‘Batman #63’ (review)

Written by Tom King
Illustrated by Mikel Janin
Published by DC Comics

Tom King’s epic Batman run continues here! In this issue,

John Constantine pays Gotham City a visit! I was super excited when I saw the cover!

Why was John Constantine in this issue I wondered? How would Tom King handle him? I have to say that I was interested from the get go.

And once I read the issue I was not disappointed at all!

The issue begins with one of the weirdest scenes in recent memory.

We are sent back to Batman #50 and we see Bruce on top of Finger Tower. Selina has just dumped him and he is staring out longingly.

But then, there is a change.

Selina shows up. She professes her undying love to Bruce, just like at the end of a movie. They kiss and that sets off a chain of events where an alternate timeline forms. It’s an intriguing setup for sure.

Then we cut back over to a rooftop. Batman and Catwoman are making out. After that, behind Batman’s shoulder, John Constantine appears. He tells Batman that it’s just another dream. He tells Batman at the end of it all, that Catwoman is going to die. Then, Batman tells Constantine that he worries too much and swings off into the Gotham City night.

This is part of Tom King’s “nightmare” round of books.

Batman goes along as if he is married with Catwoman. While he is doing so, John Constantine keeps showing up in the various scenes. It’s really cool because Constantine links up the previous issues and their seemingly stand alone stories. The way he links them up is quite cool and well thought out.

It’s also an emotional tale. As Constantine tries to break through to Batman, we get to see Bruce slowly change. He starts to have acceptance. This is wonderfully conveyed through the art of Mikel Janin as well. It’s wonderfully understated and perfect. There are a few emotional scenes near the end that are completely powerful.

King and Janin have created a memorable issue in this storyline. It didn’t seem like this was going anywhere over the last two issues. But as always I just trusted in King. And that  trust is now playing off like it always seems to.

RATING: A