Mr. Freeze’s life is on the line and only Bruce Wayne can convince a jury of his peers that Freeze is innocent!

Batman #53
Written By: Tom King
Art By: Lee Weeks
Published By: DC Comics
Price: $3.99
Release Date: 08/15/2018

Mr. Freeze’s life is on the line and only Bruce Wayne can convince a jury of his peers that Freeze is innocent!

The ‘Cold Days’ story arc comes to a close in Batman #53 and boy does this conclusion deliver. Bruce Wayne and the rest of jury are still deliberating on whether or not Mr. Freeze is guilty. Bruce tries to make the case that Batman was not in his right mind when he brought in Freeze thus making Freeze innocent. Through a series of flashbacks Bruce relives the pain he felt after being left at the altar in Batman #50. He used that pain to attack someone who was not involved in the crime they were accused of. Will the jury see eye to eye with Bruce?

The story written by Tom King is a deep and personal look at Batman. Bruce relives all of the painful moments of his life throughout this book and it only makes the reader sympathize with him more. How would you act knowing that the love of your life left you because of your higher calling? Would you do your job the right way? These are some of the questions that not only Bruce asks himself but King asks the reader. I spent a lot of my time asking myself these questions and came to the same solution as Bruce. I can’t help but say that Tom King will go down along with Morrison and Snyder as one of the best writers to write Batman.

Lee Weeks once again nails the art. It is so beautiful. I also love the way Weeks uses shading through this issue. Every member of the jury has a unique look and it plays into the way Bruce interacts with them. The Batsuit looks stunning as well as the armor worn by Mr. Freeze. My favorite panel in this book is a flashback where Batman is in midair flying towards Freeze who is bracing himself with his freeze gun. It is such a powerful panel and even though it is drawn at a distance the pain felt by Bruce and the fear felt by Freeze are on full display. As I stated earlier, Weeks just nails the art.

This issue let alone this entire story had no problems at all. I loved every second of it.

5 BATARANGS Out of 5