while i normally quite enjoy Mike Allred's art, this was just an insufferable story to slog through.

Bring back BATMAN '66, but PLEASE do not make Allred have to draw garbage like this. You can even see how much he was not enjoying having to draw this within each panel. Poor guy was probably gritting his teeth the entire time.

I finally figured out what bugs me about this story. It doesn’t matter.Batman Year one mattered because it was a new Batman after Infinite Crisis. This is just a story where the Joker kills a lot. We know where it is going to end. Crazy Joker who kills a lot.

We also get another story where Jim Gordon doesn’t kill Joker. Again lather, rinse, repeat.

Also not a fan of the art style. But that’s me. I won’t argue if you like it.

Not a great story. More of a cynical cash grab that went nowhere.

Or I could be wrong. more

Wonder Woman character was created and introduced in All-Star Comics as a character to raise up and unite American people. Now we have CIA's Tom King using the DC Comics issue almost as a parody level of absurdity of targeted hate based on race, gender, and religion. If the roles were different, the DC Comics published tract would be labeled as a "hate crime" piece. But as it is, CIA Tom King's effort to divide and demean is now good "comics fiction."

Wonder Woman is a prisoner of the criminal Sovereign who seeks to brainwash Diana with a "Lasso of Lies," while Wonder Woman hallucinates including a scenes where her daughter uses a bow and arrow to mutilate (and possibly murder?) criminal Sergeant Steel tied to a tree. The comic goes through various out-of-context writing from the Christian Bible, based on a Jewish writer Saul/Paul and his religious teachings based on the Torah (yes, Tom King leaves **THAT** part out for certain), and eventually after I concluding "I do not believe in Your God," Wonder Woman breaks the Lasso of Lies and attacks the criminal Sovereign.

The story begins with Wonder Woman hallucinating about the 1950s era with a sexist, hate-filled version of Steve Trevor, and the criminal Sovereign using a "Lasso of Lies" and quoting Christian religious scripture of Ephesians 5:22 from 2000 years ago, twisting it out of context to make it be a basis for inequality, rather than a basis for love. Furthermore, using a translation that does not match the original text in Greek. And since Tom King wants to use this as a religious attack, the correct statement is: "Submit to one another," NOT "Wives, submit to your husbands."

Tom King also takes out of context Christian Bible passages from Corinthians (based on Paul/Saul's Jewish history and his interpretations of the Jewish Torah), Timothy (again based on Paul/Saul's Jewish history and his interpretations of the Jewish Torah), Titus (once again based on Paul/Saul's Jewish history and his interpretations of the Jewish Torah).

Now if this was Saul, and they were quotations from the Jewish Torah? How would this be viewed in USA today? Would it be considered Anti-Semitic twisting of religious verse to spread anti-Jewish hatred? But since it is Paul who converted to being a "Christian," Tom King views this as "OK."

But the goal here is for Tom King to divide between men and women, religious Christians and others, young and old, and target a certain group as inherently evil. Mr. King fails to note that he actually fits a lot of the element of the inherently evil hate he spews towards others.

No I am not going to rate this comic based on the "backup comic." That would be cowardly and lame dodging. Let's be clear about what this issue of Wonder Woman #8 is: "Hate Crime Tract." It is the same type of thing you would read from racists, those who hate people based on their gender, and those who hate people based on their religion. In fact, it is PRECISELY the type of thing that the Wonder Woman character was created to combat. But now, with the CIA's Tom King, DC Comics has turned Wonder Woman into the very thing she was to defeat: Hate Itself.


I only give this a 1 because there is not any lower score available. It does NOT deserve a 1.

To those of you who think, OK, but I hate old people, I hate white people, I hate men, I hate Christian people, etc., remember - other Hate Mongerers can fill in those labels with different lables. Hate is NOT the Answer and it has no place being praised in comics heroine stories. more

Dan Jurgens may have been a decent writer once upon a time? But those days are long gone.
The art while nice in parts is very messy and inconsistent. The color is also inconsistent as well. Some pages are dour while others look like fruity pebbles.

Joker is the loon who thought Joker Fish would make him rich, not this imposter.

Not much new to say, so I'll just leave this here. I think Batman is too big of a character for Zdarsky to handle.

It's really annoying how many writers are just trying to retcon classic stories and characters these days. While the writers often try to expand on these classic stories or give them more depth, the opposite often occurs and they end up tarnishing them.

That's the case here. Zur-En-Arrh was a cool concept when Morrison introduced it, but now it's just a corrupt Batman. The Jokers motivations have been retconned to all be about bringing out Zur-En-Arrh. Killing Joke? Death in the Family? All because of Zur-En-Arrh now instead of the Jokers affinity for chaos and obsession with Batman.

Zdarsky is taking from the Batman mythos instead of adding to it. I don't know why DC is allowing these horrible changes to their most popular franchise. Avoid this Batman run. Everyone is out of character and it's just butchering classic stories. more

I will say it again... I hate reboots, but... DC PLEASE REBOOT BATMAN!!!


....and keep these hack writers far the HELL away from the character!!

I must be reading a different book than the other reviewers. I'm not sure how you can have a Batman book without Batman. Two issues in a row, a third of the story completed and Batman has not showed up. Instead, we get a Harley with no Joker, and Bruce playing Firefly. This issue has turned bad real fast.

My Comic Review Channel - https://youtu.be/PHxYj7kKmss

I'm no fan of reboots, but DC seriously needs one! Especially for Batman!!

Zdarsky has no place writing Batman. His run has been one poorly recycled idea after another. I'd call it fan fiction, but at least fan fiction has some passion to it. Zdarsky is just phoning this crap in.

The art is okay, but I really dislike that Jorge Jimenez has simply become a poor imitation of Dan Mora. Only less dynamic, and much less fun to look at.

Batman comics need some serious help! They'd needed it for a very long time now! more

There is NO WAY this comic was worth the $7 price tag!

I honestly cannot remember the last time I was this bored reading a Batman comic. The beginning starts with a ton of exposition, by the time the headless victim shows up I had already checked out. The story meanders a bit more until Batman finally shows up in one of the most wonky, awkward, unsatisfying splash pages I've ever seen. Not helped by the fact that Batman's cowl is drawn overly bulky. The cowl is also inconsistently drawn from panel to panel, making for a very jarring reading experience. If there is no clear distinct vision of the story's main character, then please don't bother trying to tell a story about them.
The art, while polished is quite dull. Characters look very posed and stiff. Much of the backgrounds look like traced photos, and at times looked rushed and very sloppy. The color is really nice at parts, but they cannot seem to make up their mind to go all dull and gritty, or overly vibrant. But most important is the fact that this comic is just not worth the price of admission. It's a rip off.

After this dull first issue, I'm not even sure this comic will even be worth trade waiting. more

CaCa Poo Poo

DC must love failure that they keep having tom king write "Batman" stories.

horrifically bad storytelling and art.

Sorry but there's no way joker should be beating up batman like that unless Bruce is really hurt.

Enough Ram V on Detective Comics please.

In "Condemned" by horror writer Ram V, DC Detective Comics leads with MORE anti-Batman sentiment... as it drags out more of the horror/supernatural/demon nonsense plot... once again "some deranged plan"... with weirdo villainess Serpent and the mask of multiple eyes to brainwash Gotham's public... for the Orgham's plans... and the Azmer demon inside Batman's brain OK? So what else is new? I guess maybe I come back in 2024, and Ram V may have this (endless) "story arc" complete? In the meantime, DC Comics if you really HATE the Batman so much, why don't you simply sell him to another comics company? Let some other company that does not lividly despise the Batman write stories about his struggles and efforts to fight for Justice? There are so many REAL world stories that could be told. Instead the horror writers only focus on their supernatural and demon threats.

Send the Batman to Chicago to fight criminal gangs. Let the Batman actually do something relevant to why the character was created. And if you can't, then STOP, and write about something else. Maybe just write Nightwing or Cassie stories or something. Or your vampires. more

Batman-
More decompressed garbage from Tom King. Terrible visual storytelling. Dull repeating art. Edgy trash Tom King ending. Keep these idiots away from Batman.
Stormwatch-
More shoving Ghost-maker down our throats. Hate the panel layouts. Art is too zoomed in.
Superman-
Does no one understand visual storytelling anymore? Why must the art be so zoomed in close?
Heroes of Tomorrow-
Not up to Dan Mora's usual standard of storytelling. He needs the guidance of working with a writer.

I don't see this series lasting very long. more

Flat arc with a flat ending. The villain is not only uninteresting but downright stupid and ridiculous, IMO taking away from the mythos behind the Joker. There is the rehashed "Batman can't be happy" trope for the hundredth time and unnatural dialogue with Selina randomly speaking of "judgements" and "feeling safe," which serves no purpose other than to tease whatever absolutely nonsensical drama that will form between Bruce and MU Selina in the coming issues after this one. The most interesting thing about this issue are the memberberries, but they are ultimately a shallow way to make people go "I clapped when I saw thing I recognize!" Was hoping this run would stick the landing better but it didn't.

If a 5/10 is utterly mediocre than this is definitely subpar. more

This issue reiterated points already made. The Omni verse needs a Batman. After defeating the enemy du jour, this earth’s Selina kicks one-handed Bruce through the portal and he meets all the other Bats in all the other earths. Even get shark repellant from Adam West Bats and later uses it against a laughing fish shark. Silly, but I give points for style.

In one of the trips, Bruce gets an artificial hand and eventually gets back to “our” Earth. Does he now have an artificial hand? Will we see it in other books? Don’t know but doubt it. So what does it matter? When Peter David gave Aquaman. Hook hand, that stuck until an entire reboot of the universe.

I guess I am disappointed. The theme of even without Batman monsters would exist was literally said out loud. No points for being subtle. Meantime, story opportunities were thrown away. We don’t see other characters react to no Bruce. We don’t see Bruce react to losing his family. No reaction to losing his hand. Is he afraid he won’t be as handy? Will he be more (h) armless (see what I did there). Supposedly earthshattering events didn’t matter to the characters, so why should it matter to me?

Didn’t like the arc, but I could be wrong. more

Failsafe Arc got me interested. The part of a world without Batman, was kind of predictable but still OK. The multiverse thing felt boring since currently you see multiverse everywhere. Good fan service but overall, felt disappointing. The Zur En Arrh Batmen was good, but based on this comic, I don't expect much from it.

Wow! This is some god awful fan-fiction crappery.

Zdarsky writes Bruce like a completely weak spined dullard. His last moments with this alternate universe Selina make him look like a complete putz, right up to when she literally kicks his ass right out of her dimension.

The dialogue when Bruce meets all his alternate counterparts was written as if by a 12-year old. "I'm Batman and it appears so are you." FFS!!! more

So absolutely boring and uninteresting.

The art is extremely lackluster.

If this is the best that DC has to offer then they should start saying their prayers.

I just want to thank DC Comics and Chip Zdarsky for helping me save my money, by convincing me to stop buying Batman comic books. Everytime I think things are going to turn around with a new writer, a new story arch, it is so obviously disjointed and irrelevant to Batman that I slapped back to DC Comics's reality to waste this incredible valuable character. I am reminded of stories of Batman becoming a caveman back in the 1950s. Well, at least we could laugh at that. And there was a big difference between 12 cents or 25 cents versus 5 dollars. Really. more

Whatever. Reads like an Elseworld’s story, and if they return Alfred to the book using this off-world Alfred, I will be disappointed.

Zdarsky continues to pass off fan-fiction level wring as professional work.

This art is absolultey unacceptable quality for the flagship "Batman" title.

Superman seems to be a much better fit for Joshua Williamson than Batman was. If you enjoy some classic Supes mixed with some nice moments with Lois and Jimmy at the Daily Planet, give this one a try.

Nice pencils. It's a suitably gritty Batman that holds some promise.

I've been buying these and holding them to the side so that i can binge read them in one sitting.

God, how i hope that the years long wait was worth it!!!

This series is as enjoyable as a swfit kick to the jewels.

god we don't even have good art anymore...