Welcome back, Bat-fam! As you might have guessed, another issue of Detective Comics has hit the shelves of your favorite LCS. Tom Taylor and Mikel Janin close out their latest arc, “Flight”. Is it better, is it worse? Let’s get right into it like always!
As we reach the end of this arc, I keep coming back to the same issue: there is not enough Batman mythology here. In the finale, we do get enough Batman, but this tale still misses what I want most from the character. Call me old-fashioned, but I like my Batman solving crime in Gotham vs. the rogues gallery. Give me Gordon and Robin over Black Canary and Green Arrow any day. This arc doesn’t scratch that itch. Here Taylor does deliver some very good Batman in the moment: the detective who figured it all out, the smartest guy in the room, the hero who took charge. The characterization is much better than in previous issues, when it felt like the title character was a guest in Brave and the Bold.
The story should have gotten to me; I get the message, but it’s just dull. You want to do Batman with a troubled youth? Give me a Jason Todd tale. With a cast of characters so strong, it was very surprising to see Taylor abandon that for this arc. The core issue is that the emotional moments don’t land; they feel forced. Who is this girl, this old broad? Why do I care? Why are Green Arrow and Black Canary hijacking Detective Comics?
Then the suit changes…Batman has not looked that ridiculous in a long time; I’ll take the Absolute Batman design over this. This did take me out of the moment while reading. You go from topdawg Batman, brilliant detective, to clown clothes?
What the hell, dude!
I love Janin, I think he’s great, and this book is so wonderfully drawn, as are the previous issues. Again, Janin put the weight of this weak story on his shoulders and outshines the writer once again. With that said, I cannot forgive you for this horrible Batsuit. I just cannot. That is all I have to say on the subject.
Thank the heavens that is over. I can’t get over how long Batman was a sidekick in his own book; it took far too long for Batman to act like Batman. That is the heart of my problem with this arc. The next arc should fix all these issues real quick. It’s a Bad Seeds tie-in; Taylor returns with a guest artist. That cover alone has me excited. Someone once said, “…think about the future!” That is exactly what this reviewer will do. See you next month! – Peter Verra
