Just The Story Of A Boy: Reviewing ‘Detective Comics’ #1075

Batman has a lot of inner demons to battle. Unfortunately, the newest mental resident was placed there by the Orghams. It’s a battle across Gotham of reality and memory, as the Dark Knight fights for his life and soul.

Ram V and Arianna Maher continue their long-running “Gotham Nocturne” storyline, welcoming aboard the incomparable Francesco Francavilla for a frightening tale. They are followed by a tale of the powerful memories held by Dan Watters, Aaron Campbell, Patricio Delpeche, and Steve Wands.

If you’re going to craft a story about Batman’s battles of the mind that centers on fear, Francavilla has to be at the top end of the list. Creating horrifying, unique, fear-dripping visuals is just his thing. There is a reason so many covers of comics about spooky things bear his artwork.

It’s a real treat to get a full issue with these spooky stylings.

Capturing the emotion and the tone is key. Visual depth or focus are sacrificed at times, in order to make sure that the fear or other elements are almost viscerally felt. Various panels will have faces obscured or less rendered, because that’s not the thing that matters in the moment. That’s not to say that this artwork lacks depth or detail, because it doesn’t. Francavilla knows how and when to hit us with the heavy stuff.

Swirling us up in feeling, catching us off guard. That’s the ticket right there. Iconic imagery that pulls from various angles, having a sort of whimsical/animated appeal to it, soaking in horrifying waters. Natural roughness is born into this style, contrasting with that aforementioned whimsy, and creating something that seems appealing while also revolting.

Colors really set the tone. Plenty of colors are in use, but it’s not about creating realism or hitting with punchy vibrant superhero-like colors. Grays, browns, and blacks swirl around to create the most grounded portion which is the setting. The buildings, grounds, and other spaces that are occupied. Other colors that are close to ‘normal’ can be found here and there, depending on the mood. What really sets the tone are the distinctive splashes of reddish/orange that are a staple of Francavilla’s work.

Bloody, almost fire-like, they set the horror tone even more than black or darkness. Sure, looking into darkness is scary, but blood and elements that make us think of blood often can be scarier, as they are grotesque, visceral, and horrific. Just the tone that is desired for stories that want to make your spine tingle a bit. Naturally, this contrasts with the less scary and heavily used signature blue tones which also populate his work.

It’s not all fear though. A large portion of the feelings here are sadness and tragedy. We feel those as Francavilla frames each moment to pull the maximum emotional energy from us. Ram V knows what strings to pull, really delving deep into this character. Batman isn’t the only source of sadness though, as a new character we barely know brings a big hit of the sadness.

During the battles mentioned, we take various trips down memory lane. Batman is a character over eight decades old, his pasts (every version) have been mined constantly. Often, it gets tiring to return to these moments, even if we get new material from them. That is, unless the writer truly fully understands how to wield those moments and has something grand to say.

Oh, hey there Ram V, didn’t see you over there!

Joke aside, he’s a person that gets this. We’re in the middle of an intricately planned run that has broken the character down to his most basic levels. Moments or beats seen previously inform what is to come, and the path forward is mysterious yet clear at the same time. If all the Batman trappings were stripped away and replaced with original characters, it would still fully work. Because the man behind the proverbial curtain is a tremendous storyteller, able to tap into the pure human elements of any story.

Even with all the supernatural, fantastical, and demonic beats, this is the story of a man. A broken man who is trying to do his best and is crumbling apart as the forces he faces are just too much. There was only so long this simple man could go before his body and mind could take no more.

Maher is a master of her craft. Always able to provide lettering that has energy, power, and purpose within the space while tapping into that which makes comics fun. It shifts and fits whatever the style on the page might be. Here we see the various captions and other bits take on colors and font styles that match Francavilla’s energy.

Gliding naturally through the pages, framing the action and keeping us where our eyes need to be. Standing in contrast to the darker elements on the page at times, providing that bit of light in an increasingly dark world. Not to mention the ever-present SFX that lingers and feels present in the world. Striking us with the same force that they are part of on the page.

Oh gosh, that backup story. Beautiful, haunting, tragic, and damaging wrapped up into a neat package. Essentially the Batman emotional starter package given gorgeous powerful form. It honestly took a couple of reads before I could even figure out what to say about it, and I’m still at a loss for words. On the surface, it seems so simple.

Watters presents a story that focuses on one of Bruce’s memories similar to what we see in the main issue. That moment right after the death of his parents, as Alfred tries to reach out to the lost boy. Except, he’s not the only one. We’re given dual beats where we see how Alfred is trying to reach Bruce while the Bat Demon Barbatos is doing the same thing. Campbell crafts pages that are mirrors of one another if one is looking into a very warped mirror.

Almost everything is within tight focused panels that make sure we sit in these moments with the characters, not allowed to look away or remove ourselves. Just as trapped as Bruce is between these two worlds. Such rough stark sharpness to the affair while the colors bring a mix of shadowy dark depth and brightness that is both hopeful and horrifying depending on the page.

Delpeche and Campbell’s work together hits these various levels in a way that will stay with the reader long after they close the book. Comic books are meant for these unique styles that take us beyond the realistic into the surreal.

Wands is so good at all the lettering across many of these backup stories. Finding the way to maximize the effect of the different art styles within his own work. I love the choice that Alfred’s caption boxes are the standard black on white feeling heavy and sad, while Barbatos is broken black on bright yellow. All of that works with the rest of the artwork to show just how broken and trapped Bruce is, between two words that are just as tantalizing.

Without having to explicitly state it, this story and parts of the main story show us how much the loss of Alfred really hurts. That man was truly the most stabilizing factor for Bruce. Without him, it’s been a steady decline to the point we see him within both of his main books.

Detective Comics #1075 is now available from DC Comics.