Batman #52 - "Cold Days, Part Two"

[laughing_tree]

How do you break Batman? Breaking him physically never works. He gets broken physically a thousand times. Even killing a Robin... how many Robins have died, you know? As a villain, how do you break this person? And this idea that the way to break him is to make him happy -- to do what I've been talking about this whole time, which was, "What happens if Batman gets happiness?" -- and then to sort of yank that away from him. How do you break Batman? You break his heart, was the answer that Bane came up with. -- Tom King

Comments

[lordultimus]

When it comes to these types of covers, just once I'd like to see an alternate universe where they are actually two different people.

[lbd_nytetrayn]

[scorntx]

-"How many Robins have died?"-

I know it's Interview Smack Talk, but... c'mon. It's three.

Jason, Stephanie and Damian.
(And if we go by all the retcons, Steph technically didn't even die properly, she just had her death faked.)

So, two. Two dead Robins.

[zachbeacon]

If we count Steph then we should probably count Mr Oz abducting Tim after he "dies" and Dick faking his death was he can play spy.

[owlbrigade1]

I think we should only count them if they stayed dead.

[beeyo]

I would go so far as to say that Damians death actually did break Batman. Had he not been able to bring him back, he would've died after coming back from Apokolips, and he knew that going in.

[mesmiranda]

*raises hand*

It's entirely possible I'm an idiot, but when did Damian die?

[kamino_neko]

At the end of Batman, inc.

He was resurrected almost immediately, and spent a year on walkabout (in Robin, Son of Batman).

[beeyo]

I mean, Dick was really dead for like a minute after Lex stopped his heart.

[scorntx]

That's Only Slightly Dead. Not even Only Mostly Dead.

[obsidianwolf]

I really don't care for stories like this because you know at the end of the day Batman has to stay a hero to sell comics. So all the arguments against Batman end up just being Bruce having an existential problem cause of villain plot that will be forgotten about sooner or later once he triumphs over them regardless of rather the story comes down on the side of Batman can be happy or on the side of Batman has to be unhappy to be effective.

While at the same time asking us to ignore that Bruce right here right now is really stepping over the line. He's intentionally interfering in the legal process to work out his issues.

[zachbeacon]

Anyone else not able to see the images?

[starwolf_oakley]

Tom King is doing a "Batman knows how screwed up he is" story. There are a lot of those stories. The reason Bruce proposed to Selina was "I know I'm screwed up, but maybe with Selina I can be a little less screwed up."

[owlbrigade1]

So the way to "break" the guy whose life is shaped by broken hearted rage is to... break his heart and leave him angry? Uh, okay.

[alicemacher]

I know, right? Relevant Super Stupor strip.

I bought the last LEGO Joker Manor! What I have done to the set is I shall do to you!

[deh_tommy]

I think the idea is that how Bruce approaches Batman is that’s own kind of punishment (the I Am Suicide arc implies that Batman is effectively a long-term form of suicide Bruce is committing), and by tricking Catwoman into thinking Bruce couldn’t be Batman without being unhappy he keeps him broken and miserable forever.

[deh_tommy]

Up next: Bane ding-dong-ditches Wayne Manor, steals a dollar or two and misplaces Bruce’s left shoe in his master plan to break the Bat once and for all.