Detective Comics #1005 // Review
Peter J Tomasi and Brad Walker continue to show readers and their peers just how the Dark Knight should be done. The calculated detective and boy wonder continue their war on the Arkham Knight and the forces of her army as they lay their blinding light upon the City of Gotham. Closing out this arch with a spectacular display of choreography and sequential art from the up and coming Brad Walker to draw readers in while Tomasi lays the groundwork for his next arch and future conflict with this brand new adversary of the bat.
After learning the truth behind the Arkham Knight’s origin, Batman knows he is the only one who can stop the heir to the asylum in her war on Batman. Igniting yet another Sun bomb across Gotham, this time the residents of the city are left blinded as the Arkham army faces against the Dark Knight. As the two crusaders come to blows once more, Bruce reveals the truth behind a long kept secret, gaining the upper hand against his adversary. With Bruce able to overpower this new villain in time to save the citizens, the Arkham Knight is taken into custody only to be saved by a member of her forces, leaving room for future appearances in this run down the road.
Brad Walker’s signature pencil style completes Tomasi on this title fully. With the help of Andrew Hennessy on inks, the two deliver a clean look to the series and give the Dark Knight a much needed sprucing up after the previous grim and gritty arc with Doug Mahnke on pencils. The addition of Hennessy’s thick outline inks give a detailed pop onto Walker’s pencils and helping it to stand completely apart from any other current Bat-titles. Adding to the aesthetic, Nathan Fairbairn’s color work compliments the clean pencils and inks with his saturated high gloss perfectly fitting for an illuminated Gotham City.
Tomasi’s previous time with the Caped Crusader proves to only add strength to this current run. Almost a spiritual successor to his run on Batman and Robin with Patrick Gleason, this series displays in full effect what Tomasi still has in store for the Dark Knight and readers as a whole.
As Walker and Tomasi close out this run, the next issue involving The Spectre will be yet another perfect chance for readers to jump onto the flagship DC title. With Mahnke slated to return to the title in the near future, the Caped Crusader is sure to be headed into some very dark corners of the DCU.
Grade: A
