Comparing Tom King's Batman #39 and Action Comics #761

WARNING: This article contains spoilers for Batman #39 by Tom King and Joëlle Jones, in stores now.

Recently, fan-favorite writer Tom King took to Twitter to reveal that it had come to his attention that the next chapter in his ongoing Batman saga bore similar storybeats to an old issue of Actions Comics, issue #761 by Joe Kelly and German Garcia. Unbeknownst to him, King and artist Joëlle Jones had concocted a story resembling a comic that saw publication nearly two decades ago.

"There are major overlaps and major differences," the writer said in a subsequent tweet, "but had I read Action 761, I would've changed 39 significantly or I would've reached out to Kelly and/or Garcia and put in tributes to acknowledge the inspiration."

Clearly, this is merely a case of coincidence, and no one can fault King for coming up with his own story. The comic book medium -- and literature as a whole for that matter -- is one so vast and large that it can be nigh-impossible to be aware of every story ever told.

But now that the two issues have been linked by the writer himself, CBR took a look at the similarities and differences between Batman #39 and Action Comics #761, asking the question: Which, ultimately, tells its tale better?

At their core, both comics tell a story of love, and relentless bravery. In King and Jones' story, Batman is called upon by Wonder Woman so the duo may fulfill a promise they had made long ago to a hero called the Gentle Man. This hero fights in another realm, where he is all that stands between mankind and the horrendous Hordes of Gehenna, demon-like monsters whose numbers are endless. His battle is eternal, and his bravery unending. To give him a bit of rest, Batman and Wonder Woman journey inside this realm, to fight the Hordes in his stead -- temporarily. However, time flows differently there, and what appears like hours on Earth equates to decades in this unholy realm of nightmares. Consequently, Bruce and Diana spend decades battling monsters at each other's side, albeit without ever aging.

Action Comics Superman Wonder Woman cover

In Kelly and Garcia's story, Superman and Wonder Woman, by happenstance or fate, are teleported to the Norse realm of Valhalla, where they meet Asgard's very own Thor. There, they are recruited by the God of Thunder to help defend Valhalla from invading demons known as the Vrgismyth. In the realms of the Asgardians, however, battles, as well as time, are different. According to Thor, this battle should take no more than two thousand years. And so, Wonder Woman and Superman join Thor to battle a relentless enemy in a realm where time flows differently.

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It's obvious that bases of the stories are similar, and the similarities don't end there. Both Superman and Batman leave someone they love behind on Earth; Clark Kent left Lois Lane behind after being recently married, while Selina Kyle is waiting for Bruce Wayne, her fiancé, to return. As their time away from Earth increases, the bond between the respective men and Wonder Woman deepens.

In Action Comics, we see the toll that his time away from Lois has on Superman. He grows tired and lonely, yet he fights on. During his adventure, Batman, ever the stoic figure, may not visibly showcase his loneliness, but his increasing brutality, fueled by a boiling anger that he tries his damnedest to keep at bay, is all the evidence we need to recognize that his time away from Selina is affecting him.

But where the two issues take drastic turns is in the depiction of their respective leading women. In Action Comics, Lois Lane is rarely seen as something more than Superman's wife. For this story, at least, she is the love interest, a character defined by her marriage to Superman. However, the depiction of Catwoman is where Batman #39 shines brightest. Selina is a much different beast than that Lois, with King and Jones depicting someone who stands on her own two feet outside of her relationship. Yes, there is worry in her voice, and in her eyes. There is a contained concern when she learns that time is a different concept in the desert realm of demons. But not once is her character lessened for it.

Selina stands by the choices she has made, and that her husband-to-be has made, and she doesn't need to explain herself to anyone. The relationships between Batman and Catwoman, and Superman and Lois Lane have always been different, and this issue, combined with Action Comics #761, highlights that fact. The timing is almost a blessing in disguise, considering that only a few weeks ago, King focused on the differences between the two couples by having them go on a quiet double-date. Now, once again, we see the contrast between the two, as well as an evolution of society as a whole.

Sure, Batman and Action Comics are separeted by time itself. Today's female characters are differently depicted than the way they once were, and perhaps this is one of the reasons why Selina Kyle allows the most recent issue of Batman to stand as strongly as it does. The basic premise of the two issues might be similar, but King's voice, combined with Jones' stellar artwork, make this issue of Batman a much more powerful entry, not only in the ever-deepening connection between Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle, but in comics as a whole.