Batman Annual #2

Writer: Tom King

Artist: Lee Weeks, Michael Lark

Before Reading:

This is the first story since the conclusion of the "Rules of Engagement" arc in this title and according to the cover it is going to be about "Date Nights and Last Rites" which should be interesting. The last arc moved the narrative of Batman forward in a way that will have readers interested in not just what goes on with Batman, but with Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle.

During Reading:

It is evident from the first few pages that we are dealing with a flashback story here. Catwoman has broken into Wayne Manor and is taking the batmobile for a spin. Through a series of cat and mouse games (literally) it becomes evident that Catwoman knows the dark secret (he's batman! shhh...) of Bruce Wayne.  After some tense conversations and chase scenes the two end up in a romantic embrace.

The story continues with Bat and Cat reminiscing about how they met. They are unable to agree where/how they met. We are then treated to a future scenario in which the two have grown old together. This is obviously not continuity, but it shows us a future Bruce and Selina and the conversations detail a little bit of what their life together has been like. It ends on a bit of a tearjerker. 

After Reading:

This annual is a beautifully structured book. From the first page to the last (Ha! you'll get it when you read this issue) the book weaves a beautiful and yet simple story. As an educator I always try to get students to write about those "small moment" stories. I encourage them not to give me a huge, time spanning story, but rather, focus on telling a story about a moment. This book does exactly that. The first story lives in the moment, and by doing so ends up telling a really important tale that does lead to a huge time spanning story.

The second part of this issue is not as impactful without the small moment story; the story of when Catwoman broke into Wayne Manor and took the batmobile for a joyride. This issue displays Tom King's brilliance as a writer because he understand that the small moments are the true stories that matter in order to tell any other stories of importance. The art in this book is top notch. Lee Weeks is a great superhero artist. He has some really really thick and somewhat harsh line work here, and his depiction of rain throughout most of the book accentuates the story on the page. There is an excellent 2 page spread that is a beautiful piece of art with the way that the rain is almost washing the page away. Michael Lark gets to draw the quiet story in the backup and while his art isn't up to the standard of Weeks' he still does a great job with what he is given.

Batman annual #2 is a unique annual. It is a standalone story that can be read as just that. However, for those that are reading the current series, this is not a book to skip out on. This small moment story is very important to the history of Bruce and Selina, and Tom King knows how to make use of the space an Annual provides to tell a story. 

9.5/10

The 2 page spread I was referring to. Also, shout out to Elizabeth Breitweiser on colors!