A great start that hits the ground running, sucking you into the panic of the moment and giving you little time to sit and contemplate what just happened -- in a good way! Read Full Review

Reis delivers some fantastic art filled with great details on every page Andersons colors really help deliver the beauty of the panels. Read Full Review

With Tamaki cranking out an inspired story and Reis providing his typical high-quality art, Shadows of the Bat could set a new standard on Tamaki's run and seems like one worth paying attention to at the start of 2022. Read Full Review

It's the perfect violent record scratch to set this storyline off on a high-note, with major stakes and tension through the roof. But seriously, maybe this time Gotham will learn you can't fix Arkham. Read Full Review

Detective Comics #1047 is a fantastic start to the new year. The issue felt new but reliable. We got great writing, great art, and I am thrilled to have a Batman book every week for the first time since Batman and Robin Eternal? Read Full Review

Detective Comics #1047 is a fantastic start to "Shadows of the Bat." The Bat-family and the mystery are plenty good enough to make the reader forget that Batman isn't present. We do get the Dark Knight in the second story, but the little boy is the main character. Tamaki continues to explore Gotham City in an interesting manner with a strong emphasis on character that's always engaging. Read Full Review

What an intense way to kick things off. Despite the change in leadership and direction, Tamaki seems to have been building to this story from day one, and I will be here for it. Join us next week for part two. Read Full Review

DC Comics' weekly Shadows of the Bat event kicks off in a smashing bloody way that stays true to the world and to all the various characters that populate this story. A beautiful debut by the first of the three new art teams, boosted by a stunning back-up that dives deeper into the effects Batman, Arkham, and others have on Gotham as a whole. Read Full Review

Ivan Reis is one of the greatest superhero artists of a generation and he is quick to remind readers of such here. In terms of story-structure, the time-lapse stories we've been witnessing since "Future State" continue to be the dominant story-telling technique at DC right now and while it's growing somewhat played out, it's certainly not enough to completely derail the story. Read Full Review

Armed with stunning Gotham City artwork from some of DCs best regular artists, Detective Comics #1047 is an intriguing start to the publishers next big Bat-epic. Read Full Review

Like so many other things related to the Batman line these days, it seems that a proper build to disaster has been skipped in the name of "the next big event." Luckily, it at least seems like the skyscraper disaster horror setup hinted at in this issue seems intriguing. Read Full Review

If you've come this far you've spend at least: $4.99 (or $10.98 with the annual). Read Full Review

Great issue! It's intense, brutal and we'll written. The backup story was great as well. The artwork looks great on both stories. I'm really looking forward to finding out where this story goes

Detective Comics - 9/10

House of Wayne - 9/10

I like the weekly feuilletonesque (soap opera)side chosen to tell this arc, it impels a dynamic rhythm which will involve us more easily in the story. It's a very good idea. Let's get to the heart of the matter: good introduction to 'the Tower'. The set-up of the story elements is quick but not hovering. What happened in the tower in so few weeks? why such a paroxysmal situation when good Dr Wear seemed to promise a miraculous cure? What did the Batfamily do? and what will she do? The stakes are in place. No frills in the writing, (so much the better, the more direct the better), and the drawings, inking etc. are very successful. Let's not dwell too much on the substance for the moment, it's too early. We will see what he has afterwards. I'm eager to ! more

This was a solid start to this event. I am so done with bat-events, but this one has me hooked at least for the moment.

I checked this out with barely any expectations. While that Annual leading up to this was okay, it didn't really impress me. This Issue on the other hand has me intrigued!

Ivan Reis on art duty is a huge plus. His Kate looks amazing and his storytelling is great. Ana looks appropriately dangerous and like the evil Donovan talked about.

I expected a slow start given the beginning, but I am pleasantly surprised that it's not. Mariko Tamaki writing more tense action seems to suit her, so I hope we don't skip around time just to go back to the beginning next Issue. I would love to find out how this all escalated through the investigations that have been promised in the solicitations.

I'm not really interested in the backup right now, but I always appreciate Fernando Blanco's art. more

So far so good really. This tower story is off to an interesting start. This Dr. Wear guy is up to something big and no good. I know mad Doctors, especially since Arkham has had its share over the past 4+ decades. It also seems things aren't all what they seem. It's going to be quite a mystery, and we have 11 issues ahead to see it unfold.
I'm glad to see Reis doing art in a book I'm still getting, as I've had to dump all Superman except '78 (I don't know yet if I'll get the new World's finest series yet). The problem with it now is that DC thinks Superman needs to be "Modernized." you don't update a pop culture Icon that's been pretty much the same for nearly a century, but apparently their editors are too thick-headed to learn that.
The backup story was better than the usual one, but still mostly a blatantly obvious attempt to add a full dollar to the cost. It's the main plot that most of us are reading about though, and I want to pay strong attention to this, because it will determine whether I stick with or leave Detective after #1058. But so far it looks good, but so did the Joker war until halfway.... more

Honestly had no exprctations but this was a qelcome surprise.

I'm surprised by how good the backup is

I’m a little conflicted with the start of this arc. The timeline jump was not handled very well and if there are flashbacks to what happened in between I say who cares because we know how it ends up so all tension is lost. If you move straight forward with this then there is a build up lose. I don’t mind the jump right into action but to just build the new Arkham and get it destroyed this quickly seems rather redundant and pointless. Well the art is fantastic. The back up story is not good. The boy literally saw The Joker kill not Batman. And why Arkham. Um isn’t there orphanages or other facilities. Again the art is nice.

When you see the press conference at the beginning, it is already obvious that what would happen to Dr. Wear, isn't it? From my point of view, a mediocre story that is not much about "detectives". The arts from Ivan Reis are great though.

Ivan Reis art was fantastic as always, but the story was kinda weak, still better than what came before, but to create a new arkham just to destroy it, this event should be about the creation of a better place to treat patients and finally Gotham has something good after all this takeovers...

I mean, yeah, putting a mental asylum downright in the middle of the most dangerous city is a fucking great idea, surely no one will escape and kill a lot of people, plus it's great for the tourists. The whole story sits on a dumb premise, whoever came up with it needs to be fired. The art was good but the stories were very meh.

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DVE - Jan 4, 2022

You don't think putting up a flashy overpriced hubristic poorly planned monolith with sketchy funding and questional ethics preying on the exploitation of "mental health" is something that would happen? Because the premise of irresponsible assholes with too much money and little sense is the premise of the 21st century so far.

Merlyn - Jan 4, 2022

It's not that I don't see something like that happening, it just makes no fucking sense putting the most dangerous criminals downright in the heart of the city. There's a reason why Arkham was put on the outskirts of the city and as much as idiotic Tamaki is selling it as a "we did out of shame", it's mostly because you don't want that when the Joker inevitably escapes, he gets to do it in the most populated area of the city, it's just dumb beyond any suspension of disbelief.

DVE - Jan 5, 2022

It totally doesn't make sense but I'm saying the idea that people would do something that dumb is totally believable if the "we did it out of shame" stuff turns out to be a bunch of bullshit and they did it because villain plot/for money. Playing on liberal shame is a great way for people who dont care to get away with stuff.

Merlyn - Jan 5, 2022

You're not wrong about that, I just think that someone in Gotham's administration would have the common sense to say "hey, maybe we shouldn't put Arkham right in the center of the city so Joker can go on a killfest when he inevitably escapes". I just don't buy Nakano and the rest of them being so idiotic or the heroes accepting this.

DVE - Jan 6, 2022

Yeah but sitting a Gotham townhall or city council meeting discussing that wouldn't make for a fun Batman comic I guess even if it would serve to fill the blank there.

Mingthemerciless - Jan 6, 2022

I dont believe Tamaki has been able to find her way on Tec anyway. Perhaps some blame can be placed on editorial for that with 5G morphing into Future State and the equally awful Fear State. Shes only now showing signs of dropping some of that garbage. But she still has been unable to write anything that grabs the fans. Williamson has done it with two issues out of the gate.

Mingthemerciless - Jan 6, 2022

I think both of you have a point Gotham wouldnt be Gotham without corrupt and inept city officials making dumb decisions and why on earth would you build the most volatile facility in DC lore in the middle of a city prone to attacks from the very inmates it houses?

Mingthemerciless - Jan 6, 2022

Lucius Fox was probably the most powerful citizen able to lobby against the location of new Arkham but hes a heel now and his way to New York? And Bruce is roughing it with paltry few mil and no clout in Gotham abd if course Tynion set up to remove him from Gotham anyway. Then you have Grayson throwing out the fortune Alfred left him leaving him powerless to represent the Wayne interest in Gotham.

Bats20832 - Jan 7, 2022

Very inexperienced costumed hero writers like Tamaki are dependent on irrational stunts (Arkham Tower in middle of Gotham) to cover up difficulty in writing story plots, and so they can milk another 12 episodic issues of an arc, with angst, shock, posing, and very little actual plotting. Common problem. But it is another 12 issues for her with Tec. Imagine having to write 12 different stories. They would have a breakdown.

Batmanaholic - Jan 7, 2022

See I think the premise is extremely dumb, but it also makes so much sense when you watch the news. This is something California politicians or New York would do. " we need to bring these people closer and not push them to the outskirts of town " Is such a stupid line but it makes perfect sense if you listen to a certain us congress woman from Brooklyn with three initials, And the rest of her " squad " I just honestly did not think dc or marvel would put out a book

Batmanaholic - Jan 7, 2022

That's making fun of what their side of the political argument is doing. It's quite refreshing to see actually, you can put politics in comics but be ready to call both sides stupid, when they do something dumb.

Merlyn - Jan 7, 2022

The thing is, people like Tamaki are definitely on AOC's side, she's a progressive through and through. So while you and I may find this stupid, these people are taking it seriously. There's drama of it. We know this is dumb, we know this is dangerous, but people like AOC or Tamaki actually think this stuff is perfectly ok and progressive. It's classic clown world, a full meme world.

Mingthemerciless - Jan 7, 2022

The current thought on the left is that the justice system is intrinsically racist. From the cop doing the arrest to the judge in the court to the penal system. Even the very word of law is racist. The believes the prisons are filled with more black people for this reason. It wants to empty the prisons.

Mingthemerciless - Jan 7, 2022

But the left also knows that you wont convince people that armed robbery burglary and theft is ok so just ignore it so the left has financed activist DAs and city officials that will not prosecute these crimes. Manhattans be DA is a great example. Boudin in San Francisco and his ptedescor Gascon now in LA are another. Crime spikes but they dont care because as far as they're concerned these guys arent going into the "racist" justice system.

Mingthemerciless - Jan 7, 2022

They use euphemisms line restorative justice (because j6stice needs adjectives you see) and the lefty on the street buys it and believes it. But as we re seeing in San Francisci and likely LA the level of societal decay gets so bad that even lefties get red pilled and are recalling these DAs. It's a start I guess.

Bats20832 - Jan 8, 2022

To be historical, putting dangerous institutions downtown have unfortunately been common with NIH (Bethesda, MD/very near DC), and CDC (Atlanta, GA), and of course PRC (both Beijing and Wuhan Viral Institutes). USA got lucky 2014 Ebola pandemic did not end in leak to public. But there was bipartisan foolishness in all of these orgs placement. IMO I think in TEC "mini-event," it is simply a plot for shock effect, not real social thought. Don't assume they thought that far.

Bats20832 - Jan 8, 2022

But agree with Ming on normalization of crime. We saw this as a wave since mid-20th century. West Side Story musical even did mockery of it in 1957: "Gee, Officer Krupke".

Merlyn - Jan 8, 2022

It's classic lefty tactic, destroy the fabric of society, normalize crime in order to subvert the legitimate rule of law and instill hopelessness in people's minds. Just see Sadiq Khan's statement that crime is just something "to be expected" when living in a big city, I've seen Seth Rogen telling the same thing to someone on twitter who was complaining that his car was repeatedly broken into. "That's just life in big cities, man" Peak clown world. Soviets did the same in Czarist Russia.

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DC Comics sales campaign: "12-part weekly Detective Comics event starts here" - this idea of "12-part weekly Detective Comics events" keeps undermining credible and interesting stories. Interestingly, DC Sales is promoting same 12-part weekly "event" as both "The Tower" and "Shadow of the Bat." A different title for different buyers, as the stories are all about $$$. DC Comics takes junior people like Mariko Tamaki, who already have trouble writing coherent hero plots to begin with, and have them do nonsense weekly comics serials as "mini-events" as methods to bring in more $$$, while continuing to undermine the writing discipline, coherency, and creativity of the Detective Comics team. The idea is to artificially increase fan sales interest in Detective Comics by simply putting more and more of them out there.

But long-term fan interest also is linked to plots that are both interesting and rational, even if (it is the comics world, after all), they are not "realistic." Creating narrative tension by making characters continue to incredibly DUMB things (e.g., plant Arkham Tower in middle of Gotham City) just continues to diminish characters that are DC's valuable Intellectual Property. Microsoft could do the same thing, for example; they could increase sales by coming up with a new version of Microsoft Windows every month, and in short run that would look good to their bottom-line. But the strategy would begin to chase people away from lack of consumer trust that the Microsoft product was a good and reliable purchase.

So it is with Detective Comics. For all the "volume" DC churns, how many other long-term consistent readers are getting fed up and just walking away from Detective Comics, due to incoherency or as Mariko Tamaki plans "supernatural" aspects of upcoming Tec stories? How many are questioning if Detective Comics is a good and reliable use of limited (yes for everyone) money?

We'll see if Mariko Tamaki can be more effective with Huntress Helena Bertinelli, Batwoman, Batgirls, etc. in this "event." more