All good mysteries must come to an end, including Batman: Killing Time which closes the door on its story this week. Tom King and David Marquez have done something completely different with this narrative, with every page set in a different time and place. It may be a few minutes or a few thousand years, but the shift in time has meant readers had to pay close attention while holding in their mind the context of what these shifts mean for the story. It’s an exciting idea that has been driven by a McGuffin that is finally coming to its stop. Or at least Batman hopes.
Batman: Killing Time #6 opens in the past, which is a funny thing to think about given the story is constantly jumping around. The last issue left off with the mysterious artifact rolling to Clock King’s feet in a park where an all-out war was taking place. This final issue brings into the picture this character who has been largely absent in the series. He ends up being the main player in this issue and is part of the larger plan to acquire the artifact. From there, the story cuts to the future in Athens, Greece.
One has to figure a fan will put this entire story in linear order at some point, but that’s not the point. King and Marquez are playing around with the idea of why we do anything, why we try to acquire things, and how in most cases, the results aren’t the point. There’s an “answer” as to what the McGuffin is, which lends itself to what this larger story is about. I won’t begin to explain what I think it means, but there is a purpose that’s relayed to the reader. It’s hard to say if folks will find that answer satisfying, especially since it seems quite nihilistic and negative. Still, it’s a fine enough answer for a story about a character that has lived for decades and will live on longer than that.
Art by Marquez with colors by Alejandro Sánchez continues to be as sharp as ever with a great sequence featuring Batman taking out a helicopter that’s worth a look. Character acting through body language is always very good. You’ll know how these characters think even when they have no lines of dialogue. There’s a good precision with close-up shots in this issue, too, like when Batman drops knockout gas pellets on baddies.
The Clock King takes center stage in the final issue.
Credit: DC Comics
As the story closes, it is interesting to think about how we got here. There are elements we had no idea existed until later issues, which end up making the mystery behind it all unearned. Batman ended up being more of a supporting character with Catwoman in the lead in some sections and creating a bit of an unbalance, but Batman is definitely at the center of this final issue. I suspect many will read this for the first time it’s collected, further changing the reader’s relationship to the story.
It’s an exciting time to be a Batman fan as this story offers some resolution and satisfaction. For a story that toys with time, it’s exciting to know regardless of the characters, the creators did something different with the comics art form and made you think – a rare thing in Batman comics.
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