Batman: King Tut’s Tomb Overview
Contents
Batman: King Tut’s Tomb is a short story in the Batman: Confidential series lasting 3 issues. In the collected edition which is reviewed here you also get 3 bonus issues from the classic Batman archives. The book’s main villain Tut (later Tutenaten) looks to be someone from the past but not all is what it seems which gives King Tut’s Tomb more of a detective story edge than an action one.
Batman: King Tut’s Tomb Collected Edition Trade Paperback collects Batman: Confidential #26-#28, Brave and the Bold #164 and #171 and Batman #353.
| Book Name | King Tut’s Tomb |
| Book Series | Batman: Confidential |
| Edition Reviewed | Collected Edition |
| Year Published | 2010 |
| Originally Published | 2009 |
| Writer(s) | Nunzio DeFilippis, Christina Weir |
| Artist(s) | Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, Kevin Nowlan |
| Pages | 168 |
| Issues | 6 |
| Where to Buy | Amazon |
| Notable Heroes | Batman |
| Notable Villains | Tutenaten, Joker, |
| Chronology Previous | The Cat and the Bat |
| Chronology Next |
Tales of the Demon |
- DeFilippis, Nunzio (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 128 Pages - 03/02/2010 (Publication Date) - DC Comics (Publisher)
Batman: King Tut’s Tomb Review
King Tut’s Tomb appears to be a silly story right out of the 60’s but is in fact a really good, if not a bit short, detective caper where Batman teams up with The Riddler to solve a mystery murderer going around killing seemingly random people while leaving riddlers in his wake. Some would say King Tut’s Tomb is a ‘traditional’ Batman story with a modern twist and artwork; and they’d be right. The story is evenly paced with some great action scenes with a great twist and a scantily clad woman thrown in for good measure.
The greatest part of the book and the feature many other reviewers enjoyed is the relationship between Batman and The Riddler. It’s clearly something Batman’s not enjoying and one that Riddler really is. It’s also great to see Batman appreciating a situation where more help would be needed as he often sheds any sort of help which only makes his own situation worse, more prevalent perhaps in the massive crossover arcs such as Knightfall and No Man’s Land.
The antagonist, Tut (later Tutenaten) is a fanatical ex-Museum worker who had ideas well above his station who was later fired. He, Victor Goodman, seeks revenge and goes well over the top in terms of dressing up and going on a murdering rampage. He is a weak antagonist in terms of motive and lore which is where the Batman/Riddler combination comes in to bring the overall quality up. Later, there is a twist involving a cheap trick of throwing in Leigh Carson who, despite being in a dangerous situation, dresses up in sexy underwear or wearing nothing at all who appear to know more than she is letting on.
The artwork in King Tut’s Tomb is great and the yellow/gold colours really made it look more Egyptian than usual, in particular I thought the characters themselves were well drawn and their facial expressions varied and realistic.
King Tut’s Tomb itself is only 3 issues long with 3 other issues to pad the collected edition out. Brave and the Bold #164 and #171 and Batman #353. All 3 issues are very old and not connected to King Tut, Riddler or each other which makes half the book irrelevant to the other. Brave and the Bold #164 is a supernatural tale with Batman and Hawkman, #171 involves Batman going back in time (but not really) to investigate how the Bat logo appeared 100 years previous, turns out it was a Time Paradox which involved himself and the last is a short Joker story.
All 3 comic issues, due to their age, may not be as enjoyable as they’re very light hearted in nature with dated art, if you got King Tut’s Tomb to add to the Batman Timeline then you’re going to be disappointed. It makes no sense why DC didn’t include other Riddler stories to at least make the book consistent. If you’re into the pre Modern age books then great.
- DeFilippis, Nunzio (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 128 Pages - 03/02/2010 (Publication Date) - DC Comics (Publisher)
Batman King Tut’s Tomb Summary
Overall, King Tut’s Tomb is an enjoyable read but a short one. The dynamic between Batman and Riddler is a humorous one that will keep the reader entertained. The artwork in the book is well done using colours that really set the tone that an Egyptian God has come to visit Gotham City. The other 3 issues collected in this edition are dated and irrelevant to King Tut’s Tomb which makes them create a messy book over. If DC recollected this again with some Riddler issues instead of Scalphunter/Hawkman/Joker then it would probably get a 4.
Score 3/5
Batman King Tut’s Tomb Image Gallery
Last update on 2023-06-07 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
