Review: Batman: The Detective

Pastors also need a break from heavy theological reading!  So here’s a Batman comic book review!   

 

Tom Taylor.  Batman: The Detective. Burbank, CA: DC Comics, February 15th 2022. 160 pp.

5 out of 5

Purchase: Amazon

I have not read much of Batman comics from DC Comics that was published since 2020 since like many things with post 2020 things have gotten weird but I made an exception with this comic book and I’m glad I did read this one on Batman the detective with the story by Tom Taylor.  I enjoyed it since many Batman comics is heavily about fighting action rather than a “mystery” story, which is interesting since Batman is supposed to be a detective of sorts.  But this story here is a detective story where Batman is trying to solve a mystery of whose behind a certain rampage of crime and murder. 

A brief synopsis: There was a plane crash in Europe.  Batman leaves Gotham to go find out what happen.  Now Batman is usually fighting crime in the United States, in his city of Gotham.  But we see in this story an older Bruce Wayne who is now living after the passing away of his butler Alfred Pennyworth.  So there’s not much reason to be staying and tied to Gotham on top of Batman’s existential question with all that he have done in fighting crime whether it is meaningful or worth it.  As the story progresses readers also find out why he’s drawn to this plane crash event since its tied to other crimes that’s tied to people that Batman has once saved.  There’s a network behind these crimes and Batman as the detective is not only trying to find out why but also stop it from happening to more people he’s saved.  Along the way as usual Batman wants to work alone but he’s forced to have friends and others to help him along the way including a young aspiring hero and someone who trained Batman before when Bruce was younger.  That’s a great foil with these two characters!  Batman finds out that the villain is a person name Equilibrium and finds out more about this person but as he does there’s more questions that’s raised about all that Batman has done, is it worth it and also there’s the lingering question if Batman’s help of people might have unintended consequences that no one can see.  Beautifully raises a philosophical question but it ends on a happy note one that is meaningful.

I loved this story in so many ways.  For starters I like seeing Batman operating outside the format of what’s expected in Gotham.  The artwork and colors are well done and enjoyable to see scenes from Europe including in France and the UK.  Plus we also see Batman being resourceful even outside his native Gotham!  Furthermore I thought one see in this story the vast amount of people Batman has saved over the years; but it also brought up the question of what does those people whom Batman saved will do with their life, whether for good or for bad, whether intentional or unintentional.  It gets philosophical but without overdoing it or being too dark.  Yet there’s a ray of hope.  The new characters here were also refreshing.  Everything about this comic book was excellent and I think if DC Comics can deliver more stories and artwork like these, the more people might want to read some of the new stuff they put out.

 

Advertisement