There are times when Tom King's Batman is so well-executed and haunting that it's easy to picture this 100-issue story ranking among the best Batman runs ever published when all is said and done. Other times, questionable storytelling choices rear themselves and remind us that this book is not without some significant flaws. Unfortunately, the flaws have been cropping up a bit too often in recent months. Do we need to be worried about the general direction of the series post-wedding?
Focusing on the positives first, issue #57 introduces what may well be the most unique and enjoyable stylistic flourish yet. Artist Tony Daniel is joined by guest artist Mark Buckingham (of Fables fame). Even as Daniel continues rendering the epic confrontation between Batman and KGBeast, Buckingham is called upon to depict a fairy tale bedtime story being read to a young boy (whether this boy is a young Bruce Wayne or a young Anatoli Knyazev is made purposely unclear). These fairy tale scenes make for a wonderfully bizarre interlude from the main tale, full of bright, pastel colors and cheerful, cartoonish animals. Naturally, there's a far darker undercurrent to the fairy tale that becomes apparent, with the result that the cheerful visuals become even more ironic and surreal.
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Focusing on the positives first, issue #57 introduces what may well be the most unique and enjoyable stylistic flourish yet. Artist Tony Daniel is joined by guest artist Mark Buckingham (of Fables fame). Even as Daniel continues rendering the epic confrontation between Batman and KGBeast, Buckingham is called upon to depict a fairy tale bedtime story being read to a young boy (whether this boy is a young Bruce Wayne or a young Anatoli Knyazev is made purposely unclear). These fairy tale scenes make for a wonderfully bizarre interlude from the main tale, full of bright, pastel colors and cheerful, cartoonish animals. Naturally, there's a far darker undercurrent to the fairy tale that becomes apparent, with the result that the cheerful visuals become even more ironic and surreal.
Continue reading…
Continue reading...