After reading the newest issue, I again feel that this whole story has been insanely drawn out and one of the most pretentious things I’ve ever read. I find myself wondering how much it could be condensed while still maintaining the story. I mean, editing out just the “Bat” “Cat” repetitive exchanges would save probably 3 issues at least. How many issues have been just a single soliloquy while the on page action is Bruce climbing something? Any of those things can work and can be a nice change of pace in a series but it’s repeated ad nauseam. This absolutely happens elsewhere (I’m a Snyder fan and JL is painfully drawn out) but if you sat down with every issue and pulled pages that do nothing to advance the plot, you could probably reduce the run by 10-15 issues.
Full disclosure, I have disliked his work since issue 1 and I’m positive that influences me here. There have been solid stories from time to time and luckily the majority of the art has been good-great but as a whole this is a clusterf and I cannot wait until it is retconned. I dread what he is going to do to Phantasm.
Not gonna lie, I’m kinda in the same boat. King is incredibly repetitive, and if you go back through each of the story arcs he created within the span of these 83 issues, you could probably condense the whole run into 30-50 issues. I mean, there was a whole issue that was about Joker, Riddler, and Bruce having dinner. That could have been cut down to two pages. The whole Knightmares arc could have been cut down to two issues, and that’s being generous. The first couple arcs, “I am Gotham”, “I am Suicide”, and “I am Bane” could have taken up three issues each. I’d have to take a closer look at the other stories, but I haven’t a single doubt in my mind that these stories were hilariously decompressed, all in an effort to sell more books.
I haven’t read any of it. It’s weird, I see some people say it’s amazing and others say it’s so boring.
I mean, I’d give him the full 100 issues he was promised so I guess my answer is none? I would, however, gladly trade a couple of the Knightmares issues for more Clark/Lois/Bruce/Selina double dates though.
If he was contractually granted a 100 issue run, then he really should have been able to keep it. However, if King was just hopeful to get 100 issues, and then he just spun his wheels with ridiculous filler issues, I can understand why DC would cut him short so he can actually get the plot moving.
50 Issues max. I’ve never read a batman run with so much filler. By all means do I love dialogue between these characters, but it just seems a bit repetitive at this point.
To me, many issues and/or storylines feel padded and drawn out. I have been reading comics for 25+ years (with varying degrees of investment) and this is my least favorite run for a character I care about. I’m not saying it’s the worst writing but I can’t remember being this disappointed in a character’s run. I cannot wait for it be over and eventually retconned. I actively disliked the Bruce suicide part, Batman trying to kill Riddler, and “Bat” “Cat”. For me, Bat/Cat is the dialogue version of nails on a chalkboard.
For me, King’s run has been hit or miss. There’s been issues that I’ve loved and one’s where I’ve been like “huh?” I will say that enjoyed the recent release of issue 83, though.