Written by Tom King
Art by Mikel Janin and Hugo Petrus
Published by DC Comics
So, we have finally made it. This is the end of Tom King’s excellent run on Batman.
There has a been a lot leading up to this issue. King has been on the book for well over four years now and he has kept the quality high on this. I had a lot of expectations going into this that I knew would be impossible for King to live up to.
So, how is this last issue?
Well, pretty damn good.
Thomas Wayne is telling Batman to stay down at the beginning of the issue. Batman then tells Catwoman to take down Thomas.
Then the scene cuts to Bruce in Porky’s bar (longtime readers will understand) watching a football game.
King writes in a different format all of the time so it makes sense that he would do so in his final issue as the writer of this title. In this, we get to see the story of Bruce fighting Thomas Wayne and another story that is the aftermath.
Bruce meets up with Gotham Girl. They talk. He visits an inmate in Arkham Asylum. He visits Alfred’s grave. He also spends some time with Selina. This is all intercut with Bruce and Thomas Wayne finishing their epic fight.
The resolution of this fight is absolutely horrifying. It is dark. There is a moment where Bruce admits that he tried to kill himself after his parents died. It is a brutal ending like you wouldn’t believe. And I found that ending to be absolutely magnificent and poignant.
It does feel like there should have been more story after this issue ends. Maybe the upcoming Batman/Catwoman series will show us more of that story. Honestly though, this was pretty great. Congratulations to Tom King for an amazing run.
RATING: A
