Welcome back, BOFers!
We return to our favorite Bat-website to discuss Detective Comics #1107, “Flight”, part one.
Tom Taylor continues his run, welcoming artist/colorist Pete Woods and Green Arrow and Black Canary to the title. Taylor is expanding his character repertoire outside of the regular Gothamites. Let’s break this one down and see if he can pull it off!
Taylor is doubling down on vigilantes in Gotham this issue. Green Arrow and Black Canary have decided to move into town, creating a larger-than-usual “Bat-Family.” Taylor does his best to pull his usual tricks of the trade, but it seems to fall flat this issue. The book has an interesting cold open followed by a fun action piece with an undercover Batman and an overzealous Green Arrow. Sadly, those opening pages are the highlight. This issue is exposition-heavy, and I mean heavy. At times, it feels like a Ted Grant memorial issue and not a Batman comic. As a fan of Ted Grant, I was expecting to love it, but this is DETECTIVE COMICS, not an issue of the Justice Society of America. We have seen Taylor excel with larger casts and fluid character use, but here, readers will have questions because the setup is clunky. There is no Bullock/Penguin magic, no cool new villain like the Lion, just dialogue piling up.
Pete Woods’ art, characterized by a conventional house style and dynamic coloring, shines in the opening scenes but lacks the memorable splash pages seen from previous artists. The gym montage is visually effective, yet the overall artwork lacks standout moments. The visual impact is strongest at the beginning, then declines as the issue progresses.
As the first part of a new arc, the story feels rushed and densely packed, with heavy exposition and less Batman presence. Without strong artistic support, Taylor’s wordy script overwhelms the narrative. The book feels more like a team-up title than a Batman-centric story. Overstuffed narrative and wordiness weaken the issue’s focus. Looking ahead, we’ll have to wait to see if Taylor regains momentum next month. – Peter Verra
GRADE: C
