Here we are once again, time for another review of the OG Detective Comics! Tom Taylor and Mikel Janin grace our pages once again for a tale that has Batman racing against the clock to save not only himself but also Gotham City. Can The Dark Knight make it out on top? Let’s break it down!
Right off the bat, Taylor gives readers World Finest vibes. As Batman heads to Metropolis, it isn’t Superman whom he is going to see. Lois Lane, come on down! Batman and Lois create one hell of a good cop, bad cop pairing. In the last arc, we saw a bit of this with Batman and Bulluck, but this is a different animal. Lois can go to places Batman “can’t”, until he does that, that is. The dynamics of these two works work better than I would have anticipated. I credit that to Taylor, who excels when he pairs Batman in yin-and-yang situations. I enjoy how Taylor is counting down the moments until quarantine. Readers can sense the urgency of the problem as Batman tries to “hurry” Lois’ part of the investigation at times. Possibly learning his lesson from the last arc, Taylor gives readers a bit more access to the actual villain here, the Lion. Last arc, we had to go through several issues of fake Blade to get to a villain in a giant test tube. The other pairing in the story was brief yet very enjoyable with Oracle and Superman, giving this reviewer JLU vibes. Taylor effortlessly flows in and out of situations and character pairings to keep the story moving at a pace that makes the reader feel they are up against the clock with Batman. Even though the book moves at a rapid pace, the reader will not feel rushed. Each pairing serves a purpose in the story, and the dialogue is spot-on for each character.
Mikel Janin is at the top of his game. In every review, I talk about how Janis colors the book to perfection. No other book on my pull list looks like this. The use of colors is so unique; I wouldn’t have guessed to use them the way Janin does. Guy is a true artist. In this issue, Janin’s layout is very traditional, nothing out of the ordinary, no real splash pages, just rectangles and squares with some angles mixed in. In terms of layouts, this might be Janin’s most tame issue yet. This book isn’t heavy on action; when Janin goes for it, it’s sleek and feels like someone out of the Nolan Trilogy.
Tom Taylor has done it again, delivering another well-rounded issue of Detective for readers. One would even say this is Batman at its core. Dire situation, up against the clock, help from sidekicks and an investigative reporter, due diligence, and detective work. Batman isn’t cutting off hands or playing with his pet lizard; he’s just acting like Batman. Other books are out there getting too much attention for not being Batman at all. Here in Detective Comics #1103, you get what you paid for: The Dark Knight!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING, EVERYONE!
