Batman continues to cut a swath through Gotham’s seedy underbelly as the Penguin discusses Shakespeare with Alfred.
Batman 60
Written by Tom King
Pencils and Inks by Mikel Janin and Jorge Fornes
Colors by Jordie Bellaire
I definitely did not see that ending coming.
After spending an episode debating the meaning of some Shakespeare with Alfred and lamenting the loss of his love, Penny, Oswald Cobblepot is confronted by an unexpected visitor to the Batcave. His uneasy alliance with Batman is clearly revealed to be a setup, but not from Bane, the man who Penguin claims has been the true power in Arkham Asylum and Gotham City for months.
No, the man who knocks out Alfred and confronts the Penguin is Bruce Wayne’s father, Thomas Wayne, presumably from the Flashpoint universe who told his son during the crossover with THE FLASH back in May 2017 that he shouldn’t be Batman.
Talk about playing the long game with these stories, huh?
Batman spends the whole issue beating the crap out of costumed criminals like Kite Man (HELL YEAH!) trying to discern the truth in Penguin’s tale, but everyone tells him the same thing: Bane is broken. Another thing that’s broken is Batman’s relationship with Commissioner Gordon, who hasn’t taken kindly to Batman’s recent spate of violence.
While I’ve had my reservations about this book in the past, writer Tom King has me completely looking forward to how this plays out, even though I know I’m probably going to be waiting a while for a confrontation between Bruce and Thomas. This was a great issue to set up future stories, as Batman’s life continues to get more complicated.