Detective Comics #13 Preview/Discussion

[Rakzo]

This was truly fantastic.

The dialogue was sharp and witty without reducing the dark tone of the book. Plus, The Penguin was great here, a man who wants to leave his mark on the work but not in the same way he uses to, Layman's portrayal of the character shows great promise.

The backup story was also interesting despite that it focuses on two random characters.

Overall, a quite nice first issue for the new creative team, DC should give Layman more work.

[RoughNTumble]

okay detective comics has officially joined batman inc. in the 'must read' batbooks category

I hope layman sticks around for a long and healthy run

[cactusmaac]

So anxious was I that this was the first book I read today. And...

Okay, now we're talking. Was that so hard?

Not as detective-driven as Layman had been talking up, but it was at the very least adventure-driven. Quickly paced, good balance of humor...reminded me a bit of Dixon. Art is great including Andy Clarke's work on the well written back-up. But then the art was never the big problem with Detective since relaunch anyway.

Back on my pull list, effective immediately.

Yes, it was Dixon-esque but with much better dialogue and a Batman with a sense of humour.

This beat out Action and Dial H as the read of the week. Back-up did well in exploring Gotham's criminal underworld as Layman said he would.

[Quinnhop]

I was really disappointed... Too much dialogue. Felt like the same-old-same-old.

But the art was fantastic.

[ILoveVibe]

So I dropped Catwoman and Batwoman and picked up this. I love it and am excited to see where it goes.

[Desaad]

I thought the second story was the star here, myself, something to write home about. Just a great peek at the brutal inner workings of Gotham.

The lead story was a nice Batman adventure story, as you might get from Dini or Dixon or what have you. Felt very animated, in a good-but-not-great way. Basically, Detective is a solidly done, widely appealing Bat book, which is a huge step up from before.

But I doubt I'll continue, as I'm not really a Batman fan.

[Retro315]

Good issue. Bruce's gallows humor wasn't just a one-scene deal, his sarcasm, sense of irony and timing were the highlights of the issue, as well as his interaction with Nightwing over the phone which had Dick being as irreverent as ever and occupying the wonderful role of "the only guy in the world not in the slightest afraid of Batman".

Penguin having true motivation was very welcome and Fabok's depiction of him was the sort I prefer - far more human, less grotesque. It wasn't exactly what I'd choose but it was loads better than what we usually get. Layman truly follows through with the promise of kind of introducing us to the "people who orbit the personalities" of Gotham's underworld, as Penguin's affiliates are explored, as well as his style of crime, how he keeps Batman occupied and how he is not just a Batman villain but a reflection of Bruce Wayne (first time in a LONG time anyone has really used that aspect of him).

Fabok has quickly moved to the top of the heap. Here's a guy who certainly comes from the same school as your Finch and Daniel (The Jim Lee school, basically), but who never leaves thing looking scratchy, who really puts his time into a clean line and looks like he researches the hell out of where shadows fall for that "Film Noir/Detective Pulp" vibe. But he doesn't overkill himself or his deadlines with it - some of the dynamic angles (that shot of Batman, his shadow and a bunch of laid out hoodlums on a rooftop sticks in my mind) are more of the cartoonist strength, where Batman's shadow is important to the image but frankly all the myriad little "realistic" bits of shadow and highlight are less important and therefore the linework is left clean and not overpowered.

So Fabok's a pretty great get, here. He's got a real strong grasp of not just anatomy but different anatomies and facial shapes (although I found the Hospital Exec guy to be kind of oddly grotesque, especially near Penguin), and the fact that I can see a few shifty perspectives affecting anatomy here indicates to me not that he's got a bad eye, but that he won't drive himself crazy on every panel to meet deadlines, he works quickly, and what looks to be confidently, and moves on.

Pretty much my only gripe is that Penguin didn't drop any trademark "Waughs" or slight bird noises. I find that some of those Golden Age quirks, used sparingly help keep a consistency to a character, add a little eccentricity that makes them more memorable (and likable). Not the end of the world, but I like my Bat-Rogues to keep just a little bit of the camp.

[thwhtGuardian]

A pretty solid read, I think those opening pages from the preview and the page where he fought the dragon sniper were probably the best parts so I hope in the future we see more of that dark humor.

[C_W]

I was hesitant to read this because Tony Daniel's run was lackluster and unenjoyable to me, to the point where I was considering dropping the book. Then I heard the news that Daniel was leaving and it piqued my interest. Although I never read Chew I heard great things about it and it's writer. So I gave this a chance and it did not disappoint. It's good to see Batman actually do some detective work especially if the word DETECTIVE is in the title. It was also good to see Batman needing help from allies like Batwing, Batman is awesome but he needs help sometimes and it was good to see that. I am no longer going to drop this, in fact I'm looking forward to next issue.

[NinjaMic]

First things first. Yes it's better than Daniel's run.


With that out of the way, it's alright....I'll see where it goes from here

[Godlike13]

Dammit, and i was gonna drop Tec. Now i can't when its this good. It had Penguin actually being a competent villain, and had an enjoyable take on Batman. Plus it had Nighwing. Very solid start for the new team.

[JasonTodd428]

It was a solid read and I'm looking forward to next month's issue.

[InformationGeek]

This is what I have been wanting! It is the perfect counterpoint for regular Batman comic, a lighter and more fun tale. I am so adding this to my pulls.

[Gothamdet]

It took Layman one issue to flip the switch with The Penguin as the villain. Can't wait to see what he does with the entire arc. I think I've made a mistake in not having read Chew.

[Roland Gunner]

I thought the second story was the star here, myself, something to write home about. Just a great peek at the brutal inner workings of Gotham.

Agreed. Second story stole the show. I liked how Layman tied it into the main feature. Clarke's art was also great. Tons of detail and expression and he cut down on all the lines I've seen in the past.