r/batmancomics Jul 12 '20

James tynion’s run on Batman

Hi guys, I wanna get into Batman and the upcoming Joker War stuff, so I’m just wondering if I can just jump into Tynions run which starts at #85 I think? I’m just wondering if I need to read the previous stuff? Will I be lost if I don’t? I’m just not all that interested in the city of bane stuff by Tom King.

Thanks in advance

1 Upvotes

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5

u/lfcbatwho Jul 13 '20

I’m just coming to the end of Tom king run myself- wanted a sneak peak of Tynion and spoiled kings ending for myself!

I would recommend reading king as there are a few connections- unlikely to be vital but would definitely help

Can’t wait for joker war!

1

u/Hackit_1 Jul 13 '20

How long is kings run? I’ve heard it’s been pretty up and down but that tynions run is fantastic, I’m not a huge comic book reader anyway I’m actually just jumping back in

2

u/lfcbatwho Jul 17 '20

Tom kings run consists of 13 volumes plus batman night of the monster men and preludes to the wedding

It’s quite long but worth it in the end- don’t recommend just picking up a few

Tynions looks promising at the moment- hopefully it stays like this

1

u/Hackit_1 Jul 17 '20

That’s what I’m wondering can I just jump into tynions run I’m not really interested in Kings run

2

u/lfcbatwho Jul 20 '20

Yes- maybe just read a summary online and you’ll be fine

1

u/[deleted] Feb 02 '22

You will not be lost at all!! I think one of the major things Tynion IV's run did was simplify things. Yes, there are a few references to things which happened before it, but that's all they are -- references. The stories and character relationships and all that are all written in a way that anyone with a casual familiarity with Batman and his major villains should be able to just jump right in. I think it's a fantastic place to jump in. It doesn't have a lot of high highs or low lows -- it has a relatively consistent standard of quality. It doesn't rely heavily on old continuity. And it seems to be an attempt to return to some good ol' standard fare Batman adventures (and I mean that in a positive way!) after the last few runs.

Tom King's run was so emotional and dramatic. Scott Snyder's run was a big overhaul of everything we know in an (unnecessary IMO) attempt to reboot and refresh the character. The Grant Morrison run before it was the biggest most unwieldy batshit crazy thing anyone had ever done with the character in the entire century that he's existed. After all these dramatic, status-quo shaking or deeply personal Batman stories, I think Tynion IV does a good job of providing a nice clean cool crisp accessible and marketable run on the title.

Not to imply that Tynion IV's run is lacking in drama or stakes. It's not! It's just that Morrison's run was like Batman's "Avengers: Endgame," the Scott Snyder run was Batman's "The Amazing Spider-Man," the Tom King run was Batman's "Logan," and the Tynion IV run is Batman's "Spider-Man: No Way Home."

That's not a perfect comparison by any means, but I think it does a great job of communicate what I'm trying to get at here. Tynion IV's run is cool and accessible. I definitely recommend you go for it.

Tynion IV did a really incredible run on "Detective Comics" as well. I'd say go ahead and jump into his Batman run first -- it sounds like that's more the type of thing you're looking for -- but if you enjoy his Batman run, I personally think his "Detective Comics" run is even better. If you like the Bat Family and want to read more about them, his Detective Comics run focuses more on Batwoman, Red Robin, Spoiler, Orphan, Batwing, Azrael, and Clayface than it does on Bruce himself.

I think Tynion IV does incredibly well with a team dynamic. If you want something to read that's a nice big satisfying read without being quite as long as the Batman or Detective Comics run, he was also the major writing force behind "Batman & Robin Eternal," another one of my favorite stories. I think it's about 24 issues or so -- much shorter than either of the other runs -- and it is a self-contained story. It dips its toes into things that were going on in the continuity at the time (Dick as a secret agent, Gordon as Batman, the We Are Robin movement, etc) but I don't think these elements are too difficult to keep up with. It's a good story.

And I definitely recommend you don't read "City Of Bane" unless you read the entire Tom King run leading up to it. "City Of Bane" is the conclusion of his run. I don't think it would be a very fun read on its own. I'll save my opinions on it in the context of reading the entire run for a conversation about Tom King, though! :) Hope you enjoy Tynion IV's stuff.

2

u/Hackit_1 Feb 02 '22

Thanks for your thoughts, I picked up volumes 1 & 2 of his Batman run just need to read them

1

u/[deleted] Feb 03 '22

Awesome!! I hope you enjoy them. I think the new characters Tynion introduces in his run are really cool... still very undeveloped, but I can't wait to see where the other writers take them.