Tom King had some very large shoes to fill. Tasked with writing Batman after DC Rebirth #1, he was following what most agree was a stellar run by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo. His Batman run would become a bone of contention for fans of the Dark Knight, with some fans loving it and others hating it.
Like anything, though, there are good and bad things about Tom King's run. King made a lot of controversial choices in his tenure on the title, choices that definitely add something to the character. This list is going to highlight the best and worst parts of his run.
10 Best: Kite-Man
Kite-Man was always sort of a joke and it's east to see why. His whole gimmick was flying around on a kite (really a hang glider) and robbing people. He was basically a punching bag for whatever hero he encountered, a character that no one that would ever be anything than a punchline.
King changed all that. From his first appearance in the "Rooftops" two parter (Batman #14 and 15) onward, King turned Kite-Man into an entirely new character, giving him a tragic backstory to get readers interested in him, a great catchphrase, and so much more. He's a definite highlight of King's run.
9 Worst: "The War Of Jokes And Riddles"
"The War Of Jokes And Riddles"(Batman #25-32) was a tale told in flashback. Batman wanted to tell Catwoman about the worst thing he had done and that story involved a war between Joker and the Riddler. All of Gotham's villains would choose a side, with Batman caught in the middle.
It should have been amazing, but it just felt off. The story being told by Batman really hurt a lot of it, since readers didn't get to see much that Batman didn't or things that he hadn't found out about til after wards. The highlight of the story were the Kite-Man origin issues, but even they couldn't save this story.
8 Best: The Art
One of the places where Tom King lucked out was the artists he worked with on Batman. His run was blessed with a murderer's row of talent: David Finch, Mikal Janin, Mitch Gerads, Clay Mann, Lee Weeks, and Jason Fabok gave the book a visual flair that is undeniable.
The MVP artist of the run, though, was Mikal Janin. He drew more issues of the book than any of the other artists and his hyper detailed style made everything look great. His action scenes were second to none, some of the best of which were in the "I Am Suicide" arc. Regardless of what people thought of King's stories, the art on his run top notch.
7 Worst: "I Am Gotham"
King's opening story arc on Batman, "I Am Gotham", involved Batman encountering two new heroes, the brother and sister duo of Gotham and Gotham Girl, and unraveling the mystery of their origins. It would end with one of them dead and one of them as a ward of the Caped Crusader.
Unfortunately, the story was kind of lackluster. There were cool moments and David Finch's art was gorgeous, but starting with this story right off the bat was a mistake, especially since it kind of clashed with the rest of King's run. It was a straight up superhero story, while King's run would focus on other aspects of Batman as time went on. It did fit into his overarching story, but it was a very weak opening.
6 Best: The Batman And Catwoman Relationship
Batman and Catwoman's have always had a very complex relationship. There was always an attraction between them, but it's only in recent years that attraction was allowed to blossom into something romantic, with the two of them constantly playing the will they, won't they game.
King made their relationship one of the centerpieces of his run and it worked so well. They were a near perfect match for each other, both as partners and lovers. King was able to capture the love they had for each other and make readers feel it too, getting them invested in the realtionship.
5 Worst: The Wedding
Fans were ready for Batman #50. King had spent so many issues building the relationship between Batman and Catwoman and gotten every one excited about their impending nuptials. So, when the whole thing went wrong, fans were very angry, very angry indeed.
Catwoman's reason for not going through with it- that a happy Batman wasn't a competent Batman- seemed like utter nonsense, since he had been doing pretty well the entire time they were together. It honestly felt like a way to drag out the romantic tension in the book and fans revolted.
4 Best: The Plot Behind It All
Batman #50 wasn't all bad, though. At the end of the issue, it was revealed that there was a manipulator behind everything- Bane. Bane had been orchestrating every event in Batman's recent life in an elaborate revenge scheme.
For years, most writers had played Bane as a musclebound enforcer, but forgot that he was just as smart as he was brawny. King brought that back, making Bane both a physical and mental threat to Batman. Of course, later, it would be revealed that Bane himself was being manipulated, but that made the whole thing all the better.
3 Worst: Alfred's Fate
This entry is going to contain some major SPOILERS, so proceed with caution.
In "City Of Bane", the Flashpoint Batman, Thomas Wayne, took over Wayne Manor, holding Alfred and Damian Wayne hostage, using them as leverage against his son. In a shocking moment, Thomas Wayne killed Alfred.
It was no trick. There was no Lazarus Pit. Tom King killed Alfred. Alfred is one of the biggest part of the Batman mythos and now, he's dead. This is comics, so there's a great chance he'll be resurrected, but this moment was both shocking and unexpected in the worst possible way. No one, even fans of King's run, is happy about this.
2 Best: "I Am Suicide"
"I Am Suicide" pits Batman and a team of villains against the country of Santa Prisca in an effort to take down Bane. Drawn by Mikal Janin, it's an action packed story, filled with twists and turns. However, that's not what makes it the best part of Tom King's run.
The most pivotal moment of the story, and where it gets its name, is an internal monologue by Batman, describing his motivations behind becoming Batman- it's a form of suicide attempt. The death of Bruce's parents had caused him to almost commit suicide as a child, before swearing on his parents' grave that he would avenge him. Bruce always knew that Batman would be the death of him. This makes perfect sense when one thinks about the character. King focused a lot on the psychology of the Dark Knight and it's easily the best part of his run.
1 Worst: That It Was Cut Short
King's run was supposed to last a hundred issues, but for whatever reason, DC cut it short. Some fans were very happy, some were unhappy. It was revealed he'd be getting another Batman book, one co-starring Batman and Catwoman, but that's not the same as getting the finish his story on the main book of the Batman franchise.
Regardless of whether people liked his run or not, it would be nice if it was allowed to get its fruition where it began and for King to get to finish his run in the place it started, especially since one can tell that he plotted the whole thing out.