Detective Comics #834 - DC

This book has really come a long way from where it was a couple of years ago. I'm not sure what made them change their approach. But it works. I like Paul Dini's stories. I wonder how he can keep up on this, after working on Countdown every week. Then we have Don Kramer on art. He was somebody I never really paid much attention to before. But the last year or so on this title . . . he's come a long way in my book. Of course I've always said, if you match up the right inker with the right penciller, you're going to see fireworks. So maybe, Don and Wayne Faucher just work really well together. But the real star of this book to me has been the colorist. John Kalisz has just done a phenomenal job with the look of this book. It's very bright and vibrant. Which is totally not what the Batman is all about. So maybe it's the contrast that sticks out so much to me. But seriously, take this book and compare the coloring to almost any other, and you'll see a noticeable difference. To me . . . it's beautiful. And of course we can't leave Simone Bianchi out of the equation. She's been turning in some lovely covers on this book for quite a while now. She's another one, that I don't understand how she can turn out so much work. She's been doing Wolverine for a couple of months. Detective isn't the only covers that she does every month. And . . . she getting ready to take over the artistic chores of the Astonishing X-men. Does the lady ever rest? Just a fantastic book. The story? Well last issue we found out that the Joker had replaced a magician that was . . . kind of . . . interning with him. For lack of a better word. His name was Ivar Loxias. And they looked kind of similar. Well when he took his place his illusions started getting more death defying. With more emphasis on death and less on defying it. Well after a few assistants, and audience members, were maimed and killed, it got the Batman's attention. Also because one of the assistants that died, used to work with Zatanna. So he brings Zatanna in, they confront Loxias. Find out he's the Joker. And of course he has a trap waiting for each of them. And of course they escape those traps. But for his final trick, he plans on gathering all his followers and killing them all. Being the heroes they are, of course Batman and Z can't let that happen, so they stop him and take him in to custody. But, during the course of all this, Bruce does forgive Z for the intrusion on his mind with the JLA. So it looks like all the fences are mended now.