“Gotham Nocturne: Act One – Grand Design” – Part Five, and “Absolute” – Part Two
Artists: Stefano Raffaele and Caspar Wijngaard
Color Artists: Adriano Lucas
Letterers: Ariana Maher and Steve Wands
Review by James Attias
Detective Comics #1070 is a history lesson, showing us the architecture of the Orgham’s Grand Designs for Gotham City, but are their foundations buried so deep that even Batman can’t stop them?
Born on a Monday
Ah, the sewers of Gotham, what wonders can be found! A giant crocodile man? In some universes, a hideous Penguin man? In this issue, we’re treated to a good old-fashioned giant zombie, with a penchant for a nursery rhyme. Solomon Grundy gives us the best defense for fighting off these mind-controlling Azmers in this issue. I won’t ruin it for the sheer comedic value, but I did laugh.
In a similar fashion to The Dark Knight Rises, we see armies converging in the sewers of Gotham, an evil one; their plans yet to be revealed. hen we get an unlikely group of heroes and antiheroes going underground to try and see what’s going on. When the inevitable battle occurs, I’m sure that subterranean Gotham will play a major role.
A Drink by the River
Whenever Batman needs to know about something that happened a long long time ago, he always has a few reliable people who happen to be anywhere from a hundred to a thousand years old (not to mention Vandal Savage, a million-year-old Caveman). So, as Ra’s Al Ghul is currently dead (or is he? Hard to tell, see Batman: Shadow War for the full story), that leaves his daughter Talia to be the person who emerges with a vast knowledge of something that happened a few hundred years ago, so she can fill in the blanks for the world’s greatest detective.
This issue teases that we will soon have a bit more back story on the Orghams, including Arzen, the original slime ball about town. I’m looking forward to finding out how an Al Ghul story can show us why the Orghams are in Gotham and what they’re after.
The art in this issue was fine, but the visuals in the last issue felt better. The style gives off a chaotic feel, much like most of Gotham’s mental state at the moment. With Zombies, Demons, and Werewolves, it seems like a little bit of chaotic art is well-placed.
The writing from the always mysterious Ram V is, as usual, tantalizing and ominous. I hope that all of these teases we keep getting will finally amount to something, otherwise, I’ll feel let down. We’ve had several issues of this storyline now and it feels like we’re still about as clueless as Batman is… although, maybe that’s the point? I can’t wait for all of our questions to be answered.
Absolute
Mr. Freeze appears to have gone off the deep end. His mind (which has always been a questionable place) seems to have left sense, empathy, and reason behind. He’s now killing people left and right in his search and quest to find absolute zero. Correct me if I’m wrong, my fellow nerds, but isn’t absolute zero something that Captain Cold works with using his gun? Maybe Victor should travel to Central City and check. At the moment, however, he’s in an ice cave in the sewers ranting like a loon.
This new backup story has my curiosity, but I’m waiting for it to grab my attention, as Simon Spurrier and I don’t usually see eye to eye on storytelling. Maybe I’m just too normal/boring (no offense to Si)? Judge for yourselves. This story isn’t heating up (cold pun).
Detective Comics #1070 is a story-building issue, one equal to a mid-season episode of a TV show. Nothing major happens but it’s important to further the plot.
Images Courtesy of DC Entertainment