Batman: Detective Comics 2025 Annual #1 – Al Ewing, Joshua Hale Fialkov, Writers; Stefano Raffaele, John McCrea, Fico Ossio, Mike Norton, Artists; Lee Loughridge, Triona Farrell, Ulises Arreola, Nick Filardi, Colorists
Ray – 9.5/10
Ray: Al Ewing is pinch-hitting for Tom Taylor on this annual, and it’s not a surprise that his story plays well with Ewing’s tendency for wild, mind-bending sci-fi. This issue begins with a locked-room mystery of the most bizarre kind – an eccentric tech billionaire is found stabbed to death in his own locked compound – one of the most secure, automated homes in the world. As Batman investigates it, he finds all sorts of oddities – a game controller that levitates, a library that contains no actual books but high-tech screens, and a kitchen where the knives all have computer chips – and proceed to try to kill Batman. And that’s where he finds a collection of odd books belonging to a physicist who created a mad theory decades ago.
That leads Batman on a mission to London where he consults with another physicist who knew the deceased futurist, and it becomes clear that someone isn’t just trying to master the forces he conceived of – they’re trying to weaponize them. Batman encounters a truly bizarre villain who has created supernatural beings who can weaponize emotion – he’s not the main threat, but he provides some vital clues. And in the end, Batman’s detective skills point him to the guilty party – who turns out to be far crazier than anyone expected. To say more would spoil the story, but this 30-page tale has three wildly talented artists on board and is a great example of how Batman’s calculating nature helps to keep him sane in even the most bizarre situations.
The backup, by Fialkov and Norton, is equally enjoyable but very different in tone. It focuses on a middle-school boy named David Rosales, who goes to one of the poorest schools in Gotham and is investigating a mystery – who is poisoning kids at his school with Scarecrow gas? Batman has the same question, and when they encounter each other, Batman decides having someone with a little first-hand knowledge of the place might be helpful. There are some very interesting reveals abount the school, and it’s kind of cool to see a Batman story where he’s not there to be feared but is seen as the superhero he is.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
