Yeah, it would have been cool, but I think what we got was still pretty cool too.
Also finished re-reading #6 today at lunch, and I was struck by how intimate and personal the story was. From what I remember, Tom King has talked about in the past how this issue was inspired by when his mother passed shortly before doing this issue, and how he was talking to himself, but in his mind talking to his mom just to have some way of hearing her voice again, even if it’s in the head.
It felt like a genuine human moment, and seeing Bruce come around and reach her by sharing his own grief and loss was very special. It’s right up there with, say, him helping Ace in Justice League Unlimited.
Also something interesting was the smaller villains used. Everyone talks about this introduction to Kite Man, but really all the villains here are used very well. What struck me was how when researching these characters…all the stuff that characters like Stingaree going after his brothers thinking they were Batman, were doing were from their original origin stories, just done in a more modern way. It reminded me of something that Douglas Adams reportedly said when he was writing and editing for Doctor Who back in the 80s, how the best Who villains are characters/species that on the surface seem absolutely silly and ridiculous until you see that they actually are capable of doing what they say, and then they become terrifying.
Also also – WHY IS IVAN REIS SO GOOD, MAN? He can do the big action, the cool comic layouts, and he can sell the hell out of these emotional moments.
