Detective Comics #964 - A Review

With the help of some surprising allies, Anarky has built his own utopia under Gotham City. He hopes to bring Stephanie "The Spoiler" Brown into his world but she demands the whole truth of how it came into being. So does Batman, who has finally tracked them both down...

Meanwhile, Basil "Clayface" Karlo hopes to make amends for his past crimes. Working with Batman to protect Gotham City was a first step but now he's working on a cure for his condition - not only for himself but for the former friend he tried to transform into something like himself. But is redemption possible? Or is Clayface doomed to remain a monster even if he can hold a human form?






The only flaw to Detective Comics #964 is its brevity. Both subplots here - Clayface's quest for redemption and Spoiler's search for purpose - are gripping, touching stories which mirror each other. Basil turns to Batman to escape what he's becoming as Stephanie escapes from Batman to become something else. One wishes that the overly long Azrael-focused story-line from a month ago had been cut-down a few issues and those comics given over to this story.

The story by James Tynion IV and Christopher Sebela is matched perfectly by the artwork of Carmen Carnero. I've greatly enjoyed Carnero's previous work on Adventures of Supergirl immensely and she's in fine form here. With the addition of Ulises Arreola's colors, this is one fine looking book!

The Final Analysis: 10/10. The only thing wrong is there's not nearly enough of it.

Detective Comics #945 - A Review

As Batman looks into his past to find the identity of The First Victim, the rest of The Belfry Team undergo psychiatric evaluation. Some members of the team are doubting their place. Others question the presence of other members of the team. Yet all of Gotham's heroes will be needed when The Victim Syndicate attacks again...


The artwork for this issue is all over the place. Unfortunately, this goes beyond the conflicting styles of the two art teams. Carmen Carnero and Scott Hanna do a fine job together but the work by Al Barrionuevo in the opening pages looks sloppy and inconsistent. Still, it serves as an interesting lesson in how a good inker can make or break a book.


Thankfully, the writing of James Tynion IV continues to be this book's most consistently excellent feature. There are a number of great character moments in this issue. I was particularly happy to see Clayface getting some much-needed exploration, since the series so far has said little about what prompted his sudden heroic streak. The final page offers a cliff-hanger that will leave readers anxiously awaiting the next issue in three weeks.

Adventures of Supergirl #8-13 - A Review

I hadn't reviewed the last few issues of Adventures of Supergirl because I wasn't quite sure how to go about it. Sterling Gates is a great writer but the story he was telling was ill-suited to the shorter format required of DC Comics' digital-first releases. Several issues featured little in the way of action and were largely devoted towards exposition. This made summation of individual comics difficult and they read far better in one sitting than they did in bimonthly installments.

That being said and having now read the whole of the final story arc, I am prepared to say this is easily the best Supergirl story told in any medium in years. The story - centering upon a villain called Facet - was thrilling and brilliantly tied-in to the earlier issues of the series in some surprising ways. Gates drew upon the full rich history of the Kryptonian culture and the DC Universe cosmos, further developing the setting while offering up some thrilling Easter Eggs for long-time fans.


This series was blessed with some great artists who utilized a variety of unique styles. I greatly enjoyed Cat Stagg work on Issue Ten, where he utilized a photo-realistic style that captured the look of the actors from the show. I also enjoyed Emma Vieceli's work on the final story arc, which I think looked even better than her recent work on Doctor Who. Hopefully this series will return along with Supergirl's second season but I think it would be better off as a monthly periodical rather than a weekly digital release.