Would You Love Me? I'd Love Me, I'd Love Me Hard
Written By: Tom King
Art By: Mikel Janin, June Chung, Clayton Cowles
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: February 21, 2018
*Non Spoilers and Score At The Bottom*
Now that we're done playing with our Super Friends, it looks like we're finally going to get back into Batman going after super villains and actually being Batman and I like that idea just fine and have been wanting this to happen for awhile, but since Tom King has decided that stories are overrated when compared to spread pages and repeating dialog.......... I'm guessing that I better start being careful what I wish for. Let's jump into this issue that's all about Poison Ivy breaking bad and see how it makes sense to the Batgirl and the Birds of Prey continuity and the fact that Ivy and Catwoman are good friends. Let's check it out.
Explain It!:
Our issue begins with Bruce Wayne waking from a dream about Poison Ivy and once he leans over and hears Selina repeat what was going on in his dream, our hero acts. That's right, it's time to beat Alfred down, who's already affected, get to the Batcave and inoculate Selina, who followed him down to stop him and himself against Ivy's mental attack.
Somehow, even though Bruce and Selina then passed out in the Batcave, they awaken in their bed, wearing their costumes and are told through Alfred, who's now completely under Ivy's control and is being used as a speaker for the villain that she has taken over everyone in the world by tapping into the Green and the only reason that Batman and Catwoman aren't affected is because Batman acted so fast.
As our issue closes, we find out that with Ivy being in everyone's head she now knows everything about everything and that our heroes are the last line of defense, even though there doesn't seem to be any defense against this attack.
That's it for this issue of Batman and goddamn was that a short ass "Explain It!" because really, this is four pages of story spread out over twenty pages with just spread pages and repeating dialog throughout that really doesn't do anything. The art in this issue is as fantastic as you've come to expect from this title, but like most issues of this run........ there's just nothing here. Hell, it even goes out of its way to ruin other continuity, where Ivy's been working with the Birds of Prey as a hero and doesn't even bring up Catwoman and Ivy's friendship. Like usual, this is just Tom King doing Tom King things in his own Tom King Universe and where a story like this should feel like a big deal........ for how padded out it is and how little we get out of it...... it's just the next installment of nothing that we've been getting for so long now.
Bits and Pieces:
Poison Ivy makes her villain debut in Tom King's run of Batman, even though she's not a villain in other books and with that...She's just a villain. Nothing really happens in this issue and it takes twenty pages to tell four pages of exposition and setup. The art is great, but like normal, there isn't much going on here.
4.5/10
I recently discovered your reviews (thanks to comicbookroundup) and I must say I love how you aren't like everyone else and give this book all the high praise just because Tom King's name is attached to it. I've been a Batman fan ever since I can remember and this entire run (imo) is all show and no go. The repeated dialogue alone makes it very hard to read without cringing. I hate to say it but I am very close to dropping it. I'm going to stick around and see how the Wedding plays out but my god it's going to be hard. Definitely a fan of your reviews! Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteThanks!!! Yea, I am about at wits end myself. I liked the I am Gotham arc a lot, but it really has been downhill since and King is getting more and more praise for giving readers less and less story. I don't get it! Now...you have to start listening to the podcast and hear us really lose our minds over things
DeleteLuckily, Batman will survive Tom King's horrible writing.
ReplyDeletebatman will survive us all Travis!
DeleteBurst out laughing when Batman nearly decked Alfred for a second time, like what in the holy hell is going on LMAO
ReplyDeletehe is always half-cocked!
DeleteI wish Tom King would rejoin the CIA and get the hell off this book
ReplyDeleteGreat review again. It is so good to see someone really saying the bad things about King's run. Most people just love it and i really don't get it.
ReplyDeleteEric Shea is a shining light!
DeleteIt really bothers me that Ivy says Bruce can't reverse what is already done to people, but we see him do exactly that to Selina earlier in the issue. She was going to attack him and he gave her a serum reversing whatever was done to her...
ReplyDeleteKing just needed the Selina moment but also needed her to not be one of the controlled, so just throw it in and hope nobody notices.
I'm glad you explained this, because it left me confused
ReplyDeletelol! So much (but so little) nonsense
DeleteThe art on this book is amazing but is just wasted on the poor stories. With 4 pages and I could've told this issue and made it more interesting.
ReplyDeleteagree 100% The art is so good, but somehow for me, it feels like everyone wants to be doing something and can't because of the script...I know it's insane, but it knocks it down a tiny bit because of that
DeleteI liked this issue. I would much prefer Ivy to be a hero and I don't like her being a killer, but I rather like stories in which a character with godlike abilities actually manages to stop all conflict on Earth. She has put everyone under her spell, but it seems that in doing so she has actually created a world of peace.
ReplyDeleteI am at the point that if I don't hate a Tom King script, then I call it a win. However, there isn't anything going on and if we don't find out the how and why to what Ivy is doing then i am done!
DeleteI don't think we're going to get any more "how". Just that she made a chemical that made everyone loving and can magically influence people through the Green.
DeleteWe may or may not get some more of the "why". It might just be as simple as her wanting to create a perfect world in her eyes. :/
Gonna see if this comment sticks or goes to spam using a different browser...
ReplyDeleteEveryone else gives a 10/10, Weird Science a 4.5. What a surprise...
It's not a review, it's clickbait when people see an absurd score on comicbookroundup and therefore you get traffic for your site. Having your own opinion is fine. But a 4.5/10 should be unreadable, close to offensive. Your review pretty much says "this is a decent but not original story" all the words imply a 6-7/10ish rating, lower than normal but a fair and honest review. Then you slap on a 4.5 instead and wait for the clicks to flow in.
You have a right to an opinion, but I have a right to call it stupid. It was a great issue.
I'd like to give you the benefit of the doubt and at least assume this horrible review was intentionally horrible...