Detective Comics #996 // Review
Bringing the detective aspect back into the title in a huge way, Peter J Tomasi and Doug Mahnke deliver a mystery spanning across Bruce’s entire history. Forcing him to find the unknown adversary who knows too much. Heavy fan speculation surrounds the identity behind the unseen foe as the series draws closer towards issue #1000 and the 80th anniversary of Batman. Tomasi and Mahnke continue to contend for top Bat-title on store shelves with this brand-new epic.
A globe spanning adventure, Batman takes in a multitude of disguises in search of the truth behind his faceless attacker. Hearkening back to Tomasi’s time on the Batman and Robin title, taking Bruce outside the confines of Gotham City and creating an overall larger more grand scale story to be told. Running into one dead end after another, Bruce is led to Gila, New Mexico before meeting up with a very unexpected guest and closing out this chapter with Batman’s capture.
Calling back to his own previous run with the titular hero adds a level of familiarity as well as a larger aspect to the story. Tomasi portrays a more calculated and self assured Batman. Focusing on the task at hand and those close to him, as opposed to what Is being done with him on the main title. The lack of a constant battle with inner demons helps to creates both an actual hero to look up to and a sigh of relief from readers. Although having lost one person he cared for already, as well as almost losing another, Batman never falters and he always perseveres. Tomasi undeniably understand the man and the cowl, completely.
The signature style of Doug Mahnke creates a high level intensity to the story as the Caped Crusader must scour the globe and his past, searching for answers. Bringing a sheer horrific splendor to the pages, Mahnke adds a visceral nature to the series displaying the ugliness constantly surrounding the Dark Knight, creating an almost horror feeling to this series. Mahnke adds a much needed new flavor to an old classic.
This Dynamic Duo deliver yet another incredible chapter to this ever growing mystery, leaving readers floored with the jaw dropping ending. As the series approach the milestone issue, Tomasi and Mahnke continue to prove their weight in gold as they create an all new modern classic. With anticipation running high, this series continues to push the envelope with a character nearly a century old.
