Batman #69 Review

Ding Ding

Writer: Tom King
Artist: Yanick Paquette
Publisher: DC Comics
Release Date: April 17, 2019
Cover Price: $3.99

Well, the Knightmares arc is finally coming to an end and while I am looking for a lot of questions to be answered, I am also looking for them to make sense and push us forward into some sort of story.  This book has been stuck in neutral for a bit now, but that can all change this week and that has me excited.



After last issue's cliffhanger, I was a little upset to see Batman still in the world of his Knightmares, but it makes sense.  He is there with Selina (of the mind) and Yanick Paquette's art looks gorgeous.  Right from the start, though, Tom King relies once again on a big moment from his run to get things going and I am once again reminded that nothing has gone on in this book for too long. 

I know that a whole lot of people were upset that Tom King pulled the rug from under the wedding, but to spend this much time and effort to apologize is ridiculous.  It also leaves readers who just want to move on with a story all alone, twiddling their thumbs.

We then move on to something that every reader of this book should be excited about...Bane and Thomas Wayne!  Since the ending of #50, I have been patiently waiting for some answers as to the how and why surrounding Thomas Wayne, but after this scene, I have another question...why is Bane always naked in this book?!?  Here he is naked wrestling and it made me laugh out loud for all the wrong reasons!  I'm glad I was laughing because I should have been furious at just another scene that gave us nothing else!

Back in Bruce's head, we take another artistic walk down memory lane with Bat and Cat that looks fantastic, but after seeing this so many times in this run, it doesn't have quite the impact it should.  This is intercut with more Bane and Thomas fighting and in the end we do get some answers.  The problem is that the big reveals are things we already know (Batman is stuck in his Knightmares), things that make no sense (to defeat the fear toxin you have to get really, really scared), and things that feel like a justification for wasting our time for months

After all of these Knightmares, Tom King's handholding explanation read like someone trying to figure out how to make something work after the fact and when all is revealed, there is no lightbulb over the head moment that makes all the issues before this one suddenly better like an M. Night twist does.  In fact, when Batman tells Selina and the reader the solution to the current problem, I almost yelled, "Why didn't you just do what you had to do 4 issues ago and spare us from this nonsense!"

At least we got some answers and that is more of a surprise than it should be.  It also means we can close this chapter and hopefully get on with something new.  This issue didn't make things worse, I just was hoping it would make it a lot better.  It didn't.

Like I said earlier, Paquette's art is great this entire issue.  One thing that has been bothering me lately, though, is the feeling that the art in this run often comes off more as pin-up art and that's how I feel once again here.  Tom King's sparse script does let the artist explore the space if you will, but it oftentimes feels detached from the story being told.

Bits and Pieces:

The Knightmares are over and that is cause for celebration all on its own!  Tom King does give some answers here, but it's wrapped up in a been there done that feeling issue that wasn't as satisfying as it should have been. 

5.1/10