Batman by Tom King & Lee Weeks: The Deluxe Edition

Batman (2016) (Single Issues) #51-53, 67

by Tom King

Comic book superstar Tom King teams with acclaimed artist Lee Weeks for a collection of memorable and unique Batman stories!

Superstar comic book writer Tom King teams with one of the industry's most respected artists, Lee Weeks, to take on pop culture's greatest hero, Batman!
This collection includes "Cold Days," as Bruce Wayne gets jury duty--for a court case involving Mr. Freeze! Will the evidence cause Batman to rethink his methods? In "Knightmares," Batman chases a new foe who outsmarts him at every turn--is it someone more familiar to the Dark Knight than even he suspects? And in the Eisner Award-nominated Batman/Elmer Fudd Special, Batman ends up in the Looney Tunes character's crosshairs, in a story you never expected!

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics, Batman, Superheroes, Fiction

368 pages, Hardcover

First published November 17, 2020

Reviews

[Li]

5⭐ for the art

[Stacy (Gotham City Librarian)]

There was some good stuff here. The Bat Cat story was beautiful and moving, though not one I would read repeatedly because it absolutely ripped my heart in half. (Fuck you, Tom King! Lol) I really liked the CONCEPT of the Freeze story, because it was neat to see a courtroom drama AND I love to see Bruce advocating for Victor since he’s my favorite Gotham villain after Harley. However, even knowing there’s some important backstory from this particular run that was not explicit here it still left me with a sour taste in my mouth. Bruce is obviously having a nervous breakdown of sorts during this story, but I’m never a huge fan of writers taking the approach of “Let’s make Batman go TOO FAR because he’s really upset about something!” And then the whole idea is to make the reader say, “I guess he’s not that great after all!” #notmyBatman. A pleasant surprise was the crazy comic at the end of this collection that featured Batman encountering Elmer Fudd. I almost skipped over it, but it turned out to be pretty fun! All the Looney Tunes characters were humans with recognizable quirks, and they fit the gritty Gotham atmosphere. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. If you grew up with the cartoons like me, you’ll recognize all the references. This wasn’t my favorite Tom King collection, but it had its moments. Great art throughout, also!

[Pedro]

Hasta ahora, lo único que había leído de Tom King era Mister Miracle, que me gustó bastante, sobre todo porque era un personaje poco conocido que le dio un tratamiento súper profundo, casi como lo que en su momento hizo Alan Moore con Swamp Thing o Grant Morrison con Animal Man. Pues estás historias de Batman, no decepcionan. Son diferentes, profundas, fieles a los personajes y sin embargo empujan la historia en direcciones únicas. Y luego está el artista Lee Weeks, como imágenes dinámicas, muy cinemáticas que resultan perfectas para Batamn, aún en las últimas historias que podrían parecer más caricaturescas por la trama. Este volumen incluye varias historias separadas, y las primeras son buenas aunque son las más flojas: tratan de la relación entre Batman y Catwoman. Después viene la mejor de las historias: Bruce Wayne es llamado en hacer de jurado en un juicio en contra de Victor Fries (Mr. Freeze) y para determinar la culpabilidad de Fries se debe examinar cuidadosamente el rol de Batman en su captura. Magistral. Finalmente hay dos historias que sorprendentemente le dan solemnidad a una trama basada en Looney Tunes. Y funciona. Altamente recomendado.

[Sleepseeker]

This was a good read. We get to see another side of Batman as Bruce Wayne goes into the courtroom to become a juror on Mr. Freeze trial.

This has Annual #2 that features Batman and Cat. If you like Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle together, you will love the story as it shows a future where Bruce and Selina grow up together. This was my favorite in the book and my favorite Annual in a long time. It had a lot of emotion.

At the end we get an Elmer Fudd special. I didn't think I would like it, as I wanted to read the book for the other comics, but I kind of liked it. It was weird and odd but in a good way. It might be because I remember little things about Elmer Fudd from my childhood and those memories kept on popping up as I see each character introduced and recognized what they were based on.

Overall, I liked it.

[Chris]

Okay. So I'm currently just adding all of my books and graphic novels to the app. Going to take a while. But I just have to say. If anyone is reading this review. I promise you. I SWEAR TO YOU. This book contains a story in which Batman, crime-fighting alter ego of billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne, is first hunted, then teams up with Elmer Fudd. Yes. That's right. In 201X DC commissioned a series of stories in which their flagship characters met various other WB properties, and Batman was paired with Elmer Fudd. The strangest part about it, aside from the entire concept, is that somehow, *IT'S AMAZING*.

Please don't just trust me. If you Google "Elmer Fudd/Batman" the story has been posted online to read. And is fairly easy to find.

That's all. Back to cataloging.

[Jefferson]

I find Tom King to be very inconsistent as a writer. When he's on top of his game he turns in well-written, unique, and thoughtful stories, but just as often his work seems to lapse into the self-referential and incomprehensible.

The stories in this book are 50/50 -- the first two are excellent, the third doesn't seem to be about anything at all, and the final one, a Batman/Elmer Fudd (yes, really) team-up is just as dumb as it sounds.

Lee Weeks' draftsmanship, on the other hand, is consistently excellent, delivering a combination of realism and expressiveness that is just right for the character.

[Stephen]

There are three stories within this book and I must say I was pleasantly surprised! Lee Weeks crushes the artwork and Tom King does some unbelievable writing. I feel the first story is an unofficial homage to the movie 12 Angry Men in my opinion! The third story is maybe one of the most amazing stories ever.....a Batman/Elmer Fudd story! That's right...this is not a typo. It's a strange crossover that is nothing short of BRILLIANT! I believe this book might be slept on because the title is pretty much the creators names and Batman but I highly recommend it as it's a great stand alone book that is a great read!

[Greg Simpson]

I read a bunch of these batman comics this past weekend. Very uneven (especially at the beginning), but ultimately honest and emotionally compelling work--which isn't really something I expect to say about a biweekly Batman comic? Tom King may be a war criminal but he has a better grasp of comics as a functional storytelling medium than most cape comic writers working today, and his collaborators are usually putting out some of the most gorgeous work in this side of the business--Lee Weeks especially.

[Zach Anderson]

When I heard there was a Looney Tunes/DC crossover, and one specifically featuring Elmer Fudd and Batman, I knew I was all about that. This omnibus contains five stories by Weeks and King, two of which seem to be stewed in heavily implied context (of which I was not privy) - so their intended impact was not as great as the middle story (about wrongly convicted Mr. Freeze, which I enjoyed) and the last aforementioned Fudd-Batman crossover. This is simply a neat novelty worth reading for fans of Batman.

[Jota Houses]

Una antología de las historias de Batman de King y Weeks con gran nivel: Una historia alternativa de la relación entre Batman y Catwoman, el juicio de Mr. Freeze y dos historias auto conclusivas fuertemente influenciadas por los Looney Tunes. El guión es bastante bueno y el dibujo magnífico.

[Adam Witt]

Tom King's Batman is distinctly not my thing the majority of the time. This wonderfully-illustrated volume is an exception. I'll go where Lee Weeks goes (with a bonus appearance by Michael Lark!), certain of the script or not. It turns out the artist (for the sake of simplicity, as this is mostly Lee Weeks's book) and the writer here complement each other well.

[Jared Brown]

2.75 Stars. I would first like to say that my rating is only this high because of Lee Weeks’ artwork throughout the volume. Tom King is very hit or miss, and I feel like most of this was a miss on his part. The collection of “Cold Days” was probably the most redeeming part of this book, and the story was very short of spectacular.

[M.i.]

Tom King rarely misses and I especially like how both catwoman and Bruce Wayne are used here, making the Batman character himself, almost secondary to their goals.

I also liked the additional stories included in this edition.

[Randi]

... Acme!

They have always been sneaky.. And I enjoyed the 12 Jurors collection.

[John]

I just love Tom King so much.

[Dakota]

Lee Weeks kills it on art across all four stories. Tom King continues to impress with his stories but a few parts didn't feel up to his standard.

[Ethan]

9/10

[Bennett]

Slow at times, but I enjoyed this way more than it expected to.

[Wan Afiq]

i need to know who is this girl

[Kan]

Well, Bat, sometimes knowing enough... is just enough to want to know more.