Beware Of Falling Bats: Reviewing ‘Detective Comics’ #1072

With the lights still dimmed and the audience comfy in their seats, the second act of the Gotham Nocturne continues. With the threat of the Orghams laid bare, the Batman and his allies make their move. Too bad for them the Orghams moved first.

Batman is used to being ten or more steps ahead of his foes on a good day. What this run has done well is showcase what happens when he’s ten steps, or more, behind. A Batman that is human, fallible, taking a beating, and still going is a Batman that is more relatable to readers. Which also means he’s far more interesting, in this writer’s humble opinion. This is not Batman the God-like being, defeating everyone and surviving the impossible.

It’s a man stuck in the cycle, pushing through the pain and suffering to try and protect the city. Ram V has crafted such a perfect tale that is dense in every aspect. After the slower backstory filling previous issues (though there was still plenty of action), things speed up here. Quite a few of the simmering aspects and players on the board converge. Batman confronts the Orghams, Batgirl discovers the fate of those caged below, Montoya & Gordon share words, and Nightwing gets into the action.

It’s all pretty rapid-fire, yet well-paced. The bounce between the various characters, throwing Oracle into the mix too, is well balanced. We even begin the issue with Batman (seemingly) beaten by Arzen Orgham before it zips back to show how we get there. Again, it plays into the idea that as prepared and well-oiled as a unit the Bat-Family has become, these Orghams are better.

Sure, we figure that by the end of this run (hopefully not for quite some time) the heroes will win. It’s not about that though. In the end, it truly is the journey and the challenge. In order to make the heroic stories more engaging and powerful, threats that are genuine challenges to them are key. V has fully accomplished that with the Orghams and the scope of their reach/powers.

Though, throwing in the beat where we see that Batman has learned how to face Tenclaw and the Flesh-Crafter is really solid. While Batman is behind overall, he’s still Batman and still learns and prepares.

Once more this issue has multiple hands art-wise, with Stefano Raffaele and Ivan Reis on pencils and inks from Raffaele and Danny Miki. Brad Anderson remains on colors, joined by Lee Loughridge this time.

There were a few more hands involved in the previous issue, but it was a seamless transition between complimentary styles. There is even more harmony this time because there are fewer style changes, with Reis and Raffaele handling different scenes. Even though the two styles have some big differences, there are aspects that help tie them together.

Reis has a very slick and smooth style that often befits the superhero books he works on so often. On the other side, Raffaele’s work is inherently a bit rougher around the edges, and less slick/smooth. Here, though, they are on a very similar footing. I noted in previous reviews how Reis morphs his artwork for this series to match the sort of rougher tone established by Rafael Albuquerque.

Both artists have very detailed styles that are emotive and fluid when the action begins, helped by the inking work that deepens everything. There is weight to this world, we can feel it pulling and existing. Gotham is a city rife with darkness and personality and all the artwork exemplifies that.

We’re treated to colors that feel big and bold and vivid while also feeling dark and heavy. Anderson and Loughridge match each other beat for beat in creating a similar tone throughout the entire issue.

Every single space has its own unique overall color palette in effect, matching the emotion or natural lighting for that space. Shadows and darker colors draw attention in various spaces to remind us of the grim and painful focus of this story. Gotham feels bright and hopeful on the precipice of having it all plunged into darkness once more.

Alongside all the fighting, there is a lot of dialogue to be delivered here, much to be explained. Ariana Maher as usual makes sure it not only all is smooth and structured but makes it pop. Emotion, personality, and more always show through the words as well as the few SFX that show up.

As a new chapter of the main story act begins, so does the first chapter of a new set of backups. Here we take a step into the past again, leaving Gotham behind, for a tale of Arzen’s youth. Dan Watters, Raffaele, Loughridge, and Steve Wands take us back to these formative years for the Orgham’s Prince.

Watters is so good at nailing a mixture of both creepy but also sad for a story. King Zehdan is dead, and we see glee from his widow and anger/sadness but also determination from his son. The tenacity we see from Arzen focused on the Gaea Tree he wants to see bloom again is of course shades of the same ferocity he’ll show in the future. It provides a solid counterpoint to Bruce’s story, that we know so well.

Different from their work on the main story, Raffaele and Loughridge create something lovely and old feeling artistically. There are yellowish tones that fill the pages recalling old weathered pages/images. Other pages are paired with lusher green tones matching the goal of Arzen. Again, it creates a dynamic dual-tone situation that works so well together.

Part of that old vibe also comes from the lettering work. Wands fills the narration boxes with a beautiful and elegant font that just screams classical. It does its part in making sure that every bit of this story feels not only like the past but somehow also timeless. These are beings that appear to be immortal after all.

Detective Comics #1072 is now available from DC Comics.