Welcome back, BOFers!
If you are here, that means one thing: Detective Comics has hit your local comic shop. Tom Taylor and Mikel Janín grace the pages for us once again. “The Courage That Kills” wraps up this month. Let’s see how it closes out!
This issue very well might be my favorite of this run. Taylor does a wonderful job exploring the positive and negative aspects of fear throughout the issue, regardless of whether the character is a hero, a villain, or a civilian. The Lion does a great job of washing away the bad taste of last arc’s villain. The banter between Leo and Batman is damn good and comes with a great action piece as well. Taylor’s characterization of Batman is top-notch throughout the issue, fighting villains, saving Robin; this is the Dark Knight. This is one of the better issues I’ve read by Taylor; he hits all the notes you want in a Batman comic book. Taylor is so on fire; he delivers a bad ass Gordon moment that brought a smile to my face.
Pardon me if you read this last month, but Mikel Janín crushes it this issue. A lot is going on in this issue. Janín is remarkable with the facial expression, the shadows, and the neon, everything. This might be the one time in this arc that the containment suit didn’t bother me; it feels “much more subtle.”Again, doing double duty is no problem for Janín; this whole book is poster-worthy.
Detective #1106 could be Taylor’s best issue yet. This is the type of ending we all expect from him. On top of that, he created a new villain who seems like a worthy adversary going forward. Who knows what will become of the Lion, but I believe Taylor has laid down a good foundation. Taylor and Janín deliver another great issue on this title. If this is not on your pull list, what are you doing?
Looking ahead, the next issue introduces a new artist and begins a new arc with Green Arrow and Black Canary. Until the next time, BOFers! – Peter Verra
