Please note this review might contain some explicit language as Chad has written the review…
Written by: James Tynion IV
Art by: Alvaro Martinez, Rauld Fernandez and Brad Anderson
Publisher: DC Comics
Ugh! I told myself I wouldn’t buy any DC comic books. I already collect enough crap—CDs, Alien toys, books, booze, booze, a very select few comic books, more booze—and I just don’t have the money or the room. Yet as soon as this run of Detective Comics is available in trades, I’ll be hitting up my local comic book store to buy them. I’ll probably end up grabbing the new Wonder Woman while I’m at it. If I’m going to break the rules, I might as well go big.
Anyways:
Detective Comics #938 is the explosive payoff to all of the character and plot development thus far, and the result is one long, glorious fight sequence that spans 13 straight pages with nothing but badass action from beginning to end. It’s thrilling; it’s tense; and most importantly, it’s fun. Each character gets a chance to shine. Each page is jam-packed with personality. From Batwoman’s “I told you so” to the sheer carnage that is Orphan to Red Robin’s banter with the Batman-obsessed geek from the pervious issue, there is nothing but joy to be had. I was grinning from start to finish.
There are no wasted scenes here. There is no wasted dialogue. There is no action fatigue. The whole issue is streamlined perfection.
While I showed up to Detective Comics #938 for the big fight scene, it’s the first five pages that lend it weight. It’s a character moment, a deeply personal one between Kate and her father, and without it, the fight sequence would lack almost all of its tension. I won’t spoil anything, but suffice to say, it’s wonderfully executed and showcases more character in five pages than most of these DC Rebirth comics do in 20.
And while I’m still talking about the writing, the ending is great too. It’s the perfect cliffhanger hook, the kind that says, “things are only going to get worse before they get better,” which the comic book medium was made to use and abuse.
On the art from, the comic looks great. The first few pages are somber and washed out, giving the scene a ghostly, sorrowful feel, while the bulk action sequences are vibrant and full of life. The fights themselves are easy to follow and grasp, even when characters are doing crazy flips, and it’s all paced perfectly. Also, Clayface looks absolutely amazing.
Detective Comics #938 is everything I want from a superhero comic. It’s got the crazy violence, the crazy characters, the humor, and the dark to balance it all out. It’s good, and I want more.
