Batman #52
DC Comics
Written by: Tom King
Art by: Lee Weeks
Colors by: Elizabeth Breitweiser
Letters by: Clayton Cowles
All members of Mr. Freeze’s jury believe him to be guilty, except one - Bruce Wayne. He calls into question Batman’s recklessness, following being left at the altar by Catwoman.
I would never have expected Bruce Wayne centric storyline to be some of the most interesting issues in Tom King’s run, yet here we are. Him in a courtroom deliberating against himself has been so good I’m shocked no one else has done it, as far as I can remember. I love the dialogue, the pacing, and the air of mystery hanging over the case. Does Bruce feel he wrongly accused Victor Fries, or unsure he doubts himself and his findings? King lays out all the evidence and allows readers to decide for themselves. This was another great issue, and I’m kind of hoping this story lasts a few more issues.
Lee Weeks continues to do an amazing job. He had some great one page breaks from the main story that featured Bruce having small talk with another jury member. The art itself was flashbacks to Batman taking down Mr. Freeze, and they looked fantastic. Also, Weeks draws the current Batman costume so well it almost makes me sad to see it go. The classic look is my favorite but, I really warmed up to Greg Capullo’s design.
I’m really tired of there needing to be some big comic book event going on all the time. Even when Scott Snyder was writing this title, my favorite issues were the smaller stories that explore what’s going on underneath the cowl. Batman being in some sort of crisis and needing to save the universe has gotten kind of tiring. I wasn’t blown away by the previous BatCat marriage issues, but I appreciated the fresh take on what makes Batman tick, even though if the character development eventually got flushed down the toilet to return us to the status quo. King says their story isn’t finished yet, so I’ll trust him.
To use baseball terminology: Tom King and Lee Weeks are batting 1.000 together. Everything they’ve released has been a cut above the rest. We should take time to recognize that they seemingly bring the best out of each other, it’s been a joy to read their work. This courtroom drama is the breath of fresh air that we needed following the heartbreaking #50 issue.