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A review by kevinowenkelly
Batman Vol. 10: Knightmares by Tom King
3.0
Read in single issue format.
This arc got a lot of hate when it was released, and I can see why: there's no overt connective tissue. It feels like a lull, like the story was treading water. And if you were reading it as it came out, there was a two-break in the middle (not present in this collection) to spinoff of King's other ongoing project, Heroes in Crisis, just further adding to the sense or delay.
But read in sequence, in issues available at the same time, definitely improves the overall experience. The connective tissue appears. The individual issues can be enjoyed on their own wildly different merits, and, truly, some of them are pretty great. There's a really trippy, gore-filled issue that harkens to King's Mister Miracle run. An oddly contemplative stealth sequel to his acclaimed Looney Tunes Batman/Elmer Fudd one-off. Even a really great follow-up on his two issues of Bruce, Clark, Selina, and Lois hanging out that's a ton of fun.
But even then, there are problems. Yes, the connective tissue is there, but it's mostly thematic, and is backloaded; there's very little propulsivity between the issues. The wild fluctuations in tone and art also feel like they weaken this as a collection, even if the individual issues themselves are pretty good. And ultimately, there's the question of whether this really needed to be six issues; each certainly touched on different topics, and had worthwhile ideas in them, but the overall concept seemed to edge a bit close to what Morrison did in Final Crisis/Batman RIP: The Missing Chapters, and Morrison did that in just two issues.
There's a darkness that creeps in toward the second half that I wish had been a bit more present in the earlier issues, which isn't to say that the issues themselves aren't dark. But a particular glimpse behind the scenes in a later issue is utterly chilling, and ushered in a feeling I wish had been laced a little more thoroughly throughout.
This arc got a lot of hate when it was released, and I can see why: there's no overt connective tissue. It feels like a lull, like the story was treading water. And if you were reading it as it came out, there was a two-break in the middle (not present in this collection) to spinoff of King's other ongoing project, Heroes in Crisis, just further adding to the sense or delay.
But read in sequence, in issues available at the same time, definitely improves the overall experience. The connective tissue appears. The individual issues can be enjoyed on their own wildly different merits, and, truly, some of them are pretty great. There's a really trippy, gore-filled issue that harkens to King's Mister Miracle run. An oddly contemplative stealth sequel to his acclaimed Looney Tunes Batman/Elmer Fudd one-off. Even a really great follow-up on his two issues of Bruce, Clark, Selina, and Lois hanging out that's a ton of fun.
But even then, there are problems. Yes, the connective tissue is there, but it's mostly thematic, and is backloaded; there's very little propulsivity between the issues. The wild fluctuations in tone and art also feel like they weaken this as a collection, even if the individual issues themselves are pretty good. And ultimately, there's the question of whether this really needed to be six issues; each certainly touched on different topics, and had worthwhile ideas in them, but the overall concept seemed to edge a bit close to what Morrison did in Final Crisis/Batman RIP: The Missing Chapters, and Morrison did that in just two issues.
There's a darkness that creeps in toward the second half that I wish had been a bit more present in the earlier issues, which isn't to say that the issues themselves aren't dark. But a particular glimpse behind the scenes in a later issue is utterly chilling, and ushered in a feeling I wish had been laced a little more thoroughly throughout.