The Voices In Your Head: Reviewing ‘Detective Comics’ #1073

Things have taken an explosive turn in Gotham City. Unfortunately for Batman, the Orghams are seemingly always ten steps ahead. If we’re going to have to take an act break on this storyline, this sure is a good way to go.

By now, most probably know that DC Comics is essentially taking a two-month break for their Knight Terrors event. Most ongoing books will pause, and many of them will have a two-issue tie-in miniseries take their place. Detective Comics fits both of those descriptors. This run we’re enjoying now will take a pause but there will be an unrelated two issues in its place.

So far, this run has been a solid mix of action, introspection, deep character work, and magnificent long-form storytelling. No surprise, this issue is no different. Picking up where the last left off, Batman finds out that the choice given by Arzen Orgham wasn’t really a choice at all. It was just another pre-planned move in their mission to weed out the Batman issue that has ruined their plan for centuries.

It’s interesting that even with a consistent shuffling of artistic hands, this series has managed to carve out an artistic niche. Ivan Reis and Danny Miki remain on pencils and inks while Goran Sudzuka joins as the other penciller/inker for the issue. Brad Anderson remains on colors and Ariana Maher on the letters.

Each of the artists has their own unique style of course but there is a similar sort of rough, dark vibe across the work. All very great at conveying the deep emotions, and personality of Gotham, with a heavily kinetic energy. Even when the eye notices that the styles have changed, it is in a very natural smooth sort of way. It’s not a jarring change that pulls you out for even a moment.

As usual, part of what helps is that each artist is tackling different scenes/moments, so the change only happens every few pages. Mainly at points that are a natural scene break. It all maintains the same energy that Rafael Albuquerque began the whole story so many issues ago, without losing uniqueness.

All the colors have weight to them, the darkness mixing in. This gives us a palette that is more of a mixed affair with some toned-down bits and some more vividness in places. Such a move allows the vivid bits to hit us more, because they stand out from everything that is around them. I love the way Anderson incorporates the lights into every scene, making sure they have an accurate, weighty impact.

Speaking of impact and uniqueness, that is always part of what Maher brings to an issue with letters. Allowing the emotion to be heard and felt with each word, as the words dance across the page. Every bit is giving its own energy from how the font appears or the shapes and colors the bubbles and boxes take on. All of them could have just been standard white bubbles with regular text, but it doesn’t hit the same. It’s these bits of personality added on that make things even more powerful in execution.

There are almost no words to really hit home how almost perfect a tale Ram V has weaved through these issues. Often these moments where the hero fails, and the villains get the upper hand can feel a bit hollow. Not because the writers are not good but because of the nature of ongoing comics. We know that Batman will win in the end.

Yes, we know that here, because we know that DC Comics isn’t going to let Batman actually permanently die or lose. Yet, there is a powerful sense of dread and anxiety attached here. That’s because the Orghams were not just thrown in as some instant bad that wiped the floor with Batman. It’s been a steady slow build with the hero surviving and barely coming back from thing after thing. Now with the Azmer attached to him, and his fate uncertain, we are left wondering just how much more punishment this normal human man can take.

Truly the smartest part of this run, outside of the deep introspective work, is placing Batman as just a man. A heavily trained man with money and skills greater than any of us, but still just a flesh and bone man. Here at this moment, we believe that this could be the one threat that finally can’t be beaten by the Batman. That is the mark of a great Batman run right there.

We’re treated to another chapter of the early years of Arzen’s life from Dan Watters, Stefano Raffaele, Lee Loughridge, and Steve Wands.

It takes a special kind of tale to make us partially feel for a character like Arzen. Villains that have a tragic backstory or reason for being are usually easier for us to want to see more of. Watters showcases here how Arzen in some ways is a victim. Things he cared about were ripped away from him all through the scheming of his mother, trying to turn him into the person she needs him to be.

In the first chapter, there was a brighter, almost hopeful, amount of yellow and greens used. It had a weathered and sort of old-fashioned feeling to them. We see those yellows and greens again, but this time there has been a switch. There is a rougher feeling to it all with the colors taking on a darker tone. Raffaele and Loughridge have created a vision that showcases perfectly how Arzen’s life changes at this moment. Gone is the more hopeful young man that wanted to save the tree planted by his father.

Previously I noted how there is that older, almost classical, feel to how Wands lays out the lettering. It continues here but plays a different role. Before it spoke to their “classy” older ways and fit with the more lyrical hopeful feeling. Now it plays perfect counter as the Orghams are darker and darker with their “classy” trappings morphing into the mask that we know. As we’ve seen in the series they play at benevolence and classiness while being the complete opposite behind the scenes.

Hmm sounds pretty familiar. No wonder they’re such effective villains.

Detective Comics #1073 is now available from DC Comics.