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krakow54's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
eileenthecrow's review
2.0
the annuals are shit. the rest is alright. honestly, I'm just reading these so that tom king's run will be finally over for me too.
unladylike's review
3.0
This is the first real misstep in Tom King's Batman series that I can think of. Mostly because there are only 3 issues from the core title in this TPB, and I didn't find them to be all that fascinating. It was nice to see a different side of Penguin, but I guessed the "surprise" from his sad tale right away.
The Secret Files short stories aren't drawn particularly well, and the writers are several tiers down from King's caliber. Tom Taylor hands in a good Alfred-centric story to close out the volume, and I'm always excited for the times Pennyworth gets to shine.
The Secret Files short stories aren't drawn particularly well, and the writers are several tiers down from King's caliber. Tom Taylor hands in a good Alfred-centric story to close out the volume, and I'm always excited for the times Pennyworth gets to shine.
luna_rondo's review
3.0
Loved that ending with Alfred and Father's Day, but the middle fell a bit flat for me.
kevinowenkelly's review
3.0
Another uneven half-book.
The first half is a solid arc that begins to tie up the threads opened in the previous volume while laying further traps for Batman down the road, and it does a relatively effective job at it; King finds an interesting voice for Penguin, and manages to stir up some empathy for him in the reader.
The story itself, the insidious threats behind it, are also pretty brilliant, building a compelling case for the possible downfall of the Dark Knight, with a great cliffhanger at the end. I was fully prepared to dive in for more, but the rest of the book is then takes a detour into the largely unrelated Secret Files 1 and Batman Annual 3. It just kind of kills the momentum.
With that said, I did enjoy the extra two issues. The oversized Secret Files opens with a small framing story from King that introduces a thought excercise for readers, where a benign gift from Superman causes Batman to ask himself "Am I enough?" That question hangs over the other vignettes that make up the issue, where a diverse mix of stories and styles reveal some minor flaws or failures in our hero that amplify that question in our head. It's an easy issue to ignore or gloss over, but I think it's a little better than the sum of its parts, particularly if you have the patience to engage with its premise.
Lastly, I have nothing but praise for the third Annual, which shouldn't be surprising given the fact that King has knocked the last two out of the park, particularly the first one. This one is a real tear jerker, so I won't give much away, but it delves into the physical and emotional trials Alfred has endured and continues to endure in Bruce's pursuit to war on crime. Fear not, though, as it's also laden with some really great humor and decent action to keep everything going. Definitely the standout issue in the book.
If all of that sounds like it should make for a higher grade, then I'm there with you, but unlike Secret Files, I don't think that this volume even equals the sum of its parts, let alone surpasses them. It may seem arbitrary, but something is lost in translation in the process of actually reading through this collection.
The first half is a solid arc that begins to tie up the threads opened in the previous volume while laying further traps for Batman down the road, and it does a relatively effective job at it; King finds an interesting voice for Penguin, and manages to stir up some empathy for him in the reader.
The story itself, the insidious threats behind it, are also pretty brilliant, building a compelling case for the possible downfall of the Dark Knight, with a great cliffhanger at the end. I was fully prepared to dive in for more, but the rest of the book is then takes a detour into the largely unrelated Secret Files 1 and Batman Annual 3. It just kind of kills the momentum.
With that said, I did enjoy the extra two issues. The oversized Secret Files opens with a small framing story from King that introduces a thought excercise for readers, where a benign gift from Superman causes Batman to ask himself "Am I enough?" That question hangs over the other vignettes that make up the issue, where a diverse mix of stories and styles reveal some minor flaws or failures in our hero that amplify that question in our head. It's an easy issue to ignore or gloss over, but I think it's a little better than the sum of its parts, particularly if you have the patience to engage with its premise.
Lastly, I have nothing but praise for the third Annual, which shouldn't be surprising given the fact that King has knocked the last two out of the park, particularly the first one. This one is a real tear jerker, so I won't give much away, but it delves into the physical and emotional trials Alfred has endured and continues to endure in Bruce's pursuit to war on crime. Fear not, though, as it's also laden with some really great humor and decent action to keep everything going. Definitely the standout issue in the book.
If all of that sounds like it should make for a higher grade, then I'm there with you, but unlike Secret Files, I don't think that this volume even equals the sum of its parts, let alone surpasses them. It may seem arbitrary, but something is lost in translation in the process of actually reading through this collection.
jonwesleyhuff's review
3.0
A really fantastic Penguin story, and some other stuff. I'm going to focus on the Penguin story itself, as it really is pretty moving and gives the Penguin some interesting stuff to work with, even if it KIND of borrows from Mister Freeze's usual storyline in the process. It does it in a different way, and makes up a nice mini-arc within the bigger story we're getting with Bane.
joshgauthier's review
4.0
The continuation of King's storyline in this volume is excellent. Though less developed than some of the previous arcs--due mainly to length--it continues stretching Batman to the edges of his capability and morality in the face of unyielding challenges and even greater trauma. The writing is strong and the excellent art has some dramatic moments of storytelling as well--all leading to a dramatic twist that I did not expect and am not certain what to think of--though I am curious to see how it plays out.
The following shorter stories from other writers are fine--though art and writing did not stand out to me much either.
However, the final arc focusing on Alfred's role in Batman's life proved to be surprisingly touching--well written and providing an emotional counterpoint to King's work with the series. Overall, the start and the end of the volume are notably strong and carry the briefer interludes that lie in between.
The following shorter stories from other writers are fine--though art and writing did not stand out to me much either.
However, the final arc focusing on Alfred's role in Batman's life proved to be surprisingly touching--well written and providing an emotional counterpoint to King's work with the series. Overall, the start and the end of the volume are notably strong and carry the briefer interludes that lie in between.
all4spite's review
emotional
fast-paced
3.0
Annual #3 is a five-star issue to me, and I need to write that somewhere because I can't let it skew the rating. Outside of that this is still pretty meh.