DC Comics reviews 12/4/19 – Justice League #37, Batman #84

Batman #84

Tom King has taken the extended long road to get here, but this issue finally reveals what Thomas Wayne has been up to since Flashpoint and we he wants to stop Bruce from being Batman.

Ideally it wouldn’t have 10 issues to get to this point and even longer if we want to include Thomas’ entry in this continuity with issue #50. King traces Thomas’ painful journey in a series of flashbacks. The structure is a little disorienting as King goes from “Earlier” to an earlier moment in Thomas’ life in three panels.

There’s some intriguing elements in this issue that definitely warranted further expansion…earlier in King’s run, but he squandered that opportunity in stories and arcs that ultimately went nowhere — looking at you Knightmares.

This issue is actually worth reading again from the end to the beginning. King summarizes Thomas’ journey and in context, his choices make sense given what he’s endured.

Jorge Fornes tells a dramatic story through his art and he was a good choice among King’s regular collaborators for this chapter. Jordie Bellaire delivers her usual high quality colors to show the gamut of Thomas’ increasingly bleaker emotions. There was one gaffe editorial missed where The Flash was colored like Reverse Flash.

This issue was a case of better late than never in terms of fleshing out Thomas’ motivations, but there’s a real weirdness in the City of Bane arc culminating in a final conflict with Bruce and Thomas.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10