How do you follow up a comic that ends with Batman being hanged from the neck in front of a crowd of people? Detective Comics #1078 was structured like so many heist missions that Ram V has written in the pages of Catwoman, except this time they lost. Now obviously this was not simply the end of Detective Comics; there must be a twist. However, so long as you didn’t cheat and read future solicitations ahead of time, going into this story truly feels like the worst has happened. The tone is one of utmost sincerity as Catwoman and her allies react to the fallout.
Once again I have to heap praise upon Jason Shawn Alexander for his art here. From the very first page you’re struck with the gravity of the situation. With an extreme closeup of Selina’s face, we see the shadows envelop her, highlighting the reticent spite in her eyes. That same shadow envelops every subsequent frame as well, almost giving the sensation of blacking out. All of the world is fading away as what just happened sets in. The whole issue is atmospheric and well drawn, but these opening segments are worth highlighting as something that does an incredible job drawing you into the story. I also don’t want to downplay the role of Dave Stewart’s colors here either. They go a long way creating that hazy, dreamlike effect.
For the first half of the story, we’re filled with a sense of dread as Orgham forces close in on Selina and her allies. Queen Orgham gloats over a helpless and bound Catwoman. The Cheshires retreat through the tunnels, desperately trying to funnel as many civilians to safety as possible. Azrael makes a final stand against overwhelming odds. There’s an air of desperate inevitability. It’s the kind of feeling when you know you can’t win, but you have to try; it’s both sad and inspirational. If this really were the final moments of Gotham after the death of Batman, it’d be a fitting end.
But you know it’s not. A good heist is like a magic trick, and as any magician will tell you, there are three parts to a magic trick. You have “the pledge” and “the turn” where the premise is is presented and then subverted. Both the reader and the Orghams are led to believe that the plan was to create a distraction for Catwoman to rescue Batman, only to be flipped on its head when the Orghams revealed that they were ready for that the entire time. However, there’s one last part to the trick, and it’s the most important of all:
Spoiler
The prestige.
Everything up until this point has been part of Selina’s plan. Getting captured was simply a feint within a feint, as it turns out that the conversation with Poison Ivy two issues ago was for a special toxin that simulates the appearance of death. Does it feel a bit narratively convenient? Yeah kind of, but it’s the sort of thing that shows up in comics enough that the small amount of foreshadowing we got was sufficient. It’s such a cathartic release to see the final stages of the plan executed as the tables are turned once again. It’s tough to create a plot with this many twists that feels both earned and exciting, but Ram V pulls it off. He even ties it all back to the poker metaphor from last issue (which is probably much better than my magic trick one).
If there’s one criticism I have of this execution, it’s that once we realize everything that’s happening, there are still a few pages left. It’s mostly wrapping up loose ends and presumably setting up some future developments. There’s nothing inherently wrong with any of that, but after the highs of most of the story, shifting gears to everything else causes the pacing to stumble. It’s a case of “oh, and also don’t forget we need to address this really quickly before moving on.”
Score: 8.5/10
Backup: Voyage into the Light
“Voyage into the Light” is a short vignette that gives us another look at the kind of person Dariah Orgham is. Like Dracula aboard the Demeter, she crosses the sea on a doomed ship. Paranoia sweeps the crew as they start to go missing. However, unlike Dracula, Dariah does not lie in wait so that she may continue to pick them off. She proudly announces herself and proclaims her plan to kill them all, lest an al Ghul assassin hide amongst them.
As with all the character pieces we’ve seen in the backups of the “Outlaw” arc, this one serves primarily to help us better understand the dramatis personae. It’s a bit surprising, though, to see that same treatment being given to Dariah. She was created for this arc, and has been given plenty of focus in the story so far. This does a fine job of offering some insight into the way she operates, but we already knew most of that. The story simply reinforces that she is a prideful, controlling villain who will not let anyone stand in her way. It’s an interesting, if superfluous, backup for the main story.
Score: 7/10
Recommended If
- You wanted to see how everyone reacts to Batman’s hanging
- Jason Shawn Alexander’s art makes this comic gorgeous enough to buy on its own
- You love it when a plan comes together
Overall
Detective Comics #1079 is a beautifully illustrated climax to the “Outlaw” arc’s heist plot. It expertly connects the threads from the past three issues into one exciting story, making all the buildup worth it. Every twist and turn in the action keeps you glued to the page as the story manages to keeps its cards close to the chest until just the right moment.
Overall score: 8.5/10
DISCLAIMER: DC Comics provided Batman News with a copy of this comic for the purpose of this review.
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