As a Batman fan, I love a good mystery starring the Dark Knight. He’s not called the World’s Greatest Detective for nothing. Batman has starred in literally hundreds of mysteries, often with unexpected twists and turns that reveal dark and dangerous truths. I’ll admit that I haven’t been keeping up with Detective Comics as much lately, but now that DC Comics is in its Next Level phase, it seems like a pretty good time to get back in. Especially now that the book isn’t just featuring Batman, but his superhero allies Green Arrow and Black Canary.
So what brings Oliver and Dinah to Gotham? Well, aside from Black Canary inheriting Wildcat’s old gym, Green Arrow has a meeting with Kelp Corp, a sketchy AI company hoping to acquire Queen Industries. There’s an investigation into Kelp Corp, and whistleblowers keep mysteriously dying, and Batman is trying to get to the bottom of things. And amid all this, the trio discovers a mysterious relative of one of their fallen friends, a hero named Prion. Now, Detective Comics keeps the mystery going, digging into Prion’s past and the dangers it holds for our three heroes.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Detective Comics #1108 by Tom Taylor, Pete Woods, Bruno Abdias, Lee Loughridge, and Wes Abbott begins with a flashback to roughly a decade prior to now. A gang of robbers hit a children’s charity, and it isn’t long before the criminals are stopped by Batman, Black Canary, and Green Arrow. As the heroes attempt to free the hostages, they’re joined by a scrappy vigilante. This is Prion, and he’s eagerly welcomed by the trio. Years later, Bruce, Dinah, and Oliver are wondering who the girl who came to visit Prion’s grave was.
The gang’s investigation into the girl has to wait as another Kelp whistleblower, Nico Muniz, is being transported. During the transport, the armored truck Muniz is being transported in goes haywire and drives itself off a bridge. Thankfully, Batman, Green Arrow, and Black Canary aren’t far behind, and they rescue Muniz, as well as the officers he was traveling with. However, with Muniz being the last whistleblower, the heroes decide to safeguard him in Wildcat’s gym until he can testify. Until then, Oliver has to handle Kelp at the meeting to discuss a possible takeover.
Oliver meets with Kelp’s representatives and takes it as seriously as you’d expect. Queen tells off Kelp and makes it clear that any sort of merger or acquisition isn’t happening. After the meeting, Oliver discovers that he isn’t alone as the girl from the cemetery has somehow made her way inside his building. Ollie tries finding out what her connection to Prion is, but he’s more concerned about how close she’s getting to an open window. He tries to get the girl to safety, but in an unexpected twist, the girl grabs Oliver’s arm and flings him out the window.
I think what I really liked about this issue was the dynamic between Batman, Green Arrow, and Black Canary. Taylor writes friendships so well, and you can really feel how connected these three are (especially when they’re all giving Bruce grief about the Hatchbat’s nickname). Taylor really thrives with a more lighthearted approach to comics, and it adds a nice levity to the story. But it never feels distracting from the story, nor does it minimize the seriousness. It’s a very well-balanced issue, and the ending really makes me want to see where this is going.
As noted, this issue features two main artists, Pete Woods and Bruno Abdias. Woods’ pages bookmark the story, while Abdias’s takes the middle. They honestly work well together, and it’s not exactly jarring when the comic switches from one artist to the other. I think Woods’ pages pop a bit more, but to be fair, the flashback gives us the big fight sequence of this issue. That said, Abdias does a great job with the heroes’ rescue mission of the sinking armored truck. I do prefer a bit more consistency between pages, but it’s nothing extremely distracting.
Overall, Detective Comics #1108 is a solid Batman story (with a little bit more than just Batman). It’s probably not going to please fans who already didn’t at least somewhat like Tom Taylor’s work, but it’s good. I will say, as someone who hasn’t been keeping up with Detective Comics, I like Taylor switching things up, making this a team book. I don’t know if it will last, but I’m curious to read more and see where this mystery will take Batman and his superhero pals next.
What did you think about Detective Comics #1108? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts on the ComicBook Forum!
