Batman Vol. 8: Cold Days

Yes, I was a little disappointed with how the catwoman/marriage narrative panned out, but this volume reasserts that Tom King is doing brilliant things with Batman. There are basically two stories in this volume. The first one is interesting and creatively done, a solid bit of story-telling, well above the comic book average. The second story line, which appears to be part of a longer narrative was, from start to finish, brilliant. The basic stories here are solid. The art is solid. The dialogue very far above the norm. This is a great comic book.

Batman is he going to a winter wonderland or else!!

This volume picks up right after the wedding and primarily explores the effects of those events on Bruce. The first couple of issues contain a Mr. Freeze story about a jury deliberating, and ultimately examining and questioning their faith in Batman. It's cleverly told in a Twelve Angry Men-like manner, with Bruce sitting on the jury and indirectly analyzing his role as the Dark Knight. While the dialogue and climax get a little heavy handed, it's a unique and interesting analysis by Batman, of Batman, with ordinary Gothamites, showing that while Batman is often the world's greatest detective, even he can recognize the possibility for error stemming from his own humanity and fallibility. The second story in this volume focuses on the relationship between Dick Grayson and Batman, and was easily my favorite part of the book. In the same way that Bruce once pulled Dick from darkness when he was a boy, the story explores Dick in parallel, as a grown man, trying to help his father work through his grief, albeit in a very Dick Grayson way. I'm a sucker for good father-son stories, so I enjoyed this one quite a bit. And finally, the last story in this volume focuses on a faceoff between Batman and KGBeast. It was serviceable, and like many King stories is framed with another story (a dark bedtime fable). This one was good but not great, and ultimately what brought this volume down to 4 stars. For other readers like me who are generally fans of Tom King but found the last wedding TPB to be a bit of a dip in storytelling, this was a nice return to form with some memorable Batman tales that I would gladly recommend.

Item arrived timely and in good condition.

We have Bruce Wayne on a jury that he paid his way into, so he can influence the jury’s perspective toward the truth. This is very unique as far as Batman stories go, it felt a lot like the classic movie 12 Angry Men. This is the first half of the book. The second half of the book is the action that we all love, something crazy happens, then a bunch of other crazy stuff happens in a violent action packed manner. The art is absolutely amazing. It’s badass, smooth, tight, and clean.

The first storyline in this collection (in which Bruce Wayne is a juror in Mr. Freeze's trial) is superb, addressing the post-Wedding fallout. Unhinged Batman has been done before, but this is one of the few stories that's engaged with the relationship between the two sides of Bruce Wayne in the midst of it. Nicely done. The remainder of the volume continues in this vein as King moves toward the conclusion of his run.

get it. read it. that’s all.

This is one of the Best Batman Stories I have ever read. Lee Weeks’ art is truly special e Tom King actually captures the essence of the Bat.