Detective Comics Round-Up: “The Fall of the Batmen” and “Batmen Eternal”
Ever since DC Comics began the process of going back to their roots with their “DC Rebirth” initiative, there has been an overwhelming sense of righteousness and hope for majority of their books – especially when it comes to the publisher’s flagship character in “The Batman”.
Things have been going so well for the Caped Crusader and his world – he’s currently engaged and awaiting marriage to Catwoman, he’s got a solid set of allies and trusted confidants in the Bat Family, and his position in the Justice League has never been stronger thanks to being one of the founding members of the world’s greatest heroes.
However like anything involving the Caped Crusader and his world – nice things rarely last and there’s always bound to be something that turns things upside down. Take James Tynion IV’s stellar run in “Detective Comics” for instance – which is more of a “Batman and his other allies” book than anything else. The writer has taken on the grueling task of turning this bi-monthly series into something very special – centering on characters who have more or less had limited screen time in the other Batbooks and have banded together to become “The Belfry” – under the co-leadership of Bruce Wayne/ Batman and his cousin Kate Kane – better known by her vigilante persona of Batwoman. Consisting of a team made up of Tim Drake/ Red Robin, Stephanie Brown/ Spoiler, Cassandra Cain/ Orphan, Luke Fox/ Batwing, Jean Paul Valley/ Azrael, and the reformed Clayface – this team was a pretty powerful strike force and a way for Batman to diversify and deploy more crimefighters with their own unique strengths and specialties to protect Gotham City from any threats that would dare do harm to it.
Unfortunately – good things like these don’t last when exterior factors force the team to question themselves, whom they trust, and how to go about executing “justice” when the situation calls for it. Thanks to a series of events that have caused Basil Karlo to become evil once more, Batwoman took the kill shot and eliminated Clayface. This caused a division in The Belfry and Kate taking Batwing and Azrael with her to join her father and The Colony in executing their own brand of crimefighting without Batman’s moral code restraints. Additionally, Red Robin has own crisis of conscience and dilemma to face – with the Belfry put on Indefinite shutdown by Batman and the warnings his future self still fresh on his mind – with Batwoman causing a catastrophic series of events that will lead to the fall of Bruce Wayne and Tim assuming the mantle of the Bat.
It’s these little things and attention to details from the past that make Detective Comics such a compelling Batman series to read and pick up. Anyone who grew up with Post-Crisis history will love all the little nods and pick ups this series has – with Tynion IV never skipping a beat and bringing out some of the most compelling Batman family drama you can read in modern comic book history. The current ongoing arc, “Batmen Eternal”, takes a look at the consequential fallout following Kate Kane’s decision to join her father and Tim meeting Ulysses Armstrong for the first time and getting “unexpected help” from him that leads to more nasty stuff. It’s things like this that give the series more than just making it a “Batman and his other back up team” book. It’s exploring Batlore in ways that longtime fans would love to get their hands into.
TIM G. VILLASOR has idolized Batman for most of his life. He grew up reading the character's adventures during the "Silver Age" and "Post-Crisis era", and went on to enjoy The Dark Knight's tenure in TV Shows like "Batman '66", "Super Friends", and "Batman: The Animated Series" to the constant portrayals on film by legendary actors like Michael Keaton, Christian Bale, and Ben Affleck. Aside from an interest in comics, video games, movies, and pop culture, Tim also leads a cosplay life, suiting up as various characters including the Caped Crusader himself! He's a multimedia artist and writer by trade, but a normal guy who enjoys life and hobbies too. He is also one of the admins of The Dark Knight Philippines. You can find him at his social media accounts too, where he goes by the name "Timzster" FB: facebook.com/timzster Twitter: twitter.com/thetimzster IG: timzster
