Batman: Detective Comics #1111 – Tom Taylor, Writer; Mikel Janin, Artist
Ray – 9.5/10
Ray: This arc has been shrouded in mystery, and now Batman and his allies are up against a twisted family conspiracy aimed at avenging the legacy of Prion, their long-dead ally. His daughter, Arabella, has been turned into a ruthless assassin, hunting down and trying to kill anyone she holds responsible. She’s guided by her sadistic grandmother, seemingly the mastermind of this whole affair – and she might have ties to the string of mysterious deaths targeting whistleblowers around Gotham. But as a flashback shows, Prion’s death wasn’t a conspiracy the heroes are trying to cover up. It was a bizarre, tragic accident that was no one’s fault, which shows why they’ve been memorializing him all these years. This is actually a really unique twist on standard stories like this that adds a great emotional and human touch to everything that’s happened.
Given that, it’s no surprise that the heroes are determined to keep Arabella safe. As the issue opens, they’re explaining to her the cause of her father’s death – but she doesn’t remember trying to kill anyone. And as her grandmother unleashes hell, Black Canary races against time to get the girl to safety. Batman, meanwhile, heads to where this all began – Grant’s Gym – to try to keep it safe from another attack. That’s where he faces off against his enemy, and tries a desperate gambit that reveals a horrifying truth about the whole thing. What began as a family grudge with a murderous twist turns into something far darker and more tragic, and hints that there might be a much bigger hand working at this for a long time. Given how Taylor’s run so far has been weaving large-scale plots through Gotham, I’m guessing this might tie in to some of the big threats he’s already introduced.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes
