In an effort to make its stories more accessible to new readers, DC recently launched The New 52, cancelling all of its existing titles and starting 52 new series with revamped and rebooted versions of its major characters. But how will the New 52 affect the DC universe? Will new readers actually be attracted? Will old fans still be interested? Will the new titles be fresh and new, or disappointing and unfaithful to the original continuity? After buying and reading all but a few of the 52 new #1s that DC released over the course of a month, I have set out to review some of the major ones and let potential readers know which new titles are and are not worth reading. So, without further ado…
Detective Comics #1
Writer: Tony S. Daniel
Penciler: Ryan Winn
Review by Samuel N. Harris
With last month’s release of Detective Comics #1, DC’s “flagship” title and the longest-running superhero title still around was relaunched for the first time ever since 1937. Add to that the fact that Detective Comics was the series that first introduced Batman back in 1939, and that the title still features Batman, probably DC’s most popular character, to this day. Considering all of this, Detective Comics #1 had quite a lot of expectations to live up to—and there were certainly quite a lot of fans eager to see exactly how well it would do. On the day that Detective Comics #1 came out, I got to my local comic shop within two hours after it opened and they were already sold out of Detective. I had to order my copy from an online dealer a couple of weeks later, when the price had already climbed up to $12, four times the cover price of $2.99. But I knew that if there was such high demand for this new milestone Batman comic, then I would definitely want to get a copy before waiting any longer (and while it was still relatively affordable). So I did. Now, how well did it live up to all those high expectations?
Quite well, actually. The DC reboot doesn’t seem to have changed Batman’s continuity or status quo in any significant, earth-shattering ways, and in my opinion, the new Detective Comics #1 was everything a good Batman comic of any continuity should be: a fast-paced, action-packed adventure that pits Batman against one of his many psychologically complex foes, complete with plenty of suspense as Batman tries to get inside the criminal’s warped mind to figure out where he will strike next and how to stop him. This particular story features the Joker, and focuses on Batman trying to track him down, rescue the Joker’s victims, and put a stop to his longtime killing spree. We see Batman, a misunderstood vigilante, also being hunted by the police until Commissioner Gordon, the one officer who seems to trust Batman, intervenes. We see Batman’s crimefighting ways putting a strain on the life of his alter ego of Bruce Wayne, as he sits in the Batcave missing Bruce’s appointments and puzzling over the Joker’s methods instead. And we see an action-packed, no-holds-barred fight between Batman and the Joker that leads into a shocking cliffhanger ending that left me wanting more. The story of this comic may not seem like anything particularly significant, and may not be much different from some of Batman’s other encounters with the Joker (but, granted, it’s hard to develop a particularly significant story in only the first issue when the full story has not yet been told), but nonetheless it was a great, enjoyable, and entertaining read overall.
One aspect of this comic that does deserve some criticism—or perhaps not even a criticism so much as a caution—is its content. It’s no secret these days that Batman is a very dark character, and the Joker is even darker with his twisted, amoral ways and the sick happiness he gets out of hurting and killing others. After the huge success of the 2008 film The Dark Knight, most Batman comics can be expected to be anything but tame or mild in emulating the film’s style—and this comic is no exception. The reader sees the Joker torturing his victims with a blade, blowing up a building full of people, and stabbing Batman during their fight. Throughout the comic we see some blood and torn off flesh. Although it is not fully shown, the Joker is said to be naked while he was torturing his victims. The final cliffhanger scene of the comic also contains a particularly gruesome image (check the Spoiler Warning below if you don’t mind knowing the details). In short, this comic is extremely violent and is not for the faint of heart. If that sort of thing bothers you, then I would not recommend reading it. But if you’re able to tune out or not be affected by the more disturbing parts, then the comic is still a great read that is about as mature and dark as one would expect a Batman comic these days would need to be.
SPOILER WARNING: After Batman subdues the Joker at the end of their fight, the Joker is sent to Arkham Asylum to be treated physically and mentally by a doctor. However, the doctor turns out to be someone called the Dollmaker (a new villain, probably) who appears to have a secret previous arrangement with the Joker. The final page of the comic is a picture of what appears to be the severed skin of the Joker’s face, removed from his body, dripping blood, and tacked up on a wall. Possibly the Dollmaker is giving him plastic surgery to disguise his identity, but I expect this will be explored more in Detective Comics #2.
END SPOILER.
Although this comic is indeed very dark and violent, it contains just about everything that I would expect and want from a typical Batman comic, and it still shows the reader how one man with an unyielding commitment to morality can take a stand against the darkness. I think this issue was a great start to the relaunch of one of DC’s longest-running, most definitive titles (it was definitely much better than the relaunch of Action Comics, DC’s other longest-running, definitive title). Now that I’ve finally read this issue, I can see why it was in such high demand from the moment it came out, and why it was worth paying four times the cover price. I recommend this issue and this title to anyone who can handle the violent content and who is lucky enough to be able to get their hands on a copy.
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