Detective Comics #1,100 is a big anniversary issue with a collection of stories from creators past and present from its 85+ year run.
“Lost And Found” is written by Tom Taylor, drawn and colored by Mikel Janin and lettered by Wes Abbott.
“Your Role In the Community” is written by Mariko Tamaki, drawn by Amancay Nahuelpan, colored by Arif Prianto and lettered by Ariana Maher.
“The Knife and Gun Club” is written by Greg Rucka, drawn by Alvaro Martinez Bueno, colored by Giovanna Niro and lettered by Tom Napolitano.
“The Fall” is written by Dan Watters, drawn and colored by Bill Sienkiewicz and lettered by Napolitano.
Will Nevin: Brother Matt, give the good people a summary of your recent Batman/Batman Returns double feature on the big screen.
Matt Lazorwitz: Well, this past Monday, I got to see the two Tim Burton Batman films on the large-format Dolby Atmos screen. I have seen both of these movies more times than I can count, and this viewing, in a crowded theater, confirmed some thoughts. Batman is a Batman movie that happens to be directed by Tim Burton. Batman Returns is a Tim Burton movie that happens to feature Batman.
Will: A large-format, crowded showing of Batman in 20 and 25. What a time to be alive. We ain’t got a democracy, but we got rereleases on premium screens. Take the good with the bad, eh?
An Anniversary Anthology
Will: One story made me cry, one pissed me the hell off and the other two were just fine. Care to take any guesses?
Matt: I think the first story made you cry. I think the fourth was just fine. I’m not sure of the middle two which pissed you off. I can see both of them having one aspect or another that could have frustrated you.
Will: Come now, I can’t hate Greg Rucka’s work. Also, how about a Gotham General mini? That would be fun as hell. No, I *hated* the second story from Mariko Tamaki. Just one tired trope after another. And that line about how it would be “the most exciting night of their lives” for the people being recognized? Not only was it contrived to contrast with the rescue Batman had performed, but it was also patronizing in exactly the way that politicians/polished public speakers are not. As much as I loved Tom Taylor’s story (and I can’t wait to talk about it), I loathed that second piece. Blech.
Matt: It was definitely the weakest of the three. It leans into the “Bruce Wayne doesn’t do enough for Gotham as Bruce Wayne” bad-faith argument and still portrayed the crusading aspiring City Council member as a bit of a dunce. I wasn’t sure if we were supposed to agree with him or dislike him.
Will: He can’t be introduced as an “independent” journalist (eyeroll) with a twist at the end that he’s running for the council. That was just dumb. And where the hell was Deb Donovan? That would have at least redeemed that story a *little*.
Matt: I was thinking the same thing. Tamaki created the delightful Deb Donovan! Use her, dangit!
Will: She could have been drinking a double and shittalking everyone. What a missed opportunity.
Matt: But with that all out of the way, let’s move onto something you liked. That Tom Taylor story was phenomenal. I liked that the general theme of this issue is Batman and people. The stuff with Joker in that Tamaki story is secondary to the Bruce at the dinner stuff. The Rucka story is about the doctors who have to deal with the fallout of Batman’s fight. The Watters story is Batman trying to save a criminal who is not one of the rogues. And the Taylor story is Batman being a hero to people. Not the grim avenger, but an honest-to-gosh hero. It’s something we talked about in our recording last night, but I love a story where Batman gets to be the white knight (no, not the Murphy one).
Will: Booooooo, hisssssssssss. Yes, you’re absolutely right, this issue certainly has a theme that hangs together relatively well, although it lacks the momentous feel that something like this might normally have. (‘Tec #1,000, for example, had more star power. Bigger number, I know, but still. A little short story to kick off the Fraction Batman would have been at home here, even though that’s a different title. But, hey, if not for ’Tec, there would be no Batman.)
The Taylor story was everything great about both Taylor and Batman. Batman standing up for a bullied and disabled kid? Making the kid feel seen and appreciated? Rescuing a dog? Perfect. 100% perfect.
Matt: Using a hearing-impaired character as the point of view for a silent story is such a clever and novel idea. Of course Batman knows ASL! And we get some fun with Ace, and we have a new spot in the trophy room: the wall of lost pet posters that (I assume, or want to anyway) are all the pets that Batman has helped retrieve over his career. It’s a sweet story, and really plays on the fact that Batman has a heart underneath all his usual grimness. And Mikel Janin draws the hell out of it! I want a Bat pets backup serial with Ace, Titus, Alfred and Bat-Cow from Janin in Detective moving forward.
Will: At no point did the silent story feel forced or like a meaningless gimmick. It helps when Janin is on art, doesn’t it? I know Taylor has a tendency to speachify and moralize, but when he aims at simple, real human emotions (like he did at several notable moments in Injustice), he nails ’em.
Matt: Meanwhile, Rucka tells a story of the emergency room at Gotham General. Here we have one doctor angry about all the concussions, contusions and broken bones on criminals that come in each night from Batman, and another, more experienced doctor, remembering the bad old days when it was gunshot wounds and stabbings of not just criminals but their victims before Batman. It does another thing I like, which is explaining why Gotham is different from other cities and making Batman important to the city and its people, just not to the narrative of Batman stories.
Will: And it’s not like the complaining doctor has a point made in bad faith (see, e.g., discussion above). Batman engages in less lethal violence, and that does have consequences … which are not as severe as those of the Gun & Knife Club. Well-written, well-balanced story.
Matt: I also really loved the colors on this. The soft, painterly tones really gave it a different feel than the other stories.
Will: A nice fit for a quieter story. Can’t believe you thought I hated it, jeeze.
Matt: I wanted to hedge my bet. I thought it was 75% likely that it was the Tamaki, but I have been wrong before. You have to try to cover the spread, man!
Oh, and as a final thought, I was initially surprised that Leslie Thompkins wasn’t the doctor Bruce was dealing with here, as he usually goes to her, but the reveal at the end, that this doctor is helping Batman, would have been completely blunted by it being, you know, the one doctor who is always helping Batman.
Finally, we have an eight-page story by Dan Watters and the legend Bill Sienkiewicz. Watters is a versatile writer, one we both really enjoy, and this leans into the poetic side of his stories. It’s almost a free-verse poem as Batman plummets down after a killer who has jumped off a roof rather than be apprehended by Batman.
Will: We are both hooked as shit on Dark Patterns, but it would be unfair to expect that kind of storytelling (intricate, character-driven stuff) here. It was, as you said, nicely poetic and showed off another one of Batman’s great, enduring qualities: his belief that all life is valuable.
Matt: The final bit of narration, as the pavement rushes up toward him, “This close, the concrete isn’t grey. It glitters.” Just such an evocative image.
Will: That Watters fellow, he might have a future in this business.
Matt: All taken, I like that this was a little more understated an issue. We get so many bombastic stories of Batman saving Gotham that it’s nice to be reminded that it’s as much about the people of the city.
Will: Starting next week, I have the feeling we’re going to get more of that. If so, it’ll be nice. Not every story has to be an existential emergency.
Bat-miscellany
- Josh Weil joins the BatChat podcast again to talk about Lady Shiva, the deadliest woman in the DC Universe.
- Next week we’ll be covering the first issue of the new Matt Fraction Batman run … even though the final two parts of “H2SH” have not been released and won’t be for some time. Because that’s what you do with a story that matters; just sort of let it run in the background while the universe moves on around it.
- That’s a Matt slam, folks! — WN
Matt Lazorwitz read his first comic at the age of 5. It was Who's Who in the DC Universe #2, featuring characters whose names begin with B, which explains so much about his Batman obsession. He writes about comics he loves, and co-hosts the podcasts BatChat with Matt & Will and The ComicsXF Interview Podcast.
Will Nevin loves bourbon and AP style and gets paid to teach one of those things. He is on Twitter far too often.
