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Batman (2016)
Batman, Vol. 2: I Am Suicide
He’s the one man who broke the Bat. He rules the island prison that once held him captive with an iron fist. He is Bane, and he has something-or someone-that Batman needs. And Batman will risk a suicide mission to take it, or them, from him.
But to infiltrate the stronghold of a criminal genius, the Dark Knight will need to raise his own army of criminals. From the bowels of Arkham Asylum, he’ll select an elite squad of the craziest, deadliest, most dangerous villains alive-including Catwoman, the one woman in the world who knows him best, despite the blood on her claws.
But Batman’s makeshift Suicide Squad is every bit as unstable as the real deal. As lust, addiction, insanity and betrayal take their toll on his team, not everyone will make it out of Bane’s fortress alive and unbroken…
New York Times best-selling writer Tom King (THE OMEGA MEN) continues his groundbreaking Dark Knight saga, joined by artists Mikel Janín (GRAYSON) and Mitch Gerads (SHERIFF OF BABYLON). Collects BATMAN #9-15.
But to infiltrate the stronghold of a criminal genius, the Dark Knight will need to raise his own army of criminals. From the bowels of Arkham Asylum, he’ll select an elite squad of the craziest, deadliest, most dangerous villains alive-including Catwoman, the one woman in the world who knows him best, despite the blood on her claws.
But Batman’s makeshift Suicide Squad is every bit as unstable as the real deal. As lust, addiction, insanity and betrayal take their toll on his team, not everyone will make it out of Bane’s fortress alive and unbroken…
New York Times best-selling writer Tom King (THE OMEGA MEN) continues his groundbreaking Dark Knight saga, joined by artists Mikel Janín (GRAYSON) and Mitch Gerads (SHERIFF OF BABYLON). Collects BATMAN #9-15.
150 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 12, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 604 reviews
June 1, 2017
If you were an English lit major in college, you definitely had classes with that kid who took everything (including him/herself) way, way too seriously.
You know, the ones who wrote term papers with a feather quill (possibly, after a night of heavy drinking—because that’s what Hemingway did, you know—using a vial of their own blood for ink); organized open mic poetry slams that featured what were intended to be profound statements on the human condition, but were really just incoherent strings of phrases that were simultaneously high-fallutin’ (“juxtaposing the normative social condition with the paradox of the enigmatic self”), nonsensical (“entering my feeling space”), and unimaginatively provocative (the C-word, which I’m not going to type here, even though everyone knows I mean “corn nuts”); and judged everyone they meet (generally negatively) based on whether they have heard of some obscure (and impossibly dense) short story writer.
This volume of Batman is the comic book equivalent of that college classmate. That doesn’t make it a terrible read—after all, that person was occasionally entertaining, albeit not always intentionally—and the art is solid. Further, the cast of characters is an interesting mix (albeit ridiculous—the notion of Batman teaming up with this gang of villains seems out of character).
Still…I just feel like this book needs a puppy. Or some ice cream. Or a good joy buzzering. Something to lighten it up. Look, I like that Batman isn’t Spider-Man—I don’t want Bruce Wayne making with the quippy banter—but this is still a superhero comic book, right? I think, anyway. I don’t know; maybe we wandered into an MFA project inadvertently. It’s possible, I suppose…sometimes I don’t pay attention to where I’m going. Not my fault, really—my nose gets in the way of my vision. You wouldn’t understand.
You know, the ones who wrote term papers with a feather quill (possibly, after a night of heavy drinking—because that’s what Hemingway did, you know—using a vial of their own blood for ink); organized open mic poetry slams that featured what were intended to be profound statements on the human condition, but were really just incoherent strings of phrases that were simultaneously high-fallutin’ (“juxtaposing the normative social condition with the paradox of the enigmatic self”), nonsensical (“entering my feeling space”), and unimaginatively provocative (the C-word, which I’m not going to type here, even though everyone knows I mean “corn nuts”); and judged everyone they meet (generally negatively) based on whether they have heard of some obscure (and impossibly dense) short story writer.
This volume of Batman is the comic book equivalent of that college classmate. That doesn’t make it a terrible read—after all, that person was occasionally entertaining, albeit not always intentionally—and the art is solid. Further, the cast of characters is an interesting mix (albeit ridiculous—the notion of Batman teaming up with this gang of villains seems out of character).
Still…I just feel like this book needs a puppy. Or some ice cream. Or a good joy buzzering. Something to lighten it up. Look, I like that Batman isn’t Spider-Man—I don’t want Bruce Wayne making with the quippy banter—but this is still a superhero comic book, right? I think, anyway. I don’t know; maybe we wandered into an MFA project inadvertently. It’s possible, I suppose…sometimes I don’t pay attention to where I’m going. Not my fault, really—my nose gets in the way of my vision. You wouldn’t understand.
April 14, 2017
Batman needs Psycho Pirate to undo the mental damage he inflicted on Gotham Girl – except he’s holed up on the island prison of Santa Prisca, Bane’s domain! For his daring kidnap mission, Batman must assemble his own Suicide Squad, an unlikely assortment of characters including the Ventriloquist, Bronze Tiger, Jewelee and Punchee, and Catwoman. Will he succeed or will Bane once more break the Bat?
Rebirth has been a stream of disappointments except for Tom King’s Batman so I’m pleased to say that the second volume continues the title’s high quality, going from strength to strength.
I’m impressed with how King is taking really obscure DC characters and bringing them to the forefront of their flagship title. The continuing focus on Psycho Pirate? That dude’s never had this much attention or respect before! But also deep cuts like Silver Age characters Jewelee and Punchee (sorta like Joker and Harley decades before they were a thing) and Bronze Tiger – whaaat?? But they fit perfectly with Batman’s heist plan. I also like how Bane’s different in this one: no mask, no tights, no Venom, and he’s still super-menacing and deadly.
Like his first Batman book, King knows how to grab the reader’s attention right from the start and deliver on their expectations for what a Batman book should be with lots of big-screen action from the aerial dogfighting going into Santa Prisca to Batman taking on scores of Bane’s armed guards. The heist itself was a pleasant surprise in that King seemed to be going down a fairly standard route and then turned it around unexpectedly at the end – I love when my guesses turn out to be wrong! Each team member has a part to play and everything clicks superbly. Batman’s plans should be this complex and unpredictable – full marks to Tom King for his excellent plotting!
I have some minor critiques. Jewelee and Punchee’s inane chatterbox dialogue was quite annoying – I can see why they never remained a permanent fixture! The inner reflective, at times ponderous, nature of the narration between Batman and Catwoman felt a bit sludgy, a bit slow, particularly in contrast to the often fast-paced action. And the script is a little repetitive at times, one character echoing another in the same conversation, which feels mindless rather than suave. They’re definitely minor criticisms though and all the important things like characters and story hit the spot.
I didn’t expect King to focus so much on Batman and Catwoman’s complicated relationship either (and I was a little wary too, not being a huge fan of romance in Batman which is almost always corny as fuuuck) but it turned out to be one of the best parts of the book. I liked how King played on the dark side of Catwoman - she’s on Death Row for allegedly killing 237 people! – which seemed possible because she’s always walked the line between good and evil and might go full-villain under the right circumstances. Like the heist, King keeps the reader guessing with what really happened.
While most readers can guess the answer to whether or not Catwoman’s going to Blackgate forever, King still manages to make the story seem strangely poignant, almost convincing you that this is the final chapter in Batman and Catwoman’s story, selling the tragic lovers angle completely. Even the stuff about the sky and diamonds shining sounds silly and sentimental on paper but really works in the moment. This is one of the few times I can remember where romance in a Batman comic felt believable.
This book also has the best art I’ve seen yet from both Mikel Janin and Mitch Gerads. Janin’s art on the Bane story was very dramatic, gothic even, possibly because it reminded me a lot of Jae Lee’s spooky art, while Gerads’ twilit pages and focus on Bruce and Selina’s faces during their “last” chase across the rooftops was beautiful.
Tom King’s Batman remains THE Rebirth title to be reading and Volume 2: I Am Suicide is a great continuation of his increasingly epic storyline. It easily captured and held my attention for the entire book and I found it to be a really entertaining read – and I say that as a picky reader in general but especially when it comes to Batman! Highly recommended to any and all Batman fans. I Am Satisfied – more!
Rebirth has been a stream of disappointments except for Tom King’s Batman so I’m pleased to say that the second volume continues the title’s high quality, going from strength to strength.
I’m impressed with how King is taking really obscure DC characters and bringing them to the forefront of their flagship title. The continuing focus on Psycho Pirate? That dude’s never had this much attention or respect before! But also deep cuts like Silver Age characters Jewelee and Punchee (sorta like Joker and Harley decades before they were a thing) and Bronze Tiger – whaaat?? But they fit perfectly with Batman’s heist plan. I also like how Bane’s different in this one: no mask, no tights, no Venom, and he’s still super-menacing and deadly.
Like his first Batman book, King knows how to grab the reader’s attention right from the start and deliver on their expectations for what a Batman book should be with lots of big-screen action from the aerial dogfighting going into Santa Prisca to Batman taking on scores of Bane’s armed guards. The heist itself was a pleasant surprise in that King seemed to be going down a fairly standard route and then turned it around unexpectedly at the end – I love when my guesses turn out to be wrong! Each team member has a part to play and everything clicks superbly. Batman’s plans should be this complex and unpredictable – full marks to Tom King for his excellent plotting!
I have some minor critiques. Jewelee and Punchee’s inane chatterbox dialogue was quite annoying – I can see why they never remained a permanent fixture! The inner reflective, at times ponderous, nature of the narration between Batman and Catwoman felt a bit sludgy, a bit slow, particularly in contrast to the often fast-paced action. And the script is a little repetitive at times, one character echoing another in the same conversation, which feels mindless rather than suave. They’re definitely minor criticisms though and all the important things like characters and story hit the spot.
I didn’t expect King to focus so much on Batman and Catwoman’s complicated relationship either (and I was a little wary too, not being a huge fan of romance in Batman which is almost always corny as fuuuck) but it turned out to be one of the best parts of the book. I liked how King played on the dark side of Catwoman - she’s on Death Row for allegedly killing 237 people! – which seemed possible because she’s always walked the line between good and evil and might go full-villain under the right circumstances. Like the heist, King keeps the reader guessing with what really happened.
While most readers can guess the answer to whether or not Catwoman’s going to Blackgate forever, King still manages to make the story seem strangely poignant, almost convincing you that this is the final chapter in Batman and Catwoman’s story, selling the tragic lovers angle completely. Even the stuff about the sky and diamonds shining sounds silly and sentimental on paper but really works in the moment. This is one of the few times I can remember where romance in a Batman comic felt believable.
This book also has the best art I’ve seen yet from both Mikel Janin and Mitch Gerads. Janin’s art on the Bane story was very dramatic, gothic even, possibly because it reminded me a lot of Jae Lee’s spooky art, while Gerads’ twilit pages and focus on Bruce and Selina’s faces during their “last” chase across the rooftops was beautiful.
Tom King’s Batman remains THE Rebirth title to be reading and Volume 2: I Am Suicide is a great continuation of his increasingly epic storyline. It easily captured and held my attention for the entire book and I found it to be a really entertaining read – and I say that as a picky reader in general but especially when it comes to Batman! Highly recommended to any and all Batman fans. I Am Satisfied – more!
January 11, 2019
Batman is indeed committing professional suicide, because this is the worst Batman comic I've read in a long time, with its razor thin "shock value" plot, bad dialog, and bizarre characterization.
Like volume 1, King's writing is annoyingly repetitive, which deflates suspense and pacing, and just exhausting to read. Batman tells us over and over his plan for Bane in forced, robotic dialog. And the bottom line for me is mischaracterization: King's Batman is law-breaking, morally gray, and robotically technical. He's humorless and hyper-focused, and talks about his origin like an emotionless crime report. I’m sorry but that’s not the Batman I know.
November 2, 2018
Re-Read in 2018
Turns out Tom King does know what he's doing. I bumped this from 3 stars to 5 upon this re-read. King lays the groundwork here for events way in the future. The two issue story about Catwoman's last night before she heads to prison is perfect. I've never been a fan of any of Bruce's relationships in comics, but King really nails it here. He's built this tragic romance that had me rooting for them wholeheartedly.
I love how menacing Bane is. Even though he broke Batman's back, I always found him goofy with that luchador mask and his drug addict personality, but here he's a badass. Mikel Janin's art wows me every time. Kudos to King for bringing back some of Ostrander's Suicide Squad with Bronze Tiger and Punch & Jewelee.
Original review
Tom King is on the verge of being a great Batman writer if he can get out of his own head. The story here is great, with Batman forming his own Suicide Squad to get Psycho Pirate back from Bane. It's just that Batman takes himself way too seriously, to the point of almost being a caricature of himself. Next he'll have Batman quoting Proust or something equally pretentious. I did like his ode to John Ostrander's Suicide Squad by bringing Bronze Tiger and Punch and Jewelee in to the team. Mikel Janin's art is spectacular. I'm glad we're finally seeing him in one of DC's top tier books.
The second story in the book featuring Catwoman's last night out with Batman before going to prison was MUCH better. He nailed their relationship once they got past the nonsense that she killed 237 people. We all knew that wasn't in her character or Batman wouldn't have been attracted to her in the first place.
Received an advance copy from DC and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Turns out Tom King does know what he's doing. I bumped this from 3 stars to 5 upon this re-read. King lays the groundwork here for events way in the future. The two issue story about Catwoman's last night before she heads to prison is perfect. I've never been a fan of any of Bruce's relationships in comics, but King really nails it here. He's built this tragic romance that had me rooting for them wholeheartedly.
I love how menacing Bane is. Even though he broke Batman's back, I always found him goofy with that luchador mask and his drug addict personality, but here he's a badass. Mikel Janin's art wows me every time. Kudos to King for bringing back some of Ostrander's Suicide Squad with Bronze Tiger and Punch & Jewelee.
Original review
Tom King is on the verge of being a great Batman writer if he can get out of his own head. The story here is great, with Batman forming his own Suicide Squad to get Psycho Pirate back from Bane. It's just that Batman takes himself way too seriously, to the point of almost being a caricature of himself. Next he'll have Batman quoting Proust or something equally pretentious. I did like his ode to John Ostrander's Suicide Squad by bringing Bronze Tiger and Punch and Jewelee in to the team. Mikel Janin's art is spectacular. I'm glad we're finally seeing him in one of DC's top tier books.
The second story in the book featuring Catwoman's last night out with Batman before going to prison was MUCH better. He nailed their relationship once they got past the nonsense that she killed 237 people. We all knew that wasn't in her character or Batman wouldn't have been attracted to her in the first place.
Received an advance copy from DC and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
January 16, 2019
There once were two cats of Kilkinney
Each thought there was one caught too many
So they fought and they fit
And they scratched and they bit
Till—Excepting their nails and a bit of their tails
Instead of two cats there weren’t any.
“I Am Suicide” focuses on the complex relationship between Batman and (accused murderer) Cat Woman, of whom Bat says, “She’s the only one who knows who I am . . . what I am . . and she loves me, anyway.”
A couple years ago a new voice burst on the comics scene; Tom King had written The Sheriff of Babylon and The Vision, among other things, so I was pretty excited when it was announced that he would succeed Scott Snyder as writer of the Batman series. When I read the first volume, however, I was disappointed, and so disappointed that I stopped. But Sam Q put Tom King’s Batman in his top ten of the year, so this urged me to try again.
Volume two, entitled “I Am Suicide,” is not surprisingly moody and atmospheric. Oh, there’s plenty of heroic challenges, but it’s less action and more . . . I don’t know, language, and brooding. And the “suicide” mention is more an insider reference to that way the Suicide Squad is introduced with Bronze Tiger and Punch & Jewelee. And there’s Bane, and quite a bit of dialogue being repeated, for poetic/dramatic purposes, but the real strength is the two issue story about Cat Woman's last night before she heads to prison, which is perfect.
I really liked it a lot. And the art from Mikel Janin is great. But I have the feeling more than I did from the first volume that Batman’s moves are planned out with an eye to the future. I know y’all don’t agree, but I say this dude King can write, and even write Batman. We’ll see if I think so two volumes later. I hope so.
Each thought there was one caught too many
So they fought and they fit
And they scratched and they bit
Till—Excepting their nails and a bit of their tails
Instead of two cats there weren’t any.
“I Am Suicide” focuses on the complex relationship between Batman and (accused murderer) Cat Woman, of whom Bat says, “She’s the only one who knows who I am . . . what I am . . and she loves me, anyway.”
A couple years ago a new voice burst on the comics scene; Tom King had written The Sheriff of Babylon and The Vision, among other things, so I was pretty excited when it was announced that he would succeed Scott Snyder as writer of the Batman series. When I read the first volume, however, I was disappointed, and so disappointed that I stopped. But Sam Q put Tom King’s Batman in his top ten of the year, so this urged me to try again.
Volume two, entitled “I Am Suicide,” is not surprisingly moody and atmospheric. Oh, there’s plenty of heroic challenges, but it’s less action and more . . . I don’t know, language, and brooding. And the “suicide” mention is more an insider reference to that way the Suicide Squad is introduced with Bronze Tiger and Punch & Jewelee. And there’s Bane, and quite a bit of dialogue being repeated, for poetic/dramatic purposes, but the real strength is the two issue story about Cat Woman's last night before she heads to prison, which is perfect.
I really liked it a lot. And the art from Mikel Janin is great. But I have the feeling more than I did from the first volume that Batman’s moves are planned out with an eye to the future. I know y’all don’t agree, but I say this dude King can write, and even write Batman. We’ll see if I think so two volumes later. I hope so.
March 15, 2020
Yes, I shelved this as romance. What of it? The Catwoman storyline in this one was amazing.
The first part, where Batman recruits a couple of inmates of Arkham Asylum to get the Psycho Pirate out of Bane's hands? Well, it wasn't easy to buy into it. But it turned out to be fun and exciting. I love how menacing Bane is. The guy always gives me goosebumps.
But yeah, this was about the Bat and the Cat for me. I love it, and want to see more of it.
I'm glad I listened to my friends, who told me this run gets better after the very underwhelming first volume. It did get A LOT better with this one already.
The first part, where Batman recruits a couple of inmates of Arkham Asylum to get the Psycho Pirate out of Bane's hands? Well, it wasn't easy to buy into it. But it turned out to be fun and exciting. I love how menacing Bane is. The guy always gives me goosebumps.
But yeah, this was about the Bat and the Cat for me. I love it, and want to see more of it.
I'm glad I listened to my friends, who told me this run gets better after the very underwhelming first volume. It did get A LOT better with this one already.
December 2, 2017
Oh wow. I knew that I would like I Am Suicide much more on a reread, but I never expected to actually love it. What was I thinking giving it two stars in the first place?!
This volume consists of two story arcs, the titular I Am Suicide and a short two-parter, Rooftops. The first one is a fairly straightforward heist story. Batman needs Psycho-Pirate to save Gotham Girl, but he is kept by Bane, who now exploits Pirate's powers to live without Venom. To get him, Batman needs help from Amanda Waller and several inmates of Arkham Asylum including Selina Kyle, a.k.a. Catwoman. And right here is the key part of the story that I missed while reading this series month to month: Batman actually has a plan! He picks his team to do exactly what he needs to do, and every character serves their purpose. This is Suicide Squad done right! (Oh, now I get the reference in the title). And while I never plan to read any actual Suicide Squad books — because, frankly, I have zero interest in it, and the movie was no help — I actually really enjoyed this SS-like team dynamic with Batman at the helm.
But the best thing about I Am Suicide is Batman's relationship with Catwoman, the seeds of which are planted in the main arc, but we really see it work in Rooftops. Before, I always thought that their relationship was too forced and didn't make much sense, but Tom King proved me wrong — oh yes, those two should absolutely be together forever and never to part (er, sorry about that). Their argument about how they first met (on a boat/on the street) is a brilliant homage to their two first meetings in comics, one in the very first 1940 Batman issue #1, the other in Frank Miller's Year One. Both appearances are considered pretty controversial nowadays, but nevertheless it's comics history, and it's fascinating to see how modern continuity taps into that, even going so far as reusing actual panels from old issues.
I could grumble a bit about this volume not being very new-reader friendly, because, for example, Bane haven't been seen in the main Batman title for ages, and he doesn't get any introduction here — I only vaguely know about his history and back-breaking tendencies (because I really can't be arsed to read Chuck Dixon's 2000-page comic or watch Chris Nolan's five-hour movie), but hey, those kinds of things aren't hard to figure out for an average nerd with Wikipedia access.
Other than that, I Am Suicide is a pretty spectacular follow-up to Tom King's already excellent I Am Gotham, full of great action and very careful and respectful character development. I fully admit that I was wrong to dislike this comic when I was reading it for the first time, and I really should make it a rule to always reread the stuff I'm reading in singles before reviewing it. Because, yeah, I Am Suicide is very, very good.
First read: January 18, 2017
Rating: ★★・・・
Second read: December 1, 2017
Rating: ★★★★★
This volume consists of two story arcs, the titular I Am Suicide and a short two-parter, Rooftops. The first one is a fairly straightforward heist story. Batman needs Psycho-Pirate to save Gotham Girl, but he is kept by Bane, who now exploits Pirate's powers to live without Venom. To get him, Batman needs help from Amanda Waller and several inmates of Arkham Asylum including Selina Kyle, a.k.a. Catwoman. And right here is the key part of the story that I missed while reading this series month to month: Batman actually has a plan! He picks his team to do exactly what he needs to do, and every character serves their purpose. This is Suicide Squad done right! (Oh, now I get the reference in the title). And while I never plan to read any actual Suicide Squad books — because, frankly, I have zero interest in it, and the movie was no help — I actually really enjoyed this SS-like team dynamic with Batman at the helm.
But the best thing about I Am Suicide is Batman's relationship with Catwoman, the seeds of which are planted in the main arc, but we really see it work in Rooftops. Before, I always thought that their relationship was too forced and didn't make much sense, but Tom King proved me wrong — oh yes, those two should absolutely be together forever and never to part (er, sorry about that). Their argument about how they first met (on a boat/on the street) is a brilliant homage to their two first meetings in comics, one in the very first 1940 Batman issue #1, the other in Frank Miller's Year One. Both appearances are considered pretty controversial nowadays, but nevertheless it's comics history, and it's fascinating to see how modern continuity taps into that, even going so far as reusing actual panels from old issues.
I could grumble a bit about this volume not being very new-reader friendly, because, for example, Bane haven't been seen in the main Batman title for ages, and he doesn't get any introduction here — I only vaguely know about his history and back-breaking tendencies (because I really can't be arsed to read Chuck Dixon's 2000-page comic or watch Chris Nolan's five-hour movie), but hey, those kinds of things aren't hard to figure out for an average nerd with Wikipedia access.
Other than that, I Am Suicide is a pretty spectacular follow-up to Tom King's already excellent I Am Gotham, full of great action and very careful and respectful character development. I fully admit that I was wrong to dislike this comic when I was reading it for the first time, and I really should make it a rule to always reread the stuff I'm reading in singles before reviewing it. Because, yeah, I Am Suicide is very, very good.
First read: January 18, 2017
Rating: ★★・・・
Second read: December 1, 2017
Rating: ★★★★★
February 6, 2017
I figured it out! Tom King is writing Batman like he's Grant Morrison. Now I know why I'm not liking it as much.
Okay maybe a 2.5...but that's mostly because of Cat Women arc which was entertaining if not a bit repetitive. However let's discuss "I Am Suicide"
The first few pages start out real interesting. Bane is scary as fuck, get a little history, get to know the man. Then we switch to Batman assembling a team of misfits to take down Bane. Cool huh? intriguing huh? Exciting huh? Well then it just takes a weird turn to dialog being repeated 5-6 times a issue, everyone acting out of character, and Godawful ending to the arc. I hated this arc after the first issue. Also I believe Batman might be kind of...stupid? What the fuck.
The Roofs arc, with Catwoman is pretty good. It shows their relationship and changes a history of the characters a bit. The dialog felt much more natural between the two than the previous 4 issues and I enjoyed the art of both issues a lot. It didn't amaze me but it was satisfying and would give it about a 3. However since I am Suicide is one of the worst batman arcs I read since RIP or Black Glove this sadly doesn't go higher than a 2 or 2.5.
Okay maybe a 2.5...but that's mostly because of Cat Women arc which was entertaining if not a bit repetitive. However let's discuss "I Am Suicide"
The first few pages start out real interesting. Bane is scary as fuck, get a little history, get to know the man. Then we switch to Batman assembling a team of misfits to take down Bane. Cool huh? intriguing huh? Exciting huh? Well then it just takes a weird turn to dialog being repeated 5-6 times a issue, everyone acting out of character, and Godawful ending to the arc. I hated this arc after the first issue. Also I believe Batman might be kind of...stupid? What the fuck.
The Roofs arc, with Catwoman is pretty good. It shows their relationship and changes a history of the characters a bit. The dialog felt much more natural between the two than the previous 4 issues and I enjoyed the art of both issues a lot. It didn't amaze me but it was satisfying and would give it about a 3. However since I am Suicide is one of the worst batman arcs I read since RIP or Black Glove this sadly doesn't go higher than a 2 or 2.5.
January 8, 2018
This volume really develops the relationship between Batman and Catwoman. In a sense, they have a lot in common. Also, it shows that Catwoman has a bit more hero in her than villain. Both of these points are important for understanding what will happen in later volumes. One question though--why is Bane sitting on his throne in the nude? That's a bit weird.
February 18, 2017
Tom King writes the worst Batman comic since Frank Miller's All-Star Batman & Robin. Actually, the book is very similar to it. It has the same problems that that book had. It has the same kind of extremely annoying and repetitive dialogue, and Tom also manages to make Batman dumb as hell just like Miller did. There are a lot of good ideas in this book, but they cannot make up for the lazily written, poorly constructed character dialogue. Not only do characters repeat themselves and repeat dialogue numerous times, they say things that are extremely out of character. I had hoped that Tom's series could get better, but this was a pile of crap.
February 15, 2018
You can find my review on my blog by clicking here.
Following the events of I Am Gotham , this volume builds itself around the formation of a Suicide Squad and its task of capturing a certain person of interest that can save Gotham Girl from her predicament. The last two issues also features a special two-part story that embarks in the love-hate, and very complex, relationship between Batman and Catwoman. I solemnly swear that this is a step-up from Tom King’s first volume, but I still feel like the story had issues at several moments, hence dragging my overall enjoyment downhill. Although every official website indicates that issues 9 to 15 are the only ones included in this volume, I thought I might as well throw in the Annual #1 that was released midway throughout this storyarc. I’ll rectify this, if it ends up being wrong, when Annual #1 gets integrated in a future collection (if ever).
After the disastrous (in every way possible) Night of the Monster Men crossover event, I think a lot has been learned and a completely different approach has been undertaken by Tom King. Right off the bat, the first issue lays out a brand new structure and tone to King’s storytelling. I was honestly shocked by the change, both in dialogue and artwork, but managed to find something interesting out of it. In particular, the use of a narration in the form of a correspondence between two particular characters was truly fascinating. Two issues in, I already felt compelled by the ideas that were being set up and wanted more from newly-introduced characters like Catwoman and Bane. However, there’s this use of repetition and this throwback reference to Batman: Knightfall (Part One: Broken Bat) that was oddly introduced and felt overwhelmingly uninspiring. In fact, I couldn’t grasp the purpose behind the “monologue” coming from Batman, as it felt completely out of character. Tom King also continues to use repetition in the two-part story “ Rooftops ” with Catwoman and Batman. I guess this can be seen as an attempt to experiment the technique and see if it fits the persona of the characters. So far, I’m not too thrilled by it and had difficulty embracing it. It honestly threw me off and made it just so hard to wrap my head around the writing at certain key moments in the story.
While the focus of this volume should’ve essentially been around the search and rescue mission, Tom King ended up taking multiple roads at the same time and tried to give us too much in too little time. From origin stories for both Bane and Catwoman, there was also an attempt to introduce and build the personalities of each of the misfits that constituted the team Batman created. Even the head of Task Force X felt absent throughout this volume, even though she’s the one that “made” this whole problem happen in the first place. It would’ve been a much more tightly-knitted story if Bane wasn’t left in the background and only served as a plot mechanism that ended up being neglected in order to put Catwoman in the forefront. I guess I can reconcile myself knowing that Bane will be put in the spotlight in the next volume and his presence in I Am Suicide was simply a teaser for bigger things along the line.
Unfortunately, the resolution we get for the whole “ I Am Suicide ” story was absolutely unsatisfying. You can tell that the panels that were supposed to inspire you fell short and that the words that accompanied them didn’t deliver the thrill that Tom King would have wanted for us. As I mentioned before, this volume also contains a two-part story featuring Catwoman and Batman. Honestly, this was a pretty diamond in the sea of low-karat gold in the volume, especially when you often felt like “ I Am Suicide ” made too many mistakes for your taste. “ Rooftops ” explores the relationship between Bats and Cats, and boy, was it pretty solid. The complexity of their relationship, as any fan knows, is one that can be quite tricky if not handled properly. Here, we get a really nice portrayal of their chemistry and a decent glimpse into the impossible through one dark night. Both artwork and dialogue do a brilliant job in extracting the very essence that makes these two characters so complicated. You just can’t help but be entertained by the connection that these two try to bring to life for once in their lives and wish they could have forever. As I previously mentioned, there was a particular sequence where the whole use of repetition was re-used, but it wasn’t as disturbing as it was throughout the main storyarc.
Initially, I didn’t know if Annual #1 was accidentally forgotten by everyone, but after reading it, I feel like its absence is probably due to the fact that it barely had anything to do with the storyarc. It’s a collection of short stories that go with the Holiday theme (which coincides with the time at which it was released). There are pretty amazing writers that are featured in this collection (Paul Dini, Scott Snyder, Tom King, Steve Orlando and Scott Bryan Wilson) and most of the stories they tell are quite powerful. I liked that the themes of peace, change and generosity were tackled in various way. This was actually much better than what we get in DC Rebirth Holiday Special #1 , and it even had some stories that were a lot darker than expected! You also get the introduction to one of the best members of the Bat-family! This character is one that you rarely see nowadays and I’ll let you discover the fellow for yourself. Or… Spoiler
In the end, I Am Suicide is definitely a step in the right direction. There are still issues that need to be addressed, but at the tempo Tom King and his crew of artists are going at, things should be looking good pretty soon. If there’s one solid element to this series at the moment, it’s definitely the artwork. As previously mentioned, a new style is adapted in this storyarc. It plays with the typical panel distribution, it combines a creative narrative with an ongoing sequence of actions and it establishes the right tone by toying around with the colour and the shadows. I honestly have no complaints in that department, and in fact, I hope they continue to strive for success and creativity when it comes to the design of characters and the way they want to tell the story. From the way things are shaping up, Batman (Volume 3) I Am Bane seems to be set on course to deliver something quite enthralling and worthy for fame. As always, I plan on continuing this series. So far, things have only been going swell; although a bit rocky.
Yours truly,
Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: http://bookidote.wordpress.com
Following the events of I Am Gotham , this volume builds itself around the formation of a Suicide Squad and its task of capturing a certain person of interest that can save Gotham Girl from her predicament. The last two issues also features a special two-part story that embarks in the love-hate, and very complex, relationship between Batman and Catwoman. I solemnly swear that this is a step-up from Tom King’s first volume, but I still feel like the story had issues at several moments, hence dragging my overall enjoyment downhill. Although every official website indicates that issues 9 to 15 are the only ones included in this volume, I thought I might as well throw in the Annual #1 that was released midway throughout this storyarc. I’ll rectify this, if it ends up being wrong, when Annual #1 gets integrated in a future collection (if ever).
After the disastrous (in every way possible) Night of the Monster Men crossover event, I think a lot has been learned and a completely different approach has been undertaken by Tom King. Right off the bat, the first issue lays out a brand new structure and tone to King’s storytelling. I was honestly shocked by the change, both in dialogue and artwork, but managed to find something interesting out of it. In particular, the use of a narration in the form of a correspondence between two particular characters was truly fascinating. Two issues in, I already felt compelled by the ideas that were being set up and wanted more from newly-introduced characters like Catwoman and Bane. However, there’s this use of repetition and this throwback reference to Batman: Knightfall (Part One: Broken Bat) that was oddly introduced and felt overwhelmingly uninspiring. In fact, I couldn’t grasp the purpose behind the “monologue” coming from Batman, as it felt completely out of character. Tom King also continues to use repetition in the two-part story “ Rooftops ” with Catwoman and Batman. I guess this can be seen as an attempt to experiment the technique and see if it fits the persona of the characters. So far, I’m not too thrilled by it and had difficulty embracing it. It honestly threw me off and made it just so hard to wrap my head around the writing at certain key moments in the story.
While the focus of this volume should’ve essentially been around the search and rescue mission, Tom King ended up taking multiple roads at the same time and tried to give us too much in too little time. From origin stories for both Bane and Catwoman, there was also an attempt to introduce and build the personalities of each of the misfits that constituted the team Batman created. Even the head of Task Force X felt absent throughout this volume, even though she’s the one that “made” this whole problem happen in the first place. It would’ve been a much more tightly-knitted story if Bane wasn’t left in the background and only served as a plot mechanism that ended up being neglected in order to put Catwoman in the forefront. I guess I can reconcile myself knowing that Bane will be put in the spotlight in the next volume and his presence in I Am Suicide was simply a teaser for bigger things along the line.
Unfortunately, the resolution we get for the whole “ I Am Suicide ” story was absolutely unsatisfying. You can tell that the panels that were supposed to inspire you fell short and that the words that accompanied them didn’t deliver the thrill that Tom King would have wanted for us. As I mentioned before, this volume also contains a two-part story featuring Catwoman and Batman. Honestly, this was a pretty diamond in the sea of low-karat gold in the volume, especially when you often felt like “ I Am Suicide ” made too many mistakes for your taste. “ Rooftops ” explores the relationship between Bats and Cats, and boy, was it pretty solid. The complexity of their relationship, as any fan knows, is one that can be quite tricky if not handled properly. Here, we get a really nice portrayal of their chemistry and a decent glimpse into the impossible through one dark night. Both artwork and dialogue do a brilliant job in extracting the very essence that makes these two characters so complicated. You just can’t help but be entertained by the connection that these two try to bring to life for once in their lives and wish they could have forever. As I previously mentioned, there was a particular sequence where the whole use of repetition was re-used, but it wasn’t as disturbing as it was throughout the main storyarc.
Initially, I didn’t know if Annual #1 was accidentally forgotten by everyone, but after reading it, I feel like its absence is probably due to the fact that it barely had anything to do with the storyarc. It’s a collection of short stories that go with the Holiday theme (which coincides with the time at which it was released). There are pretty amazing writers that are featured in this collection (Paul Dini, Scott Snyder, Tom King, Steve Orlando and Scott Bryan Wilson) and most of the stories they tell are quite powerful. I liked that the themes of peace, change and generosity were tackled in various way. This was actually much better than what we get in DC Rebirth Holiday Special #1 , and it even had some stories that were a lot darker than expected! You also get the introduction to one of the best members of the Bat-family! This character is one that you rarely see nowadays and I’ll let you discover the fellow for yourself. Or… Spoiler
In the end, I Am Suicide is definitely a step in the right direction. There are still issues that need to be addressed, but at the tempo Tom King and his crew of artists are going at, things should be looking good pretty soon. If there’s one solid element to this series at the moment, it’s definitely the artwork. As previously mentioned, a new style is adapted in this storyarc. It plays with the typical panel distribution, it combines a creative narrative with an ongoing sequence of actions and it establishes the right tone by toying around with the colour and the shadows. I honestly have no complaints in that department, and in fact, I hope they continue to strive for success and creativity when it comes to the design of characters and the way they want to tell the story. From the way things are shaping up, Batman (Volume 3) I Am Bane seems to be set on course to deliver something quite enthralling and worthy for fame. As always, I plan on continuing this series. So far, things have only been going swell; although a bit rocky.
Yours truly,
Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: http://bookidote.wordpress.com
July 5, 2017
1.5 stars.
I guess?
The last 2 issues were fantastic! And I say this as some one who's generally apathetic about Bat/Cat.
If you told me this was written by a completely different writer, I would believe you. It has none of the same heart, charm or intrigue from the first volume. It was a major bummer. Duke's not even in this volume and Alfred has like 2 panels. What the hell happened? You had Mikel Janin on art *swoons* and you wasted it!
Issue #9 is pretty shit: The introduction of Bane was terrible. Catwoman is a murderer now because reasons. I have no clue why they put a face mask on her unless they marketing this issue as the possible return of the Joker. Either way, it makes no sense. The “No, not that prisoner. Anyone but them” repetition to try to make Catwoman and the Z list prisoners look intimidating was just annoying. Also, Bruce smiling and laughing with villains he’s not fighting seemed odd? Like, way too lighthearted for him and I say this as someone who loves All Star Batman. Not a fan of this issue at all.
Batman's on a quest to kidnap Psycho Pirate: no, this is not a Talking Heads song.
Issue #10, aka I know a phrase that gets on everybody's nerves, on everybody's nerves, on everybody's nerves: Batman just keeps repeating “I need him to save someone who needs to be saved” as he's breaking into Bane's prison. Why? I think it may have been his only line of dialogue for the entire issue? “I’ve come for Psycho Pirate. I need him to save someone who needs to be saved. turn him over, I go away. Refuse to turn him over and I will break your damn back.”
There was just way, way too much repetition and I have no idea why. Every phrase is repeated ad nauseam and if one more person said some variation of "break your damn back", I was going to rage quit.
Bruce's thoughts read like rejected lines from a Chuck Palahnuick novel. “I am suicide”, “We are all sad”, "We are all dead", “When we kiss, the pain goes away.” Are these Avril Lavigne lyrics? Did King steal a fifteen year old goth's diary?
I liked Bruce's reflection on his childhood in the first volume. It made Bruce seem human and vulnerable and I actually found him relatable. I liked the explanation of why he became Batsy.
I don't have much to say about the rest of the team except that I wanted a lot more of Bronze Tiger and less, okay none of Jewelee and Punch.
There's a scene with naked (?) Bane trying to seduce Bruce to the dark side that was pretty interesting. And by interesting, I mean confusingly homoerotic. Honestly, I got distracted thinking about how Bane and Batsy would probably have really angry sex and wondering why he was naked and spent less time paying attention to the book. I just have questions, okay?
So, this arc sucked. Like, really, really sucked.
Issues #14 and #15 are fantastic: I have heard that these issues were great but oh man, they were fantastic! Those issues, in combination with Mikel Janin's art, are the only reason this is 2 stars instead of one. As I said earlier, I'm not super into BatCat. To be fair, it's rare that I'm invested in any comic book romances not written by Brian K. Vaughn or Kieron Gillen. So, that being said, I still really appreciated these issues for what they were. Mainly because I really like Selina's portrayal here. The art changed and I was bummed out but I really like Selina's facial expressions in these issues. These are kind of bottle episode-like in that it's just one big dance between Selina and Bruce as they spend what could be Cat's last night as a free woman. It's bittersweet, heartfelt, and these are the most beautiful pages in the entire book. I appreciate the story here and it ends decently.
That being said, this volume is not a recommend for me. I have never really said this before but, if you are a fan of Bruce/Selina, just pick up issues #14 and #15. You won't regret it!
Seriously, I feel 99% sure there is Bane/Bruce porn out there.
I guess?
The last 2 issues were fantastic! And I say this as some one who's generally apathetic about Bat/Cat.
If you told me this was written by a completely different writer, I would believe you. It has none of the same heart, charm or intrigue from the first volume. It was a major bummer. Duke's not even in this volume and Alfred has like 2 panels. What the hell happened? You had Mikel Janin on art *swoons* and you wasted it!
Issue #9 is pretty shit: The introduction of Bane was terrible. Catwoman is a murderer now because reasons. I have no clue why they put a face mask on her unless they marketing this issue as the possible return of the Joker. Either way, it makes no sense. The “No, not that prisoner. Anyone but them” repetition to try to make Catwoman and the Z list prisoners look intimidating was just annoying. Also, Bruce smiling and laughing with villains he’s not fighting seemed odd? Like, way too lighthearted for him and I say this as someone who loves All Star Batman. Not a fan of this issue at all.
Batman's on a quest to kidnap Psycho Pirate: no, this is not a Talking Heads song.
Issue #10, aka I know a phrase that gets on everybody's nerves, on everybody's nerves, on everybody's nerves: Batman just keeps repeating “I need him to save someone who needs to be saved” as he's breaking into Bane's prison. Why? I think it may have been his only line of dialogue for the entire issue? “I’ve come for Psycho Pirate. I need him to save someone who needs to be saved. turn him over, I go away. Refuse to turn him over and I will break your damn back.”
There was just way, way too much repetition and I have no idea why. Every phrase is repeated ad nauseam and if one more person said some variation of "break your damn back", I was going to rage quit.
“I prayed. And no one — no one answered. No one answered… Like everyone else. Like everyone else in Gotham. I saw everyone in Gotham, all of us. We’re all on our knees, our hands together, the blood and the blade warm between them. We pray. And no one answers.”
Bruce's thoughts read like rejected lines from a Chuck Palahnuick novel. “I am suicide”, “We are all sad”, "We are all dead", “When we kiss, the pain goes away.” Are these Avril Lavigne lyrics? Did King steal a fifteen year old goth's diary?
I liked Bruce's reflection on his childhood in the first volume. It made Bruce seem human and vulnerable and I actually found him relatable. I liked the explanation of why he became Batsy.
I don't have much to say about the rest of the team except that I wanted a lot more of Bronze Tiger and less, okay none of Jewelee and Punch.
There's a scene with naked (?) Bane trying to seduce Bruce to the dark side that was pretty interesting. And by interesting, I mean confusingly homoerotic. Honestly, I got distracted thinking about how Bane and Batsy would probably have really angry sex and wondering why he was naked and spent less time paying attention to the book. I just have questions, okay?
So, this arc sucked. Like, really, really sucked.
Issues #14 and #15 are fantastic: I have heard that these issues were great but oh man, they were fantastic! Those issues, in combination with Mikel Janin's art, are the only reason this is 2 stars instead of one. As I said earlier, I'm not super into BatCat. To be fair, it's rare that I'm invested in any comic book romances not written by Brian K. Vaughn or Kieron Gillen. So, that being said, I still really appreciated these issues for what they were. Mainly because I really like Selina's portrayal here. The art changed and I was bummed out but I really like Selina's facial expressions in these issues. These are kind of bottle episode-like in that it's just one big dance between Selina and Bruce as they spend what could be Cat's last night as a free woman. It's bittersweet, heartfelt, and these are the most beautiful pages in the entire book. I appreciate the story here and it ends decently.
That being said, this volume is not a recommend for me. I have never really said this before but, if you are a fan of Bruce/Selina, just pick up issues #14 and #15. You won't regret it!
Seriously, I feel 99% sure there is Bane/Bruce porn out there.
April 20, 2017
Having made a name for himself from The Sheriff of Babylon for Vertigo and The Vision for Marvel, Tom King began writing for the main Batman title for DC Rebirth, which although can be seen as a shining light for the publisher following the mixed reception towards The New 52, presented the tough challenge of following the brilliance of Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s brilliant run. Although his first volume “I Am Gotham” is a good start, King may have stepped up his game in exploring what makes the Bat and his enemies tick in “I Am Suicide”.
Please click here to read my full review.
Please click here to read my full review.
January 4, 2022
This was a fun volume and it focuses on Bruce getting a suicide like team to break into Santa prisca to free Psycho pirate from Bane control and its a fun face off and the betrayals but the real plan comes along and the dialogue may sound irritating but if you think of these mad characters that maybe their normalcy but the face off between Bane and Bruce is interesting and he will come to break him for sure. I like the two parter story of Rooftops showing their love story and the way they include Holly is interesting but nevertheless it serves as a plot point for the future romance stories to come and also the artwork of Mikel Janin is so good and some panel detailing is stupendpously good. I highly recommend it!
July 26, 2017
I know I'm in the minority but I super dig what Tom King is doing with Batman. Good stories, good art. I'm a fan.
May 25, 2025
This month I did something silly. Some of you know that I dialled back on reading comic books a couple of years ago. Mainly because they're hella expensive but also because the books I kept picking up didn't tend to be as substantial as their lit fic twins. But when I saw that Tom King's entire Batman run was included in Kindle Unlimited and I was open for a trial month, I knew I had to dedicate the entire month of March to reading silly comics on my computer.
Back in the day, when King's run came out, I remember people being so visibly upset about it. Men everywhere were up in arms because they hated King's take on Batman/Bruce as a character. Meanwhile, I remember being hella jealous of everyone who got to read his run because I am probably the biggest BatCat fan out there. And if there's one thing Tom King will gladly do is give you BatCat romance. Them falling in love, dating, Bruce proposing (WHUAT??), Cat shopping for her wedding dress etc. etc. I tried following the story from a distance as best as I could but having the opportunity to finally read it in full feels like my birthday and Christmas falling on the same day. So get ready for some comic book reviews as I work my way through the series.
(I have read the first volume of King's run a year earlier and actually didn't like it that much. But I would genuinely say, being 11 volumes into his run now, that the first volume is the outlier. It's hella weird and boring and doesn't set the tone for the series at all. By far his weakest instalment, lmao.)
But onto Volume 2: Batman: I Am Suicide . In this volume, Batman puts together his own Suicide Squad to face off against Bane. Their mission: to retrieve the villain Psycho Pirate from Santa Prisca, in order to cure the mentally damaged Gotham Girl.
Highlights:
– BANE BANE BANE
– Bruce choosing Selina for his squad
– Batman punching his way through the whole prison (Santa Prisca), arriving exhausted at the throne room where Bane waits for him seated
– first BatCat kiss of the series
– those Tim Sale variant covers, man, always makes me nostalgic; he will forever be my favorite Batman illustrator, nobody did it like him (rest in peace, my guy <3)
Back in the day, when King's run came out, I remember people being so visibly upset about it. Men everywhere were up in arms because they hated King's take on Batman/Bruce as a character. Meanwhile, I remember being hella jealous of everyone who got to read his run because I am probably the biggest BatCat fan out there. And if there's one thing Tom King will gladly do is give you BatCat romance. Them falling in love, dating, Bruce proposing (WHUAT??), Cat shopping for her wedding dress etc. etc. I tried following the story from a distance as best as I could but having the opportunity to finally read it in full feels like my birthday and Christmas falling on the same day. So get ready for some comic book reviews as I work my way through the series.
(I have read the first volume of King's run a year earlier and actually didn't like it that much. But I would genuinely say, being 11 volumes into his run now, that the first volume is the outlier. It's hella weird and boring and doesn't set the tone for the series at all. By far his weakest instalment, lmao.)
But onto Volume 2: Batman: I Am Suicide . In this volume, Batman puts together his own Suicide Squad to face off against Bane. Their mission: to retrieve the villain Psycho Pirate from Santa Prisca, in order to cure the mentally damaged Gotham Girl.
Highlights:
– BANE BANE BANE
– Bruce choosing Selina for his squad
– Batman punching his way through the whole prison (Santa Prisca), arriving exhausted at the throne room where Bane waits for him seated
– first BatCat kiss of the series
– those Tim Sale variant covers, man, always makes me nostalgic; he will forever be my favorite Batman illustrator, nobody did it like him (rest in peace, my guy <3)
September 19, 2017
A better Suicide Squad.
World: The art is good, it conveys good tone and the characters emotions come out. The middle issue with the fights was framed wonderfully, reminded me of Williams III. The world here is done well, it takes the past of Batman and all the Easter eggs and more and makes it fresh and I love it.
Story: I really dug this arc, some people say that this Bats by King is too grim and brooding but I like it. I like that he's like this so that Superman and Wonder Woman make up a complete Trinity that tonally makes sense. This was the best Suicide Squad story and does it better than that book. The cast of characters was fun and interesting and the emotions end was worth it. The Cat/Bat thing brought me to tears. King pulled from the past from the Golden age to Hush to Brubaker and the past it was fantastic. Their relationship is eternal and this chase has been going on for so long that it's a part of the core of both of their characters. Yeah I liked it.
Characters: Bruce is a force of nature and at the same time his own worse enemy so that's why I like King writing him the way he is. He reminds me of 2000s Dickson Batman and I like it. Selina has taken a beating from the New52 and this arc really shoes off her Brubaker colors which in my opinion is the best era of her character. Their relationship is so good that it's the core of who they are and this endless chase is just done beautifully. The rest of the cast was great, the squad King chose, the way it was done. Fantastic. Bane was also done well, he is Doctor Doom of the DCU now and I like it.
I really dug this. King feels different from Snyder and really reminds me of the era of Bats I love he most.
Onward to the next book!
World: The art is good, it conveys good tone and the characters emotions come out. The middle issue with the fights was framed wonderfully, reminded me of Williams III. The world here is done well, it takes the past of Batman and all the Easter eggs and more and makes it fresh and I love it.
Story: I really dug this arc, some people say that this Bats by King is too grim and brooding but I like it. I like that he's like this so that Superman and Wonder Woman make up a complete Trinity that tonally makes sense. This was the best Suicide Squad story and does it better than that book. The cast of characters was fun and interesting and the emotions end was worth it. The Cat/Bat thing brought me to tears. King pulled from the past from the Golden age to Hush to Brubaker and the past it was fantastic. Their relationship is eternal and this chase has been going on for so long that it's a part of the core of both of their characters. Yeah I liked it.
Characters: Bruce is a force of nature and at the same time his own worse enemy so that's why I like King writing him the way he is. He reminds me of 2000s Dickson Batman and I like it. Selina has taken a beating from the New52 and this arc really shoes off her Brubaker colors which in my opinion is the best era of her character. Their relationship is so good that it's the core of who they are and this endless chase is just done beautifully. The rest of the cast was great, the squad King chose, the way it was done. Fantastic. Bane was also done well, he is Doctor Doom of the DCU now and I like it.
I really dug this. King feels different from Snyder and really reminds me of the era of Bats I love he most.
Onward to the next book!
February 14, 2017
Still a pretty decent batman title in my book! So this book can be split up into two stories: first off "I am Suicide", has batman assemble a team of villains to help him break into Banes prison island, to steal something(forgot what it was). This story is weird to critique, because it has a bit of a slow start, and one issue where I literally did not know what was going on; but it was saved by a very satisfying closing issue which made still like this rebirth title overall! Lastly we have "Rooftops", which is basically just a Batman and Catwoman romance story; but it was pretty good and I enjoyed it! Overall, still a good batman title, not the best, but I will continue to read!
October 3, 2024
Kite Man! Hell yeah!
March 22, 2017
Tom King caught my eye with the Vision comics, so when I saw he was writing Batman Comics I immediately requested them from Net Galley. The first, (Batman, Volume 1: I Am Gotham), was pretty good, so I was happy to try Batman, Volume 2: I am Suicide
Unfortunately, I'm not enjoying these as much as I enjoyed Vision. Admittedly, this could be because I am not very familiar with DC Comics or superheroes, in general, so please keep this in mind.
The first story in this volume is I Am Suicide. I loved the artwork but the story seemed to be all over the place. Batman was trying to capture Psycho Pirate who is being kept by Bane, and he assembled a group of misfits, none of whom I'm familiar with, to do so. On the way there, he encounters resistance and repeats himself constantly. (He's trying to get to Psycho Pirate because something he has or can do can help Gotham Girl, who's still a mess from her experiences in I Am Gotham.) Bane is a super huge criminal dude being held in a prison called Santa Prisca. I thought that if I were more familiar with these characters things would make more sense, but from reading the other reviews here, that doesn't seem to be the case. Overall, this story was a 2.5 stars out of 5 for me, mostly because I thought the art was very cool.
Rooftops, which is the second story in this volume, was much better. It was a bit cheesy and predictable, but it had some humor and a nice connection between Batman and Catwoman. Again, the artwork in this story was excellent and conveyed the feelings the author was trying to get across. 4 out 5 stars.
I did enjoy this volume, just not as much as I expected to. I'm still interested in seeing where this series is going, because I love the idea of a dark Batman. He is developing as a complex character and I like that, it's just that this volume was a bit of a let down.
Available April 18th, you can pre-order a copy here: Batman Vol. 2: I Am Suicide (Rebirth)
Thanks to Edelweiss for the free advance review copy in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it.
Unfortunately, I'm not enjoying these as much as I enjoyed Vision. Admittedly, this could be because I am not very familiar with DC Comics or superheroes, in general, so please keep this in mind.
The first story in this volume is I Am Suicide. I loved the artwork but the story seemed to be all over the place. Batman was trying to capture Psycho Pirate who is being kept by Bane, and he assembled a group of misfits, none of whom I'm familiar with, to do so. On the way there, he encounters resistance and repeats himself constantly. (He's trying to get to Psycho Pirate because something he has or can do can help Gotham Girl, who's still a mess from her experiences in I Am Gotham.) Bane is a super huge criminal dude being held in a prison called Santa Prisca. I thought that if I were more familiar with these characters things would make more sense, but from reading the other reviews here, that doesn't seem to be the case. Overall, this story was a 2.5 stars out of 5 for me, mostly because I thought the art was very cool.
Rooftops, which is the second story in this volume, was much better. It was a bit cheesy and predictable, but it had some humor and a nice connection between Batman and Catwoman. Again, the artwork in this story was excellent and conveyed the feelings the author was trying to get across. 4 out 5 stars.
I did enjoy this volume, just not as much as I expected to. I'm still interested in seeing where this series is going, because I love the idea of a dark Batman. He is developing as a complex character and I like that, it's just that this volume was a bit of a let down.
Available April 18th, you can pre-order a copy here: Batman Vol. 2: I Am Suicide (Rebirth)
Thanks to Edelweiss for the free advance review copy in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it.
September 21, 2017
The more comics written by Tom King I read, the more impressed I get. He has a way of approaching standard tropes and characters in ways that make them seem fresh and exciting. And he loves dropping in captions that have little or nothing to do with the art, but add depth and nuance to the scenes.
In this book, Batman puts together a team of villains to travel with him to Santa Prisca to rescue the Psycho Pirate from Bane's clutches. It's a lively tale, and lots of fun. I particularly liked the way Punch and Jewelee were used for comic relief without becoming slapstick caricatures.
My favorite story has to be the second one, though, where Batman and Catwoman basically go on a date. It rings very true to their respective characters, and includes a scene or two that longtime fans have been wanting to see for decades. The dialogue and the tension ... it's just so perfect.
Also, is it my imagination, or did I just read an entire volume of Batman where he didn't come off as a brooding psychopath every bit as dangerous as the criminals he pursues? Most of the recent Bat-books I've read get so outlandish with the Grim and Gritty that it's unreal. Obviously we don't need a return to the era of total camp, but a bit of a lighter tone couldn't hurt. When I run through my mental list of most memorable Batman stories, about 90% of the writers are Denny O'Neil, Mike Barr, or Steve Englehart ... Bill Finger too, I suppose. If King keeps up this standard of writing, I may have to add him to that list.
In this book, Batman puts together a team of villains to travel with him to Santa Prisca to rescue the Psycho Pirate from Bane's clutches. It's a lively tale, and lots of fun. I particularly liked the way Punch and Jewelee were used for comic relief without becoming slapstick caricatures.
My favorite story has to be the second one, though, where Batman and Catwoman basically go on a date. It rings very true to their respective characters, and includes a scene or two that longtime fans have been wanting to see for decades. The dialogue and the tension ... it's just so perfect.
Also, is it my imagination, or did I just read an entire volume of Batman where he didn't come off as a brooding psychopath every bit as dangerous as the criminals he pursues? Most of the recent Bat-books I've read get so outlandish with the Grim and Gritty that it's unreal. Obviously we don't need a return to the era of total camp, but a bit of a lighter tone couldn't hurt. When I run through my mental list of most memorable Batman stories, about 90% of the writers are Denny O'Neil, Mike Barr, or Steve Englehart ... Bill Finger too, I suppose. If King keeps up this standard of writing, I may have to add him to that list.
October 13, 2023
I’m definitely not a Tom King fan. I gave the first volume 3 stars because I liked the DC: Rebirth issue co-written with Snyder. The first couple of issues following that were okay, too. This volume, however, was not.
I didn’t appreciate King’s dreadful twist on Batman: Knightfall, Vol. 1: Broken Bat. A significant portion of the volume is spent on Batman threatening to break Bane’s back, repeatedly and monotonously. The duo Punch and Jewelee are entirely superfluous; I’m not convinced Batman needed their help to escape Santa Prisca, especially on an utterly bizarre bubblegum raft.
Throughout the volume, King displays little variation in his writing style. Although this is a Batman story, it didn’t read as one: the Dark Knight seemed secondary and detached from the storyline. I won’t be following any more of King’s works.
I didn’t appreciate King’s dreadful twist on Batman: Knightfall, Vol. 1: Broken Bat. A significant portion of the volume is spent on Batman threatening to break Bane’s back, repeatedly and monotonously. The duo Punch and Jewelee are entirely superfluous; I’m not convinced Batman needed their help to escape Santa Prisca, especially on an utterly bizarre bubblegum raft.
Throughout the volume, King displays little variation in his writing style. Although this is a Batman story, it didn’t read as one: the Dark Knight seemed secondary and detached from the storyline. I won’t be following any more of King’s works.
February 28, 2025
Eu esperava mais desse assalto que o Batman planejou à prisão de Santa Prisca. No começo, a ideia da equipe que o Batma montou, conhecendo o personagem, é claro que toda escolha foi meticulosamente selecionada a dedo , com tudo já estruturado na cabeça do Batman, mostrando o quão embaçado ele é e consegue fazer coisas consideras impossíveis.
No entanto, eu acho bem difícil o Batman aceitar a ajuda desses membros que ele selecionou, tirando o tigre de bronze (talvez) e claro, a mulher gato, a qual é perfeita para um heist. Toda essa premissa é empolgante pelo tema, mas ruim na execução.
Depois de aceitar a ideia, já que estou lendo, a trama faz sentido e é bem desenvolvida quanto ao papel de cada personagem, com um reviravolta interessante, brincando com a moral incerta da Selina. Porém, os diálogos do Batman com o Bane são travados e bem rasos. Apesar da clara referência A Queda do Morcego, o Batman parece um robô.
No fim do encadernado, há um grande desenvolvimento no que tange o relacionamento do Batman com a Mulher Gato, o que é muito legal e satisfatório aos leitores do personagem que querem ver o Bruce feliz.
No entanto, eu acho bem difícil o Batman aceitar a ajuda desses membros que ele selecionou, tirando o tigre de bronze (talvez) e claro, a mulher gato, a qual é perfeita para um heist. Toda essa premissa é empolgante pelo tema, mas ruim na execução.
Depois de aceitar a ideia, já que estou lendo, a trama faz sentido e é bem desenvolvida quanto ao papel de cada personagem, com um reviravolta interessante, brincando com a moral incerta da Selina. Porém, os diálogos do Batman com o Bane são travados e bem rasos. Apesar da clara referência A Queda do Morcego, o Batman parece um robô.
No fim do encadernado, há um grande desenvolvimento no que tange o relacionamento do Batman com a Mulher Gato, o que é muito legal e satisfatório aos leitores do personagem que querem ver o Bruce feliz.
April 17, 2017
There's some really good art, some really good ideas, and some really good lines in here. But it just isn't working for me. I can't really put my finger on what's going on here, but King's take on Batman just isn't clicking for me. It's a bit frustrating, because I can see that it's good, and I want to like it. But it just isn't for me, and I don't know why. It's a bit like Morrison's run, which I really liked, so I sincerely can't see what my problem is here. I think I'm going to be checking out of this series, for at least a few volumes. This may not be the right Batman for me, but it really is very good.
March 16, 2017
I really liked the Bane stuff, but I loved the Catwoman stuff. That last issue with the golden age and Year One references. So cool.
May 2, 2017
Ah yes. The controversial I am Suicide volume. Honestly, I am a lot confused about this volume. I thought it was an improvement, in terms of execution, compared to the first volume of the series because objectively looking at it Tom King did a better job at presenting the story than he did in the previous volume. What I find problematic is what this volume is trying to say about the character of Batman. And yes, I realize that the problems I have are subjective, mainly because it all depends on how one views Batman as a character. I have never been a fan, or a believe, of the whole "the story of Batman has and always will be a tragedy" take on the character. We have many examples that it doesn't need to be so!
Halfway though the volume Batman narrates (what is admittedly a kinda good speech in terms of writing) about his parent's death, his childhood and the reason he became Batman. I don't want to spoil the controversial thing that Batman said that everyone was surprised with, but what we take away from the monologue is basically this: Bruce Wayne died the night his parents died, and Batman was born. That little boy chose to "die" so in turn Batman could live, so in turn he could save people. It makes it seem as if Batman is the true self, Bruce Wayne playboy persona is a mask, while the real Bruce Wayne died.
I don't agree with this because I think if you look at it this way, Batman and his motivations became almost problematic. If you separate Batman from Bruce Wayne, you are left questioning the sanity of the character. And sure, you can say that that sanity was always in question, but I think it would be less in question if Batman and Bruce Wayne are taken to be the same person, because then it would allow for a better grasp on the concept that Bruce Wayne was in control and that Batman truly is a persona he uses to help people and save the world. So yes, I tend to believe that Batman is a mask and that Bruce Wayne is still the real person. I don't think Bruce had to die in order for Batman to be born, and it kinda annoys me when writers take his character in this direction.
Catwoman was also an important character in this volume, and had I read this a couple of years ago I would have loved the story between her and Batman, as was presented here, so much! But lately my feelings toward Catwoman appear to have cooled. And again, objectively this was a good part of the story, but I still don't know if I agree with the message behind it. Actually, no, I don't agree. Long story short, the conclusion we end with is that Catwoman is the one who understand Batman the best, that the pain they both feel stops when they are together, and that she loves him and he loves her, and that maybe someday they can be together. I mean, this is not the case at all!
Catwoman is the one that understands him best? Really, the best? I mean I would have accepted one of the best, but the best? What about Alfred? What about Dick? Barbara, Damian, Jason, Tim? Batman has had so many complicated relationships in his life, so many important people around him, that I don't think it's fair to say this one person understands him the best. Or maybe I'm way too annoyed by this.
Anyway, I think that by the amount of stuff I wrote here, my confused relationship with this volume is visible. Or maybe I just want a couple of volumes where we get a slightly more happy Batman. Actually, I read in another review someone mentioning that Tom King wrote Batman in Grant Morrison style. And I was just like "Yes! I can see that!" Maybe that's what it is. Granted it's not as bad but yeah I can see the similarities in this volume. With the exception of like Super Sons, after reading this and Batgirl, can we please have back the New 52?
(Also, Batman did everything he did in this volume to get The Pirate from Bane in order to help heal Gotham Girl, but we never saw the resolution of that storyline. I hope we get to see it in the next issues because I actually don't mind Gotham Girl all that much.)
Halfway though the volume Batman narrates (what is admittedly a kinda good speech in terms of writing) about his parent's death, his childhood and the reason he became Batman. I don't want to spoil the controversial thing that Batman said that everyone was surprised with, but what we take away from the monologue is basically this: Bruce Wayne died the night his parents died, and Batman was born. That little boy chose to "die" so in turn Batman could live, so in turn he could save people. It makes it seem as if Batman is the true self, Bruce Wayne playboy persona is a mask, while the real Bruce Wayne died.
I don't agree with this because I think if you look at it this way, Batman and his motivations became almost problematic. If you separate Batman from Bruce Wayne, you are left questioning the sanity of the character. And sure, you can say that that sanity was always in question, but I think it would be less in question if Batman and Bruce Wayne are taken to be the same person, because then it would allow for a better grasp on the concept that Bruce Wayne was in control and that Batman truly is a persona he uses to help people and save the world. So yes, I tend to believe that Batman is a mask and that Bruce Wayne is still the real person. I don't think Bruce had to die in order for Batman to be born, and it kinda annoys me when writers take his character in this direction.
Catwoman was also an important character in this volume, and had I read this a couple of years ago I would have loved the story between her and Batman, as was presented here, so much! But lately my feelings toward Catwoman appear to have cooled. And again, objectively this was a good part of the story, but I still don't know if I agree with the message behind it. Actually, no, I don't agree. Long story short, the conclusion we end with is that Catwoman is the one who understand Batman the best, that the pain they both feel stops when they are together, and that she loves him and he loves her, and that maybe someday they can be together. I mean, this is not the case at all!
Catwoman is the one that understands him best? Really, the best? I mean I would have accepted one of the best, but the best? What about Alfred? What about Dick? Barbara, Damian, Jason, Tim? Batman has had so many complicated relationships in his life, so many important people around him, that I don't think it's fair to say this one person understands him the best. Or maybe I'm way too annoyed by this.
Anyway, I think that by the amount of stuff I wrote here, my confused relationship with this volume is visible. Or maybe I just want a couple of volumes where we get a slightly more happy Batman. Actually, I read in another review someone mentioning that Tom King wrote Batman in Grant Morrison style. And I was just like "Yes! I can see that!" Maybe that's what it is. Granted it's not as bad but yeah I can see the similarities in this volume. With the exception of like Super Sons, after reading this and Batgirl, can we please have back the New 52?
(Also, Batman did everything he did in this volume to get The Pirate from Bane in order to help heal Gotham Girl, but we never saw the resolution of that storyline. I hope we get to see it in the next issues because I actually don't mind Gotham Girl all that much.)
April 8, 2017
[Read as single issues]
This one's a little weird.
Tom King's first Batman story is told in three parts - we've had I Am Gotham, introducing Gotham and Gotham Girl, while I Am Suicide stars Batman and a Suicide Squad of rogues heading to Santa Prisca to rescue the Psycho Pirate from Bane (and the just-finished I Am Bane is about Bane coming to Gotham for revenge but I'm jumping ahead).
The crux of this story is the similarity between Bane and Bruce, and the heist-style story of selecting the team, infiltrating the prison island, and then making a rapid escape. The pacing's a little off, and there are a few leaps of logic required in terms of back-breaking physics (literally) which can make or break this story. There are some great issues here. There are some weird ones. Overall, it's solid, but not as good as the two surrounding stories.
The artwork is handled by the superb Mikel Janin, and while he doesn't get as much to play with as he did over on Grayson or even Justice League Dark, his talents are on full display. I'm excited to see his return to the series with The War Of Jokes And Riddles.
Also included here is the two issue coda storyline Rooftops which helps explain some of Catwoman's motivations in the main storyline as well as put the Bat/Cat relationship in the spotlight. It's also drawn by Mitch Gerards, Tom King's collaborator on Sheriff Of Babylon, so it looks grand too.
Not quite 4 stars, but we're rounding up.
This one's a little weird.
Tom King's first Batman story is told in three parts - we've had I Am Gotham, introducing Gotham and Gotham Girl, while I Am Suicide stars Batman and a Suicide Squad of rogues heading to Santa Prisca to rescue the Psycho Pirate from Bane (and the just-finished I Am Bane is about Bane coming to Gotham for revenge but I'm jumping ahead).
The crux of this story is the similarity between Bane and Bruce, and the heist-style story of selecting the team, infiltrating the prison island, and then making a rapid escape. The pacing's a little off, and there are a few leaps of logic required in terms of back-breaking physics (literally) which can make or break this story. There are some great issues here. There are some weird ones. Overall, it's solid, but not as good as the two surrounding stories.
The artwork is handled by the superb Mikel Janin, and while he doesn't get as much to play with as he did over on Grayson or even Justice League Dark, his talents are on full display. I'm excited to see his return to the series with The War Of Jokes And Riddles.
Also included here is the two issue coda storyline Rooftops which helps explain some of Catwoman's motivations in the main storyline as well as put the Bat/Cat relationship in the spotlight. It's also drawn by Mitch Gerards, Tom King's collaborator on Sheriff Of Babylon, so it looks grand too.
Not quite 4 stars, but we're rounding up.
May 10, 2019
Last time I read Catwoman was in the 90s. I have a 1st issue by Mary Jo Duffy and Jim Ballent from 1993 with an amazing cover I got framed lifetimes ago that I look at in my bathroom every day and that was it. Batman? I must’ve been a kid I guess for the comic books, and then saw a couple of the movies but a while ago now. I think Heath Ledger was in the last one I saw. RIP. Superheroes are fun but I’ve tended to stay away from pop culture icons. But I was wowed just now and kept up way past anytime I should have been going to bed and finally getting some kind of sleep. Good times. Must admit I’m more in it for the Cat. I get that nothing to lose female fierceness all too well. But as a duo I’m totally buying it. The writing is great and the artwork was more than fine. I’ll be picking up the following issues, most likely.
Read
February 20, 2018Excellent work. The plot's fine, but King's real success here lies in his psychological portraiture—a neat trick with Batman, a character who tends to seem less coherent the closer you look. I am Suicide at least tries to investigate how the Batman hangs together as a person. The answers King proposes are dark, but they make sense to me.
I love the introduction of Catwoman. I'm not sure what he's doing with her character yet—there's a lot of mystery so far. I look forward to seeing the structure underneath.
I love the introduction of Catwoman. I'm not sure what he's doing with her character yet—there's a lot of mystery so far. I look forward to seeing the structure underneath.
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