Written by: James Tynion IV
Art by: Alvaro Martinez, Raul Fernandez
Publisher: DC Comics
Three issues deep, and Detective Comics continues to one of the most consistently excellent books of Rebirth. It’s the type of book that I’m super happy I’m reading as it’s coming out, because already, it feels like something that will be remembered for years to come. There’s very little that it gets wrong, and #936 is my favorite issue of this run yet. The quippy dialogue is better than it’s ever been, and for the first time, the plot is legitimately interesting.
I guess that’s something that I should expect, considering how long I’ve been reading comics. Stories take a little while to kick into gear, especially in new books that need to spend some time fleshing out characters. That’s very much been the case with Detective Comics – it’s very much a character-focused book. And so far, the Colony has stuff has really taken a backseat to simultaneously establishing those character relations for new readers and providing some rad fan service for longtime DC fans.
With this issue, Colony actually becomes an interesting adversary for Kate, Tim, Stephanie, and Cassie. As with everything else about this book, the twist that makes Colony interesting is actually built on character relations. It’s still very much just a vehicle for character development – but now there’s actually an interesting conflict at its core. It’s exciting to see Tynion executing this well on a plot that I’d spent the first two issues writing off.
As for the rest of the book, well, it consists largely of really fun character moments. Kate reconnects with Renee Montoya briefly at the beginning (a character that I hope is going to be recurring), Clayface gets his comic relief lines, Steph is so out of her depth it’s adorable, and the silent panels with Cassie do more for that character than anything ever has. There’s also a great moment between Tim and Kate that feels like a larger commentary on Batman as a character. It’s all just a bunch of fun to read.
Thus far, I’ve really been enjoying Eddy Barrows’ art on Detective Comics, so I was kind of bummed to see that he wasn’t solicited for this issue. Of course, he’ll be back, but in the meantime, the task is left up to Alvaro Martinez. Which, if anything, is the opposite of a problem. His panels capture the characters perfectly, and there are parts where Tynion just gets out of his way. It really feels to me like Martinez’s work clicks better with Tynion’s writing than what Barrows was doing.
To be completely honest, I’m really excited that Detective Comics is double shipping. It’s up there, for me, with books like Lazarus, Deadly Class, Saga, and Wonder Woman. Whenever an issue come out, I just get insanely giddy with excitement. I’ve said this in every review I’ve written about this book so far, and I’ll say it again: it’s so much fun to be spending time with these characters again.
The two week wait for the next issue is going to be painful.
