Great celebration of the one who started it all, but it without hesitation if you are a fan of the character. You are sure to at least enjoy most of the stories and pinups, and find a few to love. Dont bother if you are only interested in seeing Bendis' big setup for his run, because its incredibly hackneyed retcon by crow-bar, and not the fun Jason Todd kind of crow bar, more the creatively bankrupt and trying hard to make headlines kind.

Holy crap do you guys have garbage taste.

Great concept for an issue, solid execution, great sparing use of Joker dialog, appreciated a writer throwing MARTHA! some recognition for a change. Ending felt abrupt, I almost thought I was missing a page, but I like where this is leading. If you are a fan of a more "street level" Batman, with no bat gods, or resurrection machines powered by mcguffin fluid, I think you will like this story, and King's run in general.

A perfect counterbalance to the EPIC MULTIVERSAL CREATION ITSELF IS IN JEOPORDY madness surrounding it in the DCU.

Whaaaa, my the woman isnt behaving the way I want, whaaaa.

Not surprised the typical humorless horde of King critics cant appreciate this issue. I loved it, actual laughter from a Joker story, unheard of. Shouldnt he be cutting off faces BECUASE OMG ITS CRAWLING IN MY SKIN THESE WOUNDS CAN NOT HEAL.

Wow, I would like to apologize to any and every person I ever defended Kings's Batman run to, and apologize to the general public for potentially misleading people. Now I live in fear for the ending of Mister Miracle.

Tom King makes Batman an atheist (when hes not making him a feckless victim), fans of progressive agendas in the culture war rejoice, as fans of the character wonder about the 80+ years of contradictory evidence. But Lee Weeks, a Christian, uses his direct hotline to God and shunts power directly through his pencils in a miraculous effort to save this issue from buyers remorse. sincerely, an athiest, or agnostic, I dunno

creatively bankrupt Someone put Johns back in charge before every hero ends up some depressed ptsd addled pitiful self hating wispy frond of seaweed amnesiac with a weeping head wound. Such fun to read, and all set to the soundtrack of stupid old sitcom jokes.

So predicable, oh no my girlfriend and bro are out of my life, Alfrted is my last remaining connective tissue, now I ambiguously kill someone while spouting off hands down one of the most embarrassing attempts at a badass Batman line on the professional level. ZZZzzzZzZZzzZZzZZZ.... LOL did he just say hes the worlds greatest detective out loud? Did he just say he has a body of hurt? You can see why he limits Batman's dialog to robotic repetition; the guy is TERRIBLE, one of the worst in recent memory, at capturing a convincing voice for Batman. AKA Tom King read Year Three and decided to regurgitate it back up for us with his own feckless take on the Dark Knight Depressive.

Tom King is like JAZZ; its the words he doesnt write, maaaaan. In fact, if TK stopped writing Batman altogether, it would also be the best Batman story ever told. Now I know how the Spiderman fans felt about Slott :(

Really enjoyed the dual banjo narrative style, each felt distinct and the cursive was a nice touch for Alfred. Overall its a lot of table setting that felt like it could have been done quicker, but Mr Busiek's writing keeps it moving smoothly and thoughtfuly. By the end I was chomping at the bit to get to issue 2, but for a while I wasnt sure I would get there.

DC, can we please stop hiring old friends to write stuff? Maybe its time we see new people?

Please, for the love of god DC, STOP. HIRING. OLD. FRIENDS. Its the same subpar circle of people for every damn B-list bat book.

Dialog so bad it sent chills down my spine.

Regardless of the inevitable payoff, this is a fantastic setup marred only by what is in my opinion some spotty pencil contributions from JRJR. WHAT DID YOU DO BATMAN!? WHATS IN THE BOX!?

Not normally a big Snyder fan, especially not of his grandiose concept runs, but with the foundation laid by Casting and Forge, this issue felt great. Like we fully topped the crest of the track, and are starting the plunge down the first hill of the roller coaster. The final reveal was a bit of a letdown, didnt quite hold the same weight with me as attaching Manhattan to Rebirth, as Ive not read any of Gaiman's stuff, but I appreciate DC pulling yet another beloved character into their toychest.

Love how Snyder has picked up the Multiversal map and concepts by Morrison and added his own bits of insanity. I can see why this issue is felt to be weaker by some; it feels like it relies more heavily on your having read some stuff prior to Metal, the Forge, or The Casting. Ive read all that stuff and more though, so this issue felt like good old-fashioned world(s)-building to me. Plus holy crap @ the redesigns in this issue, awesome looks, especially the last reveal.

Penultimate issue did what it should in turning out all the lights, trying to slowly suck all the hope or certainty out of the conclusion, before ending on an impossibly down note. I think it was a fun read, with badass moments, and the occasional sensation of dragging feet, that sets the stage perfectly for an ending that feels like an impossible task.

I love a big fat collection of fresh short stories. of course some resonate more than others, YMMV, but for me there are some real highlights in here, especially seeing Tom Grummet doing a Deathstroke story with Christopher Priest, which is a collabo of my 2 favorite creators on one of my top 5 favorite characters.

Still manages to hold my interest with the delays and bi monthly schedule. Perk up every Wednesday it shows up, 5 issues strong now.

Ive not been overly fond of the 2 characters that are the focus of this issue, but their origin story, and their interactions with DC characters, changed all that in a hurry. Hope they stick around, and thus begins another painful 2 month wait :(

I cant believe how good this series is, and I didnt even think it needed to exist initially. Im making audible sounds while reading it like its 1993 again. Brilliant work

Its just... Rebirth was so good. It added layers to the main continuity, it got me buying books outside of my normal wheelhouse just to pick up clues. I ended up owning 30+ issues of a Deathstroke run my thirst was so real, and dont regret it that series is great. But now... Tom King is the least heroic super hero writer ever. I cant remember the last time I put down one of his counseling sessions and thought: boy, I want to be Batman, or hey wouldnt it be great if Batman was real, what a benefit to the world that would be! I usually just put them down and stay away from sharp objects for a while. This book is a dirge of meaningless death, bad banter, bad characterization, and fantastic art.

I appreciate Tom just lazily saying outright Harley is as good as Batman in only 2 issues of this, rather than limply trying to convince us as he did with Catwoman over 50 monotonous issues of Batman. Friggen awful event so far.

Bendis and King are going to kill DC comics.

Dont even bother to pirate it

Why does DC hate its red headed characters? Ive been a Wally fan since Wolfman and Perez New Teen Titans, then read all of his Flash solo series when he got the mantle, well into the fantastic Mark Waid run. He was my favorite character on the Justice League tv show, which is my favorite cartoon series of all time. Grant Morrison's JLA had some of the best flash moments ever, and it was Wally. This issue would be very sad for me if I hadnt burst out laughing at how god fing awful the way the "accident" happens. Worst major series I have ever read from DC; TK and Bendis are the iceberg, and Didio is the drunk inept passed out captain. 0$ spent on comic books in 2019 so far, and it looks like it will stay that way.

This felt really out of character for Damien, this felt way more like Tim or Dick, but it made me laugh several times, and made me actually like the character.

One of the best setup issues I've ever read, I am completely enthralled and climbing the walls knowing i have to wait a month to see what happens next. The New Gods Mythos is in capable hands, and Kirby would be proud.

Lisa Loeb's pick for best single issue of 2017.

Someone please make Tim Seeley go away. He is holding my favorite character hostage.

I am so glad to be done with this era of Nightwing. This version of Bludhaven is straight up garbage, and this is easily the worst supporting cast the character has ever had. That last splash, while capably draw, was just a sea of nothing I ever want to see again. Hopefully Humphries throws it all away, and makes Dick the hero of the book for a change.

He made dick open a stupid trendy crossfit gym and become a personal trainer? That is somehow even dumber and more himbo than making him some vapid blackjack dealer. Awful shallow choice for the character. Why not a damn gymnastics studio!? At least that would make more sense if he HAD to go the dumb jock route. And really? Are we going to be subjected to the story of empowerment as the lady struggles to get on the stupid hockey team? Outside of Dick's personal life though, the rest of the issue was a marked improvement. I like the feeling we are taking it back to the street on a smaller scale, and I like the groundwork being laid for this cold-case story.

Good god, why do they insist on giving Nightwing such crappy shallow writers? Hes not a "gym rat" plase stop. I know some people dig Otto, but everyone looks like an eastern European doll/tool designed to sit on an end table and deshell nuts, and I dont dig it. I read rumors they are going to drop Dick off a friggen cliff or something, major brain storm there Mr King, but its gotta be better than this.

Im sure this issues near 9.0 with critics has nothing to do with politics he says as he continues to wonder why he reads anything critics say. This book was a SUPER boring after school special of embarrassing proportions. Felt like it should be handed out in sensitivity training for bullies, not sold for 3 or 4$ as "entertainment", and critics are pumping it up as something more for political brownie points. No thanks.

I dug this conclusion, and the arc in general. The fallout from it already has me interested in picking up where it leaves off. Deathstroke most of all, based on the solicitations. The part that sticks in my craw is Damien, and his actions in this book. I just dont know how anyone could follow someone who behaves as he does, and I especially dislike what he does to one of my favorite characters, or the fact he was even capable of doing it in the first place. That aside though, Lazarus was worth the money, and I hope for more collaborations between these books in the future.

Tom Taylor is wanted for passing fan fiction off as the genuine article, if you see this man, please contact authorities.