DETECTIVE COMICS #877

[ I AM NAKED ] 

Detective Comics are on a high at the moment, it is the longest running comic book publication is history, and chronicles the tales of one of the most pivotal characters in history as well. So what does DC Comics to do about it? REBOOT! What a disappointing turn of events, unlike this tale, Written by Scott Snyder; Drawn by Jock; and Published by DC Comics in July 2011.

THE STORY:

Using all the gumption at his disposal, Dick (Batman) Grayson, manages to free himself from the mound of cars that the gun smuggler, Bixby (Roadrunner) Rhodes, has trapped him under – before catching up to him and then questioning him about his involvement with Sonia Branch. Unfortunately, though, Bixby is as evasive with his words as he is with his mechanised legs, and Batman only goes so far with his questioning until he lets him go.

So what does Batman do next? Set his sights on Sonia Branch? Yes and no – as she confronts Batman after he has had a chat with Commissioner Gordon at police HQ, as she then absolves herself from any suspicions, by being honest with Batman about the dilemma she is in. As you see, Sonia is being cohered into using her legitimate business as a money laundering operation for the gangsters, Bixby and Tiger Shark.

So how do you think Batman takes to this news? SPLASH! Tiger Shark, this Bat is nautical! To be continued...

THE REVIEW:

To be completely honest with you, I would like to use this review as a platform to highlight my disgust with DC, relating to rebooting this title. But I won’t – that would not be fair on the stellar work that the current ‘tec-crew’ – Snyder and Jock – are doing on this book. Heck, this is one of the few books out on the stands today, which really sparks my excitement – as month after month they are able to provide a comic book series that is just rich in characterisation, content, and adventure.

Take this month for example. For me, the best bit’s in this issue – which was a great issue by the way – was the initial first half of the book. Batman and Bixby had there time to tell a tale of their lives – for Batman: the time he spends after a night on patrol and his Roadrunner knowledge – and for Bixby: his childhood in Gotham and his time in Metropolis. What was also very nice was the splattering of history scattered thought out this book – such as the Zucco relation, and the Flass connection as well. Moreover, all of this was joined together quite lavishly, with the urbane and moody line work of Jock (that is very reminiscent of Tommy Lee Edwards work on the Challengers of the Unknown).

Why the f*ck are you tampering around with this title DC? Have you not heard of the old saying ‘If it’s not broken, don’t fix it’? Detective Comics is in the best shape at the moment, than I have seen it in for a very long time. The creative team is sharp and consistent – the characterisation is spot on – the covers are great – and the overall package is out of this world. OK, I know that I promised that I would reserve this space for ‘tec-words’ only, but it is just heart breaking to see such a grand title drift away all because of editorial edict – please don’t f*ck this up DC!

Viva la Jock – Viva la Snyder – Viva la Detective Comics.

THE RATING: A