A strong start for the new creative team on the book that launched Batman.
Detective Comics #30 is the first issue by Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato.
It opens with a mother and daughter – outsiders in Gotham City. I was invested in Elena and Annie’s story and characters. Elena’s manipulation of Bruce Wayne into helping her rebuild a crime-ridden waterfront area of Gotham shows she’s smart and resourceful. In many ways she is a mirror version of Bruce.
Elena and Bruce’s project raises the fury of some low-life criminals. It’s an interesting choice for the team to focus on low-to-no powered villains for the first chapter including a formidable biker gang. The choice fits the procedural, noir style. We’re taken to unseen neighborhoods of Gotham. The whole issue has this gritty realism of people fighting for hope in an urban hell. I really love how Manapul draws Batman like a dark ghost with his cape bleeding into the alley shadows.
A brutal portrait of life, crime and punishment on the mean streets of Gotham, vicious bad guys who can’t wait to see get a Bat-beating and a compelling murder mystery have me hooked and eager to see where Manapul and Buccellato take us.
By Editor