Detective Comics #867 - DC

I'm not really sure what this book is all about . . we come into this story like we should know what's going on, but . . I really don't. Basically, there's a group of kids terrorizing the town and they call themselves the Jokerz. They don't really cause any harm, other than chaos and disorder, but they go around town doing these things called 'Mad Mobs'. They take some kind of juiced down version of Joker Venom that causes the laughter and facial spasms, and generally lowers their inhibitions, but it isn't fatal like the real stuff. Well, except that it's highly addictive. One juice and you're hooked. And since the drug can be gotten on line, they also post their 'Mad Mobs', the number of Jokerz seems to grow with every outing. Now that they're a force to be reckoned with, it appears that the real Joker is intent on making an appearance at the mischievous outings. He seems to like the chaos, but he's a little bored with the outcome. That, or he just has an overall bigger plan that we just don't know about yet. Anyways, with his involvement things get ramped up pretty quickly. Some of the Jokerz get hurt, or killed, as well as a few police officers. So now it's not just a fraternity prank anymore. What gets the public in an up-rage is that one of the Jokerz victims is a respected businessman who's never even had a jay-walking ticket before. It all comes to a head with a very public display of frustration over acceptable police behavior. Which again escalates into chaos, and more than a few fatalities. It looks like Batman is going to bring in the Question on this one also. She shows up at the end of the issue. But what really bothers Batman is an internet video calling the public into action. The video is of an obviously fake Batman, but it's the words that scare them. 'The police can't do this alone. Now is the time for every able-bodied citizen to show support for law and order by following in Batman's example and the other vigilante heroes of this great country. Arm yourselves citizens of Gotham! It's time to take back the streets!' This can't end well. I'm just wondering what the Joker's real plan is here. David Hine seems to have taken on the writing of this book. Which I think is outstanding. His style and theme should fit quite well with the characters here. I'm also a big fan of Scott McDaniel's work. Some may say it's to 'cartoonish', but . . I think his style is the perfect antithesis of the dark nature of this story. It's kind of an ironic contradiction. For some reason this book has never been quite as strong as the regular Batman title. Hopefully . . that'll change. I think David and Scott are off to a good start. Oh yeah, and that stunning cover is by Peter Nguyen.

Detective Comics #866 - DC

This was an interesting issue, but . . I'm sorry . . I just didn't like it all that much. Basically it's set up to show us that the Order of St Dumas, and Azrael, stretch all the way back to Batman's beginnings. All the way back to the first time he met the Joker. Dick is chasing down some bad guys in this old mansion. When he falls through some old floor boards he stumbles across the Medallion of St Dumas, which he and Batman had lost track of on one of their first cases. And of course it happened to be a case with the Joker. So there's a bunch of flashback scenes where we see Batman and Robin out in one of their very first Bat-mobiles. They don't even know who the Joker is. All they know is that there's some guy in a clown outfit that seems to be robbing banks. Anyways, on his getaway . . a leisurely stroll down one of the side streets, he comes across a man and plants the gold chain from the Medallion in his pocket. Loomis was his name. And he came across the toughest district attorney that Gotham ever had . . Harvey Dent. He didn't stand a chance and was sentenced to 25 years, to life. But really, none of this matters. Because, as I said, this all comes back to the Order, the Medallion, and the flaming sword that the Order's protector wielded. It wasn't even really about the Joker, unless he did all of this just to bring attention to the Order and it's dealings. But . . I guess we'll never know. I just really didn't care for the flashback scenes. And the whole issue, really, seemed kind of convoluted. It definitely wasn't one of the better issues I've read. It was written by Denny O'Neil, with art by Dustin Nguyen. I don't imagine that this will carry over to the next issue. But if it does . . maybe then it'll make a little more sense.

Detective Comics #865 - DC

This issue wraps up the story of Jeremiah Arkham. And it explains quite a lot, actually. It seems that Jeremiah's madness goes all the way back to his early days when he was treating one of his first patients, Dr Hugo Strange. In that time, Strange started playing with Jeremiah's mind, manipulating him. Shortly after, Jeremiah started working with the Joker. He's the one that gave him the Marotte . . the stick with the clown head on top. Apparently it was soaked with the same poison that the Black Mask used later to make his false-face slaves. Anyways, it turns out that Strange and the Joker were working together, and through the poison, and both of their manipulations they fractured him off into a split personality. That's where the Black Mask came from. But that wasn't the end of it. Jeremiah's beauties . . the 3 special patients that he kept to himself . . they were also a figment of his imagination, as was the Jester . . the Joker kind of wanna-be, with Jeremiah's face. Jeremiah seems to be recuperating and is in the medical ward of Arkham. But there's also bigger problems. Alyce Sinner, Jeremiah's assistant, was in love with the Black Mask. So, apparently to test her lover, she allows Zsasz to gain access to his room. By the time Batman arrives, expecting Jeremiah to have been killed by Zsasz, he finds that instead Jeremiah has subdued him and carved his initials on his eyeball. Which allows Alyce and Jeremiah to be together . . apparently unfettered, because . . she's also been named as director of the asylum. Talk about handing the keys to the inmates. We thought we had seen a lot of crazy stuff come out of this place, but I have a feeling we ain't seen nothin' yet. I thought this was a fantastic story-arc by David Hine and Jeremy Haun. I really like the way that everything fell together, and it really sets us up for some craziness in the future. Fan-frikkin-tastic!! And in the Question feature . . it certainly doesn't end as expected. Last issue Vandal Savage gave the girls an ultimatum, either one of them willingly takes the 'Mark of Cain' from him, or . . he kills them both. Both of them are selfless, and both are looking out for the other. Huntress knocks out Renee and begins the process with Vandal. But before they can finish, Renee comes to Helena's rescue and stops her from making a fatal mistake. However, the mark does indeed disappear from Vandal's face. But . . Helena doesn't have it. So where did it go? We don't know for sure, but . . Renee refuses to take off her mask. 'Maybe later!' Again, setting up a strange stage for future stories of this character. I can't wait to see what happens. This part is brought to us by Greg Rucka and Cully Hamner. I wasn't really thrilled with the way this story started, but . . it certainly paid off with the ending. I wonder where we'll find Renee next?

Detective Comics #864 - DC

It appears that the story of Jeremiah Arkham is far from over. This issue we visit him in . . well, his asylum. He seems to have adapted pretty quickly . . resorting to his intellectual acumen to gain the upper hand on his would be assailants. Which really . . is everybody. So, his original intention of just sitting in here and biding his time . . isn't really all that feasible. Anyways, it appears that the Black Mask has one more plan that's still in motion. There's a fiance guy, Conrad LeBlanc, in Gotham they call him Mr Midas. Black Mask surgically implanted a bomb in this guy's chest. All Black Mask wants the guy to do is . .'Do your job, and move money wherever I tell you to.' But he has one specific deal in place that will come to fruition in 2 days. 'The stock of every major business in Gotham will collapse.' Now the problem is . . Black Mask knows the code to deactivate the bomb . . Jeremiah does not. So Batman has to figure out a way to get the information from his alternate personality. What ends up happening is a contest of wits. Jeremiah, while being questioned by Batman, tries to feed him information about his prize patients . . his Beauties. I guess he's hoping that once he's in the same cell with them that they'll help him in his struggle against Batman. Anyways, it appears that the Jester has turned his prized pupils against him. And in a fit of rage, Jeremiah ends up killing them all. The issue ends with him on the bloody floor asking Batman, 'Why? Why didn't you stop me?' Obviously Batman is up to something, I'm just not sure what. Or how. I thought this was a great story. I really liked the feel that David Hine gave to the script. And Jeremy Haun's art was perfect . . for the mood. These two together make a really good team. I also enjoyed the Question back-up, by Greg Rucka and Cully Hamner. It appears that this whole ruse by Vandal Savage . . Cain, has been to draw the Question and the Huntress to him. He's controlled things for quite a long time, but . . he's always done so while hiding in plain sight. Now, because of the 'Mark of Cain' on his forehead . . now he has to do so from the shadows. What he wants is for one of the girls to take the mark from him. 'It must be taken willingly. Which of you does it, I don't care. But one of you will . . or both of you will die.' To me, this story has definitely gotten more interesting as it's moved along.

Detective Comics #863 - DC

I liked the way that Greg Rucka handled this story. Batman and Batwoman appear to be after the same guy. A guy who kidnaps young women. A guy who uses knives as his MO. But they're actually after 2 completely different people for 2 completely different reason. The guy that Batman is after becomes obsessed with women. He meets them, establishes a relationship and then kidnaps them. While he has them, he likes to beat them up and cut them. The guy Batwoman is after however kidnapped a woman 9 or 10 years ago. She's been his prisoner ever since. In that time they've developed some kind of odd relationship. Now he's kidnapping young college girls because his victim wants to look young again. The girls that he's capturing now are for parts . . parts to do cosmetic surgery. Anyways, they both use their individual resources to crack the crimes, and they both seem to have their own special relationship with the GCPD. The only thing that really differs between these 2 is their motives. Dick is trying to fill the shoes of his mentor. While Kate is trying to fill the void left by her mother and sister. But I think they both have an equal determination. At the end, we find out that Bette wants to join Kate's cause. She looks to be dressed up as . . Flamebird. Maybe? I thought Greg did a great job of showing us the two sides to this story . . the parallels, and differences. And I thought Jock and Scott Kolins together on the art was incredible. They both have such unique styles that I was kind of surprised that they fit together so well. In the back-up Renee and Helena have followed their leads straight to Oolong Island. Which put's them in jeopardy because there . . there they are considered terrorists. Veronica Cale tells them, 'There are only two reasons to come here. To find answers or to ask questions . . and judging by the rather specialized equipment we found i your luggage, you're part of the second group. We take a dim view on spies. Industrial espionage is an issue of National security.' But she doesn't want a fight, and she doesn't want anybody else to be showing up. So she gives them a place. No name . . but a location. This drops the girls right into the hands of Vandal Savage. Who still has the Mark of Cain upon his face. This part of the story was by Greg and Cully Hamner. Overall I really enjoy this book. I like the direction that it's taking. I thought I'd miss JH Williams III, but . . Jock is a pretty good replacement. Plus, JH Williams III is still doing the covers. I'm getting into this book more now than I have in many years.

Detective Comics #862 - DC

I really like this book. I think Greg Rucka is doing a great job with the story. And this issue, Jock fills in on the art. I really like Jock's style. It's simple, but effective. He does a terrific job of portraying the story through the flow of his panels. And I like the way he just uses simple colors with everything. I think it being different and unique is what makes it so interesting. Anyways, Batman and Batwoman are on 2 separate cases here, but . . I'm thinking that there's got to be a connection that we're just now seeing yet. Batman is looking into a young woman that has been abducted from her prominent family's home. Through his deductive reasoning, he works it out that it's one of the guards that has done the act. When confronted by Batman, the guy flips out and starts going on how they're meant to be together. However, Batman is surprised by the guy's survival instinct, and is stabbed and tossed out of the van before he can apprehend him. Meanwhile, Batwoman is after a guy that's torturing women from the local college campus. He's called the 'Cutter', because the victims end up in the hospital afterwards missing pieces of their body . . eyes, ears, nose, etc.. Batwoman also comes close to apprehending him, but is not prepared for his abilities with the knives . . and gets pretty beaten up. But she doesn't quit. When she gets a second chance, she comes better prepared. The only problem is . . she catches him as he's stalking 2 girls. One of whom happens to be her cousin, Bette. Bette doesn't want to feel like a victim so she hits the guy with her case while Batwoman is fighting him. However, he retaliates by throwing out a barrage of knives. And neither of them take into account for the other girl, Cassidy. The issue ends with her stabbed . . on the ground . . and Batwoman calling out for help. Like I said, I think the 2 stories are connected, but . . we just don't see it yet. Anyways, in the back-up . . Renee and Helena are still trying to track down who hired the guy who came after them, so they go to their information expert . . Babs. This is the first time that Renee has made the connection between Babs and the 'hero world'. She knows that she's Gordon's daughter, but . . she never made the connection. She's really kind of thrown off by it for a while. Anyways, Barbara does get their information and the unlikely duo end up heading straight to Oolong Island. And straight into police custody. I thought this was another interesting chapter by Greg Rucka and Cully Hamner. Overall, I think this book has improved tremendously. I'm getting to where I'm looking forward to it every month.

Detective Comics #861 - DC

I love this book right now. I miss JH Williams on this particular issue, but . . Jock does a more than adequate job of filling in. His style is nothing like Williams', but . . it looks great, none-the-less. Jock has a more 'basic', instinctual style . . it's simpler than Williams'. But . . it's effective. He has fantastic panel flow, and he tells a lot of story in his art. And then there's Greg Rucka. Greg has done an exemplary job of developing this character in the short time he's been on this book. I mean, just a year or so ago she was just this enigmatic figure that showed up in Countdown a couple of times . . every few issue or so. We knew absolutely nothing about her. But now . . now we feel like we know her, and can root for her. My guess is, eventually she's going to have to spin off into her own title. Especially if Batman does indeed come back. But, then again . . back in the 60's and 70's, Batman wasn't always the star of this book. So . . who knows? By the way, if you read Cry for Justice, James Robinson writes a nice little piece about Batwoman, and this title, in the back of the latest issue. Anyways, with this Cutter character running loose around Gotham, it seems like Batman and Batwoman are on the same case . . although investigating independently. That's part of the theme, I think, this issue . . seeing the different paths each of their investigations has taken. They objective is the same goal, but . . they're both pursuing that in their own way. But equally as effective . . and brutal. Kate Spencer is also involved, but only because she's the new DA. Batwoman actually catches up to him once, but he slips away. Which is what I think is fueling her now because she knows that anything else that happens is also on her hands. So now she's inserted herself into the college life where his victims are coming from. It's only a matter of time before they cross paths again. In the back-up story, we find that Renee and Helena have led the mob-bought killer straight to Tot's lighthouse. They want to make him a deal he can't refuse. They let him take the credit for killing them, and the payment . . in return they get information on who hired him, and for $2million access to his computer which they used to contact him. Although Tot doesn't appear to be very happy with their methods. 'You have purchased that with blood money. You've let a killer go free in exchange. You should both be ashamed of yourselves. And if he were here right now . . Charlie would be too.' I think this is developing into a very nice story, and team-up between the Question and the Huntress. Greg also writes this one with Cully Hamner on art.

Detective Comics #860 - DC

This issue gives us a little more of the background story on how Kate found herself in this position . . becoming Batwoman. After getting kicked out of the Army she decided to use her training and intelligence to chase bad guys. Actually, I think she first got involved when she stumbled across a gun-smuggling ring. Anyways, she's not very discreet and Renee, Detective Montoya, is the first to find her in the wrong place at the wrong time. Next her father stumbles across her little cache hidden in her house. She's begun to see the Bat-symbol as a 'call to arms'. 'I finally found a way to serve.' Seeing as how she's his little girl, he decides to help her. He helps her get more equipment . . the right equipment, and he sends her out for the next 2 years, cashing in every favor he can, to make sure she has the right training and preparation. 'If you're going to do it, you need to do it right . . we're in this together.' And then he gives her a little advice . .'Make no mistake, you do this, you're going to war. Define the goal. Define the objective. Define the terms of victory. Because if victory means bringing your mother and sister back, you've already lost. If victory means taking revenge for what happened to them, you've already lost. But if the objective is to save just one life . . to protect one innocent . . to keep one person from having their life shattered in violence . . and to come home alive when you're done . . then you can prevail. And god help whatever poor bastard tries to stand in your way.' I think it brilliant all the steps Greg Rucka takes Kate through to develop here character. But all of that is in the past. In the present . . Kate gets the results back from the DNA tests that she asked her friend to do for her. It's not spelled out exactly, but . . I think Alice . . the leader of the psychos that were trying to kill Kate and her father . . I think she was actually Kate's twin sister, Elizabeth. So now Kate has to live with not only losing her sister, but . . she may also have been the one to kill her. That is . . assuming that Alice is dead. We don't really know that for sure. I thought this was a fantastic issue by Greg and JH Williams III. I'm loving watching this character develop. In the backup, also by Greg and Cully Hamner, Renee and Helena have decided to take a rest and go to visit Tot. Helena's never actually met him, but just knowing that he knew Vic brings back a whole bunch of old feelings and memories for her. They've been trying to cause a little trouble in the pocketbook of organized crime, and they're thinking that it's only a matter of time before they strike back. Unfortunately that time is now, because someone has followed them back to Tot's. This title has really come back. I'm looking forward to it, again, every month.

Detective #859 - DC

Finally . . this issue we get some of the background on Kate. We still don't know what her connection to the crime-bible is though. The former followers of Lilith are ready to worship her now, since she supposed killed their high-priestess last issue. Whether she actually did though . . remains to be seen. But she wants nothing to do with them. But, I do think her curiosity is peaked as to how they knew that she was a twin. However, that's not enough to get her to stick around and ask questions. 'Listen carefully. I am not part of you. You will all stay away from me. And away from my family . . or I will kill every last one of you.' Anyways, this story picks up about the time that Kate is ready to graduate from West Point. It appears that she only has a semester or 2 left. But she broke the cardinal rule . . she fell in love with another cadet. And on top of that . . it was her bunk-mate, Sophie Moore. Because of that, she was kicked out of the Army. She came home, and it appears that she knew Renee Montoya from before she left. During this story, Renee is still a patrol officer. After pulling her over they start things up again. But Renee isn't happy that she's dropped out of school. She wants Kate to have more focus in her life. That's when the event happens that changes her life. She's down about her recent fight with Renee, and while walking the streets someone tries to mug her. She's been an Army officer, so of course she can fight the guy off, but when she turns around she sees Batman standing there. She's startled, so she falls down. He gives her a hand up . . and then he takes off into the night. As she watches him fly away . . you can see that something has changed. Next issue, hopefully, we'll see the jump from her watching Batman in the shadows . . to wearing her own black leather outfit. Greg Rucka and JH Williams III are doing a fantastic job with this book. So far I've been thrilled with every issue. I especially like the way that JH Williams III changes his styles up depending on where he is in the story. It shows some great dramatic effect. Anyways, in the back-up . . Renee is still following this trafficking ring. It starts with trafficking women, but it seems to involve pretty much anything. Which means . . organized crime. In this chapter we learn that they've noticed her and have decided to strike back. At the end of the story we see that they're hiring someone 'special' to go after her. Well . . and the Huntress too, since she helps her out this time. This was also a good story by Greg as well, and Cully Hamner on the art. I'm glad to see how strong this book has gotten lately. It's always been one of my favorites, but . . it hasn't always been one of the best. I'm glad things have changed.

Detective Comics #858 - DC

In this issue we finally learn a little bit about Kate Kane's past. It turns out she has a twin, Beth. And she was raised as an army brat. Actually . . both her mother and father were in the army so, she's an extra special case. Anyways, we see her about 20 years ago shortly before Major Kane was reassigned to Belgium. We don't have an exact time frame, but shortly after arriving there, the 3 girls in the family are abducted. We also don't know how long they were captured, but . . an army operation comes in to retrieve them. On their way out . . it looks like her mother and sister are dead. Which would explain why she has such a close relationship with her father. But . . I would think in this situation . . she would kind of blame him also. I think this is just the beginning of the story. I'm sure we'll get more next issue. In between this, we see a case in Gotham that has been taken over from the police by the Army . . specifically Major General Frances Lombardo and Colonel Kane. It appears that Kate is also working the case as Batwoman. We don't know much about it yet, but it appears the Kate and her father are on different sides of this one. I think Greg Rucka and JH Williams III are doing a great job on this book. JH uses a different style on the flashback stories. A real simple, retro kind of style. It looks neat, and gets the message across. He uses his flashier style for the Batwoman sequences. I glad we're finally digging in to some of Kate's history. In the Question story, we get everything wrapped up on this trafficking of women. I'm glad that Renee is playing an as enigmatic character as Vic Sage did. I wasn't sure at first. It seemed like she was playing it a lot more loose than he did. Anyways, it was a good story by Greg Rucka and Cully Hamner. I hope we see more of the Question in the future.

Detective Comics Annual #11 - DC

I think it's great to see Annuals back on the schedule again. They've been very sporadic in recent years. And, for a while there . . there wasn't any at all. But I remember back in the 70's and 80's when they came out every year. It was a good time. Anyways, this is the second part of the story that appeared in Batman Annual #27 last week. Dick and Renee are trying to stop this Amon character from bringing the eighth original sin back to life. It has something to do with this cult, the La Saligia. Most of the information on them comes from the group the Order of Purity that back's Azrael, . Also, Dick substituted Damian for one of the kids that was kidnapped. Apparently it's their blood that is supposed to bring this 'sin' back to life. Anyways, long story short . . Dick and Renee figure out where the La Saligia is performing this ritual and she and Azrael go in to retrieve the children. Of course it helps that Damian breaks free. And once they realize they don't have the real Canton child, it's pretty easy for Batman to deduce that they'll make another play for him. What he isn't expecting though is Azrael's actions. When they get to the ceremonial chamber, he seems more interested in the corpse than the children. I guess he's following the direction of his Order, and they want him to eliminate the vessel for the resurrection. Which he does, but at the end Amon gives him a warning. 'You have earned a lifetime of enmity this day, soldier of God. This will not stop us. We are a part of you . . we will always return . . and when we do, we will need a new host to contain the Eighth sin of man . . and that host will be you!' Batman also gives him a warning because he doesn't like the tactics that he used. Plus, even though he knows that this is a different Azrael, I'm sure there's still a lot of sour feelings after the last one's performance. Overall, I thought this was a great story to lead into the new series that'll be out next week. This issue was done by Fabian Nicieza and Tom Mandrake. Issue #1 of Azrael will be done by Fabian and Ramon Bachs. Which explains why he's leaving Red Robin. There's a back-up story here also, by Mandy McMurray and Kelley Jones. It also started in the Batman Annual. It's about a new character, Stygian who believes himself to be a vampire. Therefore Looker is brought in to help deal with him. However, he seems to have a fixation on Barbara, so . . the story goes largely unresolved this issue. I'm assuming that it'll continue in Batgirl, or maybe a future Birds of Prey book. We'll have to wait and see. I enjoyed Kelley's artwork, but the story was a bit confusing. I guess they don't want to give away to much here so it can play out later.

Detective Comics #857 - DC

This book has really become incredible. That's what happens when you get someone like JH Williams to do the art. Greg Rucka is already a talented writer, but . . I think maybe Mr Williams' pictures are motivating him to be a little better. When he first started doing the art on this title, it appeared that he was going to use 2 separate styles. One style for when the story was about Kate, and one for when Batwoman was in action. The previous of which is very similar to the style that he used on Promethea. Anyways, this issue, since Kate's in costume pretty much the whole thing . . just looks incredible. When he gets going . . his art is a piece of work. What an incredible talent. Anyways, the High Madame has abducted Kate's father because she wants to use his military connection to get some cyanide gas from the Army, plus a plane to deliver it . . all over Gotham. Luckily Kate is a very motivated individual and puts a big crimp in her plans. But the big piece of information that came out of this issue was that the High Madame, Alice . . she's actually Kate's sister, Beth. But that may all be moot because at the end of the issue Kate drops her off the wing of the plane. That may . . or may not, have been the end of her. I guess we'll have to wait until next issue to find out. I wasn't completely sold on this character when Kate first came on the scene. But now . . with the help of Greg and Mr Williams . . I'm quickly becoming a fan. I can't wait for more. In the back-up, Renee is getting closer to finding out who's behind this slavery ring. The problem is, like the previous Question, she keeps finding herself in these no-win situations. Renee's character brings an interesting approach to the Question. I'm just not sure that she'll ever be much more than a back-up character. Not unless someone does a fantastic job of rewriting her. Greg Rucka and Cully Hamner bring us this look into her life.

Detective Comics #856 - DC

Last issue Kate came face to face with the new High Madame of the Crime Bible, Alice. However, the issue ended when it looked like they were being attacked by . . Werewolves. As it turns out they're actually a group of meta-morphs from the previous faction of the religion that don't agree with what Madame Alice is trying to accomplish here. So they're actually trying to save Kate and her father. The reason they don't agree with it anymore is because the prophecy of Kate's death didn't come true. "The prophecy said Batwoman had to die for the new world to rise. It gave the time and place . . yet here you are. So the prophecy was wrong. Which means you're supposed to live." Plus they just think that Alice is off her nut. He also tells Kate that Alice isn't there for her. She's there for Gotham. "This is Sodom and Gomorrah to them, and that makes it their Vatican city. Their Mecca, their Jerusalem. She wants to succeed where he failed. Mannheim tried to destroy Gotham." However we still don't know what they mean when they call Kate the 'twice named'. Unless . . it's just so simple . . Kate and Batwoman? But why would that make her important to them. All answers for the future, I guess. They spend most of the issue at a gala in Gotham, until her father is called away. Unfortunately, it looks like it was a trap setup by Alice. The issue ends with her having attacked . . or killed(?), the group of men and Kate finds out that she's got them. I thought it was a great story by Greg Rucka. And JH Williams III's art was simply incredible. All his scenes with Batwoman and Alice were of the psychedelic kind of style that he used with Promethea. The visuals and colors were incredible. I also enjoyed his new style that he uses on the scenes with Kate. Overall it provides an interesting contrast between the 2 factions of her personality. Then on the back-up story we see Renee in action as the Question. The gang has captured her, given her drugs and dumped her in the river . . in the trunk of a car. Of course she gets out and goes after one of their thugs. She finds out that this 'ring' . . these traffickers in human misery . . particularly women, is much bigger and more far reaching than she realized. The story ends when she's shot, but . . they're really after the guy that's feeding her information. His life is forfeit. I'm glad to see Renee again. I really think they need to do more with her character. This chapter is brought to us by Greg and Cully Hamner. Overall . . a fantastic issue of Detective.

Detective Comics #855 - DC

Wow! What a fantastic book. JH Williams III really opened up on his art in this one. This issue had more of his 'Promethea' feel to it, than did the last one. So I guess it's just natural that Greg Rucka has given us a Carroll-inspired sociopath here. "The new High Madame . . the new leader . . of the Religion of Crime . . is a lunatic who thinks she's Alice Pleasance Liddell?" It all comes together for Kate when she's questioning Alice and Alice says to her, "I thing you might do something better with the time, than wasting it asking riddles that have no answers." But Kate just wants to know why she's so important to this Religion of Crime. What role does she play, or is destined to play, in their future. However, the interrogation doesn't last long as Alice has a drug-laced razor-blade hidden in her mouth. Which was an odd, sick, kind of scene. Shortly after getting cut, Kate begins to hallucinate. She tries to get away, or at least some distance, in the gardens below the castle, but Alice and her followers are quickly on the hunt. However, it's also not long before the Colonel . . her father (?) . . also realizes that she's in trouble. He comes to Kates aid, guns draws, just as Alice and her minions approach. But . . there's also something growling in the woods . . behind him . .werewolves, maybe, or were-men? We'll have to wait until next issue to find out. Overall I thought it was a fantastic story, and beautifully drawn. In the backup, Renee is trying to find Hector Soliz' daughter. She's come to Varga's house to find out. And he leads her to someone named Chandless. She doesn't make much progress there though as she's taken down shortly after infiltrating his offices. Greg and Cully Hamner bring us this story. I'm glad we're finally starting to get to see some more of the Question. He/she is a fantastic character and I hate that she's been relegated to the sidelines of late. Overall, I thought this was a great issue.

Detective #854 - DC

I couldn't wait to get this comic. Especially with JH Williams III doing the art. It was fantastic, as expected, but he uses a little bit different style than he did on Promethea. Actually, on the pages where Kate is in her Batwoman identity, the art is very similar . . although darker. But in the scenes of her private life, that's where he uses his new style. You can tell it's still his work . . it's just down-played a bit. Anyways, she's still connected to the crime-bible somehow. She seems to be an obsession with them, but she doesn't know why. However, the 13 covens that make up the religion are about to get a new leader. That's why Kate's so active this issue. She's trying to find out when she's coming to town, and who she is. We also see Batman/Dick this issue. They seem to have a working relationship . . "This one's yours. I'll be watching if you need help. Do something about your hair. One pull, the fights over for you." We also see that Kate's mentor, and 'coach', appears to be her father. Apparently her mother has passed, so this is his life's work now. He's retired military. Anyways, Greg Rucka is weaving a nice little tale here. It ends with Kate in the presence of the new leader. She calls herself Alice, and I think she considers herself their queen. All in all I thought it was a decent start to this new direction. Personally, I can't wait to see where it goes. This issue also includes a Question back-up story. I think Renee is going to fit very well into this role. Now that she's back in Gotham, her first 'job' is to find the sister of an immigrant who was smuggled into the country, but then never seen again. I think he's afraid that her 'mule' has turned her to prostitution. It's by Greg and Cully Hamner. This issue actually kind of reminded me of the Detective issues of the 70's. You know, the 60 or 80 page giant ones that contained 3 or 4 stories. That's where we first met the Manhunter by Walt Simonson. Anyways, those were classic.

Detective Comics #853 - DC

This book took a little while to come out. Almost 4 months, to be exact. But . . I definitely think it was worth it. Well, except that it pretty much confirms our worst fears . . Batman is truly dead. Or . . is he? I like the way that Neil Gaiman put this story together. It's all told in a rather obtuse fashion because . . well, we don't really know if any of this is real or not. It all may just be part of Batman's near-death-experience. Or . . it could just be his life flashing before his eyes as he departs. We're not really sure. And, I don't think it really matters. More or less, this is the process of Batman sorting out everything that's happened, and the current situation so that he has some semblance of continuity in his subconscious. He knows whats happened, and he knows where he probably is. But, he also know that he's still connected to an awful lot out there . . people, places, family and recognized paradigms. He's sorting through it all the best he can . . with his mothers help. "I get it. I mean, I really get it. The end of the story of Batman is, he's dead. Because, in the end, the Batman dies. What else am I going to do? Retire and play golf? It doesn't work that way. It can't. I fight until I drop. And one day, I will drop. But until then, I fight." But then we seem to get the sense that there's a rebirth process going on. "You don't get Heaven or Hell. Do you know the only reward you get for being Batman? You get to be Batman. And . . when you're a child . . you get a handful of years of real happiness, with your father, with me. It's more than some people get. You're done, now, Bruce, this time. You can stop fighting now . . just for a few more years . . it's over." He's thinking of the Bat-signal in the night sky and the bat turns in to hands. Out stretched hands looking to receive . . a new born. "Mrs. Wayne? It's a boy." "Hello, Bruce. Hello." So where does that leave us? With more questions than answers, obviously. Like I said . . I'm not sure if this was all a dream . . a near death experience . . or just . . someones way of saying 'goodbye'. I'm just not sure. Andy Kubert does the art for this story, and . . it was fantastic. The whole book looked simply incredible. It was perfect. In future issues it looks like Batwoman will be taking the lead in this book. At least until we discern the final fate of Batman and the rest of the Bat-family. This story however, Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?, was perfectly done . . both in story and art.

Detective Comics #852 - DC

Last issue, and the end of the Batman RIP storyline, showed us that Hush has fallen, and . . . Catwoman was more than willing to drive the nails into the coffin. Once she healed she used every tool in her handbag to ruin, discredit, and leave Hush without an option in the world. But . . he still has one thing that he can use to his advantage. He still looks like Bruce Wayne. Well . . not enough to fool those that are close to him, but . . good enough to fool the people that work for him around the globe. So he's decided to use that and build his new life off the teet of Wayne Industries. He makes a couple of big scores, but then decides to lay low so that he doesn't draw to much attention to himself. I'm guessing though . . he doesn't realize that neither the Batman or Bruce Wayne have been seen in Gotham since their little debacle on the river. Because he's definitely avoiding Gotham. Unfortunately . . for him . . the latest stop on his trip is Vietnam. While there he gets captured by pirates, and . . . on the last page, we find out that they're lead by none other than Catwoman. We don't know yet if he's fooled her with his Bruce Wayne look, or if she knows that he's Thomas Elliot. We'll find out in Batman #685. I like the way that they're doing these 2 part stories that are bouncing back and forth between Batman and Detective. Paul Dini handles this one. Personally, when they have this Battle for the Cowl that's coming up . . I'm kind of thinking that Hush is going to be a contender. I may be way off base with that guess, but . . I've got a felling. Dustin Nguyen does the pencils for this issue. They're fabulous. I can't wait to see what Catwoman does with her tender morsel.

Detective Comics #851 - DC

This was a great issue of Detective. But then . . Denny O'Neil always did write a fantastic Batman story. Guillem March does the interior art, as well as the cover at the right. I thought his work was ok. Nothing spectacular, but it was pretty decent. The other cover though is by Tony S Daniel. I much prefer that one. Which is why I guess I was willing to pay $10 for it. I'll tell you what . . DC is really pushing these alternate covers. I usually don't mind to much paying for the $10 ones, but . . the covers that come out for Batman are $25. And they've been coming out every issue since this RIP story-line. Also it kills me when they have 3 or 4 $10 covers out in the same week. Are they trying to break me, or what? I know. "Just say NO!" I try. I really do. Anyways, we get a new character introduced to us this issue. Her name is Millicent Mayne, and she's the face of Gotham . . literally. She was an actress . . before all of the earthquakes. But living through that . . seemed to awaken something in her. She became one with the city, and all the souls that inhabited it. But as time passed, that feeling started to fade. But she kept up her duty to the city through charities and fund-raisers. However, one of the members of Two-faces gang doesn't like how she represents herself. So when he goes to her most recent fund-raiser to rob it, he confronts her and throws acid in her face. Now she looks like a female Two-face. But, while in excruciating pain, she's also relieved because the incident has seemed to reconnect her with the city. She's one with it again, and now she feels whole. Nightwing has also recently returned to the city to fill in a bit for the Batman's absence. I'm thinking he's not going to be back long before his path crosses with Millicent's. This issue ends with him going after Two-face, but instead is lying unconscious in one of his warehouses while his gang is burning it to the ground. Apparently the next couple of months are going to be spent with some 2 part stories that run between Batman and Detective. This is the first of those. I assume we'll be doing that until we find out where the Batman is. This arc is called Last Rights. The next is . . "Whatever happened to the Caped Crusader?". I guess I shouldn't feel to bad. I checked on Mile High Comics and they're still asking a pretty hefty price for all the variant covers during RIP. Of course, I don't know if they'll stay there, but . . . they're looking good right now.

Detective Comics #850 - DC

Another fantastic issue in this incredible Hush storyline. We learn a lot more about Thomas Elliott this issue. Including, I think, why he calls himself Hush. About 10 years ago, when Thomas had finally had enough of his mothers ridicule, he finally confronted her. Partly because of his emotions and partly because she was taking steps to cut him off from his entire family fortune. He tried to reason with her, but she wouldn't listen. So as he pushed the life out of her body, with a pillow over her head, he just kept repeating . . 'Hush! Hush! Hush!'. Anyways, Bruce does indeed save Selina. Did you expect anything less? And after a few months of recovery, she makes it her sole mission to relieve him of all the undue stress of the family fortune. She doesn't know if he's alive or dead, but she's not taking the chance. She leaves him with nothing but lint in his pockets. We also see Zatana this issue, as she gives Selina a little mystical help with the healing process. And, in case you also weren't sure, Batman does indeed defeat the re-bandaged man. The one that's still wearing Bruce's face. Of course he had some help from Nightwing and Robin . . Alfred also . . but, he does go down. Unfortunately, they don't find any remains, so . . you know he's still out there somewhere. I thought this was a great story-arc. I think Paul Dini did a fantastic job with the scripts. I also came to love Dustin Nguyen's interpretation of this character. I know. I was a little critical of his work when he first came on this series. But, I gotta' say, as time went along, the look that he gave this book really stated to appeal to me. I thought his stuff in this issue was fantastic. Now I just have to read the next issue of Batman to see how this RIP storyline is going to wrap up. The Bat-books have some great story-lines going on right now. It's a good time to jump on board.

Detective #849 - DC

Ok. Now I can't wait to read issue #850. Apparently my missives about Hush, Tommy Elliott, assuming the mantle of Alfred . . so he could strike out at the Batman up close and personal . . were . . off target. Batman finally puts the pieces of the puzzle together to find out that Tommy is hiding out in Sacred Heart hospital. Although, that's exactly what Hush wanted the Batman to do . . come to his lair and play. He had the little boy that the Scarecrow had abducted coated with a neurotoxin. At the hospital, when Hush shows where he's keeping Selina's heart, the gas in the room that the Batman's breathing, reacts with the other part of the binary compound. As he slips off into unconsciousness, Tommy removes the bandages to show that he's assumed the mantle of Bruce Wayne. He wants to destroy the Wayne family name . . it's business' . . and all of the people close to him. But he wants everyone else to think that Bruce is doing it. Although, I still think there's something up with Alfred. There's still something that's just not quite right about the whole situation. Especially after the Black Hand beat him up so badly . . but still, nobody knows about that. Anyways, next issue . . the conclusion . . Tommy/Bruce heads out into Batman's Gotham to tear apart Bruce's world piece by piece. I thought that Paul Dini has been doing a fantastic job with this story-line. I feel, we still don't know, or realize, the full extent of just how this story-line ties in with the Batman RIP story-line. All the connections are still out of focus. I really can't wait to see how the whole thing wraps up next issue. I also enjoyed Dustin Nguyen's art. I wasn't sure if he was the right artist for this book, but now . . as we've progressed through the story . . I have to say that he brings a certain feel to it that I don't know if any other artist could've created.