So… This concept of progressing a story… I’d love to see it happen at some point… This issue doesn’t really offer us anything more than, “Batman wakes up, makes threats to Bane, and punches people as he walks out of Arkham Asylum.” So, not only does it not give us anything new, but it’s executed…

In this chapter of Batman, we get the return of naked Bane. I’m going to try my best to prevent from sounding like a broken record here, but after weeks of providing commentary on “Knightmares,” it’s becoming more and more difficult to do so when I’m forced to critically discuss a story that does nothing…

This arc may contain Batman’s “Knightmares,” but I can’t help but feel that they’re actually my nightmares. Tom King wraps up “Knightmares,” his self-proclaimed “arc of one-shots” with this issue. Based on that description alone, I’d hoped that we would get some type of zinger or reveal that would make this feel like an actual…

Tom King makes the absolute best of derivation in this 5th installment of the endless “Knightmares” saga. Do yourselves a favor and just forget about all 66 issues leading up to this one for a moment: just flip through the pages divorced of all the baggage that precedes this and all the still-unanswered questions. Because…

  With “Knightmares: Cat”, Tom King returns to bring us more of our previously scheduled Batman Psychodrama. The label utterly fits: this week’s episode is nothing if not ongoing theatrical therapy. I say that and it sounds like a criticism, but to be honest, I kind of liked this issue if for no other reason…

Joshua Williamson’s “Price” arc continues toward it’s book-jumping crossover conclusion with a chapter titled “The Price of Vengeance” in which payment for Gotham Girl starts coming due. I’m just going to leap right in here and say there’s an incredibly disconcerting contradiction in this story and it needs calling out. Flash and Batman are under…

We interrupt Tom King's “Nightmare” arc to bring you the first of a four part story from writer Joshua Williamson and artist Guillem March. So just put the King digression on hold for a fresh digression about the Justice League taking on the Amazo Justice League in a battle of brawn that not only has…

I always look forward to an appearance by John Constantine. [spoiler]Would’ve been awesome if he’d actually shown up.[/spoiler] Tom King continues to try our patience with his Nightmares arc in an issue called “Smoke and Mirrors” which is essentially that: a whole of nothing made out to be something, but proving immaterial in the end.…

Batman has bad dreams. This is one of them. Here’s the thing. I’ll be the first person to complain about boring rote fan service or books that don’t take chances (though I equally have no problem with “safe” stories done well). In a weird way this book irritates me less than, say, the now-notorious Batman…

Before I say anything else, I just want to give a rousing round of applause to Francesco Mattina for an outstanding poster-worthy variant cover. And maybe that’s the best place to start with reviewing this book because the art makes the issue this week, with both the variant cover and Travis Moore’s crisp interiors. We’re…

This title of this book is a bit of spoiler, but I think most of us could see it coming once the themes in Tom Taylor’s “Father’s Day” become apparent. If ever there was a love letter to Batman and especially to the relationship between Batman and Alfred, this is it. Taylor has explored similar…

Every time I think King’s run has gotten as overheated as it can get, King manages to push it even farther. Maybe some fans like this direction (shout out if you do; I’m genuinely curious), but I think this particular arc is leaking like a sieve from entirely too much plot nonsense. To wit: It’s…

This second installment of Tom King’s “The Tyrant Wing” may be one of those issues that can be better appreciated from the distance of seeing how all of this will ultimately play out. As a single floppy, though, it’s likely to spark some controversy. Given King’s preoccupation with attempting to subvert the readers’ expectations, however,…

We see just about a little of everything in this one: Arkham Asylum, Wayne Manor, the Batcave, the rooftop where Batman and Gordon have their little tet-a-tets, the at-long-last reveal of the Big Bad we’ve been anticipating forever by now, and rolled into all of that, plenty of action, pathos, and nice character moments. Once…

Tom King concludes “Beasts of Burden” with a simple, but satisfying final confrontation between the Dark Knight and the Russian hitman who shot Dick Grayson. Your mileage may vary according to your hopes and expectations, but I loved this. Storywise there’s not much to say without spoiling the whole book. I didn't even include any…

James Robinson follows up his solitary man with “An Optimistic Man” in part two of his “Deface the Face” arc.  In case anyone is wondering up front, the events of Batman no. 55 do not touch this story--yet. Batman is still trying to figure out who is behind the dual-Firefly mischief. Who could it be?…

I don’t want to get too excited about the developments in this book, but with “Beast of Burden” (Part 1), we definitely have an opportunity for Tom King to pull a true game-changer--as opposed to that wedding silliness from which many of us are still reeling (in the not-good way). Your non-spoiler blurb: GET THIS…