After months of setup while the Orghams and Batman's allies shifted all their pieces into position, this issue finally feels like the climax that everything's been building towards. Well, the beginning of it at least. It's a far more action-packed story than we typically see from this run, and just about every player has something to do. Of course, the flip side to that is nobody has very much to do. With the assault on Gotham in full gear, Detective Comics #1087 gives a glimpse into what everyone's roles will be for the next couple issues.
Following up on the events of last issue, the Orghams continue their plan to create a false flag attack on the city by the "unwanted" that they've oppressed. Like Gotham's very own Reichstag fire, this will stoke enough fear among the people that they'll look to the strict order of the Orghams for safety and guidance. Batman and his allies solve this crisis the best way they know how: beating up the forces of "Shadow Angel" before they can cause too much destruction.
These action set pieces dominate much of the issue, and for the most part manage to keep things brisk and exciting. However, Christian Duce takes over as artist for (most of) the issue, and doesn't leave the same memorable impression as Stefano Raffaele's previous "heavy" style. Duce's linework is certainly slick and clear, but there's something lost in all the polish. It's more detailed, but less interesting. It also struggles to elicit a sense of dynamic flow in its fight scenes, instead often relying on static punch poses.
Between all of the fights, we get a cavalcade of all the other side characters that have played a role so far. Some of these are more superfluous than others. For example, despite his earlier narrative and thematic importance, Harvey's job now is to shoot a revolver at some werewolves. I guess he has special silver bullets, but I don't know how important that is in a battle with dozens of armed soldiers. On the other end of the spectrum you have Freeze, whose weather machine is the culmination of his plotline up until now. However, we'll need to wait until next issue to see its full effect beyond making the Orghams slower and providing a cool, atmospheric backdrop.
Score: 6.5/10
Backup: Bonk
The backup this month is one of Dan Watters' specialties: exploring the redemption arc of Azrael. Specifically, it's about how people can change from their predestined fate and grow into a new person, no matter how slow a struggle that may be. To some of you, this might sound familiar. This is likely because it's been roughly 90% of stories featuring Jean-Paul Valley since around 1994.
What sets this apart is the tone that Watters takes. Throughout the story, Nightwing refuses to trust him (after all, he was there when he first tried to take over Gotham), but through Cass's insistence and Azrael's own demonstrations of mercy, he's able to see that Azrael is genuinely trying. This would all be par for the course for an Azrael story, complete with broody monologuing and Francavilla's dark artwork, but it's the final conversation that lets it stand out. By injecting a small amount of slapstick comedy, it intentionally undercuts Azrael's self seriousness and allows him to become a bit more human.
Score: 7.5/10
Recommended If
- You're excited to see the Bat family finally take on the Orghams directly
- Each of the individual storylines so far interest you
- You've been wanting to see all the side characters get their own focus
Overall
Detective Comics #1087 is at once both the climactic payoff to years of build-up, and yet more build-up for what is to come. With all of the planning and plotting out of the way, much of the issue centered action sequences as the fight over Gotham begins, but each individual story thread only gives brief glimpses into their true, final end.
Overall score: 7/10
