You said you didn’t enjoy Tom King’s writing, especially his take on the Joker. Most Batjokes fans avoided it because of BatCat, and personally I find his dialogue abysmal. But, what are some of your valid criticisms?

Hi! I've criticized aspects of King's writing before, when I was asked about his portrayal of Selina. You can read those discussions here, and here. As you will find though... I'm pointing out flaws but also admitting that I find his writing compelling. Because it's not quite accurate to say I don't enjoy King's writing at all. It's because I'm a masochist, and some of his stories turn me into Charlie from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and the conspiracy meme. (Here's me writing a whole-ass essay on just one issue he wrote.)

The thing is, King has stuff to say. The concepts he wants to convey can be deeply compelling. When it comes to his Batman run, I Am Suicide, Cold Days and Knightmares are some of my favorite arcs when it comes to Bruce characterization... but I will also admit there's much to be desired in execution. King often falls into the trap that in my head is named after Moffat-- trying to seem deep, without actually delivering on the foreshadowing and ideas introduced. (Can you tell I'm a Doctor Who and Sherlock BBC survivor.) Also a lot like Moffat, King can be great at telling short self-contained stories, rather than long ones that spawn multiple narrative threads and a large cast. Most of the time secondary characters suffer dearly under King's pen. They become an extension of the protagonist and lose individuality; speech patterns bleed into each other, behaviors become interchangeable. King could benefit so much from an editor who actually ensured that the dialogue doesn't feel so repetitive and choppy, and that the voices of the characters feel distinct. It'd help a lot with making it less grating.

But leaving that aside (and other more story-specific criticisms I have)... at the end of the day, to me it feels like King cares-- something that sadly doesn't apply to a lot of writers at DC. He's got many flaws as a writer, but at least to me, it's clear that Bruce Wayne means something to him. He demonstrates a deep understanding of the character on more than one occasion, which redeems him in my eyes at least partially. Even when it comes to Joker, I dislike some of the writing, not all of it. Joker in Batman (2016) #48-49 is very interesting, and the "I need him to stop me" speech is beautiful. To be honest, I think I dislike the way Mikel Janin draws Joker more, and sadly I've come to associate his art with King's Batman stuff.