Batman: Detective Comics #1052 – Mariko Tamaki, Matthew Rosenberg, Writers; Max Raynor, Fernando Blanco, Artists; Luis Guerrero, Jordie Bellaire, Colorists
Ray – 9/10
Ray: As we reach the halfway point of Shadows of the Bat, we now know the who and how—Dr. Wear has been using the Psycho-Pirate to pacify the inmates of the asylum with his psychic powers, so they can run a massive drug operation through Gotham. When we last left off, the spell suddenly broke due to Psycho-Pirate’s exhaustion—unleashing the whole mob of mentally ill criminals on each other, with Nightwing and Huntress inside. While Huntress manages to get to safety and remains a patient in the tower, Nightwing barely escapes with his life, and this sends the Batgirls on a mission to track down the drugs the Party Crashers are funneling into the city. However, the most interesting stuff this issue takes place in the Tower.
The addition of canon foreigner Dr. Chase Meridian, from Batman Forever, seemed to be an odd choice. However, it’s done wonders for giving us an inside look at the tower. A rare ethical scientist in the city, Meridian has a complex relationship with the city’s costumed characters. But she’s one of the few people trying to blow the whistle, and her link to Batwoman (undercover as “Dr. Frow”) provides some brief rays of hope—until it’s clear just how deep Dr. Wear’s control grows. Aside from a few scenes, this story hasn’t gotten most of its excitement from traditional Gotham action. Instead, it’s a slow-burn mystery relying on psychological horror and great visuals, like the one we see in this issue’s cliffhanger.
The mysterious backup jumps forward in time again, with our young antihero firmly ensconced as one of Penguin’s boys. But he soon gets pulled into the world of his coworker Elliott, a twisted young boy who has big ambitions. The addition of Jason Todd as a former frenemy of Elliott—and secretly the new Robin—complicates things, setting the two boys on a collision course with their boss and eventually a return trip to Arkham for the main character, where it’s likely things are only going to get worse for him.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
