Detective Comics issue #998-999 by Peter J. Tomasi

I'm once again combining a single review for two issues which are the penultimate and finale. That's mostly because I have less to say about each, and given that my long absence (in spite of the fact I did read and review The Batman Who Laughs last year at least) had kept my writing muscles atrophied when it came to comic books, I want to slowly build my way into budgeting my tim better so I can get used to reading comics once AND ALSO writing reviews. I mean, I still read comics during my three-year hiatus; I just wasn't sharing my insights and thoughts as religiously as I used to do when I created this blog (and two more others for X-Men and Hellblazer).

A recap: Batman stumbled upon a series of crime scenes that featured corpses that imitate murder of his parents from the clothes they wore down to the grisly details like matching gunshot wounds. As he and Commissioner Gordon tried to make sense of this, he gets a call from Dr. Leslie Thompkins who was used as bait by a morphing monstrosity that shot her withthe Joker's laughing has. She expired several minutes later even after an antidote was administered. Alfred, too, got stabbed a moment later when he answered the door. He described his attacker as 'Zorro'. Naturally, Batman deduced it could have been Henry Ducard, one of his former mentors who happened to be a criminal and a master of disguise. The same monstrosity came to kill Ducard, all while wearing the faces of the infamous Rogue's Gallery, every villain that Batman defeated and put in Arkham Asylum--some of whom he recently took his anger on after he lost Leslie and almost Alfred (thankfully Damian, Bruce's son, came around to help). 

By the time Batman encountered another former teacher, Thaddeus Brown (a.k.a Mister Miracle), his suspicions were confirmed that this creature seems to be interested in harming people who had trained him. I, too, was already suspecting something longer before I reached the last two issues. The fifth installment featured Dr. Hugo Strange, Demon Etrigan, and Dr. Silas Stone, and that's why it's such a clunky issue for me overall. The panels are quite busy. Mahnke and co. are working overtime here!

I don't want to get to it because during my first reading, I got lost halfway and even somewhat bored after page after page of fight scenes that sidelined actual storytelling. My second time reading it? I understood it much better but I was also underwhelmed and unimpressed. I suddenly ot flashbacks of PEARL which was the only lackluster arc Tomasi had written in New 52 for B&R. Much like for that, this Mythology storyline was beginning to lose me, which defeats the purpose of a penultimate!

Here's the only bright spot amongst the incoherence: a callback to the Hellbat and its history!

RECOMMENDED: 7/10

The finale was...a bit of a letdown only if you, as a reader, may have already guessed what the heck was going on all along. I may have my suspicions, but I was also hoping they'll be disproved. Sadly, they weren't. Apparently, Bruce subjects himself to a psychological nightmare sequence for EVERY BIRTHDAY of his. And this is what it looks like; his loved ones dying over and over again so he could face the sacrifice he has to make to become the Dark Knight. Really, though. Every. Birthday. And people used to wonder why they cast Robert Pattinson in the role for the latest Bat-flick, when the original emo heartthrob vampire was not Edward Cullen but Bruce Wayne. That scene where he buries young Bruce in order to become Batman was bad enough, but really? EVERY BIRTHDAY, BRUCEY? It doesn't nearly resonate, something I wouldn't expect from Tomasi, but even the seasoned Scott Snyder has his duds (TBWL being the latest one, in my opinion). What I can say about the closing chapter was that it provided us with very great scenes that involved Batman being confronted by his child-self. A tiny Bruce in Batman costume? It's cute and freaky all at once! I also like these particular pages below (and the one at the cemetery which I didn't bother to screenshot. Those were bittersweet panels if not morose).

I don't have anything else to say, really, except that even though the first two issues and the fourth had been great in building up the suspense and giving us some dark camp, the entire Mythology was simply not going to Peter J. Tomasi's finest work. I'm not even excited for the #1000 issue of Detective Comics, but you know, I'll be an optimist. It could get better. It has to!

RECOMMENDED: 7/10

Detective Comics issue #997 by Peter J. Tomasi

Since the last issue wasn't anything worth writing home about, I was glad it was remedied by this one, my most favorite installment of the Mythology arc mainly of two things, which I will discuss henceforth below. But first, let me try and tackle the art first since I don't think I've dwelt on Doug Mahnke's work that much.

I don't want to make unfair comparisons between him and Patrick Gleason, who was Tomasi's partner during the Batman and Robin run for New 52. The styles were so inherently different anyway. Also, what I noticed more for this fourth installment was the great detail in the art , credited to Mahnke and co. And oh boy, were there great scenes that occurred here, and they've been made  visually striking, which is a credit to the main artist for delivering.

To recap: After Batsy's run-in with former mentor Herny Ducard, he began to notice a pattern, which was the fact that someone (or something) had been targeting men and women who acted as his teachers or even surrogate parents much like Leslie and Alfred. Naturally, my mind went to Ra's Al Ghul, so imagine my pleasant surprise when they brought in THADDEUS BROWN instead, also known as MISTER MIRACLE. This is a very obscure piece of fanlore that I only recalled because I'm still in the middle of reading the awesome Mister Miracle (2018) graphic novel which was, coincidentally, written by Tom King himself (Rebirth's writer for the flagship Batman title). I was already eating it up!

When you're a Batman writer, you need to take bigger risks like the Dark Knight, including the misses more than the hits. This, to me, was one of the most awesome hits!

Anyway, his Prime Earth version was said to have "educated a young Bruce Wayne in the art of escape". Hence that glaring cover! To keep up with the parallelism, Tomasi had Batsy and Thads chained underwater and surrounded by sharks. If it wasn't for the serious tone of the entire ordeal, this could have easily been featured in Adam West's Batman 66 show or comic! It was pretty funny as it is gruesome!

All I could think about during this scene was, 'Am I really just reading Batman surrounded by piranhas feasting on sharks and he uses a chunk of the shark meat to slide down the chain fastened around his ankle so that the carnivorous fish can chew around the leather strap? Right before Mister Miracle chewed on that strap too?' which was followed by a bemused, 'Why, yes, I am.'

The second thing that made this issue my favorite was the appearance of that morphing monstrosity (I'm just gonna call him MoMo as my personal shorthand from now on). Unlike in the last issue, it didn't just try to kick Batman's ass, MoMo decided to get even further metaphorical by shapeshifting into the Waynes and the rest of the Bat-family. Because, again, it's fuck-you-Bruce all the day, all night for this particular arc, and I guess that's why it's called Mythology. It revisits what makes Batman himself through a nightmare.

I am rating the highest because it's my favorite of all, so there's nothing objective about that!

RECOMMENDED: 9/10

Detective Comics issue #996 by Peter J. Tomasi

It just wouldn't be Detective Comics without Batman being a detective, and this third installment showcases exactly that. I don't really have anything much to say for this issue because I think of all six, I liked this the least, mostly because after the fast-paced excitement of the first two issues, this one slows down the momentum to set up necessary exposition again. Not that Tomasi didn't try to expidite the process by breezing through a couple pages of Batman, in several disguises, traveling Europe until he finds the man he'd been looking for.

And that man is no other than Henry Ducard.  

Because it's been so long, I barely even recall what more recent confrontation he had with Bruce until 'NoBody' was mentioned. That character was created during the initial run of Tomasi's Batman and Robin where Damian Wayne is the fourth Robin and also Bruce's son. It was definitely a callback that I can appreciate even though that particular wasn't the best Tomasi had to offer back then (that will come later on once he's polished his interpretation of Damian further and built up the father-son relationship more). So, to recap, Henry Ducard, according to online sources, 'is often credited in teaching him both detective/investigation skills and how to hunt enemies. Ducard's relationship with Wayne is often shown as strained, due to him being involved in the criminal underworld'.

Batman thought of him as the primary suspect after he got Damian to come so he can operate on Alfred. Damian is apparently still a pre-teen boy? I thought he at least reached his late teens, but then again Rebirth is like New 52 in a sense that it restarted stuff in canon again, so whatevs. Apparently too, Damian and Bruce aren't in the best of terms lately because of some issue I never got to read about because of my three-year hiatus after 2017, but it doesn't matter. Right now Batman is looking for Ducard because he has the most motive. OR DOES HE?

As if to blatantly disprove this theory, the morphing monstrosity from the first issue comes back, and this time it became a hydra of many heads, only that each head corresponds to the face of the villains Batman has fought in his Rogue's Gallery, including the ones he just beat up in the beginning of this issue. At this point, I'm getting suspicious that this might all be metaphorical. Oh, and it also killed Ducard, and with his dying breath, Ducard was like, "Yo, I'ma die on you out of spite especially cos you killed my son too!" 

That was pretty much it. In comparison to the first two, this was a bland monthly release. Even with the Damian cameo.

RECOMMENDED: 7/10

Detective Comics issue #995 by Peter J. Tomasi

Batman thought that the most haunting call he's gotten tonight was when Commissioner Gordon asked him to check a crime scene where uncannily accurate copycat versions of his parents' corpses were left inside a water tank for display. However, it got worse when a close associate, Dr. Leslie Thompkins, called him while she's under attack by a creature that seemed to be using her as bait to draw him out. Shit hit the fan when she got shot by the Joker's laughing gas. Desperate, Batman calls Alfred so his trusted butler can get the antidote ready by the time he reaches the Wayne Mansion to save the woman who had saved his life as a child long ago. And that's where we pick up for the second issue.

There isn't much that happens to this issue as far as action is concerned. And by action, I meant the usual fodder of Batman kicking ass. We got plenty of that from last issue. However, what makes this installment a compelling one nevertheless was how it tackled Bruce Wayne's relationship with the good doctor herself. While using the trope in which a soon-to-expire character started frantically monologuing as she fights to stay conscious and alive, Leslie tries to reassure the scared little boy she knew so well that's concealed by that mask he wore as the Dark Knight. 

I also thought it was pretty creepy seeing her with 'Joker face' the entire time, wheezing with laughter, all while delivering dramatic statements about how proud she was of Bruce and not just because of his work as Batman. It's downright cruelly ironic in a sense that the woman who became a second mother to Bruce wore the face of his arch-nemesis, the Clown Prince of Crime. I couldn't think of anything more sadly fatal than that. It's like being traumatized all over again.

There was also a beautiful sequence later on that was drawn as a two-paged spread in the issue in which Bruce tries to revive Leslie, and we get fragments of shared memories between them going as far back as his childhood, when Leslie tried to help him mend what could have stayed broken inside the young Bruce forever but didn't, because she came to his life.  This kind of earnest emotional aspect to Tomasi's writing is very familiar to me. It was the reason his 40-issue run for Batman and Robin made me such a huge, raging, bawl-my-eyes-out fan.

Of course, since this is Batman we're talking about here, he hasn't even caught his breath and properly grieve Leslie's passing before Alfred is getting stabbed in another scene after he answered the door to what he believed was supposed to be Commissioner Gordon. But no...it was...Zorro? Because, fuck you, Bruce, that's why. As any Bat-fan knows, the Waynes went to see THE MARK OF ZORRO on the night the parents were gunned down. In and out of comics, Zorro or his archetype did inspire the creation of Batman.

I think the issue's end is the best yet for this arc, which isn't really saying anything. Fueled by grief and rage after losing Leslie and almost losing Alfred, Batman goes to Arkham Asylum to meet his old friends and rehash the past: "I want you all to think this place as like a carnival of funhouse tonight, except the only monster in here with you IS ME."

RECOMMENDED: 8/10

Detective Comics issue #994 by Peter J. Tomasi

I have been a fan of most of Peter J. Tomasi's work, particularly of his New 52 BATMAN AND ROBIN run. Granted, it's been YEARS since I followed the current line-up of DC's REBIRTH save for that seven-issue oneshot Scott Snyder did that wasn't compliant to the canon at the moment. This is why I think it's only right to come back to my readings by selecting the Bat-writer I have the most interest in, a sort of relearning the ropes. 

The thing about Batman comics is that there's an overwhelming amount of shit to read, but like with most long-running series especially in the comics medium, the best thing to do is to pick an era and stick with it. That's what I did with New 52 even if I was solely following Bat-related stories and not the entire DC lineup (unless to contextualize crossover events; but even then I merely just do minimal research). 

I disclose this because reading the first six issues of this MYTHOLOGY arc for Detective Comics meant there were a few head-scratching instances because I cannot recall a certain callback to a previous storyline that had been covered before. However, it's a good thing I have this blog because Tomasi actually pulled from his own canon from BATMAN AND ROBIN that happened to have been influenced by Grant Morrison's BATMAN INCORPORATED events as well. One of these days, I'll read my reviews so I can refresh my memory. In the meantime, let's contend with my initial assessment for the debut issue of Tomasi's Detective Comics arc called 'Mythology'.

Everyone grew up with Batman; the post-millennials may had been the last batch who were aware about the 'mythology' of this superhero, and that knowledge was mostly derived from the DCEU films, if not the Nolan trilogy. So we can all collectively say that Batman's origin story of trauma and trying to cope/rise above it by becoming a vigilante had been done to death already. And that's the task Tomasi decided to tackle here; how do you make something as common knowledge as the recipe for, I don't know, casserole, and mix it up so it can be made fresh for not just new readers who will pick up Detective Comics for the first time ever, but to the devoted fanbase who have close to twenty or more years of reading Batman? The answer, apparently, was something macabre.

(Oh, and it's worth noting that this Bat-title has now been numbered according to how many issues there have been from the beginning of its publication, hence why this is #994. I think it's actually pretty cool. I'm not sure if the flagship titles is doing the same.)

After the pages open to a young Bruce Wayne seeing his parents die then years later he's Batman, gracefully moving across the skyscrapers during patrol night, the next pages cut to Commissioner Gordon and our hero looking at a pair of corpses preserved inside a large water tank. They've been dressed as no other than Thomas and Martha Wayne--except that the uncanny likeness went so much deeper than designer wear and accessories. These victims had even undergone extensive cosmetic surgery, and the bullet wounds they each sustained were an exact match from the original crime scene. Now, who would be cruel enough to do this? (I actually started typing this review of the first issue of the arc already knowing how it ends because I finished Mythology in one sitting yesterday. Usually, I start typing a review after I finish an issue to build up excitement, so you can imagine how much I'm trying not to hint my overall opinion for now until I finished typing all the reviews for the six issues). Whoever it is, I speculated they must have known Batman is Bruce Wayne. This was clearly a theatrical way of explicitly stating such a well-guarded secret. Honestly, any of the Rogue's Gallery would have pulled it off, if they knew who Batman is under the cowl. A few would have such attention to detail, however.

Normally, I'd say I can only imagine what it must have felt like for Bruce (even as Batman) to examine dead bodies that were specifically made to resemble his parents right down to the most dastardly detail of violence. But since I lost my own father two years ago, I know exactly how I would feel if it was me in his situation. I'll be rightfully pissed and vengeful. Losing a parent unexpectedly was bad enough; losing both to a murder you witnessed as a child is a thousand times worse. And now as an adult man dressed as a vigilante trying to make something out of the grief, you find yourself staring at copycat versions of people you love most in the world being paraded as ghoulish attractions? The absolute WORST! Still, that's probably only the cherry of this shit-cake.

Wile still in the middle of putting things together with Gordon, Bat's attention abruptly shifted to a drastic call from one of his secure com lines. The issue reached an action-packed climax in which he's trying tor rescue Dr. Leslie Thompkins, who was his psychiatrist as a child, and one who made such a huge impact in his journey of recovery. She was chased by a...morphing monstrosity that looked generic and yet terrifying all at once. Why did it try to lure Batman using Leslie as bait? Did it have anything to do with the copycat Wayne corpses back at the crime scene? In any case, it was ravenous and seemingly unstoppable. One of the things I like about Doug Mahnke's art so far was that it had the right kind of 'broody' that was definably Batman: dark shadows against surprisingly clean lines even during more kinetic sequences. As far as action goes, the issue delivered well, though nothing groundbreaking, really. 

I thought that the twist at the end with Leslie, as horrible as it had been, was very well done and certainly made me look forward to the next installment. For a monthly release, that's always the goal of a single comic book issue. Exposition and Rising Action were both established for Raze, the first of a six-chapter arc. Like I said, I read all of the issues, so my next reviews may be shorter than usual (or combined, depending on my mood), on account that the middle installments didn't engage me as much.

RECOMMENDED: 8/10

Detective Comics by Peter J. Tomasi issues #45-46

I've been so tragically out-of-touch with my Batman because of other pressing reading materials that I have scheduled before this year ends, but that also means I can look forward to reading new issues together regarding one story arc, rather than just wait until the next monthly release. This is exactly what happened for the new roster for Detective Comics. I do miss the tandem of Buccaletto and Manapul, but there are promising horizons to be explored now that we have a new writer handling this series. And it's someone I dearly love and admire as a comics writer. In my last review for Detective Comics, I expressed elation upon receiving news that Peter J. Tomasi, writer for my all-time favorite Bat-title from New 52 line-up, Batman and Robin, will take over the writing duties for this title, and now he has with this simple but elegant two part story entitled Of Giants and Men and Blood on Blood, issues 45-46 respectively. Accompanied by artist Marcio Takara and colorist Chris Sotomayor, Tomasi's debut story is visually spectacular. It features the Justice League too and I definitely love how they look together as a unit especially Wonder Woman and Aquaman. Narrative-wise, the two issues had Tomasi's signature all over it which was great because like I said, I totes love the guy.

I believe this was a good start for his run for Detective Comics. At first glance, you thought he was going for something flashy with the Himalayan murder mystery and all, but since I'm familiar with Tomasi's work long enough to understand that he is in fact a writer who employs emotional resonance in his stories, this means I was more than content when the story eventually wrapped up because it was the kind of delivery and ending that I expected as a fan of his style. In Of Giants and Men, we see Alfred and Bruce who was, as we know, no longer the same man we all knew and loved. Bruce is essentially a new person without memories of his past and traumatic childhood to cling onto and therefore it was difficult for him to get back on the superhero-ing game because he just doesn't have the same drive and motivation anymore. That doesn't stop the Justice League from seeking his assistance though. Unfortunately, thanks for Wonder Woman's lasso of truth which she had bound him with as she and Bruce talked it out, JL found out in the deeply saddest way that their compatriot is simply not coming back to them. All of them looked so disheartened, especially Superman, who shook Bruce's hand as he had to pretend that this wasn't Batman, seeing as Bruce at this time has yet to figure out that he's not just helping JL by having Wayne Enterprises fund resources for their capecrusading activities and whatnot. 

Still, hardly discouraged, the League goes to Jim Gordon, the currently appointed man masquerading in his robo-bunny Batsuit, to assist them in their puzzling case since what they required right now was a detective to solve it. Gordon was understandably apprehensive yet honored that the League wanted his help so he joined them in the Himalayas where a chilling display awaited him; a months old corpse of a giant creature reduced into its skeletal remains as it lay in the snow for no one to see until now. In the follow-up issue Blood on Blood, we see more of artist Takara's talent as he quite brilliantly infused both a haunting atmosphere surrounding the investigation, and a very warm one as we reach the tale's end. I really enjoyed the panels where we see the League working together as they try to figure out what caused the giant corpse's demise, only to find out that it was blunt force trauma...which meant there's another giant involved and it's their perpetrator. Jimbo is also quite impressive with his deductive reasoning here, arriving to the right conclusion just in time as him and the League were attacked by an assailant whom they never would have suspected is only a mere child, and a very malnourished one at that. 

It turns out that the two giant corpses where that of his parents. The mother had killed the father for sustenance and then she gave birth to the baby inside the cave. To feed the baby and keep it alive, she also gave up her life, and said baby had to live via cannibalizing its mother. This wasn't enough at all especially when the umbilical cord was still attached to it, and so the baby had to fend for itself and feast on unsuspecting mountain hikers who get lost in the snowy wilderness. Once Jim figured this out, he knew how they can save the rest of the League who were captured by the baby out of self-defense. They simply had to restore the mother's corpse into something the baby would recognize. In doing so, the baby was so thankful to see its mother again that it let them go easily, more focused on laying on its mother's arms than doing them harm. Feeling rather sorry for it, the League was determined to see it to safety and out of that dank place, and Gordon stayed behind to sing it a lullaby. 

I honestly believe that if this was Bruce Wayne, he never would have done such a thing, mainly because Bruce--as much as he had grown as a father thanks to his relationship with Damian--is simply not that affectionate and emotionally expressive in general. But who knows? Maybe he could have had. But I'd like to think this was something Jim Gordon could do for a creature deprived of warmth and companionship for such a long time as it slowly starved to death but tried to stay alive anyway. This act of kindness of compassion was so moving, of course, and elevated Gordon yet again as human being. He was the one who solved this mystery. If it wasn't for him, this might have been a tragedy, with the League accidentally killing the baby without understanding what had happened firsthand. So it was a happy ending of a sort that tied these two issues together, and it's the kind of work that I can always expect from Peter J. Tomasi. I'm very excited for the rest of his run!

RECOMMENDED: 8/10

Detective Comics by Buccelatto issue #44

To answer the elephant smashing its way into the room: NO. Hell to Leslie Knope, I can honestly say that it also never crossed my mind that there was ever a need for Joker Robot to make any appearance at all but Detective Comics disagreed with me about this--and that ballsy and campy response in the face of logical storytelling simultaneously makes me hate what I just read and enjoy it all at once. I can't for the life of me believed that none of the characters in this issue just took a step back to re-asses the absurdity of their situation so they can recalibrate a better response; something akin along the lines of flat-out just asking a higher power, "Jesus fuck, are we in a comic book?" because that kind of biting self-awareness and breaking-the-fourth-wall snideness would be feel right at home next to whatever the goddamn shit just happened in Buccelatto's piece right now. The only saving grace from this is that it's thankfully over. I close this comic book issue and immediately forgot about it until I had to write a review and revisit the stupidity of it all over again.

Now, to be fair, when this arc first started, it felt like a promising premise for some gritty crime drama with lots of intrigue and deception as the story's meat and bones, but then it slowly devolved into this weird, theatrical farce that I think even the writer themselves know is utter shite but decided to go along with, possibly due to creative restrictions. However, I may just be theorizing blindly about that but it's only because I'd like to give more credit to the combined talents of Manapul and Buccelatto, so I simply chose to believe that this wasn't near their best effort. I've seen it firsthand in Icarus sans the concluding issue. Anarky was also strong follow-up, but whatever the fuck this was with the fucking robots and goddamn Joker's Daughter part of the plot--it's an awful mumbo jumbo that is so easy to criticize and dismiss as a prank all in itself.

Harvey Bullock's share of the story could have worked so much more riveting as a standalone piece; the man is proving to be a compelling character of his own right since Manapul and Buccelatto took the mantel for Detective Comics and started including him in more assertive and integral roles into the cases they were weaving. Since Anarky, Bullock has been engrossing to see on page especially his strained relationship with the previous Batman and now with the new Batman who happens to be his long-time friend and colleague, Gordon. I would've loved to have more of an intimate exploration to this relationship now that the dynamics between them have drastically changed. That could have been something worth my time.

But instead of that, we got Bullock's one-off romance with the newbie Nancy Yip whose questionable moral compass is pretty damn ridiculous that I don't buy her turncloaking and then regretting her actions later in just a span of two measly issues or so. Even more unbelievable enough is Bullock's insistence to see the good in her, justifying that she deserves a second chance so he helped her fake her death so she can start over. If there is any character who isn't worthy of forgiveness in this issue, it's Yip. She basically just explains to Stefan Falcone that the reason she became crooked was because it was the only option and her pure survival instinct kicked in. She sounded as if she didn't even bother to try fighting the corruption and the temptation; the girl simply rolled over and took the pile of shit that collapsed on her. It's so unrealistic and it made her character so heinous because her amoral stance was contradictory to the part of her character that claimed to be in love with Bullock. She was just so inconsistent! I was glad to be rid of her when this story ended. I feel like getting a shower just to scrub away her stink.

Speaking of grimy filth you can never wash off, my favorite part of this comic book had to be the confrontation between Jim Gordon, still clad in his BatRoboBunny armor, and Joker's Daughter who has been piloting the Joker Robot ever since the La Muerto dudes stole the nuclear power source last issue so rhat JD can have her very own cheesy and stupid machine in the game because she's a cunt and I swear to god, DC, if you incorporate her character into any Bat-story one more time, I will go commit my own murder spree--a hyperbole, sure, but I hope the gravitas of my sentiment were perfectly understood. This is why I was so relieved and a tad bit sadistically overjoyed when Jim smacks the bitch down and succinctly summarized everyone's thoughts about JD as a useless waste of space that doesn't even deserve to be deemed as a character. Gotham City is more of a character than this asshole. Isn't it just so damn cathartic to see Jim humiliate her this way. Stop being a hypocrite and agree with me!

Joker's Daughter can go ahead and eat a rotten dick and nobody will mourn her

It's sad to come to terms with this but I will always remember that artist-writer power duo Francis Manapul and Brian Bucelatto had a great run in Detective Comics while it lasted; it's just a little tragic that this was their last contribution to the title, though. I grieve them profusely but I was also elated to find out that Peter J. Tomasi (former writer for New 52 Batman and Robin) will replace them from here on, along with artist Marcio Takara whose illustrations I'm very excited to see. I've heard great stuff about him and now my expectations are set. Overall, this bizarre and ridiculously uneven storyline at least managed to have great moments in between, particularly the parts with Bullock and Stefano Falcone's plan to corrupt every GCPD officer so they can all be in his payroll and those who won't comply will be executed. I liked that part of the narrative enough; the rest with BatRoboBunny (RoboBatBunny? Goddammit, I could never get it right...) and Joker Robot is now forever suppressed in the depths of my memory and will hopefully never resurface in my waking life.

RECOMMENDED: 7/10

Detective Comics by Buccelatto issue #43

Even as I type this review, I'm presently balls-deep into the X-Men comics cavern (and yes, I used that expression correctly, if you can even believe it), which also meant spending less time with Batman. Still, there are three ongoing DC titles I keep track of and still find time to post reviews for, so my Bat-blog will have some surge of activity in a monthly basis at least. Let's start with Manapul and Buccelatto's Detective Comics run whose visual work for this story arc is illustrated by Fernando Blanco.

Manapul doesn't write this issue with Buccelatto at all which was puzzling to me and though I could give the latter some kudos for taking on the writing job solo for this issue, I can't wholeheartedly say that this installment was particularly engaging. There are small moments of greatness but overall, the narrative of this issue just didn't mesh well as one cohesive picture of events. It started out very excellently though; picking up right after the cliffhanger from issue 2 where Gordon stepped out of his robobatbunny suit to fight off three goons which I don't think was possible for him to survive through. Yet he did, frustratingly enough. The three goons in question were formidable fighters themselves and only someone of Bruce Wayne's training could have logically defeated them but not someone like Gordon who is not used to such brutal combats. That entire thing felt like a plot hole to me and, judging by how Bullock and Yip reacted when they found Gordon--beaten up yet still conscious with the two goons on the ground and one escapee--I think they share my utter amazement as well.

So the issue explained that these La Muerte mercenaries were hired by a Falcone (Stefano) and their goal is to steal the robobatbunny suit's nuclear power source. Oh yeah, apparently, Gordon has been running around with a FUCKING nuclear power source inside his combat gear, and that freaked him out upon learning about it but at this point, it's all a matter of hindsight and perspective. What should be done now is to look for said annoying could-kill-masses thing and stop whoever plans to use it to...kill the masses with bombs, I assume (only to be proven wrong later at the last page of this issue...well, sort of). To make matters worse, we also get another unwelcome appearance from FUCKING JOKER'S DAUGHTER (Goddammit all to hell and beyond, DC, stop making JD happen. IT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN).

God, I know how scattered my review is beginning to read by now and I would like to apologize for that. Let's remedy that, shall we? Now I want to talk about the production of this series as a whole since ManaBuc took over and in the aftermath of Divergence/Convergence big-event that came to pass earlier this year. I still think Detective Comics is a title from the roster worth picking up and I certainly enjoyed immensely what Francis Manapul and Brian Buccelatto have done since they started collaborating as writer and artist together. So I guess I do miss ManaBuc's collaborative artistic styles because it's the reason I viscerally fell in love with their duo in the first place. There is this shockingly energizing fluidity in each panel of their scenes every time they draw action scenes, most especially the quiet moments with Batman performing detective work. I can't say the same about current artist Blanco's work, and yet after three issues in, I think his style has taken a more personal signature which makes it distinct from that of ManaBuc's own, and I'm pleased to see some evolution in his artwork then. Some of them are downright atmospheric, most likely because of the colors that really brought out that eerie quality in the scenes Blanco depicted. I like these panels below:

Much like before, I enjoy the back-and-forth police drama that the story arc so far has heavily emphasized and consistently followed through. I like crime procedurals especially when they're done right and so far the writing for this story has been balancing the right tone and mood with just enough believability to keep me engage in the conflict and revelations unfolding. One notable one was about Nancy Yip, Bullock's partner (whom he was also sleeping with) and she turned out to be a dirty cop (which we were already privy of since issue #41, honestly). The developments are happening for this arc in general, but they are coming slow and often underwhelming and I don't mind, really. I'm reading this series because I like how integral Bullock feels in this story, and his relationship with the new Batman is refreshing, considering he has a real, personal connection with Gordon and therefore has to support him in his law-sanctioned vigilantism. That's a big step for someone like Harvey who is adamant about bringing down masked superheroes from the get-go. His, er, deal with Gordon about killing Yip was unsettling though. I'm just going to assume he wants to save her because he has feelings for her and he's asking for Gordon to help him make her disappear and start over somewhere. I could be wrong and I don't mind if I am because the last page of this issue was really...bonkers.

When one steals a nuclear power source, we would assume it's for mayhem and explosives, and though some side-bombing in the middle of a highway did take place near the end (I assume this is Stefano Falcone's work?), the real clincher is what that stupid Joker's Daughter used her share of the power source (am I getting this all mixed up? I got the distinct impression that the La Muerte are serving two masters who may or may not be aware of each other). What did JD use the nuclear power source for, you ask? Don't be glad you did because this is the only answer we will ever going to get for now:

WHAT. THE. FUCK. IS. THAT? Look I know they are calling it a "Jokerbot" but, seriously....WHY???

At this point, I don't know what's going to happen to Detective Comics but I will keep reading and reviewing anyway.

RECOMMENDED: 7/10

Detective Comics by Manapul & Buccelatto issue #42

What is happening with the 42nd installments of the two major Bat-titles post-Convergence, eh? For some reason, none of this has been interesting and they had such promising openers at that. Both sophomore issues from this one and Snyder's Batman were less than impressive because everything has been a slow build-up to something readers don't even know yet and makes me wonder if the writers themselves have even figured out. Detective Comics's follow-up is dialogue-heavy with only a few notable conversations that were insightful to the story being told at hand.

Artist Fernando Blanco offers nothing exciting for the visuals which was a darn shame because I think it was mostly because of how expository this issue had been and I don't think Blanco had a dynamic style that could enliven the panels as two or three characters are just standing around in them, talking. Only two parallel action sequences at the beginning and end were featured here which I think were at least pretty cool to look at. As for the characters themselves, Bullock is consistently being portrayed in a positive light which I liked, and his varied relationships with his co-workers were also emphasized, particularly with Montoya and Gordon.

I do enjoy the fact that Bullock is learning to adjust his perspective about the new Batman since he knows who is operating the Robo-bat-bunny suit. I will never get used to typing that term properly, by the way. There is trust and camaraderie between Bullock and Gordon and this extends to every aspect of their interactions. Meanwhile, the villains for this issue are named La Muerte who have the misfortune of being associated with a villain whose initials are JD. That is no other than fucking Joker's Daughter. Therefore, I hate the La Muerte by instinct already. Dear gods of DC, why does it have to be that motherfucking waste of space? Why Joker's Daughter, of all vile things ever puked on a comic book page? I dread reading about her next time. I swear I might throw a hissy fit in my next review.

There's really nothing else noteworthy for me to expound on and discuss here. As talky as this issue was, there was little moving forward and I just don't get the sense like ManaBuc themselves have anything credible and engrossing to tell as a story but only for this particular issue alone. I hope that changes next time. Third time might be the charm. I need these freaking Bat-titles to stop slacking off way too much because I maintain that Gordon as Batman is an enticing premise. Now it just needs to deliver.

RECOMMENDED: 7/10

Detective Comics by Manapul & Buccelatto issue #41

I've  consistently expressed my desire for the tandem of Buccellato and Manapul to continue working on this title and it looks like I'm going to keep getting what I want when it comes to this. However, both men take a step back from illustrating their own stories this time and we get artist Fernando Blanco instead, giving their third arc for Detective Comics a completely different look and feel to the pages which is not necessarily a bad thing even if I will miss their beautiful landscape illustrations and gorgeous character details. If you haven't started reading their run then you are missing out on some of the best visual demonstrations of comic book action and stylistic panel sequences.

That being said, the cover was still drawn by my man Manapul and it's a style I've been very much fond of. It looks like a vintage recruitment poster which was probably intentional when we stop to consider the timeliness of it all, given the new Batman patrolling the streets of Gotham. Speaking of artistic styles: it is most considerable to talk about the fact that even though Blanco is responsible for the visual layout of this issue, the panel framework is familiarly Mana-Buc (I'll just shorten their names like this together from now on) with their careful division of panels across a full-paged spread that usually denote an extended series of action poses of some kind, or to showcase a fluid transition between two simultaneous scenes occuring in different places. It's a signature style I have now began to associate with their version of Detective Comics.

This issue entitled Reunion puts Harvey Bullock in a major role yet again which is one of the more creative highlights of the previous arc Anarky. His dislike and disconcerting rivalry with Batman as written by Mana-Buc had been entertaining and it's good to see him again in a role that is taken seriously and has so many potentials to grow and take over the entire thing. I am honestly riding the bandwagon of BULLOCK SHOULD BE THE STAR FOR DETECTIVE COMICS so hard right now. If that's going to be the case then I'm gonna have so much fun reading this series with more vigor and enthusiasm. I never considered myself a Bullock man but he's gotten great stories lately and I could definitely see him being able to carry half the load for this series.

The other half, of course, should belong to Batman. As spoiled in the last review and, really, this shouldn't be such a big surprise right now: James Gordon has been sponsored by this affluent businesswoman to don a Batman armor and work alongside law enforcement.  This issue mainly focused on how GCPD would adapt to this complication, particularly Bullock who was of course not a fan of the idea. I think he misses Batsy even in a begrudging, apathetic sort of way, and he will never see thr silver lining or advantage of working with a vigilante and only rightfully so. That is until he learns who is underneath the still-ridiculously named Robobat Bunny armor. 

Once again, I have great hopes that this new arc will offer me lots of material to digest, discuss and fangirl about. This opener was promising and I hope Mana-Buc will stick to Bullock being a major focus particularly his working relationship with the new Batman who was also one of his oldest friends and a trusted leader, someone he respects enough to maybe consider collaborating with him during cases. As for the upcoming central conflict in this arc, it looks like GCPD particlarly certain officers will have roles to play that might get antagonistic in the long run. 

With a new Batman, a new status quo has to be established which means a little shake-up is not only unavoidable but also necessary.

RECOMMENDED: 8/10

Detective Comics by Manapul & Buccelatto issue #40

CONFESSION TIME: I finished reading this last issue of the Anarky series almost a month ago when it was released but put off writing a review for it because I was quite disappointed of the ending. But it wasn't nearly comparable to my resentment about Manapul and Buccelatto's previous closer for the Icarus arc. There was just something about this last piece that felt dishonest somehow. Much like Icarus, the set pieces were well-placed across the scarlet thread, as any riveting detective story worth looking forward to. The last issue left me breathless in particular.

Now I could never cease complimenting and commending the narrative style of these two people as well as the visual masterpieces they created as a cohesive singularity for every issue. In this sense, Anarky was an impressive accomplishment that made me respect Batman as a crime-solving sleuth in a whole new level. This was a proper noir piece. Manapul and Buccelatto have rekindled my passion for this genre in the comic book medium at that. I will be forever in their debt because of that.

That being said, I think they need to craft their endings a little better. After all, I still want them to be writing more Detective Comics in the future. Objectively speaking, this one is an improvement from the Icarus ending in a lot of respects, but while the latter was a spectacle of the shallow sort, this one was actually pretty bland, a rather ordinary last chapter to an otherwise intriguing premise and heart-pounding climactic ascent. It was also quite misleading. I thought this was an Anarky-centered tale, even when they actually shot and almost killed the teenage boy behind the persona himself (Lonnie Machin) by the second arc, subverting readers' expectations in the process which was clever (if and only if it served a purpose which was not what happened once the score was settled). 

Having a new Anarky for me felt like a crucial turning point because with the invalidation that Machin is the Anarky Batman is currently fighting, this meant that this adversary behind the mask is someone else with different intentions as to why he put on the mask in the first place. That alone left me biting my nails in excitement to uncover his real identity. Once this last installment gave us that, it wasn't as impactful or resonant in any sort of way, most probably because...for some reason there was an unpleasant predictability to how it was resolved. I find that there's a difference between simplicity and mediocrity when it comes to pay-offs for detective stories. A resolution can have the most predictable outcome but the journey leading towards its must be meaningful enough that an emotional investment is fulfilled somehow once the crime or mystery gets solved. 

The three issues leading to this one were constructed with great sensibility and dramatic elements but those things were ultimately insufficient because it turns out the entire thing has nothing to do with Anarky and whatever he stands for whatsoever. What happened was a bait-and-switch scenario which was why I felt cheated as a reader. This display of violence and disorder was all about the Mad Hatter. The one who has donned the Anarky persona is merely someone who has a personal grudge/vengeance to settle with the Hatter which was in itself a believable case BUT HE DIDN'T HAVE TO BE ANARKY to accomplish that. It's literally the definition of "overkill". All the events that happened before this confrontation suddenly doesn't make any sense anymore. Why would this character spend so much time in the earlier installments pretending he was an anarchist challenging the system, invoking citizen riots across Gotham, if he was only after one man? It's infuriating.

As far as cover-ups go, it all seems too much. Why would someone plan such a convoluted and city-wide panic and chaos when he was truly only targeting Mad Hatter? It's ridiculous! And unfair to what the original Anarky was intended for in canon. It's like anyone can put on that mask and do whatever he or she wants with it if they feel like their cause is justified which might have been a satisfying direction if there was any indication that this was what the writing duo was going for.

I suppose my problem lies on the fact that I wish they just created an original villain if this was the role they intended to cast him in. I felt like Anarky as a character in the old comics could have been written better for New 52 and perhaps Lonnie Machin will find his way into that persona soon, if ever. I just felt really cheated that this was about Mad Hatter all along. I suppose congratulations are in order for the biggest and most asshole of red herrings ever created? That said, I do enjoy Manapul and Buccelatto in the writing table and I would still look forward to what they plan next. There is always time for growth and change and these two must really work better with their endgames because this was the second time they left me unsatisfied. I won't stop believing in them but at this point I will also lower my expectations now. I hope to read them again in the next line-up of Detective Comics. They are still the most promising pair in comics for me so far.

RECOMMENDED: 7/10