Tom King: Family is the Most Dangerous Power of All
Tom King, he's either one of the best writers for short-term stories or an overrated one when it comes to A-Listers. After looking at where he stands in comics, I would like to say "He's only human". There's way more to what he puts in than just the surface.
Tom King: The Past and Present Intertwine
As a child, Tom King's earliest inspirations come from all around him. His mom worked in the film industry which propelled him to interning at DC and Marvel. Surprisingly, one of the people he worked under was Chris Claremont during his X-Men run. In college, he studies philosophy and history; always a charming way of trying to tell stories as far as Wisecrack can tell. Probably the biggest thing that drives King to action though is 9/11. Joining the CIA as a counter terrorism officer the experiences influence him for the rest of his life. It's certainly put on display with his novel, A Once Crowded Sky.
The story essentially describes what happens after a life changing crossover event. With the Superman pastiche gone a now powerless hero reenlists for another event. But he needs help from another hero who is the only one with any powers left. For King, this entire premise is about his transitions. For personal reasons, King made the difficult choice to leave the CIA in order to start a family. But in order to do what he loves, King decides to go into writing. All of these responsibilities come with expectations which King seems to have difficulty with even today.
Re-Enlistment Through Grids
Some of those difficulties are seen in his writing. Coming into DC after his novel catches attention, King begins his debut with Grayson. The former Robin joins a spy organization as a double agent. Working closely with Tim Seeley, King uses his time in the CIA for authenticity. Namely the inner conflicts that drive these agents to action to coalesce with Seeley's Bond-like action. For a good while it worked, with Grayson becoming a sleeper hit. Unfortunately, King's other projects leaves a big mess for Seeley to finish on his own.
One of the projects, Omega Men, is an obscure group similar to Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy. For this project, Tom brings his experiences from the Iraq War while reexamining comic structures. The nine-panel grid in tandem with Barnaby Bagenda's art serves two functions in this series. It displays movements, angles, the illusion of control as well as how it alienates the audience. Imagine how audiences watch footage from journalists who cover wars. They see all the destruction and sympathize with the other siders, but in the end it's just entertainment for them. The ending feels like a real gut punch for the fans who force DC to continue the series.
The other project, Sheriff of Babylon takes all of the political conflicts in Grayson into this Vertigo series. Using the Iraqi fallout as a point of conflict, King shows the difficulties of reestablishment. Everyone wants to believe that they are in the right, with layers of life that forge their identities. But it's never that simple, the actions of the Iraq War only seem to cause new problems. In the end, there are no winners just people stuck in conflicts.
Tom King: Family Woes
Leaving the military behind, King dives headfirst into family themes. Families are often things that bring joy, they are also sources of burdens. The Vision is quite easily the most heartbreaking take for family needs.
Mister Miracle however is quite easily King's anxieties after his time in the CIA.
In the end, the most people can do is have a little faith in something better. That's one of the main reasons that King's Green Lantern one-shot is so good. Hal Jordan's biggest motivations revolve around his father, it's his example that makes Hal a Green Lantern. It's also what allows Hal to have a deeper understanding of his role. It's not the power to create or do anything, it's pushing on no matter the risk. Unfortunately, that's what makes King's next big work so controversial.
The Acknowledgment
Batman is one of DC's biggest cash cows, so a writer with accolades has to be the one behind him. King's work is about the hardships and traumas of service people so Batman is a decent fit. In fact King is DC's first choice for the new Batman series after Scott Snyder. It all begins after a few factors including an idea that became "The War of Jokes and Riddles".
As Batman's Rebirth era begins, King brings in some insights to the Dark Knight. Batman is the force of equilibrium in Gotham but he is still very human. As such his vow takes a heavy toll on his psyche. In the first quarter of King's run, Batman reveals another reason fights is because he already feels dead. Yet he still goes on because it is his duty.
Separating From The Colony
Other writers like Jeph Loeb already explore this kind of angle though. So to properly fit The War of Jokes and Riddles, King makes it more compelling. Rather than go on an extended adventure with Swamp Thing; Batman makes this story a part of his proposal to Catwoman. It's a sign of trust that shows Batman as someone more than just a vow. Everything that leads up to their wedding afterwards boils Bruce down to his base elements. Well almost everything.
Heroes In Crisis
Another post talks about how a mini-arc with Booster Gold was meant to be another story. People ridicule this as the point where Tom King dips in quality. A lot of people are quick to blame the editors/publishers but King likes to point out his fault in it. From my perspective none of these controversies are decisions from getting high. Instead they're decisions of mutual desperation.
On DC's side, Doomsday Clock by Geoff Johns has countless delays and the company wants to keep hype going. So they turn to King for help by using his name to advertise. King accepted the proposal and got to work on what would become Heroes In Crisis. Unfortunately to make it all work, King needed a catalyst; so he had to scrap any remaining plans for Batman: The Travelers. In its place is Batman: The Gift, an improvised story that was made in a rush. Editors couldn't even bother to make changes because of the deadline. The results are less than satisfactory by fans.
The Burden of Success
As for HiC, the advertisement worked by showing therapy sessions of characters. Unfortunately, the finished product changes from somber to shockingly bad. The premise is that everyone at a therapy sanctuary is dead with Booster and Harley Quinn getting blamed. Fans hated the final half when it is revealed that Wally West is the man-slaughterer. King wanted HiC to be about characters with expectations but still end up failing. The problem was that the entire experience just felt redundant for these characters. If anything it's a tale about Tom King himself rather than the heroes.
Tom King: The Vow
This is mainly coming from another controversy the public has likely heard about; how Batman was left at the altar. This too is an act of mutual desperation. Before Heroes in Crisis publishes, DC has a lot to contend with. With Doomsday Clock's continuous delays and Batman's 80th anniversary coming up DC practically begs for help. So King decided to add a very controversial twist into his run. Not just Catwoman being subliminally manipulated but also the inclusion of the Flashpoint Batman. This was King's way of advertising what's left of Doomsday Clock. Unfortunately for him, to the fans this is the equivalent of selling out.
Afterwards what leads up to the climatic City of Bane becomes less inspired and more desperate. But instead of giving into pressure, King presses onward because of his responsibilities. Slowly but surely, the humanizing aspects of the cast comes out. The most recent annual even shows that despite these mulligans, Batman will continue. It's the small changes that matter.
Tom King On Family
Tom King has risen high and fallen hard. But he has people who count on him and he counts on them. More than anything, despite everything that he went through, King still does his duty. All that's really important is making the most of opportunities and learning from mistakes. That itself is the premise of Strange Adventures; Adam Strange is perfect in how he juggles his home life with his family life. If previous works are any indication, it's going to be heartbreaking yet hopeful.
Thanks for coming and as always remember to look between the panels.