Gotham Nocturne: Act Two – “Out Of Hell” – Part Two and “Take My Hand”
Artists: Francesco Francavilla and Aaron Campbell
Color Artists: Francesco Francavilla and Patricio Delpeche
Letterers: Ariana Maher and Steve Wands
Review by James Attias
Detective Comics #1075 is an exhausting read for any Batman fan, for both disrespect to the main character and the fans.
The End Of The Road
So, I guess that you read my last review, where I slated almost everyone involved in this run of Detective Comics with very few redeeming comments; the problems with when the story takes place, what’s happening in Gotham… everything. Well, guess what? Things haven’t improved.
It will be tough for me to talk about this story without dropping spoilers, as some of the things that happened just had me face-palming left and right. So, I will do my best to run you through it, with gaps that can be filled by important details.
Batman’s mind has been corrupted, yes, he’s fighting it, but it’s a losing battle. This is something similar to what has been going on in the main Batman run, except without the same emotional weight or threat of consequence. Maybe that’s too harsh. This story has Batman fighting this mind control by returning to places of emotional importance to him and that’s probably the best part about this whole story.
Of course, all of this has implications when a detective (who I feel like I should know) starts to put two and two together and it’s leading him slowly towards a certain former billionaire. *Gasp* I’ve said too much. Either way, this doesn’t feel like a Batman in Detective Comics Story, but instead like a Gothic Horror. I don’t have a problem with that, I just want this story to have some cohesion.
The art was fine, although, once again, it wasn’t my favorite. Thankfully, I didn’t have any glaring problems with it. It’s the same with the lettering… it’s just the writing that’s preventing me from getting along with this run. I’m sorry to all involved, but I’m just counting down the days until a new creative team takes over.
Batman Begins, Begins, and Begins Again
After struggling through the main story week after week, the backup story, or as I like to refer to them, “The encyclopedia of weird stories somehow connected to Batman”… I don’t really call them that, I was just being dramatic to prove a point. First and foremost, this backup story was well-drawn and colored. and I have nothing against the very talented art team.
Onto the story. This time around we’re back in crime alley. Gunshots and Thomas and Martha are down for the count. This time, however, we have the old tale told from two points of view. Alfred (who we love) tells the tale of a broken boy and what comes next after his whole world has been turned upside down. The other? Barbatos, a giant talking Demon Bat-God.
I don’t know about you Bat-fans, but I have always preferred it when Bruce’s decision was his own. He wanted vengeance for the loved ones who were taken from him by crime and injustice. He didn’t become Batman because some giant spooky Bat god told him to. All this takes so much away from the character, and this is what this run, and more precisely this very issue, does to the Dark Knight.
Conclusion
Detective Comics #1075 has turned a usually happy-go-lucky Bat-fan into a grumpy complaining nerd… the opposite of what comics are supposed to do. I really hope that DC changes direction fast.
Images Courtesy of DC Entertainment