Prelude:
Tomasi had a good start with the last issue but as we move further and further away from Christmas, how does this stand up?

The Good:
Always like Bruce doing detective work.

Art was good.

The Bad:
Story was hurried and wrapped itself up way too fast.

The end got a bit boring.

Conclusion:
There isn't much to talk about. Stuff happens but it doesn't feel too important or that there's any danger. more

This issue is nothing special, but it’s not bad either. It’s the conclusion to the last one.
It’s always nice to see Batman doing some detective work, since many writers ignore this these days& thankfully the villain or rather Batman‘s opponents became a little more interesting than last issue.
I also liked, that Batman didn’t beat the monster by beating the hell out of it as he would sure do in other stories, but that it’s beaten more by coincidence. The snow in the background also gave the issue a nice winter feeling.
So overall an ok issue, but you won’t miss anything if you skip it. more

Is this a conclusion to anything, really? If yes, then it's one hell of an uderwhelming mess looking like it was heavily rushed, not bothering to explain a single thing to us. Where's mystery, tension, plot? This issue feels like Tomasi had second thoughts about this arc and just wanted to finish it ASAP, and write something else. Strongly disappointed with this one, it feels so empty and shallow, despite having so much potential. Scandinavian folklore is deep, vibrant and memorable, so it stuns me that this arc was the exact oppossite, not fitting any of these adjectives. Legends of Tomorrow used the same background to great, genuinely funny result on TV, Anthrax made a video to Blood Eagle Wings depicting the same method of torture shown here, with disgusting and ever so disturbing result (and the ong i bloody awesome, let's face it), and I'm not even going to cover Skyrim, since duh, that's a pretty obvious example of how to build something out of Scandinavian lore. This issue, as well as the entire arc, is a failure, in comparison. more

it's official. this series has completely fallen of the "MUST READ" list.

this arc was mediocre at best and an easy skip. you won't be missing anything special.

Murphy continues his masterpiece. It always blows my mind up to see the series exceeding my wildest imaginations without becoming borderline fan-fiction, which often happens to products really trying to satisfy the fans. What also terrifies me, is how much I care about every character in White Knight. As I write this review, I feel in my hands I'm one step from shaking, that's how intense this comic made me feel. Just think - when Tom King killed Alfred of, I felt literally nothing, that's how disconnected I was with his run. Here, when Harley and Jack... I mean Joker, were in danger, I was invested, scared for both of them, hoping they're fine. How did Sean Murphy manage to make me fall in deep love with all the characters in merely 15 issues o far, I have no idea, but I'll be damned, I'm in love with this elseworld, and I value it much, much more than the main continuity. more

It's good to read a Batman comic which was written with a plan in mind, for once. Sure, the plot so far rings the familiar bell of Arkham Origins game, but I'm definitely interested in what's going to happen next, and what kind of role will Penguin, Riddler and Bullock all play.
Well, wait, I take it back, I'm not really that interested in Riddler, to be honest, poor guy doesn't have luck with writers, who seem to find new ways to make him weird and boring. From King's awful take on the character, through Johns' Earth 2 few years back, to this skin and bones creep reminding me of Jim Carrey's atrocious role in already atrocious Batman Forever. But puting him aside, the comic is overall good. Nothing groundbreaking or astonishing, just a solid blockbuter issue you can turn your mind off while reading. more

It was decent.

Let me start with what I liked:
The art was enjoyable.
The action scene at the end was cool.
The atmosphere.
The story is still interesting.

Now, my biggest problem with this issue is the pace. It was slow, maybe too slow. This issue had a lot of dialogue, yet we still don't know much about what's going on. So overall, in terms of story, we didn't get meaningful progress. Which is weird, because with that much dialogue you'd expect otherwise. I hope the next issue picks up the pace. more

This is where the book should stay. Spencer and Ottley as they established in the first year. Classic Spidey stories feel with new twists.

I enjoyed this issue of Batman for the most part. I didn't totally like the art. This artist tends to draw people a bit oddly. Their features lean more on the side of cartoon-ish rather then real life. But other then that I liked it. It touched on Alfred's loss without being to much in it. I enjoyed seeing Catwoman/Selena being a major player in Bruce's life still. It's a interesting twist in the story that this seems to going to be a plan she had a part in to bring Bruce/Batman down. In the past Batman has had some of his secret plans played out by villains. Both in his comics and a few times in the Justice League comics. This time it's going to be one of Selena's plans. I hope this is not going to lead to the down fall of them being together. I'm so so sick of that card being played out with them.

One thing that did confuse me though is that Selina is known to be Catwoman by the authorities and world which was why they were going to have that secret wedding to begin with. So no one would put Selina/Catwoman together with Bruce Wayne being Batman. Yet here she is openly showing ties to Bruce Wayne to the Mayor no less. So is she no longer a wanted criminal now? And is it now no longer known to the world that she is Catwoman? I wish it wasn't and also that Batman's identity was less known to so many people as well. Now it seems like just about all his villains know Bruce Wayne is Batman.

The one problem I had with the issue was this ridiculous idea that Bruce could make his city into a safe heaven where Batman is no longer needed. That is not a possibility on any level. What do you think if Wayne built enough buildings and what not that the criminals are going to take one look an say Gotham is to bright, new and shiny to mess with and just move out of the city never to bother it again?

Also I really would have like more of the fight with Deathstroke shown. more

This issue was definitely a return-to-from.

I'm glad we are done with the "2099" event. Now we can finally move to the main story. You know, the one that's actually interesting.

Anyways, this issue had some really nice moments (Peter and MJ's date) and some funny ones too (JJJ and Norah's talk). The ending, for the first time in a long time, has me excited to see what will happen and overall, I think this issue was fun and worth reading. more

Prelude:
King's 85 issue Batman run is now over. After three and a half years of King, let's see how Tynion's Batman goes.

The Good:
I like the idea of Bruce using Alfred's death as a motivation to improve Gotham.

It feels like a Batman book.

It's good seeing how tactical smart Bruce is but also how he is still reeling from City of Bane.

Selina's part of the story was interesting.

Tony S. Daniel's art was great.

The Bad:
Nothing.

Conclusion:
Nothing too revolutionary but it didn't need to be. It's getting the main Batman book back to being just that and Tynion has done a great job so far. more

A good Batman comic? Could it be?! Well, considering it's Tynion who took over the series, I expected nothing less, but still, I was afraid Tom King's awfulness preceeding this new run could affect it more, dragging it down. That didn't happen for the most part, naturally not including Alfred's death, which up to this point, has been just pointless, it was merely shock for the sake of shock.
Tynion, in comparison, just laid down everything important, set up the big mystery, and even more. That's what we call a plan, which can't be said about King's nonsensical gibberish with no purpose and endgoal. Whether it's a good plan or not, time will tell, but at least there's something we can follow now.

The art is beautiful, once again, not surprising, since DC wants to sell this flagship comic, and attract those who turned their backs on King's run. Good art sure is a good selling point, and this issue truly is something you could analyze for hours, focusing on every little detail.

What I enjoy is how Catwoman and Lucius Fox play bigger roles in the adventure, from the get go. Tynion undertands that Batman can be monotonus as a character, and needs company. People who would be more than cannon fodder to get killed off/shot in the head, or to appear only when a deus ex machina magical knife is needed. He did that already with Rebirth's Detective Comics series, establishing a team and giving each member purpose. I hope this continues, and we'll see Bruce developing some fleshed out relationships in this new era of Batman comics. Well, that's a glimmer of hope, at least, in the world where half of Australia and Amazonia are in flames, and the US government oes anything in it power to start world war 3 with Iran, so the current president gets re-elected. At least we won't experience all this horror without decent comics to read. more

A promising start with an interesting set-up and some wonderful action scenes.

I liked how Tynion didn't just ignore King's run and that we can see how Alfred's death affects Batman. I'm also pleased to see that Selina is still a major supporting character.

Another thing that I enjoyed was the epilogue. I really like how Tynion is setting up the Joker. I hope this will pay off.

Tony Daniel did an excellent job as usual and I hope that we'll see more of him in the future.

Overall, this issue was a solid start to the run. I'm interested to see what Tynion has in store for us. Hopefully, it will be good. more

This was just bad all around the writing and the art. At least it;s done now and we can move on from this 2099 mess.

Very odd for a Batman story, but also incredible. I loved everything about this book.

This potentially fixes everything wrong with the DC Universe since New 52 if they stick with it. Canon as it is now is questionable how it will lead here, but it sounds like it *will* happen. Also that surprise crossover... kind of blew my mind.

What I disliked............

1. King just did the minimum to finish the story up. This issue feels like he just threw it together and didn't care about giving the fans a real story. I liked a lot of Kings run and disliked a lot also. However with all of what I liked I felt hopeful and was looking for this to be an epic ending. Instead it was more the dying embers to the fire. I was so looking forward to this issue with high hopes and now I'm left feeling stupid for having believed he would give us a good ending to all this. I wonder how different the ending might have been if Kings run hadn't been cut short?


2. What happened with the villains that were being mind-controlled by Bane and Psycho Pirate? And were was the commissioner and the real police in all this?

3. Some interaction with the rest of the Bat family dealing with the aftermath of the insurgence of Gotham would have been welcomed.


4. The part of the story with the football crap was wasted space. Bruce would not have gone into the bar to watch football. He has stated a number of times over the years that he doesn't like football. The last time he said so was in the issue that had Lois and Selina together at Superman's fortress.

5. Were was the big fight? There should have been a big fight.

6. Claire seemed fine and healthy enough to be climbing around just fine with Batman. Why give her back her powers? She never seemed stable from the get go so I don't see how giving her powers back is a smart thing.

7. I didn't like that Thomas seemed to want Bane to kill him. It would have been nice to have him stay one of Batman's villains. Batman's in need of some new villains. The same ones get used over and over. Even though the stories change using the same villains makes the stories feel stale anyway.

8. My biggest bitch about this issue is the fact that once again Bat and Cat look like they are going to get married only to once again be a NO. Seriously you slapped us fans of the couple once already. Only to do it again on the last issue of your run. Screw you King !!!!!


What I liked...........

1. The Joker story coming up looks interesting. Though to be honest I'm so getting tired of Joker stories of late. He's being used way way to much lately. Both Joker and Bat-Joker are being over used.

2. I liked that Bane broke Thomas's back. Well okay it's more of I don't dislike it then actual like. But anyway he deserved it. However I hope that this doesn't mean that will be endlessly plagued with hearing Bane brag about having killed him along with his never ending bragging about breaking Batman. His sad and pathetic one claim to fame.

3. The art was good more

I agree in many ways with Linkush, this isn't a real ending and I was flipflopping on if I was completely satisfied with it. Hopefully it will be all wrapped up completely in Batman/Catwoman (especially since Gotham Girl is supposed to marry Duke by the end of his run, and that doesn't happen here). However as a celebration of this run I couldn't be more happy. Allegories out the wazoo with the football game (in Porky's!)referencing Batman's struggle, a sort of cheeky message to readers saying those who have lost will understand, and Batman and Catwoman having that realization they don't need a traditional marriage... because since when did they decide that law rules what they do? Yeah, pretty much as good an ending I could hope for with 20 or some issues being cut. The one area I did feel let down with was the showdown with Thomas. There was practically no action packed showdown at all, but really that was never what this run was about anyway, so I will forgive it.

Oh, and looking forward to Tynion IV's run. more

Yeah... this arc is just not for me

Oh man, I'm going to miss Snyder and Capullo's Batman.

Prelude:
Doomsday Clock started in 2017 and now, two years later the twelfth issue is finally here. Let's see how Johns goes landing this series after so many delays.

The Good:
Wow, this is a lot to unpack.

I really like the resolution with the Watchmen characters. It feels right in a weird way.

Gary Frank's art is utterly amazing.

The absolute focus and reverence on Superman was fantastic.

The characterisation is great in this issue.

JSA!

There were some really tear-jerking and flat out enjoyable scenes in this issue.

It sets up a lot and it's quite interesting.

The Bad:
I have to say it, the delays really killed this book.

I'm not sure how it stacks up as one series.

Conclusion:
While it is a great issue in of itself, I do wonder how it would read in trade as a whole and the delays really killed this series. more

Doomsday Clock may be Johns' opus magnum, and I don't think it'd be an exagerration to call the comic a masterwork. It doesn't try to cash out on the name alone, like Before Watchmen comics, or to a degree the movie, and now the TV series. It takes the mythos, and faithfully expands it, merging it with the main continuity of DC Comics, in an organic, consistent and clever way. This is where Johns' writing shines - he has experience with big tales, giant events, all impacting the world in a meaningful way. And while some of you could call certain creative decisions in this final issue "fan service", admit it, you've been cheering when JSA shown up, and when Mime and Marionette's purpose in the story was revealed. Even if there's some wish fulfillment in the comic, I can't call it out as something negative, because we all hoped this series will transform DC forever, leave a mark and retcons past publishing mistakes.

If there's on problem I have with the comic (other than huge delays), it would be Comedian's role in it. Yeah, he gets a closure, but he hardly plays a role in the plot. He just exists, and that's it.
Other heroes, in comparison, actively impact the story, take it from point A to point B, inevitably leading here, to this finale. Or is it a finale? It certainly closes up many arcs, both major and minor, but leaves plenty of door open, which DC hopefully utilizes in the future. And boy, oh boy, do we get some material for further speculation here... so many teasers of what's to come in next couple of years, so many things to look for in between the lines... this is an end of an era for DC, you know. Doomsday Clock single handedly shut New 52 down, and thank goodness for that. Time will tell if other writers take that opportunity and use it as foundation to fix issues plaguing their books, though.

Final verdict? It's a bloody masterpiece, and a musst read for any DC fan out there. Johns finished this series on a high note, with both nicely concluded arcs, and plenty of new potential ones to explore in the future. more

This series is truly a love letter to Superman.

And one of the better ones I'd say.

It was okay.

I have to say I'm a bit underwhelmed with this, the fight with Thomas wasn't so exciting and this issue didn't bring anything new to the table, just more of the same. It just didn't feel special.

I did enjoy most of it and I understand what King was doing with this issue but I wish there was more to it. The art was great, I'll miss Janin and overall the conclusion was heartwarming and it did fit the story and what King was trying to say.

Guess we'll get a more satisfying conclusion in the Bat/Cat series.

Oh, and the sneak peek at the end was great, can't wait to see what Tynion has to bring to the table. more

You're better than this, Tom Taylor.

WOW! this was a Batman comic?
very dialogue heavy and uninteresting.

sorry DC, but your new status quo really sucks. Lucius Fox is a terrible replacement for Alfred. he has zero chemistry with Bruce. Alfred really was the heart of this series and it shows. he was the light that pulled Bruce Back from the Darkness, and added the much needed levity to have entertaining conversations with Bruce.
Lucius Fox was just very boring in this comic. and what the hell happened to his Plausible Deniability?

-this comic was Dull & Dreary.
-the dialogue was robotic.
-the art was 'MEH'.
-there was no real Action or Excitement.
-a chore to read.
-Detective Comics continues to spiral downward in quality.
more

Heartwarming and awesome.

This was a great issue and a return-to-form for the series.

Apparently this is the last issue, oof. It's been great, I'll miss this.

This is a top-tier comic book.