Now Let’s See Who This Villain Really Is — Reviewing ‘Detective Comics’ #1096

Threading the line between justice and vengeance is just another typical day at work for many vigilante hero-types. They have to learn the lesson about how to deal with the worst of the worst, finding the reasons to not cross the line of harm.

We’ve seen it a million times with Batman, and, well, I guess it’s time to trot along that line once more. Detective Comics #1096 brings the opening arc of Tom Taylor, Mikel Janín, and Wes Abbott’s inaugural run to a close. They’re joined by Norm Rapmund on the inking side of things.

Oh dang, it’s finally over. At times, it felt like this arc had been going on for years. Highs and lows were plentiful on this pretty much expected roller coaster.

Building any mystery in the monthly format of comics is tough. There needs to be enough to keep the audience coming back, while also not revealing too much where it feels predictable or takes far too long for the reveal. When it comes to the mystery of Asema, there was a lot lacking.

**SPOILERS FOLLOW**

The duo of suspects was always pretty clear. It was either Scarlett, the suddenly introduced childhood friend of Bruce Wayne (and daughter of Joe Chill), or the mysterious just introduced Doctor Bridgett Forster. Turns out, it was one of them but also it was the secret third option at the same time.

Evelyn Scott, Scarlett’s mother, was the killer. Just like Hush (another Wayne childhood association gone bad), she was a bit pissed at the lifesaving prowess of Thomas Wayne. Turns out, she was the one trying to kill Joe Chill in the first place. Then for some reason waited till now to start killing people and gunning for him under the guise of being “Martha Wayne’s Vengeance” or something.

Taylor has a good handle on Bruce Wayne/Batman but some of his swings of this nature just always feel off. He’s shooting for lofty progressive views that just sort of fall flat when executed in the comic. This feels a bit preachy in this arc. The overall message just feels hollow cause we’ve seen Bruce deal with it before. In the end, none of this really does much and leaves characters in a spot that they should have been already.

But hey, apparently Batman now realizes that prison isn’t for rehabilitation and there needs to be more. Welcome to the party, Bats, I guess.

Tapping Janín to do anything Batman related is always a good call. He has such a lush, dynamic, and big feeling artistic style befitting this character. It really leans into creating slick energy on the page, tTheir faces and bodies expressing everything in loud and clear terms. Color palette choices bridging the more normal baseline tones and the more vibrant ones, sprinkled with plenty of darker, and heavier, colors where necessary.

What little action sequences there are feel authentic. There is plenty of weight and denseness to everything in the panels. This is enhanced by the combination inking work from Janín and Rapmund. Speaking of panels, the layout of them keeps things flowing so well. Perspective shifts at the drop of a dime to best display the given moment.

There is a bit of oddness in this issue, though. With the addition of Rapmund, this speaks to the idea that there was a likely time crunch issue. Janín’s work is missing just a measure of the crispness it normally showcases. It’s not enough to really harm the story, but enough to be slightly noticeable.

Even with the quibbles about character motivations here. Abbott delivers the voices soundly. He’s able to take Taylor’s particular style of dialogue and give it a bit of a punch. This comes from how it’s delivered on the page as much as the modifications, allowing the voices to ring thoroughly in the proverbial ears of the audience.

Detective Comics #1096 is now available from DC Comics.