Batman: Detective Comics #1062 – Ram V, Simon Spurrier, Writers; Rafael Albuquerque, Dani, Artists; Dave Stewart, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: As a new era begins in Zdarsky’s title, Ram V steps on the first Batman book to tell his own story. This is the most main-line book V has done yet, featuring major characters in the center of the action. Yet despite that, it never veers away from what makes his books so strong—the intimate, character-driven suspense we see all the time in The Swamp Thing. This first issue, with art by Rafael Albuquerque, is genuinely haunting. From an opening prelude featuring a bloody opera that seems to evoke Bruce Wayne’s past and feature a disturbing Bat-demon, it seems to be designed to find out just how much Bruce can handle. The existing characters besides Bruce in this issue are few and far between, but they’re replaced with major new players who may have been there all along.
The return of the Marino family, with Sal’s nephew turning into a strange Hulk-like creature, is a surprise. It leads into a twisty plot involving an antique shipment, a secret family of global villains who may be older than the Al Ghuls—or even the Lazarus Pit itself—and a Bruce Wayne who is increasingly unsure just how long he can do this. Given the number of characters in his orbit who have aged to adulthood, Bruce has to be in his forties, but he’s rarely allowed to feel like it. An interaction with Dick Grayson shows that V has a subtle sense of humor that will serve him well here as a background accent, but the intensity rarely lets up in this first issue. If the cliffhanger is any indication, one of Bruce’s deadliest enemies may be about to return—and I can’t wait.
Then there’s the backup by Simon Spurrier and Dani. If Bruce is feeling a little over the hill, Jim Gordon has fallen down the hill and is climbing his way back up. Just off his global tour in search of the Joker, Jim is back in Gotham and seeking a way to make himself useful. The GCPD has moved on from him, his daughter doesn’t need his help, and Batman is otherwise occupied. So Jim winds up taking a tip from a dirty cop to help a woman find her missing son—which plunges him into a dark and creepy mystery in the sewers of Gotham. It’s not exactly clear what’s going on yet, but this feels like a classic Gotham noir. Unlike many past runs, both these stories feel like they’re living up to the title of this book.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
