Comic Reviews 06.14.2021

Hey y’all. We have an all-Batman reviews today. It is an interesting pair of complimentary issues showing some of Batman’s versatility as a character. Yesterday, we did a Featured Review about Jonathon Hickman’s final X-Men issue. That was pretty fun. E3 was this weekend (And is still technically going for a couple days?) so expect a lot of that in the News Roundup this week. It’s gonna be fun.

Anyway, on to the reviews!

Spoilers for: Batman: The Detective #3, Detective Comics #1037

Batman: The Detective #3

Writer: Tom Taylor

Artist: Andy Kubert

Inks: Sandra Hope

Colors: Brad Anderson

Letters: Clem Robins

Cover: Kubert and Anderson

This series is so fun. Sending Batman to Europe is a smart way to get him out of his comfort zone. Including a number of little-used characters based on the continent to form the supporting cast is exciting. Anytime Knight is around is a good time. Then last issue introduced Henri Ducard.

This instalment expands on that relationship. It does leave open the question of why Batman has never gone after Ducard, instead seemingly ignoring him once he is out of Batman’s sight. Maybe that will be addressed in the back half of the series. Perhaps there is simply not room for that subplot.

The ending suggests Ducard has died, though it is more likely he has convinced someone he is dead. Bruce does not seem concerned with the Parisian police arriving at his hotel room to arrest him. Given Ducard purchased his own hotel room with Bruce’s card, this is not a surprising development. Unless Ducard is behind Equilibrium and their gang, this issue does not do much for the larger plot, serving as an explanation of who Ducard is and his relationship to Bruce.

Look at this absolute unit

Kubert’s art remains a great fit for this story.  His hulking, ragged Bruce strikes an imposing figure. The pages feature plenty of large panels that allow Batman to loom over every scene, even when so many also have Ducard, who is himself quite a large human. There is a great contrast with late-teens Bruce in the flashbacks being closer physically to how artists like Greg Capullo and Trevor McCarthy draw Him; he is a thinner, more lithe character than he is later in life. It is a fun distinction that makes keeping track of the timeline very simple.

Detective Comics #1037

Writer: Mariko Tamaki; John RIdley

Artist: Viktor Bogdanovic; Karl Mostert; Dustin Nguyen

Inks: Bogdanovic and Jonathon Glapion

Colors: Jordie Bellaire; John Kalisz

Letters: Aditya Bidikar; Rob Leigh; Tom Napolitano

Cover: Dan Mora

There is a lot happening in this issue. And yet, it feels as though very little progress was made in any of the plots. Perhaps being split into a main story and two short backups contributes to the problem.  None of the stories feel connected despite the Tamaki-written backup featuring several characters of import to the primary plot.

Ridley and Nguyen’s story is wholly unrelated other than featuring Batman. It is not about Batman, though. Instead, it centers around a conversation between Lucius and Alfred. They debate the different ways in which they raised their sons and how Bruce is raising his own. It is not a particularly interesting conversation though. It is not thematically or plot related but ends with a clear indication the story will continue. Future issues were not solicited with Ridley or Nguyen though so perhaps it will be in the upcoming I Am Batman series? It is a strange inclusion in this issue.

In the main story, Bruce is arrested. Then Roland worth sends an RPG into the otherwise empty police station where Bruce is detained. Somehow, he misses and Bruce escapes. Elsewhere, we learn Hue Vile is the one implanting people with weird virii. I mean, the man’s name is Vile, we all should have seen this coming.

He only wants one thing.

The first backup story is another editorial by Deb Donovan. Its about how she hates rich people and politicians and wishes they use their considerable power to improve the world. Its really a waste of space other than revealing Worth’s other died as a child and thus he has even more trauma fueling his rage. Deb is a character that Tamaki seems unsure how to use except as an exposition machine when she is around Bruce. Given she is one of the few characters new to this run still around, there are hopefully bigger plans in store.

Even the art in this issue feels lesser. Bogdanovic, Mostert, and Nguyen are all much better artists than this issue would have you believe. Nguyen in particular seems as though his work was rushed. He is capable of absolutely stunning pages, but here everything feels flat. Nothing in the issue looks especially bad; in fact, Bogdanovic does a phenomenal job conveying Worth’s rage and thirst for just as he stands in the flaming wreckage of the police station. Nothing else is noteworthy, though. Here’s hoping Dan Mora returns to interiors soon.