In this review of Detective Comics #1113, Part 2 of Week 4 of Batman: Bad Seeds, as the event continues to unfold in rapid fire succession, Batman and Commissioner Vandal Savage duke it out high above Gotham City with a literal ticking bomb.
Detective Comics #1113 main cover by Mikel Janín (DC Comics)
DETECTIVE COMICS #1113
Written by TOM TAYLOR and DAN WATTERS
Art by JEFF SPOKES
Main Cover: MIKEL JANÍN
Variant Covers: DAN MORA, PAOLO PANTALENA, DAN PANOSIAN, Jim Lee
Page Count: 32 pages
Release Date: 9/16/26
This review contains spoilers
Detective Comics #1113 begins on top of the GCPD headquarters as Batman confronts Commissioner Vandal Savage about the growing threat of the terraforming of Gotham and Savage’s plan to end it (along with current disgraced Mayor Pamela Isley (aka Poison Ivy). Savage has loaded a virulent herbicide into airships to disperse over the city. Batman reaches out to Verity Pennyworth, and her assessment of Savage’s herbicide concludes that the substance is lethal to humans as well.
With less than fifteen minutes to stop the dispersal, Batman fails to convince Savage to recall the airships, causing the pair to come to blows. Batman deduces that Savage knew the risks, prompting the Dark Knight to blast the immortal caveman off the roof, that knowing Savage will recover. Batman takes to the air and dismantles the first airship but is forced to use the Batplane to chase down the second.
The toxic air makes short work of the Batplane, forcing Batman to eject and land on a roof where he is attacked by giant vines. Batman frees himself and breaches the second airship where GCPD officer Hall has already halted the dispersal, despite protestations from the TUCOS.
Detective Comics #1113 ends as Batman and Hall share a quick exchange before Batman is on the move again, seeking the assistance of someone who does not seem to like him much.
Analysis
Detective Comics #1113 picks up the threads from Batman #13 and immediately forces the Caped Crusader and Vandal Savage into a battle of wits and brawn as a ticking clock counts down. Writer Tom Taylor puts his own spin on the “Bad Seeds” crossover without making the installment feel out of place. Taylor puts Batman through his paces, forcing the hero through one perilous ordeal after another, but honestly, this is what Batman lives for more than anything.
The initial exchange between Batman and Savage is relatively low key after Savage’s response in the final page of the previous chapter. The Commissioner calls Batman “Detective”, typically a nickname used by Ras Al Ghul. An odd choice for Taylor, but it either comes off as a taunt or a sign of respect. Taylor pushes Batman to his limits, forcing the hero to respond physically, mentally and instinctively to the fast-moving crisis (including blasting Savage off a roof).
It’s an interesting cheat for Batman to use potentially lethal methods against an immortal foe, secure in the knowledge that the villain will survive. Guest Artist Jeff Spokes’ art style provides a realistic but flashy look for the night setting in Detective Comics #1113, with Spokes’ impressive array of jarring panels full of action, drama and that one humorous sequence inside the first airship.
Spokes piles on the drama with a series of rapidly shifting comic panels that enhance the imbalance that Batman experience throughout the issue. Spokes mastery of the art of sequential storytelling is on full display in Detective Comics #1113, proving to be a willing substitute to superstar regular series artist Mikel Janin.
Final Thoughts
Detective Comics #1113 succeeds more on the work of Jeff Spokes impressive artwork than the lean but serviceable writing, but Tom Taylor still adds character moments, drama and humor to the mounting crisis of the “Bad Seeds” crossover event, putting his own stamp on the mounting crisis.
