DETECTIVE COMICS #1
Written and Drawn by Tony Daniel
Inked by Ryan Winn
As a huge fan of Batman in general – he’s my favorite superhero – I was particularly excited about
the reboot of Detective Comics as part of the New 52. While it’s clear fairly early on that this is a well-
established pre-existing Gotham, I’m happy to report that this Detective wades through some unfamiliar territory.
We’re thrown into what initially feels like a run-of-the-mill Batman/Joker storyline: Batman is chasing
down the Joker, who’s on another killing spree (this means, if you’re familiar with the Batman universe
at all, you’ll be a-ok). Their final confrontation is sprawling, jarring and satisfying. From here, and I’m
not spoiling anything, we’re introduced to what I can only hope will be the over-arching conflict of this
new Detective Comics. Visually familiar, yet refreshingly modern, the images pop off the page (or the
screen, depending on how you’re reading the New 52) and help to usher in what could have been a
conventional Batman tale and rocketing him into an uncertain future.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Just the faintest idea of who Batman, the Joker and Commissioner Gordon are.
VERDICT
Buy it! – The Batman/Joker fight is worth the price of admission and the cliffhanger threw me for a loop.
