Batman (and Detective Comics) have been a mainstay in my pull list for many years. There have been highs and plateaus, but the current Tom King run of 100 creates a unique eagerness for each next issue. The intrigue, the build ups, the poignancy, the surprising moments have made every one worth it. Likewise, the art…ah the art… has been striking and complements the story so well that one is whisked away into this world of thrills.
Which is why one change hurts so much.
I LOVE DC comics, and hate to be negative…but this is a community for real dialogue, so I have to say…
WHY, DC…did you take a stellar run, and then have John Romita Jr. do the art?
I feel John Romita Jr. was a better fit for Spider-Man. All of his work on it was rather nice, but ever since he’s been working for DC, his art took a turn for mediocrity.
I agree, Romita’s art doesn’t even come close to the level of quality from the other artists that have worked on King’s Batman run. Going through those couple issues, most of the characters seem deformed, and the colors used in those issues are a drastic change from previous arcs.
That said, I have more than a few problems with King’s writing style. First and foremost, his dialogue needs some work. I’m sure that some people really find value in King’s use of repetition and parallelism, but I could do without it. In fact, I bet he could’ve easily cut his run down to half the length if he would just stop repeating himself. Not to mention his constant use of a “…” halfway through a sentence. It makes me wonder what it would be like to have a conversation with Tom King. Would he start saying something and then…go back to whatever it was that he was…saying?
I will say this though, he does an excellent job of linking DC continuity into his stories. The references to Batman #1, Batman:Year One, and any number of other elements from DC’s past make his Batman run a treat for me to read.
I have never been able to connect with his art. When I see his name connected to a book there’s this unconscious connection that he’s a “classic” and it lends itself to the quality of the project but I rarely end up liking it. I know it wasn’t his design but the way he drew the Rebirth Batman costume (cape over the shoulder) made me cringe.