Since taking over the Detective Comics title for DC, writer Ram V has given the title an air of secrecy and mysticism that has blended well with the gothic overtone of Gotham City. In the previous issue, Batman successfully foils an attempt on Prince Arzen’s life by a group of Talia loyalists in the League of Assassins. But tussling with the hulking Ubu underwater in Gotham Bay leaves the Caped Crusader bereft of not only air but also his sanity. Detective Comics #1066 features artwork from Ivan Reis and Danny Miki, colors from Dave Stewart, and letters from Ariana Maher with a backup story about Harvey Dent’s broken psyche written by Simon Spurrier, drawn by Hayden Sherman, colored by Nick Filardi, and lettered by Steve Wands.
After lying unconscious for 72 hours, Batman finally wakes up in Gordon’s PI office with the old man assuring him that his identity is safe, even though his mind isn’t. The newspapers are rife with news of the Caped Crusader saving the life of the visiting royalty as the Orghams begin their reconstruction of the city with the demolition of the Arkham Asylum. Bruce visits the site and runs into Prince Arzen, with both men making an impression on each other. But now it’s time for the Bat to get down to the mysterious death of Ubu. Elsewhere, Harvey Dent continues his struggles with his other self in the backup, giving a backstory into the rage-filled mind of Two-Face.
Detective Comics #1066 opens with a newspaper snippet recapping the previous issue’s tumultuous event that turns into a rant about Gotham’s morbid history of violence. V questions the eternal strife within the city and uses it as a backdrop for Bruce’s own conscience. But none makes a greater impression than Harvey Dent, whose battle with his good and evil sides is what keeps the plot unraveling in an instant, keeping the mystery fermenting in a concoction of poetic delivery and steady progression. Ram V sends each narrative down a character-driven path and allows them to find their own direction in the process. Meanwhile, Simon Spurrier puts Harvey’s fractured mind under the microscope. Two-Face’s aggressive narration grows louder and louder as time passes by, leaving readers to navigate a tragic past.
Ivan Reis’ art brings out the sinister nature of the city. From a nightmare sequence of Batman drowning in the darkness as the bubbles escape from his last gasp to relics like Arkham Asylum crumbling, the artwork shows the different faces of the city responding to external change. But the ugliness within finds a home through Danny Miki’s ink lines, creating a claustrophobic environment in dimly lit halls. Adding to this, colorist Dave Stewart highlights the moodiness through his use of muted tones. Sherman and Filardi fill their segment with alternating dark and psychedelic themes with splash pages showing Dent’s stealing the show.
Detective Comics #1066 inches closer to the heart of the mystery, only to throw a curveball at the last moment. The appearance of a new villain from Batman’s infamous rogues’ gallery changes the pace. While all these conflicts sound interesting on paper, Two-Face’s painstaking pilgrimage through the memory lane is the most powerful struggle in the book. It finds a baseline even in the screaming violence that resonates with readers who have faced their own crises. Detective Comics #1066 still has a long way to go from the looks of things, but it keeps ticking all the right boxes for now.
Leave a Reply