Review: Detective Comics #1068

Overview: In Detective Comics #1068, the Orghams burn Gotham as Harvey and Two-Face struggle to decide whether to help Batman or serve the Orghams as their slave.

Editor’s Note: Due to the anthology nature of this collection, we will feature a synopsis and analysis for each story rather than breaking up the synopsis and analysis. Spoilers are sure to be revealed.

Story #1: “Gotham Nocturne Act 1” Part 3 by writer Ram V and artist Ivan Reis and Rafael Albuquerque

Synopsis: As Detective Comics #1068 begins, Harvey Dent watches Gotham burn at the hands of the Orgham family and their supernatural agents as they tether Azmer demons to many prisoners, creating an army of supernatural slave soldiers. Two-Face demands to be set free, so they can resist their own Azmer possession (as seen in last month’s backup story).

Batman soars overhead in the Batwing as Gordon warns him it’s a trap, but he dives in anyway, engaging Gael the werewolf, using freeze bombs to neutralize the Azmer attackers, and bashing Gael with nano-silver in his suit. However, the five-armed Dark-Blood paralyzes Batman, breaking his ribs and scratching curare poison into his chest through his armor. About to tether Batman to an Azmer, as Harvey and Two-Face argue for possession of their body, Batman impossibly overcomes his pain and poison and stands. Harvey flips his coin, and tells Two-Face Batman’s identity, relinquishing control to his darker half, who blows Batman’s attackers away, then blows up the building to cover their escape.

Commissioner Montoya watches her city burn, waiting for Batman as Gordon searches for his friend. Harvey tries to get Batman to a doctor but finds the Ten-Eyed Man instead.

Analysis: Ram V’s second major arc roars into overdrive as Batman faces the Orghams’ deadly agents for the second time in full combat, and though he’s learned from his first battle with Gael the werewolf, Dark-Blood takes him by surprise. Despite this setback, I think fans of “Batman Always Wins” will like that he stands up after a huge dose of poison and broken ribs, demonstrating his indomitable will. Drawing on the 300-year conflict between Batman and the Orghams setup in the Annual, Ram V also has the Orgham agents reveal that their entire goal is to remove Batman from the magical spell they cast around Gotham in 1776 to keep it under their control.

The showcase of the book, however, is Harvey Dent and Two-Face. Si Spurrier’s three-part backup has set them up for the past three issues, and Ram V powerfully builds to a double page of nine-panel grids, showing Harvey’s past, present, and vicious internal battle. As usual, though the chaos and complexity of what Ram V is doing is often overwhelming, the emotion continues to shine through strongly.

DC advertised this issue as a standalone showcase of Ram V’s “genius” writing and Rafael Albuquerque and Ivan Reis mirroring each other in art. Though a couple of images are clearly mirrors, particularly Harvey/Two-Face and Batman/Gael, the parallels are not nearly as clearly laid out as Tom King did in Batman #50 or The Omega Men #9. The parallels may be there but would require a key at this point. Suffice to say that Ivan Reis and Rafael Albuquerque’s art complement each other and the story incredibly well, full of texture, heavy, scratchy linework, and colored to red and blue-drenched perfection by master colorist Dave Stewart.

Story #2: “A Tune That Listens Back” by writer Simon Spurrier and artist Dani

Synopsis: In the backup in Detective Comics #1068, Jim Gordon and the strange kid try to find the kid’s identity without success. They find a hidden envelope in the records they are searching, but the kid supernaturally sees a strange spirit-like being hovering around Jim as he whistles an eerie tune – but when he tells Jim, the spirit flees. The kid jumps out the window to follow, hearing the thoughts of those around him, but Batman stops him just before he reaches the spirit. Jim arrives to help, but they see the bird tattoo on the kid’s back glowing as he collapses. The letter they found has a list of 13 names attached to a Project Magpie, but the kid sees the fire lit by the Orghams and knows there is no time to keep searching.

Analysis: After two three-part arcs, Si Spurrier returns to Jim Gordon and the mystery of the feral kid, once again illustrated by Dani. It will be quite interesting whether this tangled, psychic and spirit-haunted story will connect to Ram V’s or take place simultaneously. Whatever the case, despite the disjointed and sometimes frustrating nature of the writing and art, it is very evocative, and it’s nice to see the world of Gotham continue to be extremely strange and mysterious, perfect for detectives to play in Detective Comics.

Evan Cagle continues his richly penciled, gorgeously rendered main covers of Detective Comics #1068 with a statue head of Two-Face split in half by a blue-lit Bruce Wayne, Bat-shadow behind him – the blue and yellow-white of the statue contrasting brilliantly. Inhyuk Lee’s cardstock cover B (also available in a Foil version for the 1:50 variant – disappointing that DC is relying so hard on the incentive variants at this point, but that’s the suicidal game they’ve decided to play) and features a drenched in red color, hyper-real but symbolic rendering of Batman being poisoned by the claws dipped in curare inside the main story – unusual for a variant! Series main artist Ivan Reis’s cover C features Batman looming over an organ decorated with hellish skulls and Grim Reaper imagery, fitting into the Opera thematic thread. Lastly, Colleen Doran’s 1:25 incentive art homage variant features Batman with two additional heads (referencing Satan, I believe) over a four-headed water begin combining villain faces.

Editor’s Note: DC Comics provided TBU with a copy of this comic for review purposes. You can find this comic and help support TBU in the process by purchasing this issue digitally on Comixology through Amazon or a physical copy of the title through Things From Another World.