Batman (2016-) Annual #4
DC Comics
Tom King, Jorge Fornes, Mike Norton and Dave Stewart
No matter what your opinion is on the Rebirth run of Batman, every single Annual issue that’s been released has been solid. The first one was a little odd, acting as an anthology instead of one extra-sized story. Every other annual, including this one, has been just one story with only 1 or 2 artists. The last 2 annuals have ended up being some highly memorable Batman tales that no fan should miss. I’m immensely glad to say that, not only does Batman Annual #4 go beyond the quality of the last 2, it’s also one of the best comics I have ever read.
It’s a very simple concept, really. As the text on the cover says, this story is told through Alfred Pennyworth’s diary. Throughout the years, Alfred has kept tabs on the many escapades of The Batman. This issue explores many unseen ventures and has callbacks to some classic silver age goodness. Within the pages of this comic, there are stories that contain Batman chasing down criminals by horseback, fighting dragons, going one on one with a world-class MMA fighter in the octagon and many more. The best part is, every single case reported by Alfred is just from one day apiece.
Tom King’s writing in this issue is absolutely phenomenal. Alfred’s narration carries a lot of emotion and care. Alfred is really trying to understand Bruce, explain his actions as to why he does what he does. Whether or not The Batman feels fear or ever second-guesses himself. It’s all up for display in this comic. There is no other dialogue besides the narration. Despite that, the character work done here by King is breathtaking. Plus, there are so many unique situations we’re seeing here. I already talked about the dragon and the MMA fight and I’d rather not spoil the rest, but each case feels unique from the last.
Some cases are absurd, some are personal. One case has one of my favorite ever Batman moments. In the one towards the end right before the switch in artists. Once you read it, you’ll know what I’m talking about. It’s just Batman proving why he’s so damn cool – even though some may find it corny. Batman is my favorite fictional character ever, so maybe I’m biased slightly.
What makes this issue near perfect for me is the art. Jorge Fornes draws the majority of this issue and I loved every single-paged he did. Batman Year One is my favorite comic ever and it’s mostly due to the David Mazzucchelli artwork and Forne’s work is like a love letter to Mazz’. It’s streamlined, minimal yet detailed. The juxtaposition is great. If you loved Forne’s work in previous Batman issues, you’ll love it here even more – Because Dave Stewart is on coloring duty. I think he did an excellent job making the art pop way more than it already could have. Every page is just euphoria for the eyes. Even the pages by Mike Norton.
I have absolutely nothing against Norton. In fact, I think he did a tremendous job on this issue. he only drew about 8 pages, but they were really fun and looked incredible. My only complaint is that Norton and Fornes have different art styles and they sort of clashed a bit for me. It’s not a very stark difference or even one that will kill your immersion. To put this plainly, I’m still bummed out that Lee Weeks wasn’t the co-artist with Fornes like he was supposed to be before plans fell through. Still, Mike Norton did an awesome job and I’d like to see him draw more Batman in the future!
With all of that said, this is one of my favorite comics that I have read not just all year, but in general. I don’t know how Tom King does it. He’s written some Batman stories that are just plain bad and he’s also written some of his best and most memorable stories, in my opinion. And he always seems to kill it on every annual. It seems his definite strengths are 12 issue maxi’s and one-shots. And boy, I sure do hope Jorge Fornes becomes the main artist on Batman or any other ongoing like really soon. I love him.
Batman Annual #4
Batman Annual #4 is the Batman comic every fan should read. Even if you've been burned on King's run on the main Batman book, give this annual a chance. It's fun, heartwarming and engaging throughout and has absolutely incredible art. The narrative all being told through Alfred's diary is great and makes for an outstanding issue. Don't skip it.
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