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Batman (2016)
Batman, Vol. 1: Io Sono Gotham
Ci sono due nuovi eroi in città, due metaumani mascherati con poteri al pari di Superman. Si fanno chiamare Gotham e Gotham Girl e hanno salvato la vita di Batman, combattendo al suo fianco e imparando da lui! Ma cosa succede se i nuovi protettori della città diventano malvagi? Inizia così la nuova serie Rinascita dedicata a Batman e realizzata dall’astro nascente Tom King!
144 pages, Paperback
First published January 11, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 990 reviews
October 4, 2018
Evidently, I just don't like Batman anymore.
I'd been staring at the cover for I Am Gotham for over a week, and just pushing down bile every time I thought about picking it up. I mean, I'd read that stupid Rebirth #1 issue with Calendar Man a few times already, so I already knew that wasn't going to impress me. All I had left was the hope that everyone else was wrong and this wasn't mediocre.
So. Yeah, I'm going to have to say that they were wrong. I'm not sure if my friends are all just super-nice people or what, but (to me) this wasn't mediocre.
It was awful.
I honestly thought that by keeping my expectations low, I'd be able to enjoy this more than all my buddies. Because, after all, they had gone into it with high hopes. But...no.
Ok, before you get mad at me, I opened this up hoping for something that would redeem all the Bunny-Bat/Bat-Amnesia/Bat-Clone Pit/Whatever nonsense. The bar was set low.
Just tell a normal Batman story, and I'm on board!
I even skipped reading the Calendar Man story, because I knew it would just piss me off, and I was trying to like this thing.
But then, right off the bat THIS:
Yep. That's Batman, riding half an airplane like some deranged Santa Claus, with Duke and Alfred squawking important sounding pseudo-numbers into his earpiece, all in the effort to push the plane into Gotham Harbor. Of course all the passengers will survive (due to said important crunching of latitude/longitude/velocity/air pressure/fairy dust), but Bruce will not. Because hopping off the fucking plane at the last minute would be crazy talk?
Tearful goodbyes to Alfred...Tell the boys I love them...and (of course) the obligatory: Is it a good death, Alfie? Would my parents be proud?
Oh, shut the fuck up and jump into the water. Idiot.
That was pretty much the death knell for me, so by the time the ridiculous Gotham & Gotham Girl showed up, my eyes had already rolled as far back into my head as they could.
Or so I thought.
Spoilery things happen, and Gotham Girl pulls a Brittany Spears! She comes back looking like a young Sinead O'Connor, fighting crime while yammering knock-knock jokes to her invisible friend. Thankfully, Bruce is there to yank off his mask and give her Bat-hugs till she feels better.
For fuck's sake, the chick needs hardcore therapy, not your secret identity and a pat on the back!
And maybe that wouldn't have raked my nerves so much if there hadn't been some cryptic mention of some future event where someone spoilery kills Batman.
OhMyFuckingGodNotThisShitAgain!
I just can't. I simply don't like this character enough to keep reading garbage stories about him anymore. I'm tired of the dead parents theme being repeated & overused, I'm tired of the Where did Batman go?! He was just here! Hyuck! jokes, and I'm tired of Bruce dying or getting replaced as Batman.
Dear Bruce,
It's not you, it's me. Except it sort of is you.
Maybe someday in the future, we can be friends again but, for now, you'll find your clothes on the front lawn.
-Anne
Ok, I'm probably in the minority. Like I mentioned, most of my friends thought this was decent, so take my opinion as...my opinion. I didn't enjoy I Am Gotham, but you might.
Both stars are for the very nice art.
I'd been staring at the cover for I Am Gotham for over a week, and just pushing down bile every time I thought about picking it up. I mean, I'd read that stupid Rebirth #1 issue with Calendar Man a few times already, so I already knew that wasn't going to impress me. All I had left was the hope that everyone else was wrong and this wasn't mediocre.
So. Yeah, I'm going to have to say that they were wrong. I'm not sure if my friends are all just super-nice people or what, but (to me) this wasn't mediocre.
It was awful.
I honestly thought that by keeping my expectations low, I'd be able to enjoy this more than all my buddies. Because, after all, they had gone into it with high hopes. But...no.
Ok, before you get mad at me, I opened this up hoping for something that would redeem all the Bunny-Bat/Bat-Amnesia/Bat-Clone Pit/Whatever nonsense. The bar was set low.
Just tell a normal Batman story, and I'm on board!
I even skipped reading the Calendar Man story, because I knew it would just piss me off, and I was trying to like this thing.
But then, right off the bat THIS:
Yep. That's Batman, riding half an airplane like some deranged Santa Claus, with Duke and Alfred squawking important sounding pseudo-numbers into his earpiece, all in the effort to push the plane into Gotham Harbor. Of course all the passengers will survive (due to said important crunching of latitude/longitude/velocity/air pressure/fairy dust), but Bruce will not. Because hopping off the fucking plane at the last minute would be crazy talk?
Tearful goodbyes to Alfred...Tell the boys I love them...and (of course) the obligatory: Is it a good death, Alfie? Would my parents be proud?
Oh, shut the fuck up and jump into the water. Idiot.
That was pretty much the death knell for me, so by the time the ridiculous Gotham & Gotham Girl showed up, my eyes had already rolled as far back into my head as they could.
Or so I thought.
Spoilery things happen, and Gotham Girl pulls a Brittany Spears! She comes back looking like a young Sinead O'Connor, fighting crime while yammering knock-knock jokes to her invisible friend. Thankfully, Bruce is there to yank off his mask and give her Bat-hugs till she feels better.
For fuck's sake, the chick needs hardcore therapy, not your secret identity and a pat on the back!
And maybe that wouldn't have raked my nerves so much if there hadn't been some cryptic mention of some future event where someone spoilery kills Batman.
OhMyFuckingGodNotThisShitAgain!
I just can't. I simply don't like this character enough to keep reading garbage stories about him anymore. I'm tired of the dead parents theme being repeated & overused, I'm tired of the Where did Batman go?! He was just here! Hyuck! jokes, and I'm tired of Bruce dying or getting replaced as Batman.
Dear Bruce,
It's not you, it's me. Except it sort of is you.
Maybe someday in the future, we can be friends again but, for now, you'll find your clothes on the front lawn.
-Anne
Ok, I'm probably in the minority. Like I mentioned, most of my friends thought this was decent, so take my opinion as...my opinion. I didn't enjoy I Am Gotham, but you might.
Both stars are for the very nice art.
August 8, 2017
SPEEDY TRIAL REVIEW (Special comic book version)
The Defense – “POW!”
- Tom King does a great job portraying Bruce Wayne’s human side, especially through his banter with Alfred.
(I approve of any dialogue where Alfred is portrayed as a complete wise-ass!)
- Duke Thomas is shaping up to be a very interesting and engaging protégé of Batman’s.
- Nice to see lesser-used villains like Hugo Strange and the Psycho Pirate in action.
- The character arc for new superheroes Gotham and Gotham Girl is rather powerful at points.
The Prosecution – “OOF!”
- “Is this a good death?” - This story was published in 2016… WHY are writers STILL quoting lines from 1986’s “The Dark Knight Returns”… it was a good story 30 years ago, but not everything that was good in the 80’s is still good today…like hair metal!
(Okay, bad example, hair metal is still awesome!)
- Actually, that whole “good death” sequence was pretty ridiculous. A man who spends 90% of his evenings jumping off of skyscrapers couldn’t figure out how to jump off the plane when it was near the water?!
- Some parts of the narration (particularly Gotham’s inner dialogue) suffered from “Frankmilleritis”!
(Mr. King, just stick with your own voice, you don’t have to try to pull off Frank Miller’s “grim and gritty” prose… Frank Miller can’t even pull it off any more! Check out the reviews for “All-Star Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder, Vol. 1” if you don’t believe me!)
- “The Monster Men are coming!” – Yeah, heard you the first time, sir! Too much of this storyline plays like a preview for the next storyline.
- The pacing is off in the middle of the story… was there an issue missing between parts three and four?!
The Verdict – “ZOWIE!”
While many Bat-writers fall into the trap of making Batman almost supernatural (“I AM THE NIGHT”…groan!), Tom King avoids this and gives us a more human (and also more interesting) Dark Knight. Bruce Wayne’s camaraderie with Alfred and Duke Thomas breathed extra life into the story, and his compassion in trying to help prevent Gotham’s newest superheroes from falling from grace was effective as well. However, King spends too much time emulating Frank Miller’s narrative style, which is unfortunate since King proves to be a fine enough writer on his own. Also, so much time is spent setting up the next stories, it detracts from this one at times. Still, although I was somewhat underwhelmed by this volume, I’ll keep checking out Tom King’s “Batman” run. If he relies more on his own voice in later issues, I think he may have some great Batman stories to tell!
Closing argument - "The end...for now!"
If you want to read a much more entertaining review of this book, please check out Anne's review here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Defense – “POW!”
- Tom King does a great job portraying Bruce Wayne’s human side, especially through his banter with Alfred.
(I approve of any dialogue where Alfred is portrayed as a complete wise-ass!)
- Duke Thomas is shaping up to be a very interesting and engaging protégé of Batman’s.
- Nice to see lesser-used villains like Hugo Strange and the Psycho Pirate in action.
- The character arc for new superheroes Gotham and Gotham Girl is rather powerful at points.
The Prosecution – “OOF!”
- “Is this a good death?” - This story was published in 2016… WHY are writers STILL quoting lines from 1986’s “The Dark Knight Returns”… it was a good story 30 years ago, but not everything that was good in the 80’s is still good today…like hair metal!
(Okay, bad example, hair metal is still awesome!)
- Actually, that whole “good death” sequence was pretty ridiculous. A man who spends 90% of his evenings jumping off of skyscrapers couldn’t figure out how to jump off the plane when it was near the water?!
- Some parts of the narration (particularly Gotham’s inner dialogue) suffered from “Frankmilleritis”!
(Mr. King, just stick with your own voice, you don’t have to try to pull off Frank Miller’s “grim and gritty” prose… Frank Miller can’t even pull it off any more! Check out the reviews for “All-Star Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder, Vol. 1” if you don’t believe me!)
- “The Monster Men are coming!” – Yeah, heard you the first time, sir! Too much of this storyline plays like a preview for the next storyline.
- The pacing is off in the middle of the story… was there an issue missing between parts three and four?!
The Verdict – “ZOWIE!”
While many Bat-writers fall into the trap of making Batman almost supernatural (“I AM THE NIGHT”…groan!), Tom King avoids this and gives us a more human (and also more interesting) Dark Knight. Bruce Wayne’s camaraderie with Alfred and Duke Thomas breathed extra life into the story, and his compassion in trying to help prevent Gotham’s newest superheroes from falling from grace was effective as well. However, King spends too much time emulating Frank Miller’s narrative style, which is unfortunate since King proves to be a fine enough writer on his own. Also, so much time is spent setting up the next stories, it detracts from this one at times. Still, although I was somewhat underwhelmed by this volume, I’ll keep checking out Tom King’s “Batman” run. If he relies more on his own voice in later issues, I think he may have some great Batman stories to tell!
Closing argument - "The end...for now!"
If you want to read a much more entertaining review of this book, please check out Anne's review here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
March 22, 2017
Full confession: I have not been keeping up on Batman in a while. Part of it is due to simple fatigue of all the rebooting and retconning that both DC and Marvel are doing these days. A larger part was that Batman v. Superman managed to kill my bat-enthusiasm for the character. (A feat that even Batman & Robin didn’t manage to do. Nice work, Zack Snyder.) But I saw Lego Batman recently, and it pepped me back up enough to give this a go even though I had no idea what the recent Rebirth did to bat-world.
As expected, I was confused. Who is Duke Thomas? Is he a new Robin? His outfit doesn’t look like Robin, but he seems to be filling the Robin role. Wait, Bruce references Dick Grayson so I guess he still used to be Robin? Oh, there’s the Jason Todd outfit in the memorial tube so that probably means that the Death in the Family storyline happened, right? Or is he back from the dead and a bad guy again? But if he’s back from the dead then why does Batman still have a memorial to him?
Putting aside all that nonsense this wasn’t half-bad. After a one issue fight with Calendar Man the larger story shifts to Batman meeting two very powerful superheroes calling themselves Gotham and Gotham Girl who seem dedicated to helping him protect the city. Since the first thing they do is save Batman’s life things start well, and Batman kinda likes the idea of having powerful allies not named Superman around to help out. But it’s Gotham City so things go sideways and all hope is destroyed.
It’s a decent enough story, and it ends on a cliffhanger that’s got me interested in what happens next. The art is pretty good and I like this new Bat-suit. (It is new, right?) This also is a version of Batman that walks the line between dark avenger haunted by tragedy and an actual comic book superhero who does comic book superhero kind of things. The dynamic between Bruce and Alfred was a very well done, and I particularly liked a scene in which they’re essentially saying goodbye as Batman is in what he thinks will be his final moments.
Not too shabby. Now I just gotta figure who the hell Duke Thomas is.
As expected, I was confused. Who is Duke Thomas? Is he a new Robin? His outfit doesn’t look like Robin, but he seems to be filling the Robin role. Wait, Bruce references Dick Grayson so I guess he still used to be Robin? Oh, there’s the Jason Todd outfit in the memorial tube so that probably means that the Death in the Family storyline happened, right? Or is he back from the dead and a bad guy again? But if he’s back from the dead then why does Batman still have a memorial to him?
Putting aside all that nonsense this wasn’t half-bad. After a one issue fight with Calendar Man the larger story shifts to Batman meeting two very powerful superheroes calling themselves Gotham and Gotham Girl who seem dedicated to helping him protect the city. Since the first thing they do is save Batman’s life things start well, and Batman kinda likes the idea of having powerful allies not named Superman around to help out. But it’s Gotham City so things go sideways and all hope is destroyed.
It’s a decent enough story, and it ends on a cliffhanger that’s got me interested in what happens next. The art is pretty good and I like this new Bat-suit. (It is new, right?) This also is a version of Batman that walks the line between dark avenger haunted by tragedy and an actual comic book superhero who does comic book superhero kind of things. The dynamic between Bruce and Alfred was a very well done, and I particularly liked a scene in which they’re essentially saying goodbye as Batman is in what he thinks will be his final moments.
Not too shabby. Now I just gotta figure who the hell Duke Thomas is.
February 15, 2017
Three and a half stars.
DC Publishers, after what seemed like an eternity with The New 52, have finally done a re-boot of sorts for its comics, a “re-birth”, if you will. Whilst the wife was getting a haircut, I hung out in the bookstore across the street and read this for free. I did, however, buy an overpriced cup of coffee – black (like my soul) and three sugars.
The skinny: Unlike everybody’s favorite centenarian, Aunt May, Aunt Harriet still has “needs” and is in the market for a fella. Right on cue, the bad guys come a courtin’.
After a massive brawl on the grounds of Wayne Manor, Aunt Harriet picks the lucky guy: Oswald Cobblepot, The Penguin. Over the strenuous objections of Bruce Wayne, Aunt Harriet gets hitched. At first, all is hunky dory as Aunt Harriet grows to love living above the fish market with its strong odor of raw fish , but trouble brews when, encouraged by the Penguin, her passion for baking Meth cookies (with white chocolate chips) gets out of hand and she comes into conflict with Batman….
What the hell? Is this for real?
Uh…no.
The real skinny: The first issue included here is self-contained with theHallmark Calendar Man rigging an old blender, a fishing reel and a garter belt (powder blue) to come up with a machine that forces the seasons to change on a daily business.
It’s also an excuse for Bats to continue on the teen-aged-boy-sidekick road to perdition.
Yellow? I could never wear yellow. It clashes with my girlish figure.
The bulk of the book is made up of the “I am Gotham” storyline. A couple of juiced-up Batman worshipping kids are new to the crime fighting game and Bats is there to mentor them…
…until things go off the rails…
…and its meta-humans running amok.
Thanks for the fortune cookie bit of wisdom, Bats.
Bottom line: Even though the story has a been-there-read-that quality to it, it’s fairly entertaining and Alfred does have some good lines.
DC Publishers, after what seemed like an eternity with The New 52, have finally done a re-boot of sorts for its comics, a “re-birth”, if you will. Whilst the wife was getting a haircut, I hung out in the bookstore across the street and read this for free. I did, however, buy an overpriced cup of coffee – black (like my soul) and three sugars.
The skinny: Unlike everybody’s favorite centenarian, Aunt May, Aunt Harriet still has “needs” and is in the market for a fella. Right on cue, the bad guys come a courtin’.
After a massive brawl on the grounds of Wayne Manor, Aunt Harriet picks the lucky guy: Oswald Cobblepot, The Penguin. Over the strenuous objections of Bruce Wayne, Aunt Harriet gets hitched. At first, all is hunky dory as Aunt Harriet grows to love living above the fish market with its strong odor of raw fish , but trouble brews when, encouraged by the Penguin, her passion for baking Meth cookies (with white chocolate chips) gets out of hand and she comes into conflict with Batman….
What the hell? Is this for real?
Uh…no.
The real skinny: The first issue included here is self-contained with the
It’s also an excuse for Bats to continue on the teen-aged-boy-sidekick road to perdition.
Yellow? I could never wear yellow. It clashes with my girlish figure.
The bulk of the book is made up of the “I am Gotham” storyline. A couple of juiced-up Batman worshipping kids are new to the crime fighting game and Bats is there to mentor them…
…until things go off the rails…
…and its meta-humans running amok.
Thanks for the fortune cookie bit of wisdom, Bats.
Bottom line: Even though the story has a been-there-read-that quality to it, it’s fairly entertaining and Alfred does have some good lines.
November 3, 2018
Tom King writes a bad Batman. While it has moments of entertaining bombast, it falls flat with its recycled plot, bad dialog, derivative artwork, and mischaracterization.
Looking back from Volume 2, King is trying too hard and doesn't understand Batman, or wants him to be something he's not. Here he’s robotic, lifeless, a reckless daredevil. At one point he actually says: “I know. I know. I know. I know.” Did he fry his circuits?
Although David Finch‘s artwork is prettied up with Jordie Bellaire’s coloring, it fails to support this meandering mess of a story. The artwork is unfortunately a passable impression of Greg Capullo and FCO, whose stellar work was a definite highlight of the far superior Scott Snyder Batman run.
Ultimately, I fail to appreciate what King is trying to do here. It appears to be a sort of grim super detective counterbalance to Snyder’s fun-loving adventurer, but King goes too far, strips all emotion and humanity which defines Batman’s psychosis, fragility, and theatricality. His plots are pure bombast and convolution, digging through DC’s back issues for ideas and characters that will seem fresh. And the dialog, again representative of Batman’s mischaracterization, seems like King has never interacted with another human being. I was always little boy excited to buy the newest Batman story when Snyder was writing, but King has turned me away my favorite character entirely.
February 6, 2017
As one dynamic duo, Tom King and David Finch, take over the main Batman title, another dynamic duo appears in town: Gotham and Gotham Girl, two Superman/Supergirl-types out to help Batman in his war against crime! But this fresh-faced pair are about to discover how dangerous the shadows in the city can be even with the Dark Knight at their side…
Under Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo, Batman unfortunately wasn’t good for a while so I’m glad to say that with a new creative team on board, the relaunched series is firmly back on form - I Am Gotham is a great beginning to Tom King’s run!
King opens the story explosively with Batman diverting a downed commercial jet away from downtown Gotham. Action-packed describes the book as a whole as we move from one exciting set-piece to another, from one reveal to the next, so the reader’s never bored with what’s happening. The main Batman title is usually the more sensational and superhero-y - Detective Comics is the one where Batman puts on his deerstalker and investigates nuanced street-level crimes - and King fully lives up to that expectation here. He also nails Batman’s character and gives him some damn cool moments like during the climactic confrontation when he gets up and snarls “I am Gotham,” - yeah!
Like Scott Snyder’s first Batman book, The Court of Owls, King introduces some new characters into Batman canon with his first book. However, Gotham and Gotham Girl aren’t the most compelling characters - though I didn’t dislike them either - especially as Superman-types are hardly original, but they were fine as part of a larger problem Batman has to deal with.
The story developed well with King setting up intriguing future storylines at the same time - they look like they’re going to be remakes of previous sorta-well-known but crappy Batman books though with King in the driving seat I’m hopeful he’ll find a way to improve them for contemporary readers. I wonder what happened to the “three Jokers” storyline teased in DC Universe Rebirth #1 - will King get around to that later, will someone else write it, or has that idea been abandoned? I wouldn’t mind if it was the latter!
I also liked how Batman reached out to others when he felt out of his depth, showing he’s learned to ask for help when he needs it and that he’s not alone - a holdover from Scott Snyder’s Batman run. And speaking of Snyder’s Batman, it looks like the New 52 stories are still in play - Rebirth hasn’t wiped out that canon and there are references to Zero Year, the Court of Owls, Joker and Bloom. Under King, Duke, the new Robin, is starting to grow on me, and I was pleased to see Alfred miraculously has his hand back - I hated what Snyder did to poor Alfie in Endgame which felt like pure shock value more than anything.
I’m not the biggest fan of David Finch’s art but I liked what he did here. It was more restrained than usual, more focused and looked a lot cleaner. The Regan/All-Star Superman homage page was great though the Gotham Girl outfit looked a little corny. Largely though I was very satisfied with the art.
Easily the worst part of the book was the handover issue that opened the volume, co-written by Snyder. Calendar Man is reimagined as this weird mutant-type dude who literally dies at the end of winter and is reborn in the spring into a new body? Ugh, it was terrible! What a stupid idea - thank goodness Snyder left when he did before he did more damage! Mikel Janin’s art in this issue though was spectacular, very sharp and clear, appropriately big-screen movie-type illustrations to match the dramatic action.
I’ve never been a fan of either Tom King or David Finch but, credit where credit’s due, these guys created a fine Batman book here - a career best (so far) for both, I’d say. I love the energy in this book the most. Batman feels reinvigorated and I was excited reading a Batman comic in a way that I haven’t been since Zero Year. Batman, Volume 1: I Am Gotham is a great Batman story and an excellent start to a series that hopefully maintains its quality going forward - I Am Entertained!
Under Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo, Batman unfortunately wasn’t good for a while so I’m glad to say that with a new creative team on board, the relaunched series is firmly back on form - I Am Gotham is a great beginning to Tom King’s run!
King opens the story explosively with Batman diverting a downed commercial jet away from downtown Gotham. Action-packed describes the book as a whole as we move from one exciting set-piece to another, from one reveal to the next, so the reader’s never bored with what’s happening. The main Batman title is usually the more sensational and superhero-y - Detective Comics is the one where Batman puts on his deerstalker and investigates nuanced street-level crimes - and King fully lives up to that expectation here. He also nails Batman’s character and gives him some damn cool moments like during the climactic confrontation when he gets up and snarls “I am Gotham,” - yeah!
Like Scott Snyder’s first Batman book, The Court of Owls, King introduces some new characters into Batman canon with his first book. However, Gotham and Gotham Girl aren’t the most compelling characters - though I didn’t dislike them either - especially as Superman-types are hardly original, but they were fine as part of a larger problem Batman has to deal with.
The story developed well with King setting up intriguing future storylines at the same time - they look like they’re going to be remakes of previous sorta-well-known but crappy Batman books though with King in the driving seat I’m hopeful he’ll find a way to improve them for contemporary readers. I wonder what happened to the “three Jokers” storyline teased in DC Universe Rebirth #1 - will King get around to that later, will someone else write it, or has that idea been abandoned? I wouldn’t mind if it was the latter!
I also liked how Batman reached out to others when he felt out of his depth, showing he’s learned to ask for help when he needs it and that he’s not alone - a holdover from Scott Snyder’s Batman run. And speaking of Snyder’s Batman, it looks like the New 52 stories are still in play - Rebirth hasn’t wiped out that canon and there are references to Zero Year, the Court of Owls, Joker and Bloom. Under King, Duke, the new Robin, is starting to grow on me, and I was pleased to see Alfred miraculously has his hand back - I hated what Snyder did to poor Alfie in Endgame which felt like pure shock value more than anything.
I’m not the biggest fan of David Finch’s art but I liked what he did here. It was more restrained than usual, more focused and looked a lot cleaner. The Regan/All-Star Superman homage page was great though the Gotham Girl outfit looked a little corny. Largely though I was very satisfied with the art.
Easily the worst part of the book was the handover issue that opened the volume, co-written by Snyder. Calendar Man is reimagined as this weird mutant-type dude who literally dies at the end of winter and is reborn in the spring into a new body? Ugh, it was terrible! What a stupid idea - thank goodness Snyder left when he did before he did more damage! Mikel Janin’s art in this issue though was spectacular, very sharp and clear, appropriately big-screen movie-type illustrations to match the dramatic action.
I’ve never been a fan of either Tom King or David Finch but, credit where credit’s due, these guys created a fine Batman book here - a career best (so far) for both, I’d say. I love the energy in this book the most. Batman feels reinvigorated and I was excited reading a Batman comic in a way that I haven’t been since Zero Year. Batman, Volume 1: I Am Gotham is a great Batman story and an excellent start to a series that hopefully maintains its quality going forward - I Am Entertained!
April 10, 2017
I’m not a hardcore DC guy. Relative to the average person on the street, I suppose, I’m like Braniac when it comes to DC knowledge; relative to actual DC acolytes, however, I’m more like Solomon Grundy (appropriate, as I post this on a Monday). I’ve dabbled with DC in the manner of a dilettante for some 25 or 30 years now, so I’ve spent many an hour with Batman/Superman/Green Latern/et al. But, I haven’t followed DC in the same way I have Marvel (who, by contrast, I’ve basically given a colonoscopy to by being so far up its backside), which is to say that, with some exceptions (Crisis on Infinite Earths, Identify Crisis, a few others), I haven’t made it a point to read all of the world-spanning, continuity-altering crossovers and am not particularly knowledgeable about what’s what these days.
That’s a long-winded way of saying that I know more about afterbirth (far more than I ever needed to, really) than I do DC’s Rebirth crossover, so I came into this with zero background about why we’re hitting the reset button (yet again) on the DCU. That’s a good and a bad thing, I suppose—I’m not bringing any anger (or delight) from reading Rebirth, but I’m also fairly clueless about whether or not this makes sense coming out of it.
On its own merit, this is an engaging tale of the Batman, with art by David Finch that is well suited to the both the tale itself and the Gotham setting generally. When I weigh the merits of a Batman story, I’m looking for a few key elements: some sort of mystery that serves as a showcase for Batman’s detective skills (not a major focus, but covered), a throwdown with a classic member of Batman’s inimitable rogues’ gallery (absent, sadly), lots of great moody/atmospheric shots of Gotham (check), Alfred playing a key role (check), fun gadgets (check), and Batman showing some semblance of character beyond being an autonomous crime-fighting machine (check). So, a solid showing that nets out somewhere just north of 3.5 stars.
(Side note: is there a more uninteresting alter ego in comics than Bruce Wayne? Every few issues, we get a page and a half of Bruce showing up late for some charity function, dancing with a model, and then running off to go to Batman things. I get that Bruce IS Batman in a way that, say, Peter Parker is not Spider-Man, so there’s not really much separation or point in dwelling on Bruce’s (non-existent) personal life; but, it feels like a giant missed opportunity to not do something more with the man when he’s not running around with rubber nipples corrupting youngsters wearing green tights.)
That’s a long-winded way of saying that I know more about afterbirth (far more than I ever needed to, really) than I do DC’s Rebirth crossover, so I came into this with zero background about why we’re hitting the reset button (yet again) on the DCU. That’s a good and a bad thing, I suppose—I’m not bringing any anger (or delight) from reading Rebirth, but I’m also fairly clueless about whether or not this makes sense coming out of it.
On its own merit, this is an engaging tale of the Batman, with art by David Finch that is well suited to the both the tale itself and the Gotham setting generally. When I weigh the merits of a Batman story, I’m looking for a few key elements: some sort of mystery that serves as a showcase for Batman’s detective skills (not a major focus, but covered), a throwdown with a classic member of Batman’s inimitable rogues’ gallery (absent, sadly), lots of great moody/atmospheric shots of Gotham (check), Alfred playing a key role (check), fun gadgets (check), and Batman showing some semblance of character beyond being an autonomous crime-fighting machine (check). So, a solid showing that nets out somewhere just north of 3.5 stars.
(Side note: is there a more uninteresting alter ego in comics than Bruce Wayne? Every few issues, we get a page and a half of Bruce showing up late for some charity function, dancing with a model, and then running off to go to Batman things. I get that Bruce IS Batman in a way that, say, Peter Parker is not Spider-Man, so there’s not really much separation or point in dwelling on Bruce’s (non-existent) personal life; but, it feels like a giant missed opportunity to not do something more with the man when he’s not running around with rubber nipples corrupting youngsters wearing green tights.)
January 7, 2019
Re-read in 2018 I found this to be better than I remembered, mostly due to having read the rest of the volumes.
The good. The art. David Finch draws a fantastic Batman. There are elements of a good story here but they suffer from the missing plot.
The bad. King likes to end an issue on a cliffhanger and then next issue a shitload happened between issues that we don't get to see. Things that keep getting referred to like these normal citizens blowing stuff up and referencing Monster Men are completely forgotten about in the second half of the book. There's multiple instances where important things happen between panels or issues. It makes me want to scream! You no longer work for the CIA Tom King. It feels like you redacted parts of the story.
The ugly. That whole nonsense with Bruce guiding a plane down like he's Charlton Heston guiding a chariot. The nonsensical changes to Calendar Man where he ages and rejuvenates over a calendar cycle. I can sense Scott Snyder's influence here. At this point, it seems to be one batshit crazy thing after another with his Batman.
The good. The art. David Finch draws a fantastic Batman. There are elements of a good story here but they suffer from the missing plot.
The bad. King likes to end an issue on a cliffhanger and then next issue a shitload happened between issues that we don't get to see. Things that keep getting referred to like these normal citizens blowing stuff up and referencing Monster Men are completely forgotten about in the second half of the book. There's multiple instances where important things happen between panels or issues. It makes me want to scream! You no longer work for the CIA Tom King. It feels like you redacted parts of the story.
The ugly. That whole nonsense with Bruce guiding a plane down like he's Charlton Heston guiding a chariot. The nonsensical changes to Calendar Man where he ages and rejuvenates over a calendar cycle. I can sense Scott Snyder's influence here. At this point, it seems to be one batshit crazy thing after another with his Batman.
January 18, 2022
Just not best Batman fresh start I ever read, but I’m always been a fan of David Finch’s way of drawing the Dark Knight so artworks saved the day for me.
And that scene with Alfred donning the cape was just a five stars one.
Three and one half bat-stars.
February 9, 2017
Well, this was fun! It's my first Superhero comic and I enjoyed it a lot!
I loved the darkness of the story-line, the much more developed character of Alfred, (as compared to movies I've seen in the past), and especially the graphics.
It's hard for me to opine about how this compares to other comics/graphic novels about Superheroes, since I haven't read any others. But as a friend so kindly just reminded me, I do know STORIES, and I know that I liked this one.
If a dark and stormy turn to your Batman is something you fancy, I think this volume will be right up your alley!
*Thanks to NetGalley and DC Comics for the e-ARC of this graphic novel in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it. *
I loved the darkness of the story-line, the much more developed character of Alfred, (as compared to movies I've seen in the past), and especially the graphics.
It's hard for me to opine about how this compares to other comics/graphic novels about Superheroes, since I haven't read any others. But as a friend so kindly just reminded me, I do know STORIES, and I know that I liked this one.
If a dark and stormy turn to your Batman is something you fancy, I think this volume will be right up your alley!
*Thanks to NetGalley and DC Comics for the e-ARC of this graphic novel in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it. *
March 15, 2018
The latest Rebirth series for Batman starts with I Am Gotham where Gotham and Gotham Girl are introduced to our favorite hero. I thought that the graphics here were on par with those of Snyder's previous Batman New 52 cycle that started with Night of the Owls, but I appreciated the plot a bit less with its orgy of other DC heroes brought in (with little interest to the plot IMHO) and I found G and G Girl mostly uninteresting. Well, I am still on deck to try I Am Bane, perhaps it will be a bit better...
October 8, 2016
I am Gotham is a very disappointing start and I am not even comparing this to Snyder's New52 kick-off story, The Court of Owls.
Tom King fails to tell a cohesive story. When you think all goes well in its first three issues, everything went south thereafter. I am Gotham fails to tell a story and became so busy in setting up the next one. Building up for the next arc is a good thing really, it is a way to show readers that everything connects to a bigger picture, given that you are telling the current story good. But this one isn't.
God, aside from that, this story is so wrong in many things:
1. Alfred in the Bat cowl is a huge disgrace. I know it was meant for a comic relief but that was severely awkward and unwarranted.
2. Gotham and Gotham Girl are annoying. Duke and Batman even spent precious panels just to comfort an whining, emo Gotham Girl. They started truly good though, giving an element of inspiration and youth in the dark city of Gotham.
3. Psycho Pirate and Hugo Strange not getting enough screen time. It's not just I wanted to see more of them, but they were so vital in the story. They were the ones responsible for the downfall of the Gotham duo! Instead we learned about it as an exposition from Amanda Waller.
4. Underutilized Justice League. They were literally just there for a squad pose then went ass-kicked by Gotham. (I dunno, but if your "life-force" is what gives you power, your whole life is in no way enough in taking down Superman, or the whole League for that matter. So if I were a villain who provides that type of life-force, I'd just train a couple of kamikaze Gothams to defeat JL.)
5. Amanda Waller. She's conveniently placed there for exposition (#3) and as well as telling what would happen next. This is not a suicide Squad Series. This is Batman!
If this book hits the shelves, I recommend that you skip it. Go buy Detective Comics: The Rise of Batmen (Tynion IV) or Superman: Son of Superman (Gleason and Tomasi) instead.
Tom King fails to tell a cohesive story. When you think all goes well in its first three issues, everything went south thereafter. I am Gotham fails to tell a story and became so busy in setting up the next one. Building up for the next arc is a good thing really, it is a way to show readers that everything connects to a bigger picture, given that you are telling the current story good. But this one isn't.
God, aside from that, this story is so wrong in many things:
1. Alfred in the Bat cowl is a huge disgrace. I know it was meant for a comic relief but that was severely awkward and unwarranted.
2. Gotham and Gotham Girl are annoying. Duke and Batman even spent precious panels just to comfort an whining, emo Gotham Girl. They started truly good though, giving an element of inspiration and youth in the dark city of Gotham.
3. Psycho Pirate and Hugo Strange not getting enough screen time. It's not just I wanted to see more of them, but they were so vital in the story. They were the ones responsible for the downfall of the Gotham duo! Instead we learned about it as an exposition from Amanda Waller.
4. Underutilized Justice League. They were literally just there for a squad pose then went ass-kicked by Gotham. (I dunno, but if your "life-force" is what gives you power, your whole life is in no way enough in taking down Superman, or the whole League for that matter. So if I were a villain who provides that type of life-force, I'd just train a couple of kamikaze Gothams to defeat JL.)
5. Amanda Waller. She's conveniently placed there for exposition (#3) and as well as telling what would happen next. This is not a suicide Squad Series. This is Batman!
If this book hits the shelves, I recommend that you skip it. Go buy Detective Comics: The Rise of Batmen (Tynion IV) or Superman: Son of Superman (Gleason and Tomasi) instead.
March 6, 2020
Oh well, that was pretty mediocre.
There are two new heroes in town who want to help Batman fight ... whom again? ... I already forgot. Monster Men? Did they actually show up? Gosh, it's half an hour since I finished this book.
Gotham and Gotham Girl are just bland characters. That is before they turn into babbling idiots. But at least they were a little more interesting towards the end. Not interesting interesting, but ... anyway.
After the first issue, which is some self-contained nonsense with Calendar Man, we witness Bats riding a commercial airliner through Gotham, which is all kinds of stupid.
Then the Gotham Kids show up and it doesn't get much better.
Alfred at least has some good lines, thank God. And the art is pretty good.
But what's that Oh, I'm doing something really dangerous and heroic and stupid now and I know I'm gonna die because of it. D'you think my parents would be proud of me, Alfred? shit, followed by Batman of course not dying only two issues into this arc? Duh. Am I supposed to wet my pants there, Tom King? Or is this some kind of joke that I don't get?
Eh, 2.5 stars? Maybe.
This gets better with the second volume, right? Right?
Anyone?
That's some excessive use of interrogation points to end this review.
There are two new heroes in town who want to help Batman fight ... whom again? ... I already forgot. Monster Men? Did they actually show up? Gosh, it's half an hour since I finished this book.
Gotham and Gotham Girl are just bland characters. That is before they turn into babbling idiots. But at least they were a little more interesting towards the end. Not interesting interesting, but ... anyway.
After the first issue, which is some self-contained nonsense with Calendar Man, we witness Bats riding a commercial airliner through Gotham, which is all kinds of stupid.
Then the Gotham Kids show up and it doesn't get much better.
Alfred at least has some good lines, thank God. And the art is pretty good.
But what's that Oh, I'm doing something really dangerous and heroic and stupid now and I know I'm gonna die because of it. D'you think my parents would be proud of me, Alfred? shit, followed by Batman of course not dying only two issues into this arc? Duh. Am I supposed to wet my pants there, Tom King? Or is this some kind of joke that I don't get?
Eh, 2.5 stars? Maybe.
This gets better with the second volume, right? Right?
Anyone?
That's some excessive use of interrogation points to end this review.
November 23, 2016
Hey, this wasn't bad. Well, I haven't loved a Batman story till Death of the Family so that's probably why.
So let's talk about what works. I love Alfred. This is the best he's been since the scene in Injustice Year One when he lays the motherfucking smackdown on Superman. I also enjoyed Gotham and Gotham Girl, both interesting characters (though I'll explain the bad side later). I also thought this had some of my favorite standout moments of Batman so far. The crashing of a plane, the Justice League moment was fantastic, also the "I am Gotham" moment was wonderful. This had a lot of fun/great moments I enjoyed.
So why only a 3? I felt they rushed some things. I would have loved to see Gotham/girl both staying around for 10-12 issues. Expand, give us a reason to care more. I only felt for Gotham girl, and that shouldn't have been like that. With the events that occur I should have cared more and I didn't. Because it felt a little to rushed.
I also found the pacing weird. Similar to Morrison (just not as shitty) it was very jumpy. Which is what I might of had a problem with the emotional moments not sticking. We need to slow it down, breath, let them sink in.
Overall it was fun, it really was. I had a blast reading it but it had some issues, glaring ones. I hope the next one takes it slower and pays off better!
So let's talk about what works. I love Alfred. This is the best he's been since the scene in Injustice Year One when he lays the motherfucking smackdown on Superman. I also enjoyed Gotham and Gotham Girl, both interesting characters (though I'll explain the bad side later). I also thought this had some of my favorite standout moments of Batman so far. The crashing of a plane, the Justice League moment was fantastic, also the "I am Gotham" moment was wonderful. This had a lot of fun/great moments I enjoyed.
So why only a 3? I felt they rushed some things. I would have loved to see Gotham/girl both staying around for 10-12 issues. Expand, give us a reason to care more. I only felt for Gotham girl, and that shouldn't have been like that. With the events that occur I should have cared more and I didn't. Because it felt a little to rushed.
I also found the pacing weird. Similar to Morrison (just not as shitty) it was very jumpy. Which is what I might of had a problem with the emotional moments not sticking. We need to slow it down, breath, let them sink in.
Overall it was fun, it really was. I had a blast reading it but it had some issues, glaring ones. I hope the next one takes it slower and pays off better!
October 14, 2018
Well well, look at him. Just a week ago he was bitching about how he never will enjoy Batman comics again (my review of Tomasi's Batman and Robin, which, for the record, I still stand by — that comic sucked), and now he's giving a Batman book a positive review. And not just any book, mind you, but the one he used to almost hate! So, what happened? As is always the case, I really don't know. I just felt like I should give I Am Gotham another read and see if I like it better this time. Turns out, I do!
To be fair, I was first reading this volume in singles as they came out, and it wasn't a very good experience, even with the bi-weekly schedule. Tom King is an excellent writer, but his writing is very dense and layered, so it's hard to keep every aspect of the story in mind when you have to wait weeks between the chapters. This one reads much better in a collected edition.
King's Batman run reminds me a bit of Morrison's — at a glance, it may seem bombastic and shallow, but then you start noticing the little details, and how meticulously and carefully both writers build their respective stories and characters, and then it all suddenly makes sense. I actually didn't like Morrison's run at first, too, but then came back to it and became a huge fan.
King's character work is excellent — his Bruce is smart as he should be, he's dark and broody and yet not a pathetic wanker, and he's actually noble and heroic, not a homicidal maniac (all of which as opposed to that dumbass Batfleck from DCEU).
I also loved King's version of Alfred — he's the character I almost never cared about, but in Tom King's comic he actually has a personality, and his sassy, snarky comments about everything were really funny. Oh, and I really loved the moment when he had to impersonate Batman! That was just a lot of fun.
Gotham and Gotham girl? I'm still not sure about those guys, but reading this volume again at least helped me understand their story much better. I like the concept of their powers, although it's all still a tad confusing, and I will need to reread the next couple of volumes to really make up my mind about them.
What's seriously good about this series is the artwork, though. David Finch and Mikel Janín both draw some breathtaking scenes, and colours by June Chung and Jordie Bellaire are stunning as usual.
I still didn't enjoy the whole thing about the Monster Men, because it really doesn't go anywhere unless you read Batman: Night of the Monster Men, which I didn't, because apparently it's a disaster (didn't expect any less from writer Steve Orlando). The callback to that famous All-Star Superman scene was kinda weird and uncalled for, especially in the context of this story, but I guess King wanted to show that Gotham is no Superman.
Other than that, I really can't see why I hated this book as much as I did when it first came out. I think it all comes down to that profound bitterness I felt after watching BvS that really turned me off Batman and DC. It's been almost two years now, and maybe I'm finally over that train wreck of a movie, and ready to give DC another chance? I really hope so. At the very least now I can enjoy an ongoing comic by one of my favourite authors, so there's that.
First read: September 8, 2016
Rating: ★★・・・
Second read: November 30, 2017
Rating: ★★★★・
To be fair, I was first reading this volume in singles as they came out, and it wasn't a very good experience, even with the bi-weekly schedule. Tom King is an excellent writer, but his writing is very dense and layered, so it's hard to keep every aspect of the story in mind when you have to wait weeks between the chapters. This one reads much better in a collected edition.
King's Batman run reminds me a bit of Morrison's — at a glance, it may seem bombastic and shallow, but then you start noticing the little details, and how meticulously and carefully both writers build their respective stories and characters, and then it all suddenly makes sense. I actually didn't like Morrison's run at first, too, but then came back to it and became a huge fan.
King's character work is excellent — his Bruce is smart as he should be, he's dark and broody and yet not a pathetic wanker, and he's actually noble and heroic, not a homicidal maniac (all of which as opposed to that dumbass Batfleck from DCEU).
I also loved King's version of Alfred — he's the character I almost never cared about, but in Tom King's comic he actually has a personality, and his sassy, snarky comments about everything were really funny. Oh, and I really loved the moment when he had to impersonate Batman! That was just a lot of fun.
Gotham and Gotham girl? I'm still not sure about those guys, but reading this volume again at least helped me understand their story much better. I like the concept of their powers, although it's all still a tad confusing, and I will need to reread the next couple of volumes to really make up my mind about them.
What's seriously good about this series is the artwork, though. David Finch and Mikel Janín both draw some breathtaking scenes, and colours by June Chung and Jordie Bellaire are stunning as usual.
I still didn't enjoy the whole thing about the Monster Men, because it really doesn't go anywhere unless you read Batman: Night of the Monster Men, which I didn't, because apparently it's a disaster (didn't expect any less from writer Steve Orlando). The callback to that famous All-Star Superman scene was kinda weird and uncalled for, especially in the context of this story, but I guess King wanted to show that Gotham is no Superman.
Other than that, I really can't see why I hated this book as much as I did when it first came out. I think it all comes down to that profound bitterness I felt after watching BvS that really turned me off Batman and DC. It's been almost two years now, and maybe I'm finally over that train wreck of a movie, and ready to give DC another chance? I really hope so. At the very least now I can enjoy an ongoing comic by one of my favourite authors, so there's that.
First read: September 8, 2016
Rating: ★★・・・
Second read: November 30, 2017
Rating: ★★★★・
December 5, 2024
Really want to say I loved this. I see nothing but good things be said about Tom King and his other books. But I didn't love it. It has a lot to live up to after the Snyder and Capullo run, and it does tell a story they never. But something about it just didn't resonate the same with me. And it wasn't David Finch on art like I thought it would be because this is some of the better art I've seen from him in a while. Try it but keep your expectations...low?
March 4, 2018
You can find my review on my blog by clicking here.
What a poor, poor storyarc to start things off. If you didn’t have time to check out my review of DC Universe: Rebirth #1 where I explain the new beginning for DC Comics after New 52, you should definitely do so now. Batman (Volume 1) – I Am Gotham is the very first storyarc to kickstart the Rebirth run for Batman and includes issues 1 to 6. I can’t stress enough how disappointing this was, especially when you’ve got your hands on one of the biggest superhero series to work with. Of course, plenty of fans would easily love to jump at this opportunity to compare this debut to the Scott Snyder era that has blown more minds than we can count. But even without doing so, I still found plenty of reasons to be sadened and remain in awe at how many steps backwards this took the Batman name. Tom King’s first story arc, I Am Gotham, is a pot of random ideas that simply didn’t stir well.
One of the biggest issues I had with this storyarc is how irrelevant Batman was in the whole story. What he basically was is the turning point in the life of two kids who later become super-humans. From that moment in their lives, and with the wise words of Batman that scarred their lives forever, the Caped Crusader becomes an outside observer. Somehow Tom King also made Batman a lot more open-minded in the idea that working as a team might be better for him. He also made the storyarc feel very repetitive in dialogue and greatly ignored that this is a series for Batman. While I can appreciate how fundamental Batman was to the lives of our new heroes, his character still got butchered in several ways, like his chemistry with others.
In fact, there’s no turning our heads to the horrible, I mean, really horrible, dialogues between Batman and Alfred. This is probably the storyarc with the most uncomfortable, awkward and implausible exchange between the two characters. Whenever they were to have a discussion, I couldn’t stop but wonder: “Is this for real?”. Tom King also thought that using Alfred as some sort of comic relief in issue 5 of 6 was a brilliant idea. Do you know what that singular moment reminded me of? The boss ‘dance’ battle in the movie Guardians of the Galaxy (Vol. 1). In fact, I also can’t help but see the influence of so many of these cinematic superhero movies on this short storyarc (Suicide Squad seems to be a trend in this one too). I don’t know where this need to alleviate danger by pummeling in a joke or two came from (Nop, I do know. *looks at Marvel’s Cinematic Universe*), but I’m not a fan of it.
The other issue I had was how uninteresting and absolutely boring the two new Gothamite heroes were. They were introduced weirdly and they never managed to capture my interest since. I also hate their names. Gotham and Gotham Girl? Memorable? Check. Lame? Check. Their design isn’t anything that would make your jaws drop and their personalities—not sure if they even have one—is absolutely lackluster. While introducing heroes into this storyarc to challenge the idea of “To whom does Gotham belong?” had great potential, I strongly stand that it was poorly executed.
The helping hand moment in issue 5 of 6, that also turned to shit REAL quick, was no plus for this storyarc. That, supposedly big, event made absolutely no sense and just makes us wonder about so many things unnecessarily. While it could be seen as another one of Tom King’s ideas that he tossed into his pot to further explore the whole idea of Gotham and its owner, the event was atrocious and really deceiving. When I saw it happen in a flash (it honestly doesn’t even last 10 seconds), I just hoped it was some kind of dream sequence, cause otherwise, that superhero moment was a real bummer.
Honestly, the only big plus that I could give this storyarc is the artwork. Although some of the bulkier characters couldn’t stop me from thinking of The Hulk, I found the artwork quite descent. But even that isn’t enough to conjure the extra 3 stars the series craves for. David Finch usually keep the time frame at dusk (of course) with all the orange-brown-gray gradations that cover the skies of Gotham. He also does justice to all the characters by thoroughly drawing them out and by keeping the Greg Capullo’esque vibe going for this Batman run. It’s nice to see that the artwork was able to save this storyarc at least.
I hope the next storyarcs will be an improvement (I believe to be wrong about this). In fact, the series is about to get into its first crossover event with the Detective Comics and Nightwing runs. And, from the look of things, the event will be a retelling of the famous Monster Men storyarc by Matt Wagner; something that follows the Halloween spirit. The simple idea that there are multiple writers and artists working on this project scares the living shit out of me. I also have a hard time digesting the idea of having crossover events like these, as they rarely succeed. In all honesty, from what Tom King has shown me with this first storyarc, there’s only room for improvement. Even if his introduction of new unoriginal characters, his slaughter of iconic personalities and his uninspiring comedy has only gotten me to crawl to a corner and cry, a Bat-fan must stay strong and live through these dark days.
All I can do now is pray. Eventually the run should find its identity… because…
It’s Batman.
Yours truly,
Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: http://bookidote.wordpress.com
____________________________
What a poor, poor storyarc to start of the Rebirth run of Batman. I have to reiterate how disappointing this is, especially when you've got your hands on one of the biggest superhero series. This is, of course, without comparing the run to a fan-favourite Snyder era. Tom King's first story arc, I Am Gotham, is a pot of random ideas.
One of the biggest issues I had about this storyarc is how irrelevant Batman was in the whole story. What he basically was is the turning point in the life of two kids who later become super-humans. From that moment in their lives, and the wise words that scarred their lives because of Batman, the whole storyarc felt repetitive in dialogue and highly ignorant that this is a series about Batman.
Aside from that, there's no turning our heads to the horrible, I mean, really horrible, dialogues between Batman and Alfred. This is probably the storyarc with the most uncomfortable, awkward and implausible exchange between the two characters. Tom King also thought that using Alfred as some sort of comic relief in issue 5 of 6 was a brilliant idea. Do you know what that singular moment reminded me of? The boss 'dance' battle in the movie Guardians of The Galaxy (Vol. 1). In fact, I can't help but see the influence of so many of these cinematic superhero on this short storyarc (Suicide Squad seems to be a trend in this one too).
The other issue I had was how uninteresting and absolutely boring the two new Gothamite heroes were. They were introduced weirdly and they never managed to capture my interest since. I also hate their names. Memorable? Check. Lame? Check.
The helping hand moment in issue 5 of 6, that also turned to shit REAL quick, was no plus for this storyarc. That, supposedly big, event made absolutely no sense and just makes us wonder about so many things unnecessarily. I just hoped it was some kind of dream sequence, cause otherwise, that superhero moment was really ugly.
Honestly, the only big plus that I could give to this storyarc is the artwork. Although some of the more "bigger characters" couldn't stop me from thinking of The Hulk, I honestly found the artwork quite descent, but even that isn't enough to conjure the extra 3 stars the series craves for.
I hope the next storyarcs will be an improvement (I think I'm wrong about this). All I can do is hope, because... it's Batman.
P.S. Full review to come.
Yours truly,
Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: http://bookidote.wordpress.com
What a poor, poor storyarc to start things off. If you didn’t have time to check out my review of DC Universe: Rebirth #1 where I explain the new beginning for DC Comics after New 52, you should definitely do so now. Batman (Volume 1) – I Am Gotham is the very first storyarc to kickstart the Rebirth run for Batman and includes issues 1 to 6. I can’t stress enough how disappointing this was, especially when you’ve got your hands on one of the biggest superhero series to work with. Of course, plenty of fans would easily love to jump at this opportunity to compare this debut to the Scott Snyder era that has blown more minds than we can count. But even without doing so, I still found plenty of reasons to be sadened and remain in awe at how many steps backwards this took the Batman name. Tom King’s first story arc, I Am Gotham, is a pot of random ideas that simply didn’t stir well.
One of the biggest issues I had with this storyarc is how irrelevant Batman was in the whole story. What he basically was is the turning point in the life of two kids who later become super-humans. From that moment in their lives, and with the wise words of Batman that scarred their lives forever, the Caped Crusader becomes an outside observer. Somehow Tom King also made Batman a lot more open-minded in the idea that working as a team might be better for him. He also made the storyarc feel very repetitive in dialogue and greatly ignored that this is a series for Batman. While I can appreciate how fundamental Batman was to the lives of our new heroes, his character still got butchered in several ways, like his chemistry with others.
In fact, there’s no turning our heads to the horrible, I mean, really horrible, dialogues between Batman and Alfred. This is probably the storyarc with the most uncomfortable, awkward and implausible exchange between the two characters. Whenever they were to have a discussion, I couldn’t stop but wonder: “Is this for real?”. Tom King also thought that using Alfred as some sort of comic relief in issue 5 of 6 was a brilliant idea. Do you know what that singular moment reminded me of? The boss ‘dance’ battle in the movie Guardians of the Galaxy (Vol. 1). In fact, I also can’t help but see the influence of so many of these cinematic superhero movies on this short storyarc (Suicide Squad seems to be a trend in this one too). I don’t know where this need to alleviate danger by pummeling in a joke or two came from (Nop, I do know. *looks at Marvel’s Cinematic Universe*), but I’m not a fan of it.
The other issue I had was how uninteresting and absolutely boring the two new Gothamite heroes were. They were introduced weirdly and they never managed to capture my interest since. I also hate their names. Gotham and Gotham Girl? Memorable? Check. Lame? Check. Their design isn’t anything that would make your jaws drop and their personalities—not sure if they even have one—is absolutely lackluster. While introducing heroes into this storyarc to challenge the idea of “To whom does Gotham belong?” had great potential, I strongly stand that it was poorly executed.
The helping hand moment in issue 5 of 6, that also turned to shit REAL quick, was no plus for this storyarc. That, supposedly big, event made absolutely no sense and just makes us wonder about so many things unnecessarily. While it could be seen as another one of Tom King’s ideas that he tossed into his pot to further explore the whole idea of Gotham and its owner, the event was atrocious and really deceiving. When I saw it happen in a flash (it honestly doesn’t even last 10 seconds), I just hoped it was some kind of dream sequence, cause otherwise, that superhero moment was a real bummer.
Honestly, the only big plus that I could give this storyarc is the artwork. Although some of the bulkier characters couldn’t stop me from thinking of The Hulk, I found the artwork quite descent. But even that isn’t enough to conjure the extra 3 stars the series craves for. David Finch usually keep the time frame at dusk (of course) with all the orange-brown-gray gradations that cover the skies of Gotham. He also does justice to all the characters by thoroughly drawing them out and by keeping the Greg Capullo’esque vibe going for this Batman run. It’s nice to see that the artwork was able to save this storyarc at least.
I hope the next storyarcs will be an improvement (I believe to be wrong about this). In fact, the series is about to get into its first crossover event with the Detective Comics and Nightwing runs. And, from the look of things, the event will be a retelling of the famous Monster Men storyarc by Matt Wagner; something that follows the Halloween spirit. The simple idea that there are multiple writers and artists working on this project scares the living shit out of me. I also have a hard time digesting the idea of having crossover events like these, as they rarely succeed. In all honesty, from what Tom King has shown me with this first storyarc, there’s only room for improvement. Even if his introduction of new unoriginal characters, his slaughter of iconic personalities and his uninspiring comedy has only gotten me to crawl to a corner and cry, a Bat-fan must stay strong and live through these dark days.
All I can do now is pray. Eventually the run should find its identity… because…
It’s Batman.
Yours truly,
Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: http://bookidote.wordpress.com
____________________________
What a poor, poor storyarc to start of the Rebirth run of Batman. I have to reiterate how disappointing this is, especially when you've got your hands on one of the biggest superhero series. This is, of course, without comparing the run to a fan-favourite Snyder era. Tom King's first story arc, I Am Gotham, is a pot of random ideas.
One of the biggest issues I had about this storyarc is how irrelevant Batman was in the whole story. What he basically was is the turning point in the life of two kids who later become super-humans. From that moment in their lives, and the wise words that scarred their lives because of Batman, the whole storyarc felt repetitive in dialogue and highly ignorant that this is a series about Batman.
Aside from that, there's no turning our heads to the horrible, I mean, really horrible, dialogues between Batman and Alfred. This is probably the storyarc with the most uncomfortable, awkward and implausible exchange between the two characters. Tom King also thought that using Alfred as some sort of comic relief in issue 5 of 6 was a brilliant idea. Do you know what that singular moment reminded me of? The boss 'dance' battle in the movie Guardians of The Galaxy (Vol. 1). In fact, I can't help but see the influence of so many of these cinematic superhero on this short storyarc (Suicide Squad seems to be a trend in this one too).
The other issue I had was how uninteresting and absolutely boring the two new Gothamite heroes were. They were introduced weirdly and they never managed to capture my interest since. I also hate their names. Memorable? Check. Lame? Check.
The helping hand moment in issue 5 of 6, that also turned to shit REAL quick, was no plus for this storyarc. That, supposedly big, event made absolutely no sense and just makes us wonder about so many things unnecessarily. I just hoped it was some kind of dream sequence, cause otherwise, that superhero moment was really ugly.
Honestly, the only big plus that I could give to this storyarc is the artwork. Although some of the more "bigger characters" couldn't stop me from thinking of The Hulk, I honestly found the artwork quite descent, but even that isn't enough to conjure the extra 3 stars the series craves for.
I hope the next storyarcs will be an improvement (I think I'm wrong about this). All I can do is hope, because... it's Batman.
P.S. Full review to come.
Yours truly,
Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: http://bookidote.wordpress.com
February 6, 2017
Better than I'd been afraid it would be, but not as good as I had hoped. It seemed like every time I felt like King was getting into the swing of things with the story, something would happen that was jarring at best and just plain bad at worst. Hugo Strange and the Psycho Pirate are genuinely interesting, but there isn't nearly enough of them. The whole book is little more than a prologue for the next crossover event, and it feels like it. I sort of liked Gotham and Gotham Girl, but a lot of their scenes dragged on or felt repetitive, and I just can't shake the feeling that they won't get through their first year in the DCU. Some of the scenes between Alfred and Bruce felt a bit off, though some were really nice. And let's just all agree that we don't need to see Alfred in a cowl again.
I might be sounding a bit harsh, but I really did like this book more than not. I'm hoping that King will settle in with more time, because there's definitely some promise here. And maybe once he doesn't have to set up the next crossover event, he'll rise to the occasion. Assuming, of course, that there's ever a time when this book isn't setting up the next crossover event.
I might be sounding a bit harsh, but I really did like this book more than not. I'm hoping that King will settle in with more time, because there's definitely some promise here. And maybe once he doesn't have to set up the next crossover event, he'll rise to the occasion. Assuming, of course, that there's ever a time when this book isn't setting up the next crossover event.
May 10, 2018
It is always daunting when a new creative team takes over the main Batman title and certainly for us Bat-fans, we want to read stories that are different yet familiar, as well as seeing new spins on our favourite characters who have been around for over seventy-five years. Following the labyrinthine layering of Grant Morrison and the horror bombastic nature of Scott Snyder, Tom King, who has made a name for himself from The Sheriff of Babylon for Vertigo and The Vision for Marvel, provides a new spark to the Bat-Signal, even if this volume doesn’t shine the brightest for the main title.
Having prevented a crashing jetliner from destroying his city which could’ve lead to his death, Batman is suddenly saved by a pair of masked metahumans with the powers of Superman, calling themselves Gotham and Gotham Girl. As the new kids on the block are determined to do good for Gotham, Batman is there to help them, but other forces have sinister plans for the two newcomers.
Whilst Detective Comics is the title that shows the detective side of Batman (he is the World’s Greatest Detective after all), Batman is where the Dark Knight shows off his skill as a superhero, and as this first volume shows, it is very action-heavy. Opening with the aforementioned plane crash, it is a set-piece you often associate with Superman because we have seen it in various media, and yet, despite being the only Justice Leaguer without superpowers, this won’t stop Batman from achieving the impossible. What is great about this sequence is King’s characterisation of Batman, who despite being so determined, he is not without his limits and if this situation will result in his death, he is willing to accept it.
The premise of Superman-ish characters fighting crime in the streets of Gotham isn’t new as there was the Elseworlds comic Superman: Speeding Bullets that amalgamates Superman and Batman. Instead of fighting a new villain, i.e. The Court of Owls (which is acknowledged as this is a continuation of Snyder’s run), this volume is really about how Batman is coping with the new heroes whose bright costumes are meant to represent an optimistic side of Gotham, even if Gotham Girl’s short skirt is rather inappropriate, especially in a post-TV’s Supergirl world.
Having championed King’s recent books, I found his writing here isn’t as strong as the central mystery behind Gotham and Gotham Girl which although is not without decent characterisation and tragic moments, it’s ultimately set-up for something more interesting in the coming near future. There are a lot of references to Batman’s history, which aren’t that clever and more of an attempt to insert humour, most notably in #5 featuring the strangest use of Alfred I’ve read since ever.
Being no stranger to Batman comics, David Finch is a rather conventional choice for artist, compared to the fresh visuals of Greg Capullo. Collaborating with colourist Jordie Bellaire, Finch – known for his artistic grittiness – does show some impressive action sequences whilst maintaining the grim nature you expect in Gotham, even if the super-heroics in later issues can be overblown. There is a change of artist in the epilogue issue as Ivan Reis draws it and it is initially jarring, but manages to maintain that visual palette from the previous issues, as well as nicely balancing action and character. Plus, Kite Man appears.
It is hard not to compare this first volume to Scott Snyder’s first volume that succeeded greatly in pushing Batman’s psychology. However, Tom King succeeds in presenting a solid action-packed beginning of a run which will hopefully be a worthy successor to what came before.
Having prevented a crashing jetliner from destroying his city which could’ve lead to his death, Batman is suddenly saved by a pair of masked metahumans with the powers of Superman, calling themselves Gotham and Gotham Girl. As the new kids on the block are determined to do good for Gotham, Batman is there to help them, but other forces have sinister plans for the two newcomers.
Whilst Detective Comics is the title that shows the detective side of Batman (he is the World’s Greatest Detective after all), Batman is where the Dark Knight shows off his skill as a superhero, and as this first volume shows, it is very action-heavy. Opening with the aforementioned plane crash, it is a set-piece you often associate with Superman because we have seen it in various media, and yet, despite being the only Justice Leaguer without superpowers, this won’t stop Batman from achieving the impossible. What is great about this sequence is King’s characterisation of Batman, who despite being so determined, he is not without his limits and if this situation will result in his death, he is willing to accept it.
The premise of Superman-ish characters fighting crime in the streets of Gotham isn’t new as there was the Elseworlds comic Superman: Speeding Bullets that amalgamates Superman and Batman. Instead of fighting a new villain, i.e. The Court of Owls (which is acknowledged as this is a continuation of Snyder’s run), this volume is really about how Batman is coping with the new heroes whose bright costumes are meant to represent an optimistic side of Gotham, even if Gotham Girl’s short skirt is rather inappropriate, especially in a post-TV’s Supergirl world.
Having championed King’s recent books, I found his writing here isn’t as strong as the central mystery behind Gotham and Gotham Girl which although is not without decent characterisation and tragic moments, it’s ultimately set-up for something more interesting in the coming near future. There are a lot of references to Batman’s history, which aren’t that clever and more of an attempt to insert humour, most notably in #5 featuring the strangest use of Alfred I’ve read since ever.
Being no stranger to Batman comics, David Finch is a rather conventional choice for artist, compared to the fresh visuals of Greg Capullo. Collaborating with colourist Jordie Bellaire, Finch – known for his artistic grittiness – does show some impressive action sequences whilst maintaining the grim nature you expect in Gotham, even if the super-heroics in later issues can be overblown. There is a change of artist in the epilogue issue as Ivan Reis draws it and it is initially jarring, but manages to maintain that visual palette from the previous issues, as well as nicely balancing action and character. Plus, Kite Man appears.
It is hard not to compare this first volume to Scott Snyder’s first volume that succeeded greatly in pushing Batman’s psychology. However, Tom King succeeds in presenting a solid action-packed beginning of a run which will hopefully be a worthy successor to what came before.
January 2, 2022
This was an interesting volume.
It starts off with Bruce facing Calendar man and its an alright story but the main one is the arrival of two new heroes Gotham and Gotham girl but Batman sees something else in them like what if he trained them and maybe they might be future protectors but utopia never goes right as we see the origins of them like two times and the dark one too but what happens when Waller and Psycho-pirate get involved and Hugo strange messes with their minds a lot and what will that turn them into and its interesting. Its Batman vs his worst nightmare and will he survive or will he fall or will he even fail and how deep does this mystery go?
This volume goes very deep and is dark for sure and shows a different side of Batman and the twisted villainy of this character Gotham whose like a Superman like figure and the fights ends in an interesting way and an amazing moment with Gotham girl which was a bit twisted to read but then again after reading Morrison it reads maybe better. The art by Finch was god tier and I really enjoyed it.
It starts off with Bruce facing Calendar man and its an alright story but the main one is the arrival of two new heroes Gotham and Gotham girl but Batman sees something else in them like what if he trained them and maybe they might be future protectors but utopia never goes right as we see the origins of them like two times and the dark one too but what happens when Waller and Psycho-pirate get involved and Hugo strange messes with their minds a lot and what will that turn them into and its interesting. Its Batman vs his worst nightmare and will he survive or will he fall or will he even fail and how deep does this mystery go?
This volume goes very deep and is dark for sure and shows a different side of Batman and the twisted villainy of this character Gotham whose like a Superman like figure and the fights ends in an interesting way and an amazing moment with Gotham girl which was a bit twisted to read but then again after reading Morrison it reads maybe better. The art by Finch was god tier and I really enjoyed it.
November 20, 2016
Good! So I see this series has not being doing that well in reviews, its come under a lot of fire it seems! Me I really liked it; is it perfect? No, defiantly not; but I think its good and doesn't deserve so much hate! So our story starts off with a plane losing control, and threatening to crash into a city, sounds familiar right? Superman 101, only this time its crashing into Gotham, and Batman has to stop it! Batman gets on the plane, and just when he thinks its all over, the plane is caught and put in Gotham Harbor, climbing up expecting to see Superman, only he sees a new hero Gotham and his sidekick Gotham Girl, and their basically like Superman and Supergirl! The rest of the story, is Batman considering whether he can work with these heroes or not, and their are twists and turns from there. I liked this because it was quite an out of the box story for Batman, you've seen this kind of story all the time in Superman Comics, but to have it in a batman comic is quite a change of pace from the usual stories! Artwork was also good, only sadly David Finch only does a few issues, then it changes so that was disappointing, but otherwise, I thought this was very good!
July 29, 2018
So, I think the number one issue with this one for me was that it didn't feel like a volume one. Now I realize that this might have something to do with the fact that I haven't read a lot of the other rebirth titles and Batman is a very established and well-known character that a lot of information was assumed. But unfortunately I missed the introduction of Duke, who I really liked. So, if anyone knows where his first introduction is I would be happy for a comment below.
My second issue with this book was that I did not like Batman in this book. I thought he came off very self-centered and something else about his personality just didn't sit right with me, he seemed less cool . May seem like a strange thing to say, but Batman has always been my favorite DC hero so this feeling was very different for me. In the end I didn't like many of the characters' portrayal. The only characters I liked were: 1) Alfred 2) Jim Gordon and 3) Duke. Everyone else, especially the introduction of Gotham & Gotham girl were just not good .
The not-great characterization brings me to the writing. I really did not like it. It didn't feel like a Batman comic. Honestly the writing felt very corny, and the characters didn't feel relatable or interesting. The dark and gritty realism has always made Gotham (the city) and Batman so deep and interesting for me in other Batman comics. There was literally a Britney Spears breakdown, cliched strong guy acts, a near "heroic" suicide, a very familiar origin story, and unbelievable Batman heroics, which are just some of the things I loathed about the story line. Although I will say that the artwork was phenomenal, the story was extremely lacking for me so it couldn't make my feelings change.
Will I continue with this series? Yes... because it's Batman and I want it to be better, but if I don't see any improvements I will probably just move on to another Batman title or Rebirth title. In the end for this one...
My second issue with this book was that I did not like Batman in this book. I thought he came off very self-centered and something else about his personality just didn't sit right with me, he seemed less cool . May seem like a strange thing to say, but Batman has always been my favorite DC hero so this feeling was very different for me. In the end I didn't like many of the characters' portrayal. The only characters I liked were: 1) Alfred 2) Jim Gordon and 3) Duke. Everyone else, especially the introduction of Gotham & Gotham girl were just not good .
The not-great characterization brings me to the writing. I really did not like it. It didn't feel like a Batman comic. Honestly the writing felt very corny, and the characters didn't feel relatable or interesting. The dark and gritty realism has always made Gotham (the city) and Batman so deep and interesting for me in other Batman comics. There was literally a Britney Spears breakdown, cliched strong guy acts, a near "heroic" suicide, a very familiar origin story, and unbelievable Batman heroics, which are just some of the things I loathed about the story line. Although I will say that the artwork was phenomenal, the story was extremely lacking for me so it couldn't make my feelings change.
Will I continue with this series? Yes... because it's Batman and I want it to be better, but if I don't see any improvements I will probably just move on to another Batman title or Rebirth title. In the end for this one...
February 20, 2017
Full review to come.
Updated Review, 02/20/2017
Um, so yeah. It's already been a week since I finished this one and I still have almost NOTHING to say about it in this "review." I honestly am not at all a fan of pretty much anything Batman from New 52 onwards (that I've read so far -- holding out hope still, haven't read it all yet either). I'm really hoping that I enjoy the Batfamily dynamics of Detective Comics a lot more, because I truly love the history of Batman and all his Robins/sidekicks. I just haven't found a Batman comic yet that makes me go, "WOW!" I liked the whole Gotham & Gotham Girl thing, but even that was pretty trite when the whole Rebirth thing is supposed to be about fresh concepts. Just NOT impressed.
Updated Review, 02/20/2017
Um, so yeah. It's already been a week since I finished this one and I still have almost NOTHING to say about it in this "review." I honestly am not at all a fan of pretty much anything Batman from New 52 onwards (that I've read so far -- holding out hope still, haven't read it all yet either). I'm really hoping that I enjoy the Batfamily dynamics of Detective Comics a lot more, because I truly love the history of Batman and all his Robins/sidekicks. I just haven't found a Batman comic yet that makes me go, "WOW!" I liked the whole Gotham & Gotham Girl thing, but even that was pretty trite when the whole Rebirth thing is supposed to be about fresh concepts. Just NOT impressed.
October 5, 2017
3 Stars
I really enjoyed the first 3 issues in this volume. I really like Duke as a character, both here and in Snyder's All-Star Batman. I even liked the Gotham/Gotham Girl plot when it was just starting out. However, once this started coming to a close and Gotham started to dissociate, I lost interest. I get why this plot exists but I was not a fan.
Anyway, this starts with Bruce taking on Duke as an apprentice. I'm not entirely sure where they met but I really like Duke as a character. I really like his relationship with Alfred, as well. Much like the rest of the Batfam, he came into Bruce's care because of a parental tragedy and Bruce is helping him pick up the pieces by turning him into a crime fighter. Duke is sweet. He's caring, selfless, pretty damn smart and he reminds me of Dick in that he takes care of others. I would gladly read more about this character.
The first real issue in the "I Am Gotham" storyline is Bruce trying to stop a plane from crashing into Gotham City. There's a moment where he talks to Alfred about his letters for the boys in the event of his death and he asks whether his parents would have been proud. Not gonna lie, I teared up a bit during this scene. I'm not the world's biggest Bruce Wayne fan. I usually find his personality to be extremely bland in books without the Batfam but here, I found him interesting and relatable in this first issue.
I must add, Finch's art is Grayson levels of gorgeous. Seriously, Bruce looks freaking amazing in this book.
Anyway, he meets Gotham and Gotham Girl. Let me get my complaints about this out of the way now. Why does she have to be Gotham Girl? 1. I'm pretty sure she's of age and 2. the guy isn't called Gotham Boy or Gotham Guy. Whatever. Claire/Gotham Girl is sort of removed from all of the important parts of this story. She's not there when their parents nearly die and Hank first encounters the Batman. She's not shown fighting crime as much as Hank or getting as much advice from Batman. The last half of this volume, she's back at the Batcave cowering from the effects of the Psycho Pirate (which... okay) which is some classic, 50's comic book BS. Gotham gets turned into the Superman from hell and she's just scared of everything. Thanks. Add to that the implication that they became superheroes because it was Hank's idea and she just followed her brother into everything. I'm just realizing how terrible this character is, actually.
Claire's barely even a character and I'm wondering if that's because the writer is male and thought Hank would be the more relatable character? He's the one that nearly loses his parents in an alley and he's the one with the idea to become super. Claire is kind of pointless and I think that last issue of this volume was the worst one.
Anyway, the plotline with Gotham is confusing because pretty much every Batman story I've ever read with this type of issue is treated very differently. Batman's not a fan of trusting people with unchecked superpowers. Even after he befriended Superman, he always had a contingency plan in place. However, I think this is part of the All-Star Batman type of Rebirth thing where he's making changes. He's trying to trust more people and look at other ways of helping his city. I think that's pretty damn honorable so I'm not completely against the idea.
So, ultimately, I didn't hate this book. I really like King's Bruce Wayne in issue 1. He's someone I find unusually compelling here. I enjoy Bruce's partnership with Duke and I can't wait to see more of them working together. Alfred was a joy, as always. My biggest problems were Gotham and Gotham Girl. I don't like the concept of Gotham Girl as a character and I think the conclusion of that story was pretty messy.
So, I'm not sure if I'd recommend this book. How about this:
- If you are a fan of dark and gritty Batman stories where there's a mystery and Batman has to use his wits to save the day: This is not the book for you.
- If you enjoyed All-Star Batman and you're looking for more of Bruce and Duke's partnership: Check out the first three issues.
-If you are looking for a Batman story that delves more into his childhood trauma and you want a story where Batman helps a Gothamized version of Superman and Supergirl: You have oddly specific taste and this is definitely the book for you.
3.5 stars.
I really enjoyed the first 3 issues in this volume. I really like Duke as a character, both here and in Snyder's All-Star Batman. I even liked the Gotham/Gotham Girl plot when it was just starting out. However, once this started coming to a close and Gotham started to dissociate, I lost interest. I get why this plot exists but I was not a fan.
Anyway, this starts with Bruce taking on Duke as an apprentice. I'm not entirely sure where they met but I really like Duke as a character. I really like his relationship with Alfred, as well. Much like the rest of the Batfam, he came into Bruce's care because of a parental tragedy and Bruce is helping him pick up the pieces by turning him into a crime fighter. Duke is sweet. He's caring, selfless, pretty damn smart and he reminds me of Dick in that he takes care of others. I would gladly read more about this character.
The first real issue in the "I Am Gotham" storyline is Bruce trying to stop a plane from crashing into Gotham City. There's a moment where he talks to Alfred about his letters for the boys in the event of his death and he asks whether his parents would have been proud. Not gonna lie, I teared up a bit during this scene. I'm not the world's biggest Bruce Wayne fan. I usually find his personality to be extremely bland in books without the Batfam but here, I found him interesting and relatable in this first issue.
I must add, Finch's art is Grayson levels of gorgeous. Seriously, Bruce looks freaking amazing in this book.
Anyway, he meets Gotham and Gotham Girl. Let me get my complaints about this out of the way now. Why does she have to be Gotham Girl? 1. I'm pretty sure she's of age and 2. the guy isn't called Gotham Boy or Gotham Guy. Whatever. Claire/Gotham Girl is sort of removed from all of the important parts of this story. She's not there when their parents nearly die and Hank first encounters the Batman. She's not shown fighting crime as much as Hank or getting as much advice from Batman. The last half of this volume, she's back at the Batcave cowering from the effects of the Psycho Pirate (which... okay) which is some classic, 50's comic book BS. Gotham gets turned into the Superman from hell and she's just scared of everything. Thanks. Add to that the implication that they became superheroes because it was Hank's idea and she just followed her brother into everything. I'm just realizing how terrible this character is, actually.
Claire's barely even a character and I'm wondering if that's because the writer is male and thought Hank would be the more relatable character? He's the one that nearly loses his parents in an alley and he's the one with the idea to become super. Claire is kind of pointless and I think that last issue of this volume was the worst one.
Anyway, the plotline with Gotham is confusing because pretty much every Batman story I've ever read with this type of issue is treated very differently. Batman's not a fan of trusting people with unchecked superpowers. Even after he befriended Superman, he always had a contingency plan in place. However, I think this is part of the All-Star Batman type of Rebirth thing where he's making changes. He's trying to trust more people and look at other ways of helping his city. I think that's pretty damn honorable so I'm not completely against the idea.
So, ultimately, I didn't hate this book. I really like King's Bruce Wayne in issue 1. He's someone I find unusually compelling here. I enjoy Bruce's partnership with Duke and I can't wait to see more of them working together. Alfred was a joy, as always. My biggest problems were Gotham and Gotham Girl. I don't like the concept of Gotham Girl as a character and I think the conclusion of that story was pretty messy.
So, I'm not sure if I'd recommend this book. How about this:
- If you are a fan of dark and gritty Batman stories where there's a mystery and Batman has to use his wits to save the day: This is not the book for you.
- If you enjoyed All-Star Batman and you're looking for more of Bruce and Duke's partnership: Check out the first three issues.
-If you are looking for a Batman story that delves more into his childhood trauma and you want a story where Batman helps a Gothamized version of Superman and Supergirl: You have oddly specific taste and this is definitely the book for you.
3.5 stars.
December 11, 2020
Well, what can I say ... this wasn't particularly clever but it still got me hooked on King's Batman run? I've heard so many amazing things about it (especially everything up to volume 8, I guess), and I am probably the biggest fan of Catwoman out there, and I do love me some good BatCat romance ... so I'm at least 90% sure that his run will be up my alley ... BUT IT IS SOOOO EXPENSIVE, I could cry. Right now, I really can't justify spending 100€ just to read 6 comic books ... that's insane.
Does anyone have an idea where one can find comic books for a cheap price? Your girl is in desperate need of that. :( This first volume was included in my Prime Reading, so I didn't have to pay anything for it ... but unfortunately, none of the other volumes are part of Prime Reading or Kindle Unlimited. I could cry.
Anyways, the first volume in the series – Batman: I Am Gotham – really wasn't anything special but I still thought it was solid. We are introduced to Gotham and Gotham Girl, and whilst I find the two of them kind of ridiculous, I totally didn't see that ending coming , and so I was lowkey shook, not gonna lie. I also appreciate the effort of trying to make Bruce more human again ... that guy is in desperate need for that. I love Bruce the most when he is failing and/or whiny, angsty and desperate. LOL. Also, Bruce's sex appeal in this series ... we have to stan.
Nonetheless, the REAL STAR of this book was definitely Alfred. I would literally die for him anyways, but Tom's version of his character had me cackling throughout. I loved the sass ("Yes, Gotham City descends ever into chaos. What a shock, sir."). Also, when he dressed up as Batman to confuse Hank and starts reminiscing about his conversation with Thomas Wayne about how easy it would be to take care of Bruce if that situation were to ever arise, it was so iconic. In this house, we stan Alfred's sense of humor. But Alfred's best moment was probably when Bruce asked him how he helped him cope with his parent's death back in the day (bc Bruce wants to help Claire overcome the death of her brother) and Alfred deadass replies: "Master Bruce, with all due respect ... each night you leave this perfectly lovely house and go leaping off buildings dressed as a giant bat. Do you really think I helped you?" WHAT AN ICON!
Also, when Bruce thinks he's about to die and asks Alfred "Is this a good death", and Alfred tells him that his parents would have been proud of him just as proud as he himself is ... I SOBBED!
I've never read a Batman story with Duke in it, so I wasn't sure what his whole deal was (...never heard about the We are ... Robin movement either, so imma stay confused). Not sure if there's a relationship developing between him and Claire later in the series but I would be interested in that.
Also, there were so many variant covers included at the back ... I loved it. They were so many covers by Tim Sale and I cried tears of joy. I wish Sale would've illustrated more Batman stuff and not just his volumes with Loeb (even though I love them to pieces, of course). His art style just fits Batman sooooo well.
Does anyone have an idea where one can find comic books for a cheap price? Your girl is in desperate need of that. :( This first volume was included in my Prime Reading, so I didn't have to pay anything for it ... but unfortunately, none of the other volumes are part of Prime Reading or Kindle Unlimited. I could cry.
Anyways, the first volume in the series – Batman: I Am Gotham – really wasn't anything special but I still thought it was solid. We are introduced to Gotham and Gotham Girl, and whilst I find the two of them kind of ridiculous, I totally didn't see that ending coming , and so I was lowkey shook, not gonna lie. I also appreciate the effort of trying to make Bruce more human again ... that guy is in desperate need for that. I love Bruce the most when he is failing and/or whiny, angsty and desperate. LOL. Also, Bruce's sex appeal in this series ... we have to stan.
Nonetheless, the REAL STAR of this book was definitely Alfred. I would literally die for him anyways, but Tom's version of his character had me cackling throughout. I loved the sass ("Yes, Gotham City descends ever into chaos. What a shock, sir."). Also, when he dressed up as Batman to confuse Hank and starts reminiscing about his conversation with Thomas Wayne about how easy it would be to take care of Bruce if that situation were to ever arise, it was so iconic. In this house, we stan Alfred's sense of humor. But Alfred's best moment was probably when Bruce asked him how he helped him cope with his parent's death back in the day (bc Bruce wants to help Claire overcome the death of her brother) and Alfred deadass replies: "Master Bruce, with all due respect ... each night you leave this perfectly lovely house and go leaping off buildings dressed as a giant bat. Do you really think I helped you?" WHAT AN ICON!
Also, when Bruce thinks he's about to die and asks Alfred "Is this a good death", and Alfred tells him that his parents would have been proud of him just as proud as he himself is ... I SOBBED!
I've never read a Batman story with Duke in it, so I wasn't sure what his whole deal was (...never heard about the We are ... Robin movement either, so imma stay confused). Not sure if there's a relationship developing between him and Claire later in the series but I would be interested in that.
Also, there were so many variant covers included at the back ... I loved it. They were so many covers by Tim Sale and I cried tears of joy. I wish Sale would've illustrated more Batman stuff and not just his volumes with Loeb (even though I love them to pieces, of course). His art style just fits Batman sooooo well.
February 7, 2017
3.5 Stars
Having just finished Snyder's run, I really liked this. Felt like going back to what a Batman story should be. I'm trying to temper my enthusiasm because for me it is such a contrast to the drudgery of Snyder's writing.
Batman/Bruce is certainly more "human" in King's version: He's clearly aware of the connections he has to the Bat family and genuinely cares about them. He also reciprocates the father/son relationship he has with Alfred. King actually has Bruce opening up and talking about his past with a stranger. This is definitely a "new" Batman.
While some may not like this, producing a more "touchy, feely" Batman, he's still intimidating and awe-inspiring, especially to two new superheroes to Gotham. King uses them to parallel what happened to Bruce to show a different shade of vengeance, and while this has been done a few times before, King brings some new twists to the formula.
This is a strong start and I'm happy for the breath of fresh air.
Having just finished Snyder's run, I really liked this. Felt like going back to what a Batman story should be. I'm trying to temper my enthusiasm because for me it is such a contrast to the drudgery of Snyder's writing.
Batman/Bruce is certainly more "human" in King's version: He's clearly aware of the connections he has to the Bat family and genuinely cares about them. He also reciprocates the father/son relationship he has with Alfred. King actually has Bruce opening up and talking about his past with a stranger. This is definitely a "new" Batman.
While some may not like this, producing a more "touchy, feely" Batman, he's still intimidating and awe-inspiring, especially to two new superheroes to Gotham. King uses them to parallel what happened to Bruce to show a different shade of vengeance, and while this has been done a few times before, King brings some new twists to the formula.
This is a strong start and I'm happy for the breath of fresh air.
October 21, 2018
Batman has to deal with the supernatural while the JLA is off planet but then some Gotham superheroes show up and things change until one of them loses his mind and starts to thrash Gotham.
A good overview of Bruce Wayne's daredevil personality.
OVERALL GRADE: B plus.
A good overview of Bruce Wayne's daredevil personality.
OVERALL GRADE: B plus.
February 10, 2017
This first volume of DC's new Batman Rebirth relaunch comes out the gate starting with a bad stumble, a one-shot hand-off issue where it seems like literally nothing happens. It's totally a throw-away story. What follows is a six-issue arc that sports an interesting concept but this story also falls a little flat. Two new heroes have risen in the city, Gotham and his sister Gotham Girl, who really look up to Batman and have Superman/Wonder Woman-like abilities. But they might not be ready to be heroes themselves.
It just feels like the book wasn't fully conceived to it's full potential and filled half-ass ideas. And what's the deal with Batman always wanting an partner? I've ALWAYS hated that idea.
Oh well, the upcoming second volume, Batman, Volume 2: I Am Suicide, has a pretty cool plot and it seems to feature Bane, so I'll check that out and I hope it's better.
It just feels like the book wasn't fully conceived to it's full potential and filled half-ass ideas. And what's the deal with Batman always wanting an partner? I've ALWAYS hated that idea.
Oh well, the upcoming second volume, Batman, Volume 2: I Am Suicide, has a pretty cool plot and it seems to feature Bane, so I'll check that out and I hope it's better.
May 12, 2017
Though I am a little late to the show, I really did look forward to this volume, because it is written by a guy I consider to be a rising star in comics, Tom King, whose The Vision and Sheriff of Babylon series I am reading and really liking. King’s writing is sharp and edgy and insightful in those series, with pretty crisp, believable dialogue. So I was disappointed in this. It looks like a Batman comic, for the faithful, and it is generally solid, I suppose, but the dialogue/voice feels flat and too many things don’t interest me:
*The opening issue co-written with Scott Snyder about Calendar Man (eh) and yet another take on the teen sidekick thing; oh, but it’s not Robin, It’s Duke, it’s a black kid this time, it’s (not) way different! Eh, though I reserve the right to see if there may be something unique about Duke in coming issues.
*The bulk of the issue is two (sort of) contemporary-sounding young people, one boy, one girl, dressed in Batman-like costumes, who are Gotham and Gotham Girl (no, not Gotham and Gotham Boy, silly). They are ok, they seem to be something other than human, but they are not memorable (yet). They save Batman, so they are on his side? But no . .
*Solomon Grundy? Psycho Pirate? Hugo Strange? These Golden Age-staple villains are released from prison, and would seem vital to the coming story, though there’s not enough on them (yet?). Well, maybe it will come to something. A lot of stuff is introduced in this volume that might best be seen as introductory for his run.
Batman flies a burning plane (with Alfred’s help) into a Gotham harbor, eh, okay, I guess. Will he die? He says goodbye to Alfred. . . will he? Will he? Eh, argh.
This is a little lighter and I guess a little more action- than angst-packed than the Scott Snyder-Greg Capullo Court of Owls run, but I still liked Snyder’s take better than this King-Finch run (so far). And I like Capullo’s art better than the Finch artwork here so far. But because I am liking King’s other two series, and because it is Batman, and because so many of my Goodreads friends are reading this, I suppose will read volume two, sigh.
*The opening issue co-written with Scott Snyder about Calendar Man (eh) and yet another take on the teen sidekick thing; oh, but it’s not Robin, It’s Duke, it’s a black kid this time, it’s (not) way different! Eh, though I reserve the right to see if there may be something unique about Duke in coming issues.
*The bulk of the issue is two (sort of) contemporary-sounding young people, one boy, one girl, dressed in Batman-like costumes, who are Gotham and Gotham Girl (no, not Gotham and Gotham Boy, silly). They are ok, they seem to be something other than human, but they are not memorable (yet). They save Batman, so they are on his side? But no . .
*Solomon Grundy? Psycho Pirate? Hugo Strange? These Golden Age-staple villains are released from prison, and would seem vital to the coming story, though there’s not enough on them (yet?). Well, maybe it will come to something. A lot of stuff is introduced in this volume that might best be seen as introductory for his run.
Batman flies a burning plane (with Alfred’s help) into a Gotham harbor, eh, okay, I guess. Will he die? He says goodbye to Alfred. . . will he? Will he? Eh, argh.
This is a little lighter and I guess a little more action- than angst-packed than the Scott Snyder-Greg Capullo Court of Owls run, but I still liked Snyder’s take better than this King-Finch run (so far). And I like Capullo’s art better than the Finch artwork here so far. But because I am liking King’s other two series, and because it is Batman, and because so many of my Goodreads friends are reading this, I suppose will read volume two, sigh.
March 11, 2017
Well, looks like I put my money on the wrong pony. I was buying these issues as they were coming out but I kept hearing good things about Detective Comics. I thought this was a decent read at first, but now that I got around to reading the Detective Comics rebirth issues, I see this just doesn't compare to it when it comes to the writing.
I think David Finch's art is great if a little flawed. Most action sequences were a little over the top. I'm all for new heroes being introduced, but there wasn't much substance for this story to stand out.
If you like Finch's art, you'll love this.
If you like bad storytelling, you'll like this.
I think David Finch's art is great if a little flawed. Most action sequences were a little over the top. I'm all for new heroes being introduced, but there wasn't much substance for this story to stand out.
If you like Finch's art, you'll love this.
If you like bad storytelling, you'll like this.
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