Batman: Detective Comics #1107 – Tom Taylor, Writer; Pete Woods, Artist
Ray – 9.5/10
Ray: A new artist and new allies await Batman as Tom Taylor kicks off his next arc, and it’s off to a very strong start. Green Arrow has come to Gotham, and it’s not long before the two of them clash. Green Arrow is always on the lookout to deal out justice, but he rarely long-games – such as when he sees a cop harassing a homeless man and attacks him. The only problem is, the homeless man was Batman in disguise, and he was willingly taking a beating to plant a tracker on the cop as part of a larger investigation. After plenty of arguments, the two are on the same page – investigating a shady AI corporation (Klep Corp, not subtle, Mr. Taylor!) that may be bumping off whistleblowers using an unknown technique. Ollie and Dinah have both set up shop in Gotham now, with Dinah taking over ownership of Wildcat’s gym since the JSAer passed away – and for one night only, it’s open to the vigilantes of Gotham.
There’s an amazing scene here where Bruce and Dinah spar, but with the caveat that they never actually land a blow on each other. Cass, with her unique skill at body language, referees the strange fight. From there, Bruce, Ollie, and Dinah – three of the heroes who trained at Grant’s Gym – head to pay tribute to someone we’ve never met before, a fourth in their little group. A mystery hero who died young and has loomed large in their lives ever since. This is a “forgotten character” story, which is hard to pull off, but the pacing of this first issue is very strong, and a new character shows up with a link to this mystery man that has me very intrigued. There’s a great sense of emotion to these scenes, and it builds throughout the issue thanks to the interaction between the individual characters. This feels a bit lighter than the earlier arcs, but in a way that fleshes out the Bat-fami and its allies in a way that’s much-needed.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes
