Wrapping Up In Style: Reviewing ‘Detective Comics’ #1088

Gotham is a city full of shadows, monsters, dark secrets but also a tenacious spirit that keeps on fighting back. For all his faults, issues, and concerns Bruce Wayne/Batman stands as a dark representation of that fighting spirit.

As Gotham Nocturne enters its penultimate, years in the making, issue, the cowled vigilante, his allies, and his foes show this spirt wholeheartedly in Detective Comics #1088. Orchestrating this dynamic beginning of the end is Ram V, Guillem March, Luis Guerrero, and Ariana Maher. Alongside this is a backup story from Dan Watters, Christopher Mitten, Patricio Delpeche, and Steve Wands.

Gosh, what an issue and what a journey this has been. There is still one issue left in hands down one of the best Batman stories we’ve ever seen printed, but there is much to celebrate here already. A multitude of threads have completely woven together and showcased just how masterful a guiding hand Ram V has for these matters.

There are storytellers and there are storytellers and it’s very clear which one this man happens to be.

Throughout this whole run, a bevy of truly amazing and tonally perfect artists have rotated into the mix. Ending things with March at the helm feels pretty spot on which just how much he has been connected to Gotham, Batman, and the like for so many years. I mean, just look at the opening shot of Duela Dent, sometimes known as Joker’s Daughter (not the best name for a character if we’re being quite honest here).

Before I go further on the art, let me touch on this character.

I’ve never been a fan. No matter where they tried to fit her in from villain to Titans member to alternate dimension stuff. Her origins and connection to various villains were murky and constantly retconned, while her aesthetic and stuff just never seemed to work. Then comes Ram V, a consummate writer of characters, and suddenly I’m all into this character and want to see more. There is an inherent tragedy that now is clear, and we saw that she was living a better life until the Joker came calling.

What a compelling villain to throw into the mix and to show just how the Gotham darkness takes root in various ways.

Back to the artwork.

March has such a intriguing style. It inherently has an edge of roughness, quite sharp to the touch, but still that very light whimsical energy we often crave from comics. Characters and spaces have great depth and detail to them (when so desired) and have a tangibleness that radiates from them. It plays within a shadowy realm where darkness and heavier strokes are everywhere, really benefiting the tonal nature of most Batman stories.

At the same time the figures can be sort of sketchy and not fully formed which really works with the overall plan. From a distance things are blurrier and murkier, but when we’re in a panel right up close in the face there is no mistaking the level of care and thought that permeates every bit of the work.

I’m quite familiar with Guerrero’s colors, chiefly from the Damian Wayne Robin series from a few years ago. Here the colors take on a more muted tone than over there, yet are still full of popping vibrancy. Darkness is all around and is really peppered into the whole palette. Letting most of the colors sort of become toned down to create a more natural but also ominous level.

With so many characters being of the more gray or black color scheme there are less of the really big superhero type colors here. So a lot of the lighter affair comes from the environment. Like Azrael’s flaming sword or light sources that really help with the illumination effect. Which of course just makes the figures and story feel even heavier darkness wise, which is the goal.

Pulling all the strings through the past few years, what Ram V has accomplished here is quite something. We see various characters that have been major to minor parts of the story, brought back into play, helping to naturally and logically start clearing the board. All of the Orgham family soldiers are systematically taken care of in very detailed ways that don’t make the reader feel like it’s rushed or out of place. Continuing to showcase the true depth and possibilities for characters like Two-Face/Harvey Dent, Mister Freeze, and even the lesser used but oh so creepily perfect Ten-Eyed Man.

Not a single thing that happens here feels like it didn’t get the right amount of showcase or development. Even stuff that happened months upon months ago, feels fresh and clicked as I read through the issue. Reading monthly has been a joy, but I cannot wait to pick up the for sure omnibus collection of this run and read it all in one go. I’m sure there are things that will feel new and be picked up that I totally missed the first time through.

Because this book and this run is a big giant fantastically curated meal that needs to be savored.

Along for the run has been Maher, really helping bring even more weight and power to the words on display. Finding that extra way to pepper in more emotional resonance to everything, while giving voices their own unique visual flair. Lettering is about more than just getting the words onto the page. It’s about making us hear, feel, and believe those words even more than we would inherently. All while making them pop and add to the overall visual aesthetic.

Maher is one of those that does all this and so much more, every single time.

While it’s our second to last issue of the main story of the run, it’s also the second to last of the backups that accompanied this run. Likely there will still be backups in the next run, but those that matched during this one hit a very specific feeling through and through.

Once again Watters is here to pick up threads laid out by his friend Ram V and run with them. On the surface the story seems like an aside, but it pays off many things and likely sets up a big moment for the finale. As we see Talia al Ghul find a way to recreate the effects of the Lazarus Pits and bring Arzen Orgham back to life, after his mother murdered him (for assisting Batman).

It showcases the similarities of the two, with their overbearing parents and place as the “golden child” of sorts. We see Arzen struggle with truths and the lies his mother told him, as well as his desire for vengeance. The use of Talia through this whole run has been astounding. Much like Two-Face and Mister Freeze, it honestly might be one of the best uses for her in quite some time.

Mitten has such a unique style that is very much filled with a textural roughness. Tons of great line work and depth alongside really solid framing. Character motivation, emotions, and personality are clear as day. Love shots like the one of Arzen’s eye crackling with Lazarus energies. All of it looks great with the similarly more muted type of palette that Delpeche utilizes. Things like the aforementioned Lazarus effect and other beats are where the more poppy types of colors are brought into play.

If there is an MVP for the backup stories it would have to be Wands who has been trucking along handling the lettering for them, even before this run began two years ago. Making sure to get it all flowing and energized on the page, matching whatever the art style happens to be beat for beat. Giving the characters accurate, powerful, and sprawling voices along the way.

Detective Comics #1088 is now available from DC Comics.