Tom King - COMICSXF https://comicsxf.com The comics criticism you crave Thu, 19 Feb 2026 01:21:25 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0 https://i0.wp.com/comicsxf.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/cropped-orange-favicon-2.jpg?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 Tom King - COMICSXF https://comicsxf.com 32 32 107498702 BatChat With Matt & Will: Riddle Me This, Will (w/ John Wickham) https://comicsxf.com/2026/02/19/batchat-with-matt-will-riddle-me-this-will-w-john-wickham/ Thu, 19 Feb 2026 13:00:00 +0000 https://comicsxf.com/?p=56026 We’ve read plenty of his stories, and if you are a long time listener to the podcast, I’m sure you realize that Tom King is a writer who has some serious variety of placements on the big board. He has multiple stories in the top 10, plus a number of stories lingering near the bottom....

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]]> 56026 BatChat With Matt & Will: Date Night (w/ Josh Weil) https://comicsxf.com/2026/02/12/batchat-with-matt-will-date-night-w-josh-weil/ Thu, 12 Feb 2026 13:00:00 +0000 https://comicsxf.com/?p=55927 Love is in the air. It’s nearly Valentine’s Day, and for the past couple of his appearances, Patreon backer and friend of the show Josh Weil has mentioned that he’s been considering selecting one of the few truly whimsical and just plane fun stories Tom King has written: “Date Night,” where Batman an Catwoman go...

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]]> 55927 BatChat With Matt & Will: When a Robin’s Not a Robin (w/ Sam Hopper) https://comicsxf.com/2025/12/11/batchat-with-matt-will-when-a-robins-not-a-robin-w-sam-hopper/ Thu, 11 Dec 2025 13:00:00 +0000 https://comicsxf.com/?p=55239 You can start out as a Robin, but eventually you have to grow up, right? Well, maybe not Tim Drake, who’s Robin again, but there was a period where he wasn’t. And Dick Grayson and Jason Todd have left the Robin identity behind long ago. This week, Sam Hopper joins us again to talk about...

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]]> 55239 BatChat With Matt & Will: Wak, Wak Said the Villain https://comicsxf.com/2025/07/24/batchat-with-matt-will-wak-wak-said-the-villain/ Thu, 24 Jul 2025 12:00:36 +0000 https://comicsxf.com/?p=53517 Somehow, as we near 200 episodes, we still stumble across holes in our coverage. He’s appeared in a lot of stories we’ve covered, but we have never done an episode purely focused on Penguin stories. So this week, we remedy that. We’re reading Penguin’s first appearance, the story that changed him from supervillain to mobster...

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]]> 53517 BatChat With Matt & Will: Everyday? Or Every Day? (w/Matt McThorn) https://comicsxf.com/2025/05/22/batchat-with-matt-will-everyday-or-every-day-w-matt-mcthorn/ Thu, 22 May 2025 12:00:00 +0000 https://comicsxf.com/?p=52763 Y’know, sometimes you get an episode request, and you wind up with stories better than you could have expected. Patreon backer and friend of the show Matt McThorn specifically wanted to talk about the Batman annual with the origin of Clownhunter and art by James Stokoe. So we decided, what better theme than more annuals....

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]]> 52763 BatChat With Matt & Will: The Forgotten Sidekicks of the 2010s https://comicsxf.com/2025/04/03/batchat-with-matt-will-the-forgotten-sidekicks-of-the-2010s/ Thu, 03 Apr 2025 12:00:00 +0000 https://comicsxf.com/?p=52139 The Bat family has grown considerably over the years. What started out as Batman and Robin now contains what seems to be a dozen or more characters. And recent years have seen many attempts to add characters who would be big hits and draw massive popularity. And while this has created some good characters, none...

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]]> 52139 BatChat With Matt & Will: Villain War! (w/ John Wickham) https://comicsxf.com/2025/03/20/batchat-with-matt-will-villain-war-w-john-wickham/ Thu, 20 Mar 2025 12:00:00 +0000 https://comicsxf.com/?p=52021 Gotham villains seem to spend so much time fighting each other, it’s a wonder they have any time to fight Batman. Friend of the show and Patreon backer John Wickham returns for three instances of villain on villain violence, with Blackgate Vs. Arkham during the Forever Evil crossover, Hush Vs. Talia in the run up...

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]]> 52021 BatChat With Matt & Will: The Boys’ Picks (w/ Josh Weil) https://comicsxf.com/2024/09/19/batchat-with-matt-will-the-boys-picks-w-josh-weil/ Thu, 19 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0000 https://comicsxf.com/?p=50240 Our very first Dick Grayson backer, Josh Weil, makes his return to the podcast this week, but he’s not picking the stories. Instead, he has gifted his picks this month to our youngest backers, his sons, David and Alexander. They give us stories that show they love sidekicks, young butlers, and giant monsters. In this week’s BatChat...

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]]> 50240 Archie: The Decision sees our hero attempt to finally choose between Betty and Veronica https://comicsxf.com/2024/08/28/archie-the-decision/ Wed, 28 Aug 2024 14:00:00 +0000 https://comicsxf.com/?p=49953 Archie. Finally. Decides. At long last, the answer to the question generations of fans have asked will be answered. Who will Archie choose? Betty or Veronica? Archie: The Decision #1 is written by Tom King, drawn by Dan Parent, inked by Bob Smith, colored by Rosario “Tito” Peña and lettered by Jack Morelli. WARNING: It’s...

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]]> 49953 BatChat With Matt & Will: If He Can Fight Like a Man, He Can Write Like a Man (w/ Josh Weil) https://comicsxf.com/2024/06/20/batchat-with-matt-will-if-he-can-fight-like-a-man-he-can-write-like-a-man-w-josh-weil/ Thu, 20 Jun 2024 12:00:00 +0000 https://comicsxf.com/?p=49320 Friend of the show and Patreon backer Josh Weil decided to take up a challenge: come up with three stories that he thought could make the top 50 of the Big Board. And gotta say, with no spoilers, he did a pretty good job. We see Bruce Wayne mourning his son, Batman and Catwoman taking...

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]]> 49320 BatChat With Matt & Will: The Venom Episode https://comicsxf.com/2024/05/30/batchat-with-matt-will-the-venom-episode/ Thu, 30 May 2024 12:00:00 +0000 https://comicsxf.com/?p=49087 I was going to try to come up with something funny and misleading to make it seem like we were talking about the Marvel character Venom for this intro, but my brain isn’t coming up with anything. This week’s episode is about Bane, the man who broke the Bat, and does indeed spend a lot...

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]]> 49087 BatChat With Matt & Will: The Wedding That Didn’t Happen (w/Abigale Heartbalm) https://comicsxf.com/2024/02/01/batchat-with-matt-will-the-wedding-that-didnt-happen-w-abigale-heartbalm/ Thu, 01 Feb 2024 14:00:00 +0000 https://www.comicsxf.com/?p=47818 At 120 episodes, we’ve covered a lot of Batman comics. A lot. But I think few have been more contentious, both in the fandom and on this podcast, as the ones this week. Because this week we’re talking about the Tom King run, the creator with possibly the biggest gaps in his work on The...

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]]> 47818 Joker story bad, Penguin story good, ‘Tec story great in BatChat https://comicsxf.com/2024/01/26/batchat-detective-bravebold-penguin/ Fri, 26 Jan 2024 14:00:00 +0000 https://www.comicsxf.com/?p=47782 The final act of “Gotham Nocturne” begins here. Stranded alone on the desert that is the apotheosis of all deserts, Batman must fight the Azmer demon inside him as Simon Hurt and his master Barbatos circle. Meanwhile, Renee Montoya continues her investigation into the death of GCPD members as the Question leads her down a...

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]]> 47782 BatChat With Matt & Will: It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Batman https://comicsxf.com/2023/12/21/batchat-with-matt-will-its-beginning-to-look-a-lot-like-batman/ Thu, 21 Dec 2023 14:00:00 +0000 https://www.comicsxf.com/?p=47477 Merry Bats-Mas to one and all! We’re getting near Christmas, and so it’s time to go back to the holiday stories in Gotham well (and if you think we might run out any time soon, have no fears, we’ve got stories for years). This year, we’re reading the first Batman Christmas story, which features some...

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]]> 47477 BatChat With Matt & Will: The Darkest Episode of ’66 Ever https://comicsxf.com/2023/07/20/batchat-with-matt-will-the-darkest-episode-of-66-ever/ Thu, 20 Jul 2023 13:00:00 +0000 https://www.comicsxf.com/?p=46014 It’s taken three episodes, but we’ve finally covered every story in the original Batman #1. That means this week, we’re covering the first appearance of Catwoman, and so we’re also covering a couple other Catwoman stories, one a story that’s place in continuity is weird even by DC Comics standards, and one that started off...

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]]> 46014 Batman Hunted, Riddler’s Diary and Hey, More Nine-Panel Grids in BatChat https://comicsxf.com/2023/06/30/batman-hunted-riddlers-diary-and-hey-more-nine-panel-grids-in-batchat/ Fri, 30 Jun 2023 13:00:00 +0000 https://www.comicsxf.com/?p=45875 In the ruins of the Orgham Tower, Batman faces down the Orgham prince, and on the surface, the next domino of the Orgham plan to conquer Gotham falls. The lead story in Detective Comics #1,073 is written by Ram V, penciled by Ivan Reis and Goran Sudzuka, inked by Danny Miki and Sudzuka, colored by...

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]]> 45875 Tom King Wrote a Batman Story? The Devil You Say! (BatChat) https://comicsxf.com/2023/05/19/tom-king-wrote-a-batman-story-the-devil-you-say-batchat/ Fri, 19 May 2023 13:00:00 +0000 https://www.comicsxf.com/?p=45514 A new anthology series debuts in this first issue of Batman: The Brave and the Bold:  The robots are revolting! And they’re killing all humans, too … but seriously. As Batman and Superman face Ultra-Morpho, all the robotic heroes and villains of the DCU begin to attack. And by issue’s end the true mastermind is...

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]]> 45514 Gotham Burns and the Orghams Plot in BatChat https://comicsxf.com/2023/04/06/gotham-burns-and-the-orghams-plot-in-batchat/ Thu, 06 Apr 2023 15:00:00 +0000 https://www.comicsxf.com/?p=45146 Threads begin to come together as Bruce Wayne faces his own mortality and the history of the Orghams is revealed. The lead story in Detective Comics #1,070 is written by Ram V, drawn by Stefano Raffaele, colored by Adriano Lucas and lettered by Ariana Maher. In the backup, a frozen Dr. Mead reflects on the...

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]]> 45146 Ice Gets the Last Word in Human Target #12 https://comicsxf.com/2023/03/03/ice-gets-the-last-word-in-human-target-12/ Fri, 03 Mar 2023 14:00:00 +0000 https://www.comicsxf.com/?p=44960 Christopher Chance has spent his life in defiance of death, and those who would be afraid of it. Now, death has come for him at last, and it’s time for the Human Target to finally find out if people were right to be afraid all along. The Human Target #12 is written by Tom King,...

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]]> 44960 BatChat Isn’t Mad at This Week’s Bat Books, It’s Just Disappointed https://comicsxf.com/2023/02/10/batchat-isnt-mad-at-this-weeks-bat-books-its-just-disappointed/ Fri, 10 Feb 2023 14:00:00 +0000 https://www.comicsxf.com/?p=44708 After being blasted by Failsafe, Batman wakes up in a world very different from the Gotham he knows. Batman #132 is written by Chip Zdarsky, penciled by Mike Hawthorne, inked by Adriano Di Benedetto, colored by Tomeu Morey and lettered by Clayton Cowles. In the backup, Tim Drake is sure that Batman is alive and...

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]]> 44708 Today Is a Good Day to Die Tomorrow in The Human Target #11 https://comicsxf.com/2023/01/31/today-is-a-good-day-to-die-tomorrow-in-the-human-target-11/ Tue, 31 Jan 2023 15:00:00 +0000 https://www.comicsxf.com/?p=44647 It’s been 11 days since he was poisoned on a job that went sideways, and Christopher Chance has finally solved his own murder. But is it too late to save himself? Find out in The Human Target #11, written by Tom King, drawn by Greg Smallwood and lettered by Clayton Cowles for DC Black Label....

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]]> 44647 (A) Dog Man Guest Stars in The Human Target #10 https://comicsxf.com/2023/01/17/a-dog-man-guest-stars-in-the-human-target-10/ Tue, 17 Jan 2023 15:00:00 +0000 https://www.comicsxf.com/?p=44530 With only 48 hours left to unmask his murderer before he drops dead, the pieces are finally falling into place for Christopher Chance. But before he can solve his own killing, he must deal with the consequences of Guy Gardner’s. Enter G’nort. The Human Target #10 is written by Tom King, drawn by Greg Smallwood...

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]]> 44530 Is It an AU, or Is It a Psychic Prison? Either Way, It’s BatChat https://comicsxf.com/2023/01/06/is-it-an-au-or-is-it-a-psychic-prison-either-way-its-batchat/ Fri, 06 Jan 2023 14:00:00 +0000 https://www.comicsxf.com/?p=44444 After being blasted by Failsafe, Batman wakes up in a world very different from the Gotham he knows. Batman #131 is written by Chip Zdarsky, penciled by Mike Hawthorne, inked by Adriano Di Benedetto, colored by Tomeu Morey and lettered by Clayton Cowles. In the backup, Tim Drake is sure that Batman is alive and...

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]]> 44444 Batman Is Not in Human Target #9, but He Does Make for Good SEO https://comicsxf.com/2022/11/28/batman-is-not-in-human-target-9-but-he-does-make-for-good-seo/ Mon, 28 Nov 2022 18:00:00 +0000 https://www.comicsxf.com/?p=44025 Christopher Chance has only a few days left to solve his own murder. His investigation has been bumpy to say the least, but will the murder of Guy Gardner finally catch up to the Human Target and end his search before the poison ends his life? Once Batman learns of his ex-teammate’s disappearance, can anything...

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]]> 44025 Russians and Repetition in The Human Target #8 https://comicsxf.com/2022/11/01/russians-and-repetition-in-the-human-target-8/ Tue, 01 Nov 2022 15:04:02 +0000 https://www.comicsxf.com/?p=43659 Time is running out for Christopher Chance to find his murderer, but his investigation into the Justice League International takes a violent turn when Rocket Red comes knocking, looking for his friend Guy Gardner. Find out what time it is in The Human Target #8, written by Tom King, drawn by Greg Smallwood and lettered...

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