I feel a little disappointed, it is not bad at all, but it is not good enough. Art is great but I think Tomasi fails to give us a decent ending to this arc. The whole Ak plan feels pointless and the resolution of the conflict is just rush and feels kinda to Deus Ex-Machina.

Well, I’m glad this arc is finally over& I hope we won’t see comic Arkham Knight in the near future. This entire story feels pointless.
First of all the plan of Astrid doesn’t make any sense. The reason, why she wanted to blind the city just feels far- fetched. There is no logic here. Even so she’s insane, but she could have come up with a better plan or rather with a plan at all. r/>Astrid freed every villain in Arkham in earlier issues& that’s quite meaningless, since we only see 2 of them in the finale. Batman also didn’t fight them in earlier issues, so I guess Tomasi just forgot about them.
Astrid also looks quite pale compared to the real AK in the game. Her origin story already had many flaws, but she’s also no equal to Batman as the AK should be.. He beat her with 2 punches& that’s really it. I would have expected more of the AK. Like I said in earlier reviews DC is just using the popular name to sell more books. But Astrid is a disappointing& underwhelming character.
The dynamic between Batman& Robin was the only good thing in this issue, but since the plot overall is so bad it doesn’t make this storyline better for me.
It’s also sad, that the great art is wasted here.

So overall I stick with the game& try to forget about this arc. Too many plotholes to be enjoyable.
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"ANOTHER LOST SOUL WHO THOUGHT SHE WAS A HERO INSTEAD OF A VILLAIN."
Underwhelming but still enjoyable.

So that's it, the arc is over and it was good overall but I think the finale was a bit underwhelming. Arkham Knight's plan felt pointless at the end and the fight between her and Batman was over way too quickly in my opinion. To be honest, not just the fight between Arkham Knight and Batman was over way too quickly, the whole finale felt rushed. It was still fun (especially the interactions between Robin and Batman) and full of action and the art was great but I was hoping for something better.

Anyways, I'd still recommend you read this Arc, it was pretty good overall. more

"How might I help?"

Now that's a conundrum. I was expecting to dislike this issue, to not enjoy it. But it provided what this series has been lacking for so long. Answers.

We finally know what the hell has been happening and what the heck is going on. I am surprised that I don't really have any problems with this issue. Art is good, there is no annoying, repetitive dialogue. Actually, there is no dialogue, it's just a long monologue made by Thomas Wayne. I could get hung up on Bane's plan, it's many intricacies and moving parts, and the fact that the whole thing could have easily crumbled if any one villain decided to not follow it, but I'm sure someone has already done it or will do. And truth be told, I don't have that big of a problem with it. So yeah, I enjoyed this issue.

Still, it doesn't change the fact that the road up to this point, putting it mildly, was bumpy, but it gives some promise that this book, maybe, will start to be enjoyable yet again.
Fingers crossed. more

Is it good?

Is a question that is hard to answer these days considering King's Batman issues. Some are bad, some good, some meh, and some are hard to explain. This is one of those issues.

First, yes art good, you know the drill.

Style and presentation? Well, it is just Bruce and Bane fighting with Thomas narrating Bane's plan and how King's whole Batman run has been just all big plan. All connected. And it kinda makes sense and kinda doesn't.

And that is the reason if you hate or love this. I am a big Bane-fan and I like him being in the front of King's plan, as Snyder has done Joker enough and never really focused on the other villains that much (yes he did some, but you get my point). No, I'm not comparing his run to King's. So the question. Does all being connected make sense? Well. Kinda.

But, does it feel like it? Eh. Personally, I would've liked this to be Bane's revenge for Batman for taking his happiness away. But now that King is "I am Suicide/Bane" were all just misdirection, f it feels forced. Some of you might say that it doesn't and I can see your point. And I also understand if you think this is just garbage. I don't, but that isn't far-fetched.

Overall, yes 7/10. It is not bad, kinda makes sense and I'm interested to see what happens next. If you have hated King's run since issue 50, this won't change your mind. more

All head and no heart. While poetically written, it felt mechanical to explain every detail about 6-12 months later than would have been ideal/coherent. The dual artist approach is deployed very wisely here, so credit to Janin and Fornes.

How many times have you solved a problem using your fists?
Never, I’ve tried but I didn’t succeeded in it, because the world just doesn’t work in this way. Well, same is for King and of course his Batman.
Batman has ever won in Tom King’s run? No, never.
Every event in this run is part of Bane’s big plan, Bane wants to break Bruce Wayne not physically but, first, mentally.
He gave him love, friends and enemy and then he puts all these things away from him. Does this thing remember you something? Oh yes, Job in the Bible, when God stole everything from him. more

I'm going to be so sad when King's time on Batman (and Batman/Catwoman) is done. 50 years as a Batman fanatic and I've never loved a run better.

We learned so little to anyone who was actually paying attention. I actually have more questions... but the writing was on point and this issue is so quotable.

"Every day. Every DAMN day. They try to end him. And every day. Every damn day. He tells them. I'm still here."
I enjoyed it but it needs to pick up the pace.

I didn't think this was bad, I actually enjoyed it and I liked how it all connects but once again we don't learn anything that is truly new, just another perspective. This issue was mostly a recap of the story so far and even though I like where this is going I think it's too slow. Come on, get going already.

The art was amazing as usual. more

What a great issue !

I say this every issue but it is the true, the art never fails in this book, for me it is 10/10 in this issue, then you have 5/5 points for this book. King brings some answers, maybe you will like them or maybe you will hate them, but he starts to explain how every story arc has a conection with the main story. It is clear that Thomas Wayne is telling to the readers the whole story, so now we have a new perspective from all these events, it is not perfect but it has some logic, yeah, the Catwoman role it is weird and it is difficult to think Batman fell in love precisely with her.

The situation is that one way or another and with a certain degree of quality, king intertwines all the stories he has developed since his first issue and that is appreciated, in this case I give a 4/5 to what he raises and how poses in this book. We continue to have a slow advance in story but at this point I do not think it is King's problem I think it is more related to the plans of Snyder and company.

Obviously King has an ace up his sleeve in the whole situation with skeets, since Booster Gold did not take Bruce / Batman to a world where there was no Batman but what happened in "The Gift" was totally different so open that see what happens. Finally I must point out that there are many parallels between this issue and others of King's run. more

I need a Nathaniel Dusk series drawn by Gary Frank ASAP!!

MINOR SPOILERS BELOW

THE GOOD:

-This was an awesome, modern-classic feeling issue.

-I loved the opening sequence.

-Doctor Manhattan's narration was really good.

-The art is still great.

-The whole Superman story is truly fantastic. One of the best parts of the issue, if you ask me.

-Man, Geoff Johns just killed it with the DC continuity, nostalgia and history, and his script as well. I've always had mixed feelings about Johns, but this is good stuff.

-This is just such a perfect explanation for the constant reboots and such that DC has.

-The whole concept of a Metaverse that the multiverse revolves around is great.

-That ending though. Holy shit.

THE BAD:

-If I have one complaint, it's perhaps that things linger a bit too much on Carver Colman. I mean his story/relationship with Manhattan is interesting, but I prefer the DC Universe secrets over that. more

"I know what you did"

A masterpiece in the very long and painfully slow making. Even so, every issue of this maxiseries makes me more excited than any big comic book crossover event.

This issue is Dr. Manhattan's show. We see how he got to this "crazy" universe, how he tried to understand it's inner workings and how he finally got down to the meddling. All the whys and all the hows.

The writing here is incredible. Each word feels like it's handcrafted and couldn't be replaced with another (no, I am not exaggerating). The concept of "the metaverse" really resonated with me, as this malleable, ever-changing construct that even god-like Manhattan can't control forever, and that Superman is at the very center of it. That it all spins around him and begins with him (you know, like the whole super-hero comic book thing). And we finally learn how the actor Carver Colman ties into all of this. It's a sad story.

"To this universe of hope... I have become the villain"
You have indeed. And you're great at it. more

Perfect issue, and finally Superman as the center of DC Universe. I hope issue 12 comes out in september.

Everything I wanted from this series. I love that last page!

This issue is an absolute feat - it deals with continuity without getting too self-referential/self-absorbed. Johns' conceptualization of the DCU is brilliant. I like everyone else have a comment about the delays - this makes the books that HAVE to come out biweekly/monthly more impressive, because a lot of work goes into that schedule, regardless of ultimate quality. AND it makes Watchmen seem even more impressive. more

There's a panel paying homage to the cover of new 52 Action #5. Damn, that put a smile on my face. Doomsday Clock gets wonderfly meta this issue.

Amazing.

This series has been hitting on all cylinders, well worth the wait.

That’s how a comic should be written. Loved it.

Definitely worth the long wait. In this issue Dr. Manhatten‘s motivations& how he changed the DC universe finally gets fully explained& it makes a lot of sense for his character. Johns does a great job writing his character (I don’t understand why he doesn’t always with other characters. If Johns respected all characters like he did with Watchmen characters he would be a top writer) & there is nothing I could complain about. I only hope Dr. Manhattan doesn’t get killed in the end or becomes human again. I also honestly don’t want another timeline reboot, since writers won’t be suddenly become better. .
Anyway a must read for every DC fan. more

There's a lot to comprehend here, and as much as I loved this comic, I feel like I should start with an honest warning - it's dense and in order to fully understand it, you should know a thing or two about DC Comics. Not that a comic newbie wouldn't be able to read and enjoy it, but it really helps if you've read Watchmen (if not, what are you doing with your life?!), heard of JSA before, or are familiar with some of Superman's origin stories.

It's a slowr read, requiring focus and attention, but I think there's no other way Johns could have explained how exactly DC universe works, and how/why it changed throughout the years. We, fans, have taken for granted all these continuity shifts and retcons, and accepted them without really asking whether or not they may be somewhat connected.
Johns knows how to gracefully juggle references from old comics, and find intricate ways to connect them together with the current Rebirth series. It truly is a work of talent and pedantic research. And I admire that.

The comic may not feature tons of action, but it shows you who Doctor Manhattan is, what is he doing here, what are his motivations and why he's perceived as a villain in the story. All this development needed to be said out loud to ground the character in this particular universe. Same happened to Mime and Marionette few issues ago, remember?
Forget the awful abomination called Heroes in Crisis, here's the real deal of DC events we should talk about! more