Detective Comics #973 - A Review

His mind broken by the tortures of The Victim Syndicate, Clayface is rampaging through Gotham City... straight for the protesters assembled by The First Victim. The Gotham Knights have some unexpected help in trying to prevent disaster, but will they be able to save their former comrade? Or will one of their own take it upon themselves to solve the Clayface problem permanently?


James Tynion IV brings the current storyline to a stunning and satisfactory conclusion. Unfortunately, while Tynion's writing is as great as ever, the artwork for this issue doesn't work at all. Colorist Jason Wright uses a bright palette that doesn't suit the story, particularly when applied to the ink-light artwork of Jesus Merino. Despite this comic looking way too bright, Merino over-inks the outlines of his characters without adding any shading to the interior line work. This leaves the entire book looking odd, but still worth fighting through to enjoy the story.

The Final Analysis: 5 out of 10. Great story, but the artwork is totally at war with it.

Detective Comics #972 - A Review

As riots break out around Gotham and Anarky revels in the chaos that he and The First Victim have unleashed, Batman must stare down a Basil Karlo driven mad by the torture he experienced at the hands of The Victim Syndicate. Batwoman may have a way to stop the rampaging Clayface but could her solution unleash Tim Drake's worst nightmare?


Again, I find myself wanting to sing the praises of this book yet unable to articulate its glories to the uninitiated. Such is the rich tale that James Tynion IV has told that it is impossible to relate the parts without considering the whole. This is Detective Comics only flaw - it defies the casual reader and denies easy access. To read it, one must start from the beginning or not bother at all. The journey will prove well worth it, however, particularly with the amazing art of Miguel Mendonca, Diana Egea and Jason Wright.

 The Final Analysis: 10 out of 10.

Detective Comics #971 - A Review

Anarky and The Victim Syndicate have control of Arkham Asylum and Clayface in their clutches. Now, with the people of Gotham City turning upon their vigilantes in the wake of the news that Batman enlisted Clayface in his war on crime and Batman's closest allies with the city and The Gotham Knights questioning his actions, Batman must make a bold choice in order to save his city.



The only bad part about Detective Comics #971 is its complete inaccessibility to new readers. James Tynion IV's plotting is dense and there's no way to just jump into this book at this point. You must have been reading since the beginning of DC Rebirth or there's just no chance of understanding it. Those devote Bat-Fans who try it, however, will find one of the most rewarding stories in years.

This complex story is told through some equally complex artwork. Miguel Mendonca's detail-driven style is a good match for Tynion IV's script. It is the inks of Diana Egea, however, which truly make this issue sparkle. Egea adds just the right amount of shade and definition, leaving the finishing artwork looking distinctive but not overly dark. Jason Wright's work on the color art is equally impressive.

 The Final Analysis: 10/10.

Detective Comics #970 - A Review

Tim Drake is back in control of The Belfry and The Gotham Knights have hit the organized criminals of Gotham City with a vengeance. Yet Stephanie "Spoiler" Brown wonders at Tim's newfound enthusiasm for crime-fighting and wonders if he's still committed to their plan to give it up to go to college together once Tim's plans are in place. Meanwhile, as Basil "Clayface" Karlo considers the possibility of a cure for his condition, The Victim's Syndicate make their next move against the vigilantes of Gotham City.



Detective Comics #970 is largely a house-keeping issue, light on action with most of the text devoted to reminding the regular readers of the many subplots that are up in the air at the moment. James Tynion IV manages all of the stories with the agility of a plate-spinner, continuing to display his amazing aptitude for depicting these characters.

Unfortunately, the artwork isn't quite so skillful. Joe Bennett's pencils are decent enough, though I admit I find his design for Clayface rather dull. The chief problem is that three inkers kill any chance of a uniform look to the artwork and everything looks odd as a result.

The Final Analysis: 6 out of 10.

Detective Comics #969 - A Review

With Tim Drake having revealed himself to Stephanie Brown, The Gotham Knights (as Tim calls them) are completely reunited and ready to run gangbusters over the criminals of Gotham City. Naturally the costume criminals decide the need a team of their own to counter the vigilantes...


The only real flaw to Detective Comics #969 is that you have to have been reading James Tynion IV's epic tale of Batman's efforts to build an army of vigilantes to protect his city to truly appreciate everything going on in this issue. Ignoring that, this is a damn good start to the next storyline and Tynion's story is well matched by yet another amazing art team. Joe Bennett's character designs are divine, the inks by Sal Regla are perfectly applied and Jason Wright does his usual stellar job on the colors.

The Final Analysis: 9 out of 10. If it were just a little friendlier to new readers, it would be perfect. 

Detective Comics #946 - A Review

As Batman confronts The First Victim, the rest of his team are having their own encounters with the rest of the new gang called The Victim Syndicate.  Batwoman goes head-on with Mister Noxious and Madame Crow as Clayface faces his own villainous past and the woman he wronged, who was transformed into Mudface. Meanwhile, Stephanie has her own surprising encounter with a familiar face in The Belfry.


I regret that I don't have a scanner large enough to capture the glorious two page spreads that depict most of the action in this issue. Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira, Julio Ferreira and Adriano Lucas are crafting pure magic together with their work on this series. Coupled with some fantastic character moments, as written by James Tynion IV, this is easily the strongest Batman book on the stands.

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.

Detective Comics #944 - A Review

A new gang is in Gotham but this one is unusual even by the standards of Batman's hometown. Dubbing themselves The Victim Syndicate, they promise a never-ending reign of terror until Batman unmasks himself and promises to end his war on crime. For all of the Syndicate members are indeed victims - people caught in the crossfire of various super-villain attacks on Batman over the years.


While the idea that Batman may cause more harm than good by providing costumed villains with a target has been explored before (most famously in the Batman: The Animated Series episode Trial), James Tynion IV's The Victim Syndicate puts a unique spin on the idea by focusing on the very people Batman and his allies try to help. The syndicate members are interesting conceptually, with powers accquired from their exposure to other Batman rogues (Mr. Noxious, for instance, was once controlled by Poison Ivy and left with an ability to make people around him nauseous). Tynion manages to keep these new villains from seeming derivative and does more in this issue to make Luke Fox into a distinct character (if not a likeable one) than I believe any other writer has managed since Luke's creation.


The artwork proves equally phenomenal. The lighting effects Adriano Lucas creates with mere color are astonishing, adding interesting highlights to the shadows crafted by inker Eber Ferreira. And Eddy Barrows is one of the best pencilers to tackle the Batman family in some time.