1. BATMAN by TOM KING and DAVID FINCH (DC)
Wow. Batman tops the list. That hasn’t happened in over a decade.
And how did he do it? By getting Tom King on board.
I enjoyed Scott Snyder’s run on Batman, for sure, and at times I thought it came close to Grant Morrison’s run, which is widely regarded as the best take on the character ever. Now, Tom King is giving Morrison a run for his money. Rather than go for a big story, or show how amazing Batman is, Tom King has decided to focus on the character. In doing so, he’s revealed an understanding of the why and what-fors underpinning Batman as a man. And then, as the year progressed, he delved into Bruce Wayne.
In the Joker/Riddler War story, Bruce Wayne has both villains to his home for dinner, and offers a reward for whichever can kill Batman. It’s a brilliant way of turning two violent men, who were destroying Gotham City, against a single enemy, so that their terror can be focused and the effects limited.
Tom King is the best new writer in comics today.
There were so many great moments in this series, it’s hard to pick just a few. Read it from the start, and see how great Batman can be.