Comic Info
Comic Name: Detective Comics (Volume 2)
Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Tony S. Daniel
Artist: Tony S. Daniel
# of Issues: 7
Release Date: 2012
Detective Comics (2) #4
Reprints Detective Comics (2) #1-7 (November 2011-May 2012). Batman has taken in the Joker, but the Joker has escaped…minus his face. Now as Batman tracks the new threat of a villain called the Dollmaker, Joker cults are popping up all over Gotham. Meanwhile, the Penguin is making another powerplay, but an assassin called Snakeskin might have other plans.
Written and illustrated by Tony S. Daniel, Batman—Detective Comics Volume 1: Faces of Death is the first of the New 52’s relaunch of DC’s long running title (which now goes by Batman—Detective Comics). The series was met with big sales but not as much critical acclaim as the relaunched Batman title.
While Batman was a tight new comic, Detective Comics felt a bit sloppier and more like the pre-New 52 relaunch. The issues were more episodic and less edgy than Batman’s adventures in his self-titled book. Batman grabbed me, but Detective Comics felt like more of the same.
Detective Comics (2) #5
This is the biggest problem with the collection. The Scott Snyder Batman felt concise, distinctive, and fresh. With the storyline, Snyder really brought in other members of the Batman “Family” and their titles, but both Batman—Detective Comics and Batman: The Dark Knight felt rather independent of a lot of the stuff occurring in Batman…and the tones were completely different. The events in this comic did have an effect on the overall New 52 storyline involving the Joker, but didn’t feel as tied in as some of the other titles.
The story is also hurt by rather standard Batman art. Nothing feels new about Batman—Detective Comics and that was part of the New 52’s big hitch…new and different. Detective Comics was one of the longest running comics of all time and it was relaunched for no reason but a company-wide relaunch. It feels like it should have been treated better since it was one of DC’s original flagships.
Batman—Detective Comics 1: Faces of Death really doesn’t provide anything new to the Batman mythos. It is a pretty standard (and average) Batman story that doesn’t really advance the story in Batman or any of the branching titles enough to justify a relaunch. With a new look and a new direction, Detective Comics should have been a greater priority to DC Comics. Batman—Detective Comics 1: Faces of Death was followed by Batman—Detective Comics 2: Scare Tactics.
