Posted in: Comics, DC Comics, Review | Tagged: Batman, bruce wayne, catwoman, dc comics, diana prince, Joelle Jones, justice league, selena kyle, superheroes, the gentle man, Tom King, wonder woman

Batman #39 Review: The World's Other Finest

Wonder Woman has arrived in Gotham to find Batman. The two had a vow to a being known as the Gentle Man. He fights the accumulated demons of humanity's sins in another dimension and has been doing so for thousands of years. They vowed to take up his fight for one full day while he roams free to experience our world. The Gentle Man has called in this favor, and Batman and Wonder Woman take up his fight while the Gentle Man himself spends a day experiencing Gotham City with Catwoman.

Tom King once again puts out a charming and compelling installment of Batman driven by its charismatic characters and interesting story premise.

There are many small moments that help give the comic its charm and attraction. Wonder Woman uses the Bat Signal to contact Batman because she always wanted to try it. Both Wonder Woman and Catwoman make fun of Batman's knight armor he equips for this journey.

Wonder Woman's personality is more reminiscent of her movie than the recent issues of Justice League or her own comic since James Robinson took over the writing. She doesn't use contractions and has the slightly stilted way of speaking Gal Gadot portrayed in the Wonder Woman film. She also seems a little ignorant of some social standards. That being said, Diana also displays the likable and endearing qualities she displays in those films as well as Greg Rucka and Shea Fonatana's recent runs on the title. She likes to make jokes and is sensitive to the feelings of others.

The twist towards the end isn't bad, but it was predictable. The odd thing about it is that you'd think both Batman and Wonder Woman would have been privy to this possibility, or the Gentle Man would have told them about it (unless the Gentle Man has ulterior motives).

This comic must be taking place before the recent issues of Christopher Priest's Justice League, as Batman and Wonder Woman would not be this friendly towards one another if this took place during or after "The People vs. Justice League."

Joelle Jones's artwork bears the weight of this story well. Both Bruce and Diana look as cool as ever, and there are a couple of really stunning panels of the two. As much as Diana and Selena make fun of it, the Bat-Knight armor looks great. The Gentle Man has a great design, too. The demons look cool, even if their appearance isn't the most original take. Jordie Bellaire matches Jones's style with a paler and cooler color palette. It coincides with the penciling style very well.

Batman #39 is another fun and endearing installment in this delayed continuation to the "Superfriends" story arc. Tom King continues to make this an incredible read, and Jones and Bellaire make the comic quite beautiful on the whole. I strongly recommend this one. Give it a read.

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