batman like he tweets ... Horribly
ReplyDeleteGreat review as always.
ReplyDeleteeric will get a big head if you keep that talk up!
DeleteThis was a weird issue in the fact I enjoyed it but afterwards it just felt hollow. The art was fantastic and some parts made me smile but it doesn't feel like a Batman story, even Bruce doesn't feel like Batman anymore! Why was Batman even needed to help Diana? Gentle Man is just human but Diana is a Demi-God, so she really didn't need Bruce's help and he only served as a plot device.
ReplyDeleteAh well, I've filed it away in my best forgetton stories file.
I find Tom King's stories don't do well after looking at them closely. They are based on big "wow" moments. but if they fail, the cracks really begin to show. You are right about Diana and there are so many other things...how did the Gentle Man contact them? Why do you need to fight off the demons if the doorway can only be opened from Earth's side? If we are meant to believe that Bruce and Diana weren't aware of the time paradox going on, why aren't they surprised when they come out and see catwoman? Plus, stuff like Batman almost saying to tell the Gentle Man to go stick it if he comes a calling again seems so un-Batman like!
DeleteSay what you will about the story and King’s dialogue but the art was perfect. For me being “bad but not to bad” hits home for when I first started dating my wife. Tried so hard to be good and thought I was because certain lines were not crossed... Gettimg a ride home from a stripper, Kitty Cat, seemed like the responsible thing to do when too drunk to drive home. Looking back that really wasn’t the responsible thing to do but I learned and will still learning things the hard way ever since. Great issue Tom King and crew!!
ReplyDeleteThis is a comic book. It has pages, art, staples, and words.
ReplyDelete