Batman and Gotham Girl share a quiet moment as they discuss what step she should take next. But Bruce’s own thoughts and recent experiences weight heavily on him, as he too struggles with where his life and choices have taken him. Can a man who dresses as a bat and prowls the night find happiness. Can he find love? And how does Selina Kyle, Catwoman, figure into it all?
Batman #24
“Every Epilogue Is A Prelude”
Written by: Tom King
Art: David Finch, Danny Miki, Clay Mann, and Seth Mann
Colored by: Jordie Bellaire
Publisher: DC Comics
Man does Tom King know how to keep things going on this title. He can craft tense, action-packed narratives like “I Am Bane”, weird, dark, and horror-tinged Vertigo influenced chapters like the Swamp Thing-centric “The Brave and The Mold”, and then he can bring the feels in a quite yet emotionally powerful moment like this week’s issue. Batman #24 is one of the most personal and character developing issues of Batman EVER, and here are 11 reasons not to miss what is destined to be a classic and much talked about issue.
- The narrative structure Tom King creates is a thing of elegance. It feels like you’re listening to two people talk (they just happened to be wearing costumes and luring on high rise rooftops).
- David Finch’s gorgeous pencils are equally good at emotional close-ups and huge moments.
- “Never understood that. He always says that, but I don’t know. Does any good come from flying up, up and away?”
- Jordie Bellaire’s colors are vital, and a perfect example of color as comics “cinematography”
- The panel layouts in this issue create such a delicate flow. Perfectly paced for the emotional story being told.
- Gotham Girl is a great creation, and her relationship with Batman is unique. Glad to see her sticking around.
- I think David Finch may draw my favorite depiction of Gotham City in the modern era.
- King is a clever writer and I can’t help but think this chapter’s title “Every Epilogue Is A Prelude” will have multiple meanings when we look back at it in the future.
- The back and forth between Batman and Catwoman that Tom King excels at. He totally captures that there are two people that really know, care, and yet also ‘push’ each other.
- That final, last splash page of Batman, on bended knee, asking Selina to marry him has perfect composition, coloring, and atmosphere.
- The fact that the next arc is a flashback arc, and we will have to wait to see what happens with that ending!
No bones about it, this issue is gong to be very decisive amongst fans. But I find that it works when you trace the EMOTIONAL arc King has been taking Batman/Bruce Wayne on since he took over the title. All I know is Batman makes me want to keep reading, and that is the stuff of great comics.
