Batman #21 Review

Written by: Tom King

Art by: Jason Fabok

Publisher: DC Comics

The biggest story of the Rebirth era takes shape!

Tom King continues to write a fantastic Batman story. This particular issue is not revealing anything major as far as Rebirth is concerned, but what it does do is serve as a fantastic set up for a crossover story that is going to have huge repercussions for the Rebirth titles going forward.

King continues to use a minimalist writing style, letting the images do a lot of the talking, and the dialogue that is here progresses the story just enough without feeling overwhelming. There are really two settings throughout the entire chapter, one of them being completely unexpected foreshadowing of what is going to happen in the rest of the comic. That portion of the book was handled great as it was told from the point of spectators and commentators (spoiler alert: It’s a hockey game!) After this, a very-missed villain returns to the Rebirth universe.

Tom King is joined by Jason Fabok who previously finished off Justice League before Rebirth started. He is one of those perfect artists that when it comes to action, this is the guy you want to have doing your book. His style is detailed and fits especially well with the close-quarter-combat we have going on here. His focus is fantastic, and the book never gets too busy.

This issue truly feels like the beginning of a new chapter, but it also feels like a great tie in with the former stories that have taken place. If there was one negative here, it would be that just a very small hint is thrown out about where this story could go.

Overall, Tom King is continuing to master this character, and at this point, has shown to be the writer that Batman deserves to continue the great storytelling of Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo. Don’t miss this issue if you are a Batman fan! Tom King has also managed to make this a good jumping-on point for new readers that have not read the Rebirth Batman before, and that is never a small feat!