Ah, Tom King, just when I thought the worst was behind us, you produce an issue like this. It pains me to write this, but Batman #15 has reached a new low for this series. This isn’t the Caped Crusader; it’s really bad fan fiction.
The second part of “Rooftops” begins with Bruce and Selina exchanging pillow talk after their night of lust. They reminisce about a previous rendezvous, with each of them providing cute contradicting details (spot the references). It’s a sweet moment, but then they go and spoil it all by saying something stupid like “I love you.” Then, as expected, Catwoman reneges on her promise to turn herself over and hightails it. Upset with himself, Batman reaches out to Alfred and Jim Gordon to get more information about a certain Holly Robinson, whom Catwoman inadvertently mentioned.
Batman receives intel that Holly and Selina are friends from their orphanage days, and pays a visit to the former. He asks for her help in finding Selina so he can clear her name. Unfortunately, Holly has other plans and slashes his throat. The Bat manages to escape out of the window and lands on a rooftop, where he’s found by Catwoman. Back at Wayne Manor, Selina reveals her history with Holly to the resting Bruce – including how she took the fall for Holly’s 237 murders. In another predictable twist, Selina disappears again, leaving Bruce with a wounded throat and heart.
While many will praise King’s treatment of Batman and Catwoman’s relationship, you can’t ignore the glaring problems in this story. First, Batman allows Catwoman to escape so easily. This is the Dark Knight we’re talking about, the greatest detective on Earth. He would’ve put a tracer on her before they’d even reached first base. If this is a man who has a contingency plan for his own teammates in the Justice League, do you really think he wouldn’t have something for a notorious criminal? Sure, you could argue he let his guard down because of love, but Bruce has trust issues. He prepares for every possibility.
Second, Batman opens up to Holly, a complete stranger, about his relationship with Selina. This isn’t just out of character; it’s frankly unbelievable. He leaves himself so vulnerable – emotionally and physically – that he gets his throat slashed. Seriously, did an editor not read any of this and think, “Batman wouldn’t do that” or “he’d definitely be prepared for a knife attack”? It’s mind-boggling how no one questioned these things.
On a positive note, Mitch Gerads chose his finest pencils for this issue, and it’s clear he and King still have the same synergy from their days on The Sheriff of Babylon. It’s just a shame they couldn’t produce a better story.
Batman #15 fails in a spectacular way. Make no mistake – this isn’t an attack on King’s undeniable ability. His writing on Vision and Robin War was first class, but his Batman is a stinker. With each passing issue, it’s becoming painfully obvious he doesn’t connect with the character at all. You have to wonder how long DC will allow this to go on before replacing King. By the way, is Grant Morrison busy at the moment?
Published: Jan 18, 2017 11:07 am