With every thing in place for it to be their best story yet, here's hoping that Anarky is the one to break the habit. As a singular iinstallment Detective Comics #38 is a near perfect comic. Read Full Review

This story has detective work, action, well scripted dialogue, stellar art, believable characters, and a creative team that seems to genuinely care about the subject matter. I simply cannot fathom that Detective Comics is only bringing in half as many readers as Batman. Why aren't more people reading this title?!? Read Full Review

Even if this book wasn't written brilliantly, I think I'd still pick it up just to stare at the pages.  If for some reason this is the one Batman book that you're not picking up then you're missing out on one of the best books in the New 52.  It keeps me guessing what doors it will go through each month and it's actually putting the detective in Detective Comics.  Go check it out. Read Full Review

The art direction in this weeks issue is beautiful from start to finish. The use of a wide spectrum of colors gives each panel a unique intensity that lends itself well to the multifaceted approach to storytelling. Although the subplots were underdeveloped at times, I found this to be a solid entry in the Detective Comics series and feel that the current story arc that no Bat-fan should miss! Read Full Review

Detective Comic has been flying under the radar for a while, mostly because of Scott Snyder's incredible run on the main Bat-Book, but Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato are grinding out a consistently beautiful and interesting book in their own right. Manapul and Buccellato aren't trying to do anything to redefine the character, they are carving out a piece of the Bat-verse for themselves and it's quite a ride along the way. Read Full Review

I really like the way this creative team portrays Bruce/Batman, they are really surprising me with their run. Read Full Review

Not that the book was in bad hands during their absence, but it's good to have Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato back on Detective Comcis. The series has returned to being one of the finest visual showpieces in the entire New 52 lineup. Read Full Review

On a macro-level, Detective Comics #38 succeeds in differentiating itself from the publishers other Bat-offerings. The increased focus on Harvey Bullock and his unit add to the hard-boiled ambiance. Not since Gotham Central has a Batman title given as much attention to the members of the GCPD. More importantly, the creative team is not afraid to make reading a Batman comic fun. This is largely due to Manapul's stunning layouts and use of ink-washes, while Buccellato's varied palette of cool blues and greys enable the occasional warmth of orange and yellow hues to pop off the page. Their art alone is worth the price of admission. Read Full Review

This is an impressive installment that avoids the mid-arc slump, and one that Batman fans need to place at the top of their read stack. Read Full Review

All in all, even with my slight disappointment with certain aspects, I cant say that this Anarky story has really let me down up to this point. It has been as interesting as Id hope, and this issue ended off with plenty of potential for things to get even more interesting in the coming issues. Issues i am definitely looking forward to. Read Full Review

"Detective Comics" #38 looks dazzling but its visuals are not enough to entirely stitch together its patchwork of ideas. This is the sort of book that you want to like more than you actually do; Buccellato and Manapul keep getting close but, for now, "Detective Comics" is a series that ends up never quite living up to its potential. Read Full Review

On the plus side Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato offer some beautiful panels, but even the tease of what the Mad Hatter‘s story has to do with Anarky isn't enough to keep my interest once the masks are put in the hands of the people of Gotham. As I've already seen this story maybe I'll take a break from the comic for a few months to see what it might have in store after the Dark Knight Detective after this arc runs its course. Hit-and-Miss. Read Full Review