With only two issues left in James Tynion IV’s superb run on the title, we see the physical and emotional pieces of the “Detective Comics” puzzle fall into place. Read on for our review of #979, which contains mild spoilers.
Written by James Tynion IV
Illustrated by Philippe Briones
Colored by John Kalisz
Lettered by Sal Cipriano‘Batmen Eternal’ part four! Ulysses Armstrong knows everything there is to know about Tim Drake’s future-including every inevitable step he’ll take on the road to becoming a dark version of himself! Unfortunately, Ulysses is perfectly happy to take everything from him…and use it to give birth to an unstoppable menace!
For 45 issues now, Tynion has been telling a story within “Detective Comics” that dissects not only what it means to be a vigilante in the DC Universe, but what it means to be Batman specifically. We’ve seen the rise and fall of Tim Drake’s idea of Belfries, or centralized command posts across the city, and almost every threat Batman and his extended team have faced – both internal and external – has been a dark reflection of themselves. This latest arc (Tynion’s finale on the title) is a perfect example of this idea, and the culmination of the plot threads introduced throughout his run.
Tim Drake is at the mercy of his own dark reflection, Ulysses, himself a former employee of The Colony, General Kane’s idea of doing Batman but better. Ulysses has command of Brother Eye and is using it, in conjunction with Drake’s mind, to command an army of OMACs that he’s determined to control Gotham in ways that mere vigilantes never could. Batman, Batwoman, Batwing, General Kane and Azrael fight the OMACs, while Tim and Ulysses battle inside what’s left of Drake’s fractured psyche.
A secondary plot that seems to come to a subtle conclusion here is that of Kate Kane and her chillingly efficient way of dealing with threats to Gotham. Previously she joined forces with her father because, again, she believed that there was a better way to be Batman. Her way is more deadly, more direct, and in opposition to Batman’s, but only in an extremely subtle way. In this issue, now that the OMACs are bearing down on them, Kate sides with Batman against her father, declaring that there’s a better way of dealing with them besides killing everyone. It’s a small moment not explicitly commented on, but a significant one nevertheless.
Philippe Briones’s art is perfectly suited to the tone and aesthetic of “Detective Comics” set by the artists that have come before him. There’s always been a darker tone to this book, but one that’s highlighted by exaggerated color tones and dynamic superhero pose. There’s also a strong tradition of unconventional page layouts and double-page spreads filled with panels, something that Briones adopts very quickly.
With a significant portion of the story taking place within Tim Drake’s mind, Briones has got the freedom to really explore different styles of layouts, and pages two and three – a double splash page – are a great example of this. “Detective Comics” #979 opens with the confrontation between Ulysses and Tim within Tim’s mind, and Ulysses is depicted upside down at a 45-degree angle, even his word balloons are at that angle too, forcing you to tilt your head to read them. He’s deliberately turning Tim’s world upside down, and literally forcing both Tim and the reader to change their viewpoint to match his own perspective. It’s a clever touch.
There’s also a fun use of color throughout the issue too, another example of the book playing with the fact that it takes place in Tim’s mind. John Kalisz uses bright unnatural blues for the background, introducing the idea of a cold, alien presence in Tim’s mind, and drenching the foreground – characters and all – in a dangerous red, like an unseen warning light is reflecting upon the scene. The OMACs themselves are that same cold blue, in opposition to the bold color choices of Batman and his extended cast. These are beings that blur the line between good and evil, as not only are they enacting an extreme version of a good guy’s (i.e. Tim’s) ideas, but they’re manipulating innocent human bodies to do it. Their color palette is equally confusing, a sort of blue-black that resembles your own shimmering, warped reflection in a dark, murky pond.
Tynion’s deconstruction of the concept of being Batman is one that’s been explored before, but not to the thorough degree to which it’s been done here. Batman as a way of life is picked apart by friend and foe alike, and almost every time someone other than Bruce has tried to be Batman but better, they’ve failed spectacularly. Even Tim, whose very ideas for a better Batman are exploited and taken to a violent extreme in this issue. While it could be argued then that this is a pessimistic view on being a vigilante, rather it feels like the opposite: Tynion is implying that when it comes to fighting crime in Gotham, nobody does it better than Batman.
Final Verdict: 7.9 – Things are reaching a climax in “Detective Comics,” and this issue brings things together in an exciting way.
