In our review of Detective Comics #1077, Catwoman’s plan to rescue Batman stretches its claws as the team prepares to strike.
Note: This review might contain spoilers
Title: Gotham Nocturne: Intermezzo – Batman, Outlaw Part 2
Writer: Ram V
Artist: Jason Shawn Alexander
Colors: Dave Stewart
Main Cover: Evan Cagle
Variant Covers: Jason Shawn Alexander, Christian Ward, Liam Sharp
Release Date: November 14, 2023
Synopsis
Detective Comics #1077 begins as Shavod taunts Batman as she leads him to the gallows in broad daylight before a crowd. “No one cares and no one is coming to save you.”
But they are.
Three days earlier, Catwoman, Jim Gordon, Oracle (on the phone), Eiko Hasigawa, Cassandra Cain, Lian “Shoes” Harper, and Cheshire all gather to rescue Batman. Shoes tells them about her ally Solomon Grundy, while Selina shows them Mr. Freeze, willing to help as well. Gordon is irate, but Selina reminds him that they are trying to save Batman – that comes before their distrust of Freeze.
Selina visits Batman in Old Arkham. She promises she will never let him fall, then vanishes as the guards come. Prince Arzen’s lieutenants think they should kill Catwoman and her team before the hanging, but Arzen says they must appear clean in the public eye.
As she walks home in street clothes, Selina runs into Azrael, searching for Batman. She recruits him to her cause.
Analysis:
Ram V has said that he’s excited to take this “intermezzo” to write a heist story, and honestly, except for the status quo with the Orghams, it feels almost like we’ve stepped back into his excellent Catwoman run with this issue. Last issue was a bit too confusing and disjointed, but in the second episode, the cast starts falling together, and the plan starts to come together. Additionally, the focus on established Bat characters proves a huge strength – Ram V’s grasp of their voices and how to make them cool and loveable pops right back up, after all his original characters (the Orghams and the Vigil) clogged up the pages without garnering significant sympathy or coherence for the past year. Catwoman – the leader, passionately in love with Batman, brilliant, and the best cat burglar in the world. Jim Gordon the veteran, man of integrity and loyalty. Cassandra Cain, laconic but brilliant. Lian Harper, scrappy and heroic. Mr. Freeze – logical, cruel, but with complexity. Other characters like Oracle and Cheshire don’t do much yet, but the way Ram V handles the others gives great hope.
Jason Shawn Alexander, surprisingly for this run on Detective Comics, appears to be handling all five issues of this Intermezzo. His art fits Ram V’s moody, expressionistic character writing and situations brilliantly, and the consistency for this arc really works. Especially with such a huge cast for a complex heist story, having one artist on every issue helps keep everything straight in the reader’s head. Veteran colorist Dave Stewart adds a rich, powerful painterly finish to Alexander’s complex and swirling lines, continuing this run’s excellent, if inconsistent art history. All in all, one of the best main stories from this run yet.
Story 2
Title: Toxic Love
Writer: Dan Watters
Artist: Caspar Wijngaard
Colors: Caspar Wijngaard
Synopsis
Lian “Shoes” Harper shows up at Cheshire’s door with Solomon Grundy, asking for help. Cheshire thinks of her life – her countless murders, her feelings of unworthiness. Lian says that Cheshire is toxic because of her guilt, but she’s asking for help to save the city and friends she loves. Cheshire agrees to help her daughter.
Analysis
At first, I admit huge skepticism. Since Infinite Frontier started, there’s been a temptation to downplay Cheshire’s evil actions. Although the Secret Files tie-in to Their Dark Designs hinted that Jade has no desire for redemption or human connection, there’s been a downplaying of the woman who cruelly poisoned Dinah and Lady Shiva’s kind Sensei (in the recent collection “Birds of Prey: Hero Hunters”). However, Dan Watters manages to walk the tightrope of showing Cheshire’s viciousness, sadism, and countless murders, while also showing that she still has love for her daughter and regret for what her life might do to Lian. A similar tightrope to the one Christopher Priest walked for 50 issues in his masterpiece series Deathstroke, and Watters has the feeling of another writer who could pull off such a series. A villain focused book that neither glorifies their evil nor attempts to justify it. Once again, Watters continues to impress as one of the best talents DC has, and hopefully his excellent work on these backups will push him forward to a major solo series soon.
Artist Caspar Wijngaard appears to be a regular rotating artist for these backups, and his cute, appealing, and cartoony style provides a nice contrast with Jason Shawn Alexander’s extreme and aggressive style in the main story. The connections provided by Ram V and Dan Watters passing storylines and characters back and forth is beautifully highlighted by the difference in artists.
Evan Cagle’s main cover for Detective Comics #1077 shows Batman walking over the city, hands roped behind his back, towards the red sun – a fittingly ominous, elegiac, and ominous piece (also available as the 1-in-50 incentive in black and white). Interior artist Jason Shawn Alexander superimposes the Orgham werewolf’s snarl over Batman’s chained silhouette. Gargoyle of Gotham artist Christian Ward paints Batman hanging from a demon’s tongue, a very nice combination of concepts. Liam Sharp’s Wanted poster 1-in-25 incentive features Solmon Grundy looking pensive.
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Editor’s Note: DC Comics provided TBU with an advanced review 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.
