Comic Review: Batman #74 (2016-)

Batman #74

DC Comics

Writer: Tom King

Artists: Mikel Janin and Jordie Bellaire

City of Bane is nearly upon us. While it may not be the end of King’s time with Batman, it’s at least the end of this “phase”. Batman #74 does much of the heavy lifting to set the table for the final arc by significantly raising the emotional stakes of the story. More than that, it’s a great issue that makes the significant time investment in the book feel worth it.

Right off the bat, what I continue to appreciate about this book is it’s attention to the details that matter. Due to the non-traditional way that many of these stories are told, many details are often left for you to decipher yourself. We’re not told how Thomas Wayne came to be on Bruce’s earth because it’s not important. Whatever ridiculous comic book reason you can think up, go with that because I doubt there will ever be a canonical answer. What matters is why. This arc explores and answers that question in a satisfying and believable way. It takes an idea I hate in concept (reviving Batman’s dad), but in its execution manages to make it genuinely compelling.

What makes this work is not the answer itself. It’s the work King and company over the course of this run have put in to make the answer make sense. With a run as long as this, it’s normal to ask why it needs to be this long. As the book is winding down, the answer to that is beginning to become clear. It’s because the necessary groundwork is in place so that these characters’ actions feel genuine and believable. Batman and his father’s actions in this issue are informed by things set up from five, ten, twenty and more issues ago. So when Bruce makes the decision he makes, we feel the emotional weight behind it. Not every story point from every issue is relevant, but it does feel that each issue has contributed to put the characters where they are in this issue.

None of that aforementioned weight would land nearly as well without the art team of Mikel Janin and Jordie Bellaire. The two of them work together so well, that removing either of them from the picture would have the issue falling on its face. What’s most impressive is how the team visually represents the broad strokes of Bruce’s arc in this single issue. The dark descent and the upcoming rise from the pit. It’s a simple and obvious metaphor, but it expertly demonstrates character-work through visual storytelling.

Another visual tidbit I appreciate is that we never see Martha Wayne’s corpse. The heavy casket they’ve been dragging for two issues now holds much more symbolic weight and frankly is more tasteful. It also makes for a much more satisfying metaphor when the weight of said casket is shed. I don’t need to see Batman’s mom’s skeleton, and I appreciate the restraint shown in leaving it to the imagination.

Batman #74 is an emotionally satisfying culmination of many issues of build-up. It’s filled to the brim with thoughts and ideas and is executed wonderfully by a creative dream team. This issue answers the questions that it needs to answer and leaves the others alone. It’s issues like this that demonstrate why sometimes it’s better to use restraint in storytelling rather than going all out on everything. It makes for a raw and real issue of a Batman comic book.

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