Detective Comics' new creative team kicks things off with a dark, moody, operatic, but ultimately still very human in nature gorgeous and chilling first issue. Everything about this is perfectly Batman to the core, hitting all the right notes to entice readers for the long haul. Even the backup with its heavy noir vibes carries much of the same energy as it turns an eye towards what is next for one Jim Gordon. Read Full Review

Its hard to imagine a more impressive debut for the new Detective Comics team. This is the way to pique new readers attention and create a quick and immediate buzz. If the next issue is just as strong DC might have Detective Comics back on the same trajectory it was when Tynion wrote it back at the start of Rebirth. Read Full Review

Detective Comics #1062 is a must for Batman fans. It brings all the modern gothic aesthetics, two poignant mysteries, and enigmatic characterization all with the grittiness you should expect in Gotham City. Read Full Review

Poetic and unsettling, Detective Comics #1062 sees the beginning of Ram V and Rafael Albuquerque's run with something ancient slithering its way into the heart of Gotham - and the Dark Knight itself. Read Full Review

Ram V and Rafael Albuquerque have just unleashed a mystery on Gotham and Batman that looks to unleash a tale of horror and macabre that were just not used to seeing in our regular Batman line of comics. A darkness is about to fall on Bruce, and this team is going to give us one hell of a ride, so buckle up. Read Full Review

Albuquerque delivers some beautifully detailed and gritty art on every page. The action is visually thrilling and the style of the art perfectly complements the dark tone of the story. Read Full Review

It's not exactly clear what's going on yet, but this feels like a classic Gotham noir. Unlike many past runs, both these stories feel like they're living up to the title of this book. Read Full Review

Detective Comics #1062 as a whole really worked for me. I like the arc's premise and though demonic cults arriving in Gotham can be very familiar, the operatic twist makes it feel fresh. I'm invested in finding out what's wrong with Bruce, the mysterious artifact's purpose, and unknown motives of the new characters. It's nice to have a Bat-title that's more of a grounded, slow burn. Read Full Review

Hes making DETECTIVE COMICS his own. Please bear with him and give the man some grace as he spends the first six to eight issues laying the foundation. Nevertheless, Ram V's past practice dictates that the story will come together and the payoff will be worth your time. The man can write people. Yet, I can completely understand the difficulty many will have in reviewing THIS issue with the ambiguity, mystery, and darker story beats more reminiscent of a horror comic than a BATMAN title. As someone whos read a ton of Vs work, I can see the world building BUT I can understand why others unfamiliar may look at this single issue confused and want more. Let me know what you think, have a great week, and God Bless! Read Full Review

In general, I found this issue to be both a great introduction to this new arc of Detective Comics, and Ram V's own take on Batman. You can feel the exact tone he's going for in its pages, one of mystery and darkness, all woven together in the style of an opera. It's dark, and haunting, and a fascinating read that leaves me excited for whatever is coming next. Read Full Review

Detective Comics #1062 kicks off Ram V's and Rafael Albuquerque's run with a story full of mystery and intrigue, which is cool but also challenging to rate.  I am an Albuquerque fan, and he doesn't disappoint.  Ram V's story doesn't either, but unfortunately,  I can't tell if it's because it's really good, or because we only get a tiny bit of it.  I am hoping it's the former! Read Full Review

Now that all the hype of The Batman has passed by, it's perhaps time to get back to what Batman does best! With two new creative teams on the main bat-books, the excellent The Knight mini series, regardless of the varied crossover books (of mixed quality), this could be a rich vein for Batman. Read Full Review

Detective Comics #1062 brings a brand new day (night?) for the caped crusader. This is a gothic opera that's clearly taking us to places unknown. This opening chapter delivers a promising start for the new team and an issue our dark knight has not faced in a long time. Let's hope that the curtain call's as good as the prelude! Read Full Review

The threat is grave enough that even Talia al Ghul arrives to cryptically warn her beloved about the oncoming storm. The issue sells me on the look while teasing the reader about the doubt that has begun to creep into Batman which no doubt will play a larger and larger role as things get more bizarre. As for the odd family, we see so little of them here it's hard to pass judgement. The issue also features a Jim Gordon back-up story which may or may not have put me to sleep. Read Full Review

A decent start to a new run by Ram V, but I have little interest in any long-term involvement by Barbatos. I sincerely hope it is short-lived. Read Full Review

There are some intriguing ideas behind the main story in Detective Comics #1062 that could add new layers to Bruce Wayne's character. Unfortunately, the overall presentation of the story left a lot to be desired. The antagonists of this story was a big swing and miss. With how many Batman comic books that are currently being published this new creative run for Detective Comics did not get to a strong enough start to stand out from the pack. Read Full Review

This issue is very, very strong.

I've been looking forward to this for quite some time. Ram V is a great writer and Rafael Alberquerque is an excellent artist it just looked like one of those great. I've never actually followed the Detective Comics side of things, so this was a first foray into it, as opposed to the main Bat book.

While the issue is a lot of setup, thankfully, it's presented beautifully and well told and lived up to my expectations. The presentation and cover alone is worth a high score but the actual book is solid too. The issue begins with a scene from a theatrical play, almost as if it's setting the stage.

Rafael renders the gloomy streets of Gotham with expertise at crafting Gothic visuals, and all the figure work and action panels are great. The story is interesting as well, with Bruce finding himself slipping in his precision skill while facing an unknown enemy and encountering an old flame. It seems like Bruce is going to have a hard battle before him. He sounds good in this issue, I mean he should at this point, they are running like 6 books with him. Theres some nice dialogue between him and one of his wards.

The new villains seem very different than what were used to, not the usual Asylum regular or insane Gothamite, we have an ancient cult like family that seeks to transform the city in some way. While its early to tell exactly what their plan is, what we do see of them is pretty interesting, visually at the least.

In the final parts of the issue, we see what is haunting Bruce, and its a name I've not heard in a while, but anyone who read Death Metal will know it. I'm interesting to see where they go with this.


But thats not all! There's a backup story, and it's an aging Jim Gordon in a noir murder mystery, classic style. This was almost as good as the main story, the dialogue and prose was fantastic and reminded me of Blacksad. Aka right up my alley. Im also happy to see they are actually aging these characters and we may finally, finally be able to move toward a permanent replacement one day. At least, if DC has the balls to do it. But the art here is done by Dani, and she's become one of my favorites, especially rendering the world of Gotham. Her colorist here does some very interesting things with her usual suggestive and minimal linework and thick shadows, but it works man. The scenes look dimly lit, eerie. Im very interested to see how this wraps up over the next couple issues.

Overall, I'm gonna go ahead and give this a perfect score. The issue makes a big splash and in a time where there are way too many Bat books, manages to stand out. I am Batman may have some real competition now. more

Holy hell. I love this Jack The Ripper-y atmosphere!

I'm very intrigued by this hook. Wondering where it will go, but for now, I'm all in

Very interesting...

And now it’s time for something entirely different.

Both the Batman and Detective Comics titles have started a new era with two killer creative teams, and both of these runs have had spectacular beginnings, each one feeling very unique and distinctive from one another, what a great time for Batman comics!

Very strong set ups, even the back up is haunting.
Can't say I understand what's happening 100% but that's the thing with mysteries.
Really looking forward for the rest of this series.

Weird, moody and impeccably drawn are some of the things that come to mind when thinking about this issue. Ram V is at the top of his game here, bringing a take on Barbatos that more in line with the Dark Knight, Dark City version than the recent Scott Snyder work. It set up just the right amount of internal doubt in Bruce and the brief scenes with the Orghams created a great sense of mystery in regards to their motivation that's going to make the wait for next month difficult.

The backup was also great. Spurrier has the talent to make 6 pages feel like an entire issue.

Fantastic. The dark tones in this is kind of what I think of when it comes to Detective Comics. This mostly comes from pre-N52 with Black Mirror but I love the feeling this book sets. I've not yet read anything by Ram V but I've heard fairly positive things and if this book is any indication, we're in for a good time. I will be honest in saying I wasn't the biggest fan of the artwork early in the book. Something about the colors seemed off from Albuquerque's usual art and he does have a new colorist here. It's not bad, it actually evokes that darker tone I mentioned it just felt flat early but picked up significantly once Nightwing was on the page. Slight nitpick, that's not his current outfit and I only bring it up because his current costumes slaps really hard. Definitely pick this up. Between the beginning of Zdarsky's run and this, we could be in for the best Batman/Tec combo is years. more

Finally, a Batman run that has me hooked after all these years!

I love Ram V but my god did Rafa Albuquerque knock this one out of the park. The colors by Dave Stewart were also brilliant, and the ambience of Gotham feels so much more fun than it has in recent times. Some interesting set-ups:
-Orghams are proto-arkhams? I might have read that in a solicit somewhere, but they are obviously connected to the lovecraftian were-reptilian that the fake maroni morphed into.
-Hopeful that Talia has some more stuff to do. Eager to get the Williamson mark off of her.
-References to Barbatos? Maybe less Snyder-Metal and more "Dark Night, Dark City" + Return of Bruce Wayne?
-Loved the little Danse Macabre inside the music box.
-Older Batman stories are dope, but will they keep it consistent? more

Strange but at least a step up from Tamaki.

I don’t remember Albuquerque’s art looking so similar to Sean Phillips but I’m digging it. Definitely fits the tone of the comic.

I’d give the main story an 8.5 and the backup story a 7.

pretty interesting stuff that got me hooked and interested.

Not a bad start to a new arc. There is some decent dialogue here and the art has a very dirty gothic feel to it. If there is a nitpick here it’s the calendar. There is dialogue in both stories that just rip me right out of reading. It sends me thinking about stuff not related to anything for the plot. What is it. Well it’s Dick talking to Batman like he’s some old grizzled 69 year old. Don’t know about you but Dick is only give or take 10 years younger. Of course it may be more but then you start getting into Gordon being 40 years on the force which puts him in his 50’s. Well these are things you need addressed or should be in a comic book. But the writers insist on playing with real time here that does not exist in any manner. It just fudges things up. Stop doing it in the Bat books. more

Pretty good for a starter. I guess it's going to be Batman against the strange and supernatural and other such things as that's what Ram V has a reputation for writing, and that's what this issue already proves. I don't know what to make of this Orgham family, but I guess we'll learn more in time.
The art is good, and the story interesting enough. It's the best I've seen both books at once in a while. I have seen them both better, but I've also seen them much worse. And this is pretty good for modern comics.
My only complaint is the logo. I've never seen a more obvious attempt to mimic the Stranger Things logo. Let's not keep it like that. Not everyone wants everything to draw inspiration from that show.

I would have ranked this higher, but I have no idea what this is about. I like the Talia entrance and his conversation with Dick. But other than that it was introductions all the way around with no motivations. I love Ram V's work on Catwoman, but why do I need a shitty Gordon story so they can add a $1.00 to the cover price? They have been doing this for years now, and I'm pretty much over it.

I think Ram V is really talented. The only thing that might make me not stick with it is the price. And I stay away from Mariko Tamaki like the plague, so I'm glad they got someone good on the title.

I’m not a huge fan of Ram V, I just find his writing boring. Bought this issue though, as I was intrigued by the concept. At least in the past I’ve managed to finish reading an issue he had written, but not this time. I managed about half before realising I just don’t care. Flat and dull writing, but at least the art was nice.

Can we please get back to Bruce Wayne being a millionaire Playboy again? Just that one little change in the story would make all the difference in the world for these books. They have chopped out 1/2 of what makes up the Batman character. Although I'm glad they finally got rid of Mariko Tamaki the writing isn't much better. If you want a good Batman stories, honestly it seems you have to go read back 30 years or so.

A new Detective Comics with the same basic message from DC Comics writers, editors, and publishers: ** They really HATE Batman Bruce Wayne ** (with a passion). Barbatos, the demon again (eye roll). Big whoop. More supernatural woo from Ram V. Give me The Spectre, and he will straighten this nonsense out. But honestly, we are not buying The Spectre, as the title says "Detective Comics." Bruno Maroni should go see an emergency dentist for all of that green goo leaking out of this mouth. Yech. And you know, Batman needs to be rescued by assassin Talia (yeah, right.) And I really don't care about the Orgham Family and Svatrstal. Not Shavhod, not Neng, not Gael (in Gotham - oh woo, we should be scared).

If you like this, and obviously MOST reviewers think it is fantastic, good for you. I won't throw $5 more dollars away for this. Every time, I think Detective Comics is turning the corner, it goes off the rails, crashing down the hill again. DC Editors love it. If they can't "kill" Batman (really), at least make him "over-the-hill," possessed by a demon, etc., as they snicker and take our sucker money.

I mean, GOD forbid, Ram V actually writes a detective story about stopping CRIME... because you know, in the post-modern anti-hero era, Crime is Good. Yech. Take your creeping dread back to your horror stories where it and EC Comics belongs.

And the piece d'resistance: a snarky Nightwing Dick Grayson with a sneer and "Bruce, you ever consider the fact that you just might be getting too old for...." and "I'd kick your butt, old man." OK, with me Ram V! Why don't you just go write Nightwing instead then. Or maybe DC vs Vampires, I mean they killed Batman there. DC Comics and Ram V - you ever consider the fact that Batman fans are fed up with your crapping on Batman Bruce Wayne?

Why should we buy Ram V's Detective Comics if he believes Batman is just "over-the-hill?" Didn't we have two years of that stuff with Mariko Tamaki? If you don't like writing about the Batman character, find another job. Write a different comic. Why bother doing this? And we ALL KNOW. Because $$$$. The ONLY reason DC grudgingly keeps Batman and Detective Comics around.

Ram V - they're not coming and you are still not prepared. Try actually reading a few Detective Comics from the past 80 years. That would be a starting point. But no, you will want this to be another JLA Dark. How are the sales for that? If there hadn't been JLA to prop it up, would you be writing for Dynamite Comics?

(And in the crap follow-on story, we really needed a drunk old Jim Gordon, talking about Alzheimer's Disease and being told to retire. Because that story was really necessary here, right? It would really increase sales.) I mean, heh heh, right, wipe your feet on some more legacy characters.

It is not **all** bad with new team on Tec. I mean after all, Batman is not using the Gotham City sewers for a Bat-Cave. So there is that. So much "progress" with Detective Comics.

It's your $5 and your time.

P.S.: With over 1 million dead in the elder genocide of COVID-19 in USA, which is a speed bump to much of the USA society. The obvious and blatant ageist hate in the writing in Dectective Comics 1062 by horror writer Ram V (and his "old man" dialogue) and "Alzheimers" crap by Simon Spurrier. Ageist hate has become so normalized (like white supremacism), it is not even noticeable by those who view themselves as superior based on their youth. more

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REYNARD - Jul 26, 2022

What Batman books have you enjoyed in the past decade?

Bats20832 - Jul 27, 2022

I liked a lot Peter Tomasi's writing. After he left in Detective Comics No. 1033, December 2020 - "Shut Out the Light," then Detective Comics has been on a continuous downhill slide. I assume by your remark "What Batman books have you enjoyed in the past decade?" that I am not entitled to my comments, and not "with it" in terms of today's writing. A mess is a mess. Ageist hate is no different than any other hate.

REYNARD - Jul 27, 2022

Hey Bats20832, when I asked the question yesterday, it was an attempt to see what kind of Batman stories you like in order to understand why you would take a huge dump on Ram V's first issue. Just to set the record straight, was not trying to be ageist (that never came to my mind haha) and I'm sorry if my comment made you feel like I was attacking. That's one of the worst thing about the internet: the fact that text doesn't convey emotion like and actual real-life interaction.

Bats20832 - Jul 28, 2022

To set the record to "haha" SonOfBatman, I was referring to the obvious and blatant ageist hate in the writing in Dectective Comics 1062 by horror writer Ram V (and his "old man" dialogue) and "Alzheimers" crap by Simon Spurrier. Ageist hate has become so normalized (like white supremacism), it is not even noticeable by those who view themselves as superior based on their youth. In post-COVID elder genocide in USA, at some point, it is simply unbearable. But "haha" you know.

REYNARD - Jul 28, 2022

Dang. I'm sorry if you feel that way.

myconius - Aug 7, 2022

Damn!! i was trying to stay away from spoilers of DC vs Vampires, but you pretty much just saved me the trouble of trade waiting a turd sandwich. --- from what you've said of Bruce and Dick Grayson's interaction in 'Tec 1062 it sounds like i might be better off avoiding this issue as well. I've noticed there is a recent resurgence of prominent subjects from Grant Morrison's Batman now with Williamson, Zdarsky, Ram V. --- so it's safe to assume that these are all just Editorial tampering.

myconius - Aug 7, 2022

@Bats20832 - what people that mock older folks fail to realize is, the sands of time slow for no one. ---- and these idiot Hack writers trying to depict Bruce Wayne as "old" fail to realize is, Batman was here long before they were ever born, and he'll be around long after they're gone.

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