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starfleeting's review against another edition
3.0
Give me less naked Bane and more naked Bruce and Selina pls.
I love the fanservice (obviously) and the story is still interesting enough to make me want to check out more of the series, but it's not really doing anything to truly WOW me yet. Hopefully that'll change as I keep reading.
I love the fanservice (obviously) and the story is still interesting enough to make me want to check out more of the series, but it's not really doing anything to truly WOW me yet. Hopefully that'll change as I keep reading.
madelynhope's review against another edition
3.0
full volume - 3.5
bane - 3.5
rooftops - 4
selina kyle <3 bruce wayne <3
bane - 3.5
rooftops - 4
selina kyle <3 bruce wayne <3
unladylike's review against another edition
3.0
Seeing Batman forced to assemble a team of incarcerated criminal patients from Arkham and do dirty work for Amanda Waller (just one of two major references to the Suicide title) was fascinating. Punch and Jewelee (presumably inspired by the old UK-originated Punch and Judy, but their personalities and narratives more closely resemble a less evil Joker and Harley Quinn) stand out and serve up clever comic relief amidst a chaotic mission that waits quite a while to reveal itself.
Catwoman is the real wildcard here, and brings the most interesting, dynamic, and intimate character arc to the story. She's on death row for the murder of 237 people, and I was immediately confused as to whether I needed to look up some context from previous issues (or, more likely, another DC title), but Tom King keeps the pertinent parts of the story hidden until the appropriate time. The final two issues of this TPB focus exclusively on one "last" night of Batman and Catwoman doing what they do best together before he's to personally bring her back in to prison. It's a tender and believable short story that we don't get to see often in Batman, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
What's less believable - and what kept me from giving this 4 stars - is some of the punishment and deadly odds Batman faces as he illegally invades Bane's sovereign prison nation to extract the captured and exploited Psycho Pirate. Having played all of the Arkham video games and watched/read a LOT of Batman over the past few decades, I feel like I have a good idea of what he can and cannot do. His skills and advantage lie in controlling the battleground and avoiding being overpowered by a trained and armed mob. If you've played any of the aforementioned video games, you know that success in combat relies on stealth and the ability to swing away when there are just too many charging thugs and snipers. And if you're familiar with one of the most famous trials Batman has faced, you know Bane broke Batman's back over his knee years ago, putting him out of commission for a long time. Bruce Wayne is tough as nails, but he *does* have his breaking point, and that aspect of vulnerability makes him more compelling as a hero. So I was upset by the amount of suspension of disbelief required when we see Bats apparently get his back broken again by Bane, only to be back at full strength and function moments later. And just a page or two after that, he's wading up out of some drainage pipe towards a phalanx of Bane's soldiers, all firing assault rifles on him, and he's completely unscathed. Stuff like that bothers me a bit, even though I know the rules of this kind of genre.
I hope none of the things I mentioned were too spoiler-ish! Let me know if you think I need to hide something.
Catwoman is the real wildcard here, and brings the most interesting, dynamic, and intimate character arc to the story. She's on death row for the murder of 237 people, and I was immediately confused as to whether I needed to look up some context from previous issues (or, more likely, another DC title), but Tom King keeps the pertinent parts of the story hidden until the appropriate time. The final two issues of this TPB focus exclusively on one "last" night of Batman and Catwoman doing what they do best together before he's to personally bring her back in to prison. It's a tender and believable short story that we don't get to see often in Batman, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
What's less believable - and what kept me from giving this 4 stars - is some of the punishment and deadly odds Batman faces as he illegally invades Bane's sovereign prison nation to extract the captured and exploited Psycho Pirate. Having played all of the Arkham video games and watched/read a LOT of Batman over the past few decades, I feel like I have a good idea of what he can and cannot do. His skills and advantage lie in controlling the battleground and avoiding being overpowered by a trained and armed mob. If you've played any of the aforementioned video games, you know that success in combat relies on stealth and the ability to swing away when there are just too many charging thugs and snipers. And if you're familiar with one of the most famous trials Batman has faced, you know Bane broke Batman's back over his knee years ago, putting him out of commission for a long time. Bruce Wayne is tough as nails, but he *does* have his breaking point, and that aspect of vulnerability makes him more compelling as a hero. So I was upset by the amount of suspension of disbelief required when we see Bats apparently get his back broken again by Bane, only to be back at full strength and function moments later. And just a page or two after that, he's wading up out of some drainage pipe towards a phalanx of Bane's soldiers, all firing assault rifles on him, and he's completely unscathed. Stuff like that bothers me a bit, even though I know the rules of this kind of genre.
I hope none of the things I mentioned were too spoiler-ish! Let me know if you think I need to hide something.
daileyxplanet's review against another edition
4.0
I definitely like this trade better. Doesn't feel like King is in Snyder's shadow so much. Batman is dealing with Bane, but just as much dealing with Catwoman. Definitely look forward to reading even more.
stormblessed4's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
blairconrad's review against another edition
3.0
Most of it was a confusing mixup, and I am surprised the clown twins exist.
The Bat-Man bits were the high points of the book, and it would've been stronger had that been all there was.
The Bat-Man
Spoiler
Cat-womandkrael's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
mazloum's review against another edition
3.0
Honestly only largely redeemed by the Rooftops arc between Batman and Catwoman. Otherwise the Bane stuff is silly.