Batman #38 Review

Writer: Tom King / Artist: Travis Moore / DC Comics Batman #38 is a return to the Batman of old that fans of all ages are likely the most familiar with. The detective who uses his superior intellect and endless resources to solve the most complex puzzles imaginable. This is honestly a bit of a departure from a lot of Tom King’s recent work that’s chose to focus on Batman, the man, instead of Batman, the larger-than-life superhero. Instead of learning about him through the eyes of those around him. this issue puts us back into his own thoughts. Batman #38, “The Origin of Bruce Wayne.” is a one-shot story that focuses on a case Batman comes across when the child of a wealthy family is suddenly orphaned after their gruesome murder. He’s unsurprisingly captivated after devoting his entire life to a vow that no other child would live through the same tragedy he did on that fateful night. It also doesn’t hurt that he personally knew the victims.

The use of the panel structures in the issue results in a great pacing that builds on the natural tension of the murder-mystery genre. King’s script regularly brings you into moments of enlightenment only to soon reveal that we’re even further in the dark than we were before. As a big fan of the subtle differences between panels, Travis Moore’s work here actually tells most of the story. This is one of those issues where you could take the text out and probably come close to figuring out what the story is about, which should ultimately be …