Damn. It is amazing. The art, the style, the writing, the mood this book gives, the horror.

Simply amazing.

Well, eh. It's odd. And a hard to review. Non-linear narrative is a new thing now for King and it works and doesn't at the same time. I feel like King doesn't get Bat-family so well, would explain why he doesn't have them so often in his books, except Nightwing.

But why non-linear narrative works: we get new revelations at the same time and we get to great artists at work.

Why it doesn't work: one could think the other one is a dream. Or they both are. King is known to be very vague about this things, it wouldn't surprise me if one of those was a dream. After the disaster that was Knightmares, where you couldn't figure out were they dreams or not, in about half of them.

Also, when Bruce talks how he is gonna break Bane? It doesn't feel like it is Bruce talking. It feels like Miller is writing those lines and that is not good. I kinda get it, Bruce is so broken as he was in Millerverse that he would say these things, but on the other hand, just no.

I don't hate this like I did Knightmares. It is not terrible, it is something that you like, hate or are just confused about it. Art is great, writing very on-off.

And the last thing that I don't like, Thomas and Bane. ´They don't appear much and I'm afraid that we will see them more in issues 95-100. And all this is just build-up. It's not a bad idea, but 20-40 issues of build-up is too much, because it won't live up to the hype in this case and I know it. more

Damn, that was a nice twist. And a good comic. I like it very much.

And Knull -reference? I see what you are doing Cates...

Simply amazing. Taylor really has his ways in these smaller stories.

One would think this would be just CW's Flash done again. But it's not. It has it's own spin it and something new to explore.

Definitely interested where this goes.

This is more like a Mysterio comic, then Symbiote Spide-Man. And I'm okay with it. It is just that good.

A very good issue. Writing and the artwork is on point.

Arkham Knight's identity is a clever one and makes his/her's motivation so much cleraer now.

Very good mini-series. The Batman Who Laughs is a great villain for Bruce and this series shows us more evil version of Bruce, which I like.

I wasn't a f an of the art in the beginning, but I'm grown to like it.

That was pretty good. Not enough focus on Vulture, but I do like the art and how great Kraven is manipulating everyone in this event.

And that Vermin stuff was also interesting.

With good writing, artwork and nice new arc for Miles, it's hard not to recommend this.

After Knightmares, it was pretty good. Art is nice and while Batman talks a bit too much, sounding sometimes a bit too edgy, I can live with that. As long as the next issues aren't so off with his dialogue.

But the slow start is an issue here. Usually it isn' necessary, but after Knightmares, which was a waste of 8 issues, it really starts to annoy here, if the progression is still slow. more

Okay, this was pretty good. I feared that Bunn would make Venom worse after Cates, but he still writes this well and this crossover doesn't feel so forced. Interested to see what happens next.

And yes, Coello's art is still great.

A huge disappointment. For a guy who wasn't invested in this or even cared.

First of all. Spoilers.

So, they ruined him. Wally. I get why.

He is the only one, who could fake this, who had the power and the knowledge to do how. I get that. He was a broken guy, I get that. In some way, it makes sense.

If it wasn't for this huge issue that Kings has. He doesn't change the story to fit the characters. He changes the characters to tell his story. And it shows. King tries his best to tell why Wally did it. But it's still wrong, doesn't work and the revelation feels so forced.

Wally didn't mean so much to me, but I'm sure he meant a lot for some readers. And this is why this is so bad. If someone wrote that Spidey did the same things that Wally did, I would be enraged.

The art is amazing yes, but this time, it doesn't save this comic. more

To be honest, it was pretty okay. Doesn't save this arc being terrible, but at least this was okay and not annoying or feeling like filler. Art was great and writing was passable, a bit messy but not bad. I get what King was trying to do, but it was executed pretty badly.

But this arc took way too long. 8 issues is too much for so little story that feels so disjointed.

That was good. Much better what I expected. A solid writing, a new take on Mysterio and bit-more-aggressive-but-not-over-the-top Spidey is also handled well.

It is not terrible. Art works very well to this issue. Dynamic between Selina ja Lois is very good. Supes and Bat's -stuff is meh.

But this issue doesn't work because it is not real. It would work so much better, if it was before issue 50. And Bruce wasn't written so workaholic.

Now, the final panel is something that this event has needed for a longest time. Something to show that this is part of something bigger. Sure, we know that Batman is facing his nightmares, but if you didn't read synopsis, every issue has nothing to do with another. I mean nothing. And while that final panel is something that is needed, this issue shouldn't be that. more

I am very conflicted here. the reason is - I liked most of the comic. I did, really. And you know why? Because it was fun, contrary to regular King's Batman comics. As a refreshing filler issue, it would be good, if not great. Heck, this is exactly what we should have gotten instead of terrible Preludes to the Wedding leading to even worse #50. But it's too little too late for a bachelorette party when we know it leads nowhere, and most importantly, it unfortunately connects to the Knightmares arc instead of being its own stand-alone thing.

That's why I can't give this issue a negative rating - I liked Selina and Lois' adventures in Fortress of Solitude, but I also can't give it a positive rating either, because I know it's a mere illusion connected to a terrible story arc. more

This is a weird issue. It's all a dream, but it plays like it's a memory of one night.

Basically, Lois and Selina go to the Fortress of Solitude to have a girl's night out/bachelorette party.

The art is fun and nice. The hi-jinks are meant to be fun, and I can't say they're terrible, but they are sort of a 1980s thing. The jokey vibe doesn't fit with King's dour Batman.

Also, the drinking booze from 10,000 planets just drags on too long. The hot tub thing is kind of cute, but kind of lame. Again, not terrible but . . . not as cute and charming as King wants it to be.

While Lois and Selina frolic in a way that would be totally unacceptable if they were men, Clark and Bruce have an awkward night at Wayne Manor.

King writes Clark as if he really were a slightly socially awkward farm boy who is intimidated by the wealth of the Bruce.

And Bruce is written as a total workaholic who can't relax for one second. He is unable to function in any way that might be considered normal. It's Batman or nothing for Bruce, which I find to be a boring and not terribly interesting way to write the character. But that's me.

It ends with Batman being on a table being pumped full of drugs to keep him docile.

Problems: This is Bruce's dream, so how does he know what goes on with Lois and Selina.

And the dynamic of Selina and Lois having fun, while Bruce is a grump is a rehash from the issue where the couples go to the county fair. Nothing new is shown. It would have been nice to see Lois and Selina interact in a new way - maybe Selina helping Lois track down a story or something.

Finally, this dream arc is just dragging. As least this one is fun, but just get on with it.

What's good. Like I said, the art is fun in a way that I like. The idea that Lois and Selina might be friends away from Bruce and Clark. Their having their own thing is actually a pretty good idea.

I will say that Lois complaining that she deserves her own night out because tomorrow she'll be a wife, mother and reporter (I guess King hasn't been reading Bendis' Superman) and then the day after that I have to be a wife, mother, reporter. It's called being a grown-up Lois.

There was enough Charm to not make me hate this issue, but there are problems.

Or I could be wrong. more

I’m now sold on the fact that Al Ewing is writing a book that in 50 years will still be referenced as the bar for the Green Man Monster. Or Gray in some cases... Very few times in history has someone wrote a story and allowed an artist to read their mind like the combo of Ewing and Bennett. This isn’t just my favorite Hulk book but has quickly wound up as my favorite book of all time. Waiting on 17 after this ending is gonna be torture. more

This feels forced. And bad. And so full of cliches. And bad writing. And characters are acting like so oddly here. It is like they are written by a person who hasn't seen their growth in 30 years or so...

I haven't read any of Aaron's work in a long time. And this was still pretty good. That's saying something.

Wow. That was so much better than I expected.

Simply amazing.

It feels a bit like Tom King does not like HiC. Like he got bored/tired of it after #2. I don't want to spoil anything here but the dialogue is becoming even more inconsistent and there are huge gaps in characterization. Perhaps this is all an A.I simulation and the inconsistency are the glitches (but probably not since King was asked and this is not the case here).
As for the twist or twists... everything was spoiled months ago.
Now.
Who spoiled the whole plot? There is no way this wasn't leaked from someone at DC, perhaps someone (editors? other writers?) who disagreed with it. Was the leaked Ivy cover an inside job too?
The book gets a 3 because after months, the plot moves forward just a tiny bit.
Tom King is a good writer. He can do better than this. He knows he can do better than this. There are 2 ways to face a story
1) Ignore the problems and praise it because you like the writer
2) Be honest
My coverage of this book has always been honest despite "plot twists"

Edit: My score is now 1 because of the King fanboys reaction and responses. Enjoy more

Like what.

You know the drill, art is nice, yes.

And the summary is full of crap and now, so is the cover? King really ups his game.

But again, nothing happens. That's not anything new, but this time, I wasn't angry after this issue. Just confused. Why is Babs bff with Hartley now? Maybe if I reread HiC, I might remember, but I don't care enough.

I'm confused, but enough to be actually mad about this. This is the first issue where the dialogue wasn't totally off for me, just okay. Wally stuff is confusing, I think King has no idea where to focus here. This feels like Wally West -story, but at the same time, it doesn't at all.

I mean, this Hartley-Booster-Batgirl-Blue-Beetle -combo is not bad idea, if we start to focus on that. It's just too late.

And those 9-panels don't do anything for me, at least they weren't so confusing or unnecessary as usual.

This would've worked if Wally was the only one who died, and maybe Ivy as the second victim. And while Trinity is looking it the usual way, Hartley and Booster start looking in it in their own way. Again, the idea isn't bad, and while the execution is usually terrible, it's not this week.

It's easy to hate HiC and I get many people's reasons why, but this week, it wasn't honestly that bad.

Or maybe I don't have the will to hate this anymore. If I realize it later, I might give this a 3. Not it gets a 4, and that's because the art and that it didn't make me so angry again. more