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Batman: Detective Comics by Mariko Tamaki
Batman - Detective Comics: Stan strachu
Drugi tom serii „Detective Comics” ukazującej się w ramach linii wydawniczej Uniwersum DC. Gotham pogrąża się w Stanie strachu! Wendeta Wortha przeciwko Bruce’owi Wayne’owi uwalnia zło, którego ani on, ani złoczyńcy z ławy przysięgłych nie mogą kontrolować! Bezpieczeństwo mieszkańców Gotham wisi na włosku, gdy Batman traci nad sobą kontrolę. Czy Huntress będzie musiała interweniować, zanim Mroczny Rycerz przysporzy złej sławy zamaskowanym obrońcom prawa?
Gdy na ulicach miasta dochodzi do niespotykanych dotąd zjawisk, a na życie nowego burmistrza czyhają zamachowcy, sytuację opanować może tylko jeden bohater – ten, którego burmistrz Nakano zobowiązał się wygnać z Gotham: Batman! Czy dwóch wrogów odłoży na bok dzielące ich różnice i uratuje miasto, zanim będzie za późno? Mimo że budynek Azylu Arkham został zniszczony, strach przed instytucją pozostał – a teraz ponownie się wzmaga, ponieważ w centrum miasta rośnie nowy budynek – Wieża Arkham. Skoro sam Mroczny Rycerz się boi, czy jest jeszcze nadzieja dla mieszkańców Gotham?
Kontynuacja cenionej przez krytyków serii autorstwa Mariko Tamaki („Wonder Woman”, „Harley Quinn: Piękna katastrofa”),z efektownymi grafikami Dana Mory („Raz i na zawsze”, „Klaus”, „The Terrifics”),Viktora Bogdanovica („Batman: Arkham Knight”, „Deadshot”) i Davida Laphama („Baśnie”, „Stray Bullets”).
Album zawiera materiały opublikowane pierwotnie w amerykańskich zeszytach „Detective Comics” #1040–1046, „Detective Comics Annual” 2021 oraz „Batman Secret Files: Huntress” #1!"
Gdy na ulicach miasta dochodzi do niespotykanych dotąd zjawisk, a na życie nowego burmistrza czyhają zamachowcy, sytuację opanować może tylko jeden bohater – ten, którego burmistrz Nakano zobowiązał się wygnać z Gotham: Batman! Czy dwóch wrogów odłoży na bok dzielące ich różnice i uratuje miasto, zanim będzie za późno? Mimo że budynek Azylu Arkham został zniszczony, strach przed instytucją pozostał – a teraz ponownie się wzmaga, ponieważ w centrum miasta rośnie nowy budynek – Wieża Arkham. Skoro sam Mroczny Rycerz się boi, czy jest jeszcze nadzieja dla mieszkańców Gotham?
Kontynuacja cenionej przez krytyków serii autorstwa Mariko Tamaki („Wonder Woman”, „Harley Quinn: Piękna katastrofa”),z efektownymi grafikami Dana Mory („Raz i na zawsze”, „Klaus”, „The Terrifics”),Viktora Bogdanovica („Batman: Arkham Knight”, „Deadshot”) i Davida Laphama („Baśnie”, „Stray Bullets”).
Album zawiera materiały opublikowane pierwotnie w amerykańskich zeszytach „Detective Comics” #1040–1046, „Detective Comics Annual” 2021 oraz „Batman Secret Files: Huntress” #1!"
296 pages, Paperback
First published July 5, 2022
41 people are currently reading
184 people want to read
About the author
Mariko Tamaki
378 books2,229 followersMariko Tamaki is a Toronto writer, playwright, activist and performer. She works and performs with fat activists Pretty Porky and Pissed Off and the theatre troupe TOA, whose recent play, A vs. B, was staged at the 2004 Rhubarb Festival at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre. Her well-received novel, Cover Me (McGilligan Books) was followed by a short fiction collection, True Lies: The Book of Bad Advice (Women's Press). Mariko's third book, FAKE ID, is due out in spring 2005.
Mariko Tamaki has performed her work across Canada and through the States, recently appearing at the Calgary Folkfest 2004, Vancouver Writer's Festival 2003, Spatial III, and the Perpetual Motion/Girls Bite Back Tour, which circled though Ottawa, Montreal, Brooklyn and Chicago. She has appeared widely on radio and television including First Person Singular on CBC radio and Imprint on TVO. Mariko Tamaki is currently attending York University working a master's degree in women's studies.
[MacMIllan Books]
Mariko Tamaki has performed her work across Canada and through the States, recently appearing at the Calgary Folkfest 2004, Vancouver Writer's Festival 2003, Spatial III, and the Perpetual Motion/Girls Bite Back Tour, which circled though Ottawa, Montreal, Brooklyn and Chicago. She has appeared widely on radio and television including First Person Singular on CBC radio and Imprint on TVO. Mariko Tamaki is currently attending York University working a master's degree in women's studies.
[MacMIllan Books]
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
July 28, 2022
This is a continuation of the story from vol. 1. Tamaki seems obsessed with this Vile thing. She even makes it part of her Fear State issues. A parasite that induces violence is just not interesting in a Batman comic. It really begins to drag with a second arc of more of the same. Dan Mora's splendid artwork is what kept me going.
I was more interested in the back up stories by Matthew Rosenberg and Dan Watters that lead in to Rosenberg's Task Force Z series. Villains are dying and their bodies vanishing from the morgue. Deb Donovan and the Red Hood are on the case.
I was more interested in the back up stories by Matthew Rosenberg and Dan Watters that lead in to Rosenberg's Task Force Z series. Villains are dying and their bodies vanishing from the morgue. Deb Donovan and the Red Hood are on the case.
March 23, 2022
This was a cool volume as we get to see Batman facing off against Mr Worth, Penguin and ultimately Vile aka the Jury and they have infected him with the Parasite and how he fights them off is the main story meanwhile there is some stuff with Huntress and some other characters shown in the backups and thats fun like how he defeats Vile and all and then it ties into fear state and how he saves Mayor Nakano is the main story and also changes his stance on vigilantes which will be interesting to follow plus the other stories deal with the new Arkham tower being constructed and shows stories from different angles and sets up the next story arc pretty well so I am excited about that!
The volume does a great job of showing how Batman feels about the threat and counters them and even saves his enemies though I was hoping to see more of Mr Worth but thats not shown and the murder of the previous tenants is not exactly made clear and thats why the volume feels incomplete but still good fun read and finally it also does great job at showing Huntress and Nightwing (in the annual) and how they feel about the whole thing and sets up the next arc.
The art was the best part easily and yeah this volume may not appeal to another as it has its flaws but maybe it will be corrected upon later?
The volume does a great job of showing how Batman feels about the threat and counters them and even saves his enemies though I was hoping to see more of Mr Worth but thats not shown and the murder of the previous tenants is not exactly made clear and thats why the volume feels incomplete but still good fun read and finally it also does great job at showing Huntress and Nightwing (in the annual) and how they feel about the whole thing and sets up the next arc.
The art was the best part easily and yeah this volume may not appeal to another as it has its flaws but maybe it will be corrected upon later?
July 29, 2022
I did enjoy this book. It is a good ending to the infestation, and companion to the Fear State storylines.
I really liked the artwork, and I did like Batman/Bruce working with limited resources, and facing jus own predicament of
"Fighting the super rich, when you are no longer one of the super rich".
The second story arch that does still feed into the infestation is Batman needing to save Mayor Nakano, the man who has made it jus mission and political campaign to rid Gotham of vigilantes. There is also the back up stories staring the odd couple of Deb and Jason. Also very good.
There is a lot going in this book, so dome parts of it do seem bit rushed, but there are a lot of great points. The book finishes with a full page varient cover gallery and a sketch book.
I really liked the artwork, and I did like Batman/Bruce working with limited resources, and facing jus own predicament of
"Fighting the super rich, when you are no longer one of the super rich".
The second story arch that does still feed into the infestation is Batman needing to save Mayor Nakano, the man who has made it jus mission and political campaign to rid Gotham of vigilantes. There is also the back up stories staring the odd couple of Deb and Jason. Also very good.
There is a lot going in this book, so dome parts of it do seem bit rushed, but there are a lot of great points. The book finishes with a full page varient cover gallery and a sketch book.
June 28, 2023
Written by Mariko Tamaki and art by Dan Mora, mayor Nakano found himself under siege and Batman, someone that Nakano has been antagonizing for the better part of his mayoral campaign is the only one who can save him.
PRESS [A] TO CONTINUE
I didn’t like Tamaki’s early foray into Batman with her first volume of Detective Comic and normally I would’ve cut my loses and stop right there and then but I decided to continue on with her run with this second volume, hoping that it gets significantly better. This hope is mostly to do with me being a fan of her works outside of DC, that being Skin and This One Summer and also hoping that she wouldn’t be another writer who cut their teeth in the indie-graphic novel scene and came to the Big Two (DC and Marvel) just for the steady pay cheque but instead be one of the great contributors in the Big Two like a few that had done it before her. While I don’t think Fear State is anything to write home about, it does improve and is a steadily good with some great moments, Batman story.
FEAR STATE
One of the many issues that’s plaquing Tynion’s run on the main Batman book was its constant crossover that would’ve interrupt other titles. Despite this book being titled “Fear State”, it does not in any way, shape or form linked or involved with the “Fear State” crossover on the main title nor does Tynion reference this run at all in the main Bat-title, and it can just be read without any form of external input from other titles.
DON’T TOUCH THE REHEATED LEFTOVERS
One of my main issues with the previous volume is that Tamaki started her run with the premise of an old "whodunit", which is fitting in a comic book titled Detective Comic and in Detective Comic, Batman faces something that’s usually smaller in scale or the scope of the stories is smaller or it’s sectioned of into a certain aspect, like a murder mystery or more in the investigation direction. It’s not a rule that it has to be that way, but Tamaki did start the precious run that way before shifting tone in a boilerplate alien invasion type of story and it never really get going other than downhill. A lot of elements that was set up in the earlier part of the book was abandoned when the story and tone shifted, becoming a generic, cartoony comic where the problems are solve just by fisticuffs.
In this, Tamaki continues with the boilerplate alien angle and while it certainly is the weakest part of the book, through it is where the story really shines as we get to a lot of characters interacting with one another or just the world that Tamaki has built during her run but felt un-alive when the shift to alien occurred in the previous volume.
Former police turned mayor – Nakano is a great character and highlighting him in the story is one of best decision as we got a different take on the “unlikely partners” trope with Batman coming in to save the mayor who up to that point has been antagonizing the vigilante. Putting the rather stale alien plot aside, the true main core of the story is with both Batman and Nakano, who is not just a passenger as the former police get to stretch out his own moves, trying to trust one another. Then there’s also The Huntress whose characterization is a lot closer to the Dixon and Rucka’s help to create a sense of life into the world of Gotham than few writers really did when writing Batman along with a new news reporter named Deb Donovan and the prodigal child of Batman – Jason Todd. With such vibrant in every corner of Gotham, it makes the world come of Gotham feel real and the decision these characters made, especially Batman and Nakano felt important.
As for the art…it’s Dan Mora. It’s always great and vibrant and I don’t have much to say about it.
SOMETHING SWEET, SOMETHING SOUR
Detective Comic, ever since the New 52 has been a B tier Batbook that has it's moments but is never a must buy for itself except for the Tynion's run at the start of Rebirth. That being said, Mariko Tamaki improved her writing this time around and Dan Mora remained great as always. While the hackney alien villainy threat plodded along, the better part of the story revitalized Gotham’s political world as well as the vigilante and the news media aspect that made the city feel so alive, giving much credence to Mayor Nakano and Batman’s choice to protect Gotham.
PRESS [A] TO CONTINUE
I didn’t like Tamaki’s early foray into Batman with her first volume of Detective Comic and normally I would’ve cut my loses and stop right there and then but I decided to continue on with her run with this second volume, hoping that it gets significantly better. This hope is mostly to do with me being a fan of her works outside of DC, that being Skin and This One Summer and also hoping that she wouldn’t be another writer who cut their teeth in the indie-graphic novel scene and came to the Big Two (DC and Marvel) just for the steady pay cheque but instead be one of the great contributors in the Big Two like a few that had done it before her. While I don’t think Fear State is anything to write home about, it does improve and is a steadily good with some great moments, Batman story.
FEAR STATE
One of the many issues that’s plaquing Tynion’s run on the main Batman book was its constant crossover that would’ve interrupt other titles. Despite this book being titled “Fear State”, it does not in any way, shape or form linked or involved with the “Fear State” crossover on the main title nor does Tynion reference this run at all in the main Bat-title, and it can just be read without any form of external input from other titles.
DON’T TOUCH THE REHEATED LEFTOVERS
One of my main issues with the previous volume is that Tamaki started her run with the premise of an old "whodunit", which is fitting in a comic book titled Detective Comic and in Detective Comic, Batman faces something that’s usually smaller in scale or the scope of the stories is smaller or it’s sectioned of into a certain aspect, like a murder mystery or more in the investigation direction. It’s not a rule that it has to be that way, but Tamaki did start the precious run that way before shifting tone in a boilerplate alien invasion type of story and it never really get going other than downhill. A lot of elements that was set up in the earlier part of the book was abandoned when the story and tone shifted, becoming a generic, cartoony comic where the problems are solve just by fisticuffs.
In this, Tamaki continues with the boilerplate alien angle and while it certainly is the weakest part of the book, through it is where the story really shines as we get to a lot of characters interacting with one another or just the world that Tamaki has built during her run but felt un-alive when the shift to alien occurred in the previous volume.
Former police turned mayor – Nakano is a great character and highlighting him in the story is one of best decision as we got a different take on the “unlikely partners” trope with Batman coming in to save the mayor who up to that point has been antagonizing the vigilante. Putting the rather stale alien plot aside, the true main core of the story is with both Batman and Nakano, who is not just a passenger as the former police get to stretch out his own moves, trying to trust one another. Then there’s also The Huntress whose characterization is a lot closer to the Dixon and Rucka’s help to create a sense of life into the world of Gotham than few writers really did when writing Batman along with a new news reporter named Deb Donovan and the prodigal child of Batman – Jason Todd. With such vibrant in every corner of Gotham, it makes the world come of Gotham feel real and the decision these characters made, especially Batman and Nakano felt important.
As for the art…it’s Dan Mora. It’s always great and vibrant and I don’t have much to say about it.
SOMETHING SWEET, SOMETHING SOUR
Detective Comic, ever since the New 52 has been a B tier Batbook that has it's moments but is never a must buy for itself except for the Tynion's run at the start of Rebirth. That being said, Mariko Tamaki improved her writing this time around and Dan Mora remained great as always. While the hackney alien villainy threat plodded along, the better part of the story revitalized Gotham’s political world as well as the vigilante and the news media aspect that made the city feel so alive, giving much credence to Mayor Nakano and Batman’s choice to protect Gotham.
June 24, 2022
Fear State strikes Gotham, dragging Batman and Mayor Nakano beneath its streets. Meanwhile the Huntress faces off against the parasitic Vile, only to find her life taking a drastic turn as a result.
Mariko Tamaki's second Detective Comics collection builds on everything from the first, taking all of the plotlines from before and barrelling them into Fear State at the same time. It'd be easy for Tamaki's stories to get lost in the event, especially since Fear State basically flattened all of the other Batman books being published at the time, but she manages to keep her plotlines front and centre. The horror aspect of Fear State leans nicely into the Vile stuff that carries through, and Batman's loss of control alongside Mayor Nakano is a harrowing end-cap to it all.
There's a lot of focus on Huntress here, which is a good thing since she's been neglected a little in recent years. Tamaki's one-shot helps put her on a new path, which is also informed and driven by the main issues of Detective too.
On art once again is the incomparable Dan Mora, with some assistance from Viktor Bogdanovic. I wouldn't call either of them horror artists, but they do excellent work here as usual. The claustrophobic sewer sequences allow for some masterful uses of shadow, and the gross Vile designs continue to make me shiver.
Detective Comics is still in good hands. It looks lovely, and Tamaki's scripts keep things ticking over nicely. It's still a very different beast to the main Batman book, which is always a good sign - if you're going to have lots of Batman books, at least let them have their own distinct identities, which is exactly what Tamaki does here.
Mariko Tamaki's second Detective Comics collection builds on everything from the first, taking all of the plotlines from before and barrelling them into Fear State at the same time. It'd be easy for Tamaki's stories to get lost in the event, especially since Fear State basically flattened all of the other Batman books being published at the time, but she manages to keep her plotlines front and centre. The horror aspect of Fear State leans nicely into the Vile stuff that carries through, and Batman's loss of control alongside Mayor Nakano is a harrowing end-cap to it all.
There's a lot of focus on Huntress here, which is a good thing since she's been neglected a little in recent years. Tamaki's one-shot helps put her on a new path, which is also informed and driven by the main issues of Detective too.
On art once again is the incomparable Dan Mora, with some assistance from Viktor Bogdanovic. I wouldn't call either of them horror artists, but they do excellent work here as usual. The claustrophobic sewer sequences allow for some masterful uses of shadow, and the gross Vile designs continue to make me shiver.
Detective Comics is still in good hands. It looks lovely, and Tamaki's scripts keep things ticking over nicely. It's still a very different beast to the main Batman book, which is always a good sign - if you're going to have lots of Batman books, at least let them have their own distinct identities, which is exactly what Tamaki does here.
September 12, 2024
Not bad but Mariko Tamaki is hamstrung having to interweave the Fear State crossover elements into her own ongoing story.
The artwork is mostly good, draftsmanship-wise, but occasionally I had to re-read a page to work out what the Hell was happening, which isn’t good visual storytelling.
The artwork is mostly good, draftsmanship-wise, but occasionally I had to re-read a page to work out what the Hell was happening, which isn’t good visual storytelling.
July 24, 2022
3.5 stars
The art by Mora and Bellaire (plus a fill-in issue from Bogdanovic) continues to be the best part of this series; it’s one of the best looking Big 2 comics I’ve read in a while. Tamaki’s story is fine, and I was glad to see her Fear State tie-ins stray from the main event and focus on happenings specific to this series. I also appreciate her continuing to give the Huntress and Deb Donovan what seems like as many pages as Batman; Donovan in particular feels like a refreshing window into Gotham. The creature feature plotting has an undercurrent about more mundane infrastructure concerns in Gotham, and I honestly wish she’d found a way to make it the main plot instead. The monster stuff is okay, but it feels like it drags on too long and then wraps up too abruptly. The backups included at the end are pretty fun, and made me want to check out Rosenberg’s Task Force Z miniseries.
One thing I’d love to see less of is the abundance of editorial “for more details, check out issue…” dialogue boxes. A few are to be expected, but it seems like every issue has at least 5-6, and several of them are pointing to earlier issues in this series itself, including earlier issues in the story arc collected here. Surely if someone is reading part 4, you don’t need to recommend they check out 2 issues ago in the same arc of the same series?
The art by Mora and Bellaire (plus a fill-in issue from Bogdanovic) continues to be the best part of this series; it’s one of the best looking Big 2 comics I’ve read in a while. Tamaki’s story is fine, and I was glad to see her Fear State tie-ins stray from the main event and focus on happenings specific to this series. I also appreciate her continuing to give the Huntress and Deb Donovan what seems like as many pages as Batman; Donovan in particular feels like a refreshing window into Gotham. The creature feature plotting has an undercurrent about more mundane infrastructure concerns in Gotham, and I honestly wish she’d found a way to make it the main plot instead. The monster stuff is okay, but it feels like it drags on too long and then wraps up too abruptly. The backups included at the end are pretty fun, and made me want to check out Rosenberg’s Task Force Z miniseries.
One thing I’d love to see less of is the abundance of editorial “for more details, check out issue…” dialogue boxes. A few are to be expected, but it seems like every issue has at least 5-6, and several of them are pointing to earlier issues in this series itself, including earlier issues in the story arc collected here. Surely if someone is reading part 4, you don’t need to recommend they check out 2 issues ago in the same arc of the same series?
November 24, 2022
If you wanted a Batman adventure you're in the wrong place. This is all about city politics and stars a Mary Sue stand-in for the author who is the bravest of the brave that everyone want's to read about and be - you know, a nasty, closedminded, overweight reporter!
May 9, 2023
You can find my review on my blog by clicking here.
Released around the same period as writer James Tynion IV’s Fear State story arc during his time as the leading writer of the Batman comic book series, this latest volume in writer Mariko Tamaki’s Detective Comics: Batman comic book series sees Batman get an unhealthy dose of an induced state of fear as he confronts evil, unlike anything he’s faced before, desperately clinging onto his own sanity and sense of justice as evil splurges out into Gotham city. Collecting issues #1040-1046 of Detective Comics and the one-shot issue Batman Secret Files: Huntress #1, this volume sees the return of artist Dan Mora and colourist Jodie Bellaire alongside writer Mariko Tamaki as Batman looks to save Gotham from drowning in a parasitic chaos that would only cause more harm than good to the city’s foundation, already trying to recuperate from its recent struggles.
What is Batman: Detective Comics (Vol. 2): Fear State about? Following the events in Neighborhood, Bruce Wayne surrenders himself once more for the sake of Batman, remaining the prime suspect in the murders of Sarah and Lydia. Meanwhile, the Penguin looks to help Mr. Worth with his new obsession with Bruce Wayne and Batman and presents to him Vile, now also known as the Jury, as the ultimate weapon in his quest for vengeance. Gotham also sees its underground realm infected, leading to a desperate and terrifying encounter where Mayor Nakano must accept Batman’s helping hand if he and his city is to survive what’s growing below their very feet, and that, even if he doesn’t believe that the city needs costumed heroes to thrive toward a new world.
Despite being a decent adventure for what it is, this volume shows signs of a writer starting to lose control of the multiple plot threads that they want to tackle. With the first volume, writer Mariko Tamaki does an impressive job of resetting the life of Bruce Wayne, relocating him, and presenting him as a civilian trying to fit into his neighbourhood while figuring out new ways to be Batman and save Gotham from trouble that it shelters. Instead of moving forward with new dilemmas, she insists on bringing back Vile and making Batman his own enemy, requiring the help of the Huntress, who has been getting a lot more attention in her comic book run so far, and Barbara Gordon. The first half of the volume is, however, quickly dealt with, as a too-easy resolution comes too promptly to allow readers to properly enjoy the moments of chaos and the central idea of a Batman unchained.
The second part of the volume has writer Mariko Tamaki juggle with the ongoing Fear State comic book event but allows her to focus her attention on Batman’s complicated political relationship with Mayor Namako. The story veers toward a horror thriller where both Batman and Mayor Namako race against time to save each other from impending doom with a giant parasite monster on the verge of escaping and wreaking havoc on Gotham City. Once more, although fun and nothing more, it is the brutally prompt resolution that makes the story somewhat disappointing, preventing writer Mariko Tamaki from properly utilizing the heroes of Gotham City in their efforts to save their city amidst adversity. It also quickly introduces and then un-introduces a new and intriguing villain, Nero XIX, who looked to overthrow Mayor Nakano, making it seem like a missed opportunity more than anything else.
The story then ends with an epilogue chapter teasing Batman’s hiatus and the inevitable construction of an Arkham Tower where Dr. Meridian would lead and overlook the promotion of a new therapy focused on the mental health of its evil detainees. The volume also contains several short stories, mostly inconsequential to the main narrative, such as a tale serving as a swan song for Kirk Langstrom’s good deeds after his villainous days as Man-Bat, a story to promote a new Task Force Z comic book series featuring the newly-introduced journalist Deb Donovan (who has been promoted so far as a top-notch, do-only-good journalist in Gotham) and Red Hood, and a story revisiting the foundations of Arkham Asylum and the tragedies that give birth to these institutions. Unfortunately, none of these stories really matter at the end of the day, mostly only there as a distraction.
When it comes to artwork, there’s absolutely nothing to reproach of artist Dan Mora’s visual style. His clear, expressive, and sharp style gives Gotham City and all of its occupants a life of its own. Just looking at the conceptual designs of his characters showcases an exquisite grasp of these characters and this gloomy and beaten world. With a little bit of help from artist Viktor Bogdanovic for one particular issue, right when things really got into the more horrifying aspects of the main story, artist Dan Mora delivers some fantastic panels that elevate writer Mariko Tamaki’s ideas in quality, despite being restricted to remaining superficial due to the script at hand. Nevertheless, some excellent moments were still beautifully drawn, helping a lot in attenuating the flaws present in this volume. It’s also worth mentioning that colourist Jodie Bellaire, as she’s done many times in the past, continues to contribute wonderfully in terms of tones and shading.
Batman: Detective Comics (Vol. 2): Fear State is a prudent story arc with an average execution that juggles with ongoing events and ventures into a little bit of horror and monster mayhem.
July 24, 2022
Having not read much Detective Comics, reading the first volume of Mariko Tamaki’s run on the title felt like a good start, establishing a new status quo in which Bruce Wayne relocates to a townhouse in the heart of Gotham City and building new micro-caves throughout the city’s sewer system. No doubt a lot happened during the initial issues, with a variety of characters playing their part in the ongoing narrative about Bruce Wayne being targeted by businessman Roland Worth for the death of his daughter, whilst the new villain is a walking virus that has tried to infect the city.
The first issue of this volume is a bit of a breather before the storm, as Bruce spends a weekend in lockup where he sits next to a drunk person who knows that he is Batman and recounts a story where he found about his identity during a fight with the Joker. This is a fun sequence where a random stranger who may be in a drunken state has a better understanding into why Bruce would dress up as a bat. Meanwhile, Worth teams up with the Penguin as both have reclaimed Vile and planned to use him for Worth’s vengeance against Bruce, whilst needing to take out Batman.
Before we get to that big confrontation, Tamaki writes a one-shot about the Huntress who has played a part during this run as having been cured of her infection from Vile, she is able to have a psychic connection with the other infected. The issue (drawn by David Lapham) leans into the horror, of which this run has plenty, especially in the main issues where Batman confronts the villains, only for him to get infected. Whilst Dan Mora draws the majority of this volume, issue #1042 has artist Viktor Bogdanovic revelling in drawing Batman as a figure of horror and although it gets resolved fairly quickly, the presence of Vile continues to blossom.
Although the subsequent issues are titled “Fear State” – tying in with the crossover event that started during James Tynion IV’s run on Batman – Tamaki is more interested in telling her own narrative about Mayor Nakano is determined to make Gotham a better place, despite currently being a police state, thanks to the Magistrate. When the mayor is hunted by a mercenary, he ultimately finds himself trapped in the sewers with Batman, setting up the conflict of the mayor sworn against the actions of the vigilante, due to what happened during the Joker War.
Dan Mora has been killing it with his artistic duties with his sharp-lined, drawn characters whilst his Batman is a grand force of nature, not least in his cape that seems to have a mind of its own. Mora does have his share of the horror, showing how the deceased Vile can lead to creepy crawly creatures that become the antagonist. A special shoutout to colourist Jordie Bellaire, who brings such vibrancy to the streets of Gotham, especially in the later issues where the sewers become a key location and thus there is an emphasis on black, which allows other colours to pop out.
Concluding the volume are the backup features written by Dan Watters and Matthew Rosenberg. Starting off with the sudden death of Kirk Langstrom/Man-Bat, and then the rest is about journalist Deb Donovan teaming up with Red Hood investigating a number of corpses disappearing, which is to set up one of DC’s Task Force Z, which I have zero interest in. There is a lot to enjoy, but it does feel like Tamaki is throwing a lot of COGS, in terms of the multiple characters and plotlines, and hopefully she can feel more at ease by doing less.
The first issue of this volume is a bit of a breather before the storm, as Bruce spends a weekend in lockup where he sits next to a drunk person who knows that he is Batman and recounts a story where he found about his identity during a fight with the Joker. This is a fun sequence where a random stranger who may be in a drunken state has a better understanding into why Bruce would dress up as a bat. Meanwhile, Worth teams up with the Penguin as both have reclaimed Vile and planned to use him for Worth’s vengeance against Bruce, whilst needing to take out Batman.
Before we get to that big confrontation, Tamaki writes a one-shot about the Huntress who has played a part during this run as having been cured of her infection from Vile, she is able to have a psychic connection with the other infected. The issue (drawn by David Lapham) leans into the horror, of which this run has plenty, especially in the main issues where Batman confronts the villains, only for him to get infected. Whilst Dan Mora draws the majority of this volume, issue #1042 has artist Viktor Bogdanovic revelling in drawing Batman as a figure of horror and although it gets resolved fairly quickly, the presence of Vile continues to blossom.
Although the subsequent issues are titled “Fear State” – tying in with the crossover event that started during James Tynion IV’s run on Batman – Tamaki is more interested in telling her own narrative about Mayor Nakano is determined to make Gotham a better place, despite currently being a police state, thanks to the Magistrate. When the mayor is hunted by a mercenary, he ultimately finds himself trapped in the sewers with Batman, setting up the conflict of the mayor sworn against the actions of the vigilante, due to what happened during the Joker War.
Dan Mora has been killing it with his artistic duties with his sharp-lined, drawn characters whilst his Batman is a grand force of nature, not least in his cape that seems to have a mind of its own. Mora does have his share of the horror, showing how the deceased Vile can lead to creepy crawly creatures that become the antagonist. A special shoutout to colourist Jordie Bellaire, who brings such vibrancy to the streets of Gotham, especially in the later issues where the sewers become a key location and thus there is an emphasis on black, which allows other colours to pop out.
Concluding the volume are the backup features written by Dan Watters and Matthew Rosenberg. Starting off with the sudden death of Kirk Langstrom/Man-Bat, and then the rest is about journalist Deb Donovan teaming up with Red Hood investigating a number of corpses disappearing, which is to set up one of DC’s Task Force Z, which I have zero interest in. There is a lot to enjoy, but it does feel like Tamaki is throwing a lot of COGS, in terms of the multiple characters and plotlines, and hopefully she can feel more at ease by doing less.
May 9, 2022
«Детективні комікси» #1040–1042 і «Бетмен. Секретні Файли: Мисливиця», які писала Маріко Тамакі можна читати разом, бо вони складають окрему арку, хоча формально є продовженням попередньої у рані «ДК».
Всі ці випуски крутяться навколо паразитів, які залазять в мозок жертв, після чого вони не можуть контролювати себе, стають жорстокими та з їхніх ротів вилазять лавкрафтіанські зелені щупальця.
Ваншот про Мисливицю розповідає, як вона була заражена паразитом і про зв’язок з іншими жертвами, що може допомогти знайти головного монстра.
«ДК: Вихідний #1040» розповідає, як Брюса посадили у в’язницю, а в той час злочинці об’єднуються проти Вейна. І спалюють будинок в якому він тимчасово жив.
«ДК: Присяжні» #1041–1042 розвиває тему незаконності Бетса й Вейна. Злочинці на чолі з Вортом хочуть знищити їх обох. А ще паразит розкидає свою зелену заразу.
У комплексі — арка сподобалася, хоча «Мисливиця» була так собі.
*****
Нова сюжетна арка у рані «Детективні комікси» #1043–1046, який далі пише Маріко Тамакі, тайіниться до кросоверу «Стан страху», основні події якого відбуваються у рані «Бетмен».
Події кросоверу насправді відбуваються десь збоку, тому що тут є певна згадка про Магістрат після того, як на мера Накано напали якісь невідомі злочинці. І якраз цю сюжетну лінію Тамакі злила, бо розв'язки вона так і не дістала.
Натомість увага була зосереджена на паразиті з минулої арки, де Накано і Бетмен, врятувавши першого від злочинців, знайшли у каналізації певну модифікації цього паразиту червоного кольору. Це якась жижа чи відкладені яйця, де дозрівають маленькі паразити. Ось якраз цей сюжет мені сподобався, бо я люблю такого роду речі.
Дивно, що цей сюжет Тамакі швидко завершила за три випуски і в останньому номері із лейбою «Стан страху» розпочинає нову арку про Вежу Аркема. Будівництво цієї вежі є наслідок подій з Накано. Номер мені не зайшов.
Всі ці випуски крутяться навколо паразитів, які залазять в мозок жертв, після чого вони не можуть контролювати себе, стають жорстокими та з їхніх ротів вилазять лавкрафтіанські зелені щупальця.
Ваншот про Мисливицю розповідає, як вона була заражена паразитом і про зв’язок з іншими жертвами, що може допомогти знайти головного монстра.
«ДК: Вихідний #1040» розповідає, як Брюса посадили у в’язницю, а в той час злочинці об’єднуються проти Вейна. І спалюють будинок в якому він тимчасово жив.
«ДК: Присяжні» #1041–1042 розвиває тему незаконності Бетса й Вейна. Злочинці на чолі з Вортом хочуть знищити їх обох. А ще паразит розкидає свою зелену заразу.
У комплексі — арка сподобалася, хоча «Мисливиця» була так собі.
*****
Нова сюжетна арка у рані «Детективні комікси» #1043–1046, який далі пише Маріко Тамакі, тайіниться до кросоверу «Стан страху», основні події якого відбуваються у рані «Бетмен».
Події кросоверу насправді відбуваються десь збоку, тому що тут є певна згадка про Магістрат після того, як на мера Накано напали якісь невідомі злочинці. І якраз цю сюжетну лінію Тамакі злила, бо розв'язки вона так і не дістала.
Натомість увага була зосереджена на паразиті з минулої арки, де Накано і Бетмен, врятувавши першого від злочинців, знайшли у каналізації певну модифікації цього паразиту червоного кольору. Це якась жижа чи відкладені яйця, де дозрівають маленькі паразити. Ось якраз цей сюжет мені сподобався, бо я люблю такого роду речі.
Дивно, що цей сюжет Тамакі швидко завершила за три випуски і в останньому номері із лейбою «Стан страху» розпочинає нову арку про Вежу Аркема. Будівництво цієї вежі є наслідок подій з Накано. Номер мені не зайшов.
August 29, 2022
I feel pretty certain, having just set this book down, that it didn't touch on the Fear State event at all. Odd that it would then receive that title!
Instead, this is a direct continuation of the previous volume. Hue Vile continues to mess with Huntress and Batman (though he's dispatched remarkably easily). Just when you think his storyline is finished, Batman and the mayor get stuck together in an abandoned sewer line and find the parasite's eggs. It's all rather simplistic with little character building, but at least it's clear and easy to follow (few tangents here). I also like the focus on the mayor. And, of course, Dan Mora's art shines.
A handful of back-up issues introduce some Task Force Z series - I guess the bodies of dead supervillains are being stolen? It stars Red Hood and the journalist. Not exactly a winning combo. Skippable.
Instead, this is a direct continuation of the previous volume. Hue Vile continues to mess with Huntress and Batman (though he's dispatched remarkably easily). Just when you think his storyline is finished, Batman and the mayor get stuck together in an abandoned sewer line and find the parasite's eggs. It's all rather simplistic with little character building, but at least it's clear and easy to follow (few tangents here). I also like the focus on the mayor. And, of course, Dan Mora's art shines.
A handful of back-up issues introduce some Task Force Z series - I guess the bodies of dead supervillains are being stolen? It stars Red Hood and the journalist. Not exactly a winning combo. Skippable.
December 30, 2022
I don't know when Detective Comics became a horror comic, but that is definitely what this is. Without having first read Mariko Tamaki's first volume in this run, my intention was to peep how Fear State was rippling across the other top Bat-comics. To my surprise, the only things linking *this* Fear State with the main event happening in the "regular" Batman title is the name and theme. We don't see any of the same antagonists at work in these issues - no Scarecrow and very little of whatever the guy's name is who planned and sold the Magistrate program to the anti-vigilante mayor. Instead, we're seeing fear bubbling and emerging into the minds and bodies of Gothamites via a very horror-style, probably alien, parasite.
Tamaki's writing is unfortunately nowhere near as good as Tynion's, but I found it to still be an enjoyable volume.
Tamaki's writing is unfortunately nowhere near as good as Tynion's, but I found it to still be an enjoyable volume.
April 27, 2024
Batman and the Huntress are trying to stop Hue Vile's infection from taking over Gotham. Roland Worth has teamed with Penguin with a sinister plan to take out Batman and Bruce Wayne.
When Vile finally seems to have been stopped, a new threat from him shows up in the sewers in the form of thousands of eggs ready to continue spawning his rage. An attack on Mayor Nakano drops him into the sewers where his only hope is Batman. Though this is advertised as being part of the Fear State story line, it mainly just takes place alongside the Batman books that actually confront Scarecrow's latest scheme. Red Hood and Task Force Z is also introduced. Dan Mora's artwork is stellar. Max Raynor's is decent.
When Vile finally seems to have been stopped, a new threat from him shows up in the sewers in the form of thousands of eggs ready to continue spawning his rage. An attack on Mayor Nakano drops him into the sewers where his only hope is Batman. Though this is advertised as being part of the Fear State story line, it mainly just takes place alongside the Batman books that actually confront Scarecrow's latest scheme. Red Hood and Task Force Z is also introduced. Dan Mora's artwork is stellar. Max Raynor's is decent.
April 1, 2022
A very solid 3.5 stars, and a notable improvement of Tamaki’s debut volume. I still don’t love the creature-feature elements, especially since the creatures themselves are pretty generic, design-wise. But the pacing is pretty great, and Tamaki’s scripts are a lot of fun. The standout is a storyline focusing on Batman and Mayor Nakano “teaming up” in the Gotham sewers. It’s the first time I’ve felt like Nakano was an actual character, which might not be a high bar, but is still nice to see.
Dan Mora’s art is a consistent highlight in these issues, and he does a lot of great stuff with the darker environment of the sewers and the more explosive bits of spectacle sprinkled throughout. Even if the plot moves too quick for its own good, the art is reliably excellent.
I’m excited to get into the Arkham Tower storyline Tamaki’s been building up to! Despite not yet loving her run on Detective Comics, she’s a refreshing change of pace for the Bat-Family and I’m very glad she’s sticking around.
Dan Mora’s art is a consistent highlight in these issues, and he does a lot of great stuff with the darker environment of the sewers and the more explosive bits of spectacle sprinkled throughout. Even if the plot moves too quick for its own good, the art is reliably excellent.
I’m excited to get into the Arkham Tower storyline Tamaki’s been building up to! Despite not yet loving her run on Detective Comics, she’s a refreshing change of pace for the Bat-Family and I’m very glad she’s sticking around.
June 26, 2024
Batman and Huntress track down Vile from the last volume, and stop Penguin and Worth from pursuing their wrongheaded vengeance on Bruce Wayne and Batman. However, the parasite itself gets away, and Batman must rescue the Mayor from both the parasites and the effects of another crossover entirely. In the backup, Batman wanders into Man-Bat's coda, and Deb Donovan, part of the current Detective Comics supporting cast, gets to witness the formation of a spin-off series.
This set of comics is a bit scattered--it's the official wrap-up of the previous arc, but also gets roped into a larger crossover, Fear State. And the backup is basically setting up Jason Todd/Red Hood to be the leader of a team that will be in a different comic entirely. The real villain, in other words, was corporate synergy all along. Tamaki does fine with the plot, but there's even less going on thematically than the first volume--it's a bunch of fights against gangsters and increasingly escalated monster battles. (There's a weird aside about a drunk who recognizes Bruce Wayne as Batman, but forgets it all when he sleeps it off; it's maybe set up for a future plot?) The backups are fine, but don't really connect to anything; I like Donovan as a character, but if you take her out of the comic, these strips could have appeared equally as appropriately anywhere else in the Bat line. (And that's a problem I have with DC's use of backup strips in general.)
The real center here is the art, and honestly, less the drawing than the colouring. (And I'll extend this credit to the backups too-- Prianto and Rodriguez do excellently with some otherwise less than stellar material.) I don't know if I ever bought a comic purely because of the colorist, but Jordie Bellaire makes me tempted. She does some wonderfully creepy stuff with the parasites, especially when Batman is infected, though the last chapter is a little weakier than the others all-around art-wise. But the second last issue has some really great claustrophobic bits as the mayor stumbles onto the parasite nest in a dark sewer. Batwoman appears for all of two pages in that issue, yet she's so striking, in costume and out. Again, the comics themselves are fine, not great, but I could see myself coming back to this storyline only for the colouring. So not totally worth reading, but not without redeeming features either.
This set of comics is a bit scattered--it's the official wrap-up of the previous arc, but also gets roped into a larger crossover, Fear State. And the backup is basically setting up Jason Todd/Red Hood to be the leader of a team that will be in a different comic entirely. The real villain, in other words, was corporate synergy all along. Tamaki does fine with the plot, but there's even less going on thematically than the first volume--it's a bunch of fights against gangsters and increasingly escalated monster battles. (There's a weird aside about a drunk who recognizes Bruce Wayne as Batman, but forgets it all when he sleeps it off; it's maybe set up for a future plot?) The backups are fine, but don't really connect to anything; I like Donovan as a character, but if you take her out of the comic, these strips could have appeared equally as appropriately anywhere else in the Bat line. (And that's a problem I have with DC's use of backup strips in general.)
The real center here is the art, and honestly, less the drawing than the colouring. (And I'll extend this credit to the backups too-- Prianto and Rodriguez do excellently with some otherwise less than stellar material.) I don't know if I ever bought a comic purely because of the colorist, but Jordie Bellaire makes me tempted. She does some wonderfully creepy stuff with the parasites, especially when Batman is infected, though the last chapter is a little weakier than the others all-around art-wise. But the second last issue has some really great claustrophobic bits as the mayor stumbles onto the parasite nest in a dark sewer. Batwoman appears for all of two pages in that issue, yet she's so striking, in costume and out. Again, the comics themselves are fine, not great, but I could see myself coming back to this storyline only for the colouring. So not totally worth reading, but not without redeeming features either.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 18, 2022
Dan Mora’s Batman art is literally perfection. 700 stars for the art.
As for Tamaki’s writing, I’m not so sure. This volume is very much the second half of the story from her first volume, The Neighbourhood. It revolves around her new parasitic supervillain Hue Vile who I wasn’t keen on last time and hasn’t grown on me.
Huntress is still around which is nice but now with a magic connection to Vile so she can sense his victims. Penguin and Mr Worth have teamed up to kill Batman so they can kill Bruce Wayne in a fairly uninspiring plot. It all comes to a head with the realisation Batman is infected by Vile as he becomes a monster too. Batman’s willpower, assisted by Huntress, overcomes the infection just in time though. There are some good moments but I wasn’t keen on this one.
The second half of the book is then the Fear State tie in. There’s an assassination attempt on Mayor Nakano after he refused Magistrate protection and he’s forced to flee into the sewers. In the sewers, Vile’s spawn are growing, ready to infect everyone. Nakano is forced to realise there are far more monsters in Gotham than he realised and he’s going to have to learn to work with Batman despite their issues.
I sighed when I realised we were still dealing with that rubbish Vile parasite but otherwise this second story is an improvement, and there’s a cool small role for Batwoman too.
The back up stories are then the underwhelming and rushed death of Man-Bat followed by Detective Comics’ new favourite reporter Deb Donovan investogating disappearing supervillain corpses alongside Red Hood to set up Task Force Z. I still don’t care about Deb, I was more excited to see Vicki Vale pop up a few times and I don’t even really care about her. Task Force Z actually looks cool but this set up story doesn’t seem like it will be essential reading.
Overall, despite the stunning art, this book is more of a miss than a hit for me. It’s not bad, but I’m just not keen. Hopefully next volume we can move on from Vile because I think Tamaki’s writing could work for me with a better story.
As for Tamaki’s writing, I’m not so sure. This volume is very much the second half of the story from her first volume, The Neighbourhood. It revolves around her new parasitic supervillain Hue Vile who I wasn’t keen on last time and hasn’t grown on me.
Huntress is still around which is nice but now with a magic connection to Vile so she can sense his victims. Penguin and Mr Worth have teamed up to kill Batman so they can kill Bruce Wayne in a fairly uninspiring plot. It all comes to a head with the realisation Batman is infected by Vile as he becomes a monster too. Batman’s willpower, assisted by Huntress, overcomes the infection just in time though. There are some good moments but I wasn’t keen on this one.
The second half of the book is then the Fear State tie in. There’s an assassination attempt on Mayor Nakano after he refused Magistrate protection and he’s forced to flee into the sewers. In the sewers, Vile’s spawn are growing, ready to infect everyone. Nakano is forced to realise there are far more monsters in Gotham than he realised and he’s going to have to learn to work with Batman despite their issues.
I sighed when I realised we were still dealing with that rubbish Vile parasite but otherwise this second story is an improvement, and there’s a cool small role for Batwoman too.
The back up stories are then the underwhelming and rushed death of Man-Bat followed by Detective Comics’ new favourite reporter Deb Donovan investogating disappearing supervillain corpses alongside Red Hood to set up Task Force Z. I still don’t care about Deb, I was more excited to see Vicki Vale pop up a few times and I don’t even really care about her. Task Force Z actually looks cool but this set up story doesn’t seem like it will be essential reading.
Overall, despite the stunning art, this book is more of a miss than a hit for me. It’s not bad, but I’m just not keen. Hopefully next volume we can move on from Vile because I think Tamaki’s writing could work for me with a better story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 11, 2022
Where the "Batman" title comic focuses on Scarecrow and Simon Saint and how Batman works to overcome and overthrow them both, "Detective Comics" focuses more on the damage caused by Vile and a plot to kill Mayor Nakano... with a few extra things thrown in.
Highlights:
- Continuing from the last Volume, we have Mr Worth starting trouble of the death of his daughter. Since he believes that Bruce Wayne is responsible for the murder, AND Batman is close with Bruce, Worth, along with his friend Penguin, get Batman to stand before The Jury, a group of mobsters who feel they can deal out punishment. What happens? Exactly what you would think. GUILTY
- As the Jury hands out sentence, Batman is shot with a parasitic bullet from Vile, and becomes infected and rage-filled. Only with intervention from Huntress, is he able to overcome before killing someone.
- Mayor Nakano is attacked, and despite his stand against vigilantes, Batman comes to his rescue. They get trapped in the sewers of Gotham where they discover a massive "Vile-pile" of birthing insects that will take over your mind (much like the bullet from before) Working together, the Bat-Family, the police, and the Magistrate overcome the monster.
- We also get two side stories here:
1) A Funeral for Mat-Bat, who recently perished on mission with Justice League Dark.
2) There are corpses being stolen from Gotham and Red Hood is on the case. What will happen when he gets recruited for "Task Force Z", who look to me like an undead Task Force X (or Suicide Squad)
Leading off in several different directions, I'm excited to see what's next for Detective Comics.
The story is running smoothly and the art works well with it together.
Recommend.
Highlights:
- Continuing from the last Volume, we have Mr Worth starting trouble of the death of his daughter. Since he believes that Bruce Wayne is responsible for the murder, AND Batman is close with Bruce, Worth, along with his friend Penguin, get Batman to stand before The Jury, a group of mobsters who feel they can deal out punishment. What happens? Exactly what you would think. GUILTY
- As the Jury hands out sentence, Batman is shot with a parasitic bullet from Vile, and becomes infected and rage-filled. Only with intervention from Huntress, is he able to overcome before killing someone.
- Mayor Nakano is attacked, and despite his stand against vigilantes, Batman comes to his rescue. They get trapped in the sewers of Gotham where they discover a massive "Vile-pile" of birthing insects that will take over your mind (much like the bullet from before) Working together, the Bat-Family, the police, and the Magistrate overcome the monster.
- We also get two side stories here:
1) A Funeral for Mat-Bat, who recently perished on mission with Justice League Dark.
2) There are corpses being stolen from Gotham and Red Hood is on the case. What will happen when he gets recruited for "Task Force Z", who look to me like an undead Task Force X (or Suicide Squad)
Leading off in several different directions, I'm excited to see what's next for Detective Comics.
The story is running smoothly and the art works well with it together.
Recommend.
September 2, 2022
I liked it. I think we as readers have gotten so used to every Batman story being crisis/event level that the quieter stories can be a bit of a letdown. However, I enjoy the smaller scale and now that we've settled into Fear State, the atmosphere that Tamaki created can be felt more.
While the Magistrate still exists and is in play, Batman's fight against them is put aside for a different problem. A parasite has infected the city and there's a little bit of cleanup from one of the plot lines from the previous volume. The Huntress plays a part in the first couple of issues and the story jumps between Detective and a one-shot of her own. They are placed in order within this hardcover, however, her book actually ends with a huge spoiler for what happens in Detective. Poor planning. Not to mention the art is drastically different between the two books and the conclusion within Detective isn't Mora either, so about three different artists.
The final arc is "Nakano's Nightmare" and for the most part wraps up the infection storyline. Mora's art continues to be outstanding and can you certainly count me as a fan. The relationship between Batman and Nakano becomes more intertwined (not solved) and Donovan's role gets set up for more importance. There were a couple points where I couldn't follow what happened. Not sure if there was something I just had forgotten from Vol. 1 or the story wasn't clear and since I don't own V1 it isn't an easy flip through to reread anything.
So far it's a good ride, keeping Batman "grounded" (although I've grown tired of the use of that term) without Alfred and without all of his money and gear does make for a more challenging story. I'd like to see where this ends up and I hope Mora stays on the series.
While the Magistrate still exists and is in play, Batman's fight against them is put aside for a different problem. A parasite has infected the city and there's a little bit of cleanup from one of the plot lines from the previous volume. The Huntress plays a part in the first couple of issues and the story jumps between Detective and a one-shot of her own. They are placed in order within this hardcover, however, her book actually ends with a huge spoiler for what happens in Detective. Poor planning. Not to mention the art is drastically different between the two books and the conclusion within Detective isn't Mora either, so about three different artists.
The final arc is "Nakano's Nightmare" and for the most part wraps up the infection storyline. Mora's art continues to be outstanding and can you certainly count me as a fan. The relationship between Batman and Nakano becomes more intertwined (not solved) and Donovan's role gets set up for more importance. There were a couple points where I couldn't follow what happened. Not sure if there was something I just had forgotten from Vol. 1 or the story wasn't clear and since I don't own V1 it isn't an easy flip through to reread anything.
So far it's a good ride, keeping Batman "grounded" (although I've grown tired of the use of that term) without Alfred and without all of his money and gear does make for a more challenging story. I'd like to see where this ends up and I hope Mora stays on the series.
October 14, 2022
I have no idea why this is called Fear State because it doesn't have anything to do with that story, there is no tie in or reference whatsoever. What this does have is three separate stories that don't feel clunky or cobbled together in fact the first two work very well in unison together.
The first story, The Jury follows the plot line of the previous volume with Worth trying to kill Bruce Wayne and Vile going around infecting people. We get a nice point of view from Huntress, as she gets infect and then can see what Vile see, which leads to his downfall. I would like a lot more of that as the Worth storyline isn't really doing much for me, he's just an angry old man.
Nakano's Nightmare is next and no it does not feature Scarecrow, instead it's about the mayor almost being assassinated, he ends up underground with a bunch of parasitic creatures. It's a fun romp that has Batman trying to help someone's who against what he stands for, it's an interesting dynamic and adds an extra layer to the previous story.
Deb Donovan in What the #!$% Is Task Force Z, is a mouthful of a title but it features Deb who was one of Vile's victims and also played a small part in the previous story. She gets handed a note and decides to investigate, only to be told by Batman to stay out of it. This story is essentially setting up a set up for a new series that will see Red Hood lead a bunch of villains, in a new team. What I liked about this was Deb slowly losing her temper as the story progressed it was fun to watch and when you add Red Hood, who doesn't give a damn it adds a nice levity to the story.
Overall I think this is a big improvement over the first volume, there is so much going on and it's a ton of fun to read.
The first story, The Jury follows the plot line of the previous volume with Worth trying to kill Bruce Wayne and Vile going around infecting people. We get a nice point of view from Huntress, as she gets infect and then can see what Vile see, which leads to his downfall. I would like a lot more of that as the Worth storyline isn't really doing much for me, he's just an angry old man.
Nakano's Nightmare is next and no it does not feature Scarecrow, instead it's about the mayor almost being assassinated, he ends up underground with a bunch of parasitic creatures. It's a fun romp that has Batman trying to help someone's who against what he stands for, it's an interesting dynamic and adds an extra layer to the previous story.
Deb Donovan in What the #!$% Is Task Force Z, is a mouthful of a title but it features Deb who was one of Vile's victims and also played a small part in the previous story. She gets handed a note and decides to investigate, only to be told by Batman to stay out of it. This story is essentially setting up a set up for a new series that will see Red Hood lead a bunch of villains, in a new team. What I liked about this was Deb slowly losing her temper as the story progressed it was fun to watch and when you add Red Hood, who doesn't give a damn it adds a nice levity to the story.
Overall I think this is a big improvement over the first volume, there is so much going on and it's a ton of fun to read.
July 18, 2025
This is basically part 2 of the first volume, as Mariko Tamaki picks up where volume 1 left off.
The villain is still Vile... well his parasitic creatures are at least. Worth is still after Batman. And Mayor Nakano... changes his stance on vigilantes, thanks to the situations that happen in this volume. I think this volume was a lot of fun. What I didn't know when reading it is that it part of the "Fear State" event that DC was having at the time, so I guess that is why the tone of it is a bit more "horror movie" than usual. Still, it works great for Detective Comics, and especially when dealing with Vile and his creatures.
I will say the highlight of the book for me is the art by Dan Mora. I mean, you can see why he blew up in popularity nowadays, because the art is just gorgeous to look at. He also had some help from Viktor Bogdanovic, who is also very good. But the Mora art is really something that is refreshing and dynamic.
Overall, a fun volume of Detective Comics. I'm eager to see what's next for Batman.
The villain is still Vile... well his parasitic creatures are at least. Worth is still after Batman. And Mayor Nakano... changes his stance on vigilantes, thanks to the situations that happen in this volume. I think this volume was a lot of fun. What I didn't know when reading it is that it part of the "Fear State" event that DC was having at the time, so I guess that is why the tone of it is a bit more "horror movie" than usual. Still, it works great for Detective Comics, and especially when dealing with Vile and his creatures.
I will say the highlight of the book for me is the art by Dan Mora. I mean, you can see why he blew up in popularity nowadays, because the art is just gorgeous to look at. He also had some help from Viktor Bogdanovic, who is also very good. But the Mora art is really something that is refreshing and dynamic.
Overall, a fun volume of Detective Comics. I'm eager to see what's next for Batman.
December 9, 2022
The first 3-issue arc in this volume concludes the storyline from Volume 1, shoehorning it into the "Fear State" crossover event with mixed results. How many times has Batman been infected by parasites or poisons or other mind-alterers? It's not that interesting anymore. In the second 3-issue arc, Batman and his nemesis, the new mayor, get stuck together in an abandoned sewer line where more of the parasitic eggs are gestating. The mayor ultimately realizes that someone like Batman is the only thing that can save the city from monster terrors, showing how his stance against vigilantes is softened. Dan Mora's artwork continues to excel, so might be a reason to pick up this volume.
The back-up stories by Matthew Rosenberg and Dan Watters were actually a little more interesting. Here we are shown the origin of the new "Task Force Z" series, a team of undead heroes presumably taking on tough supernatural cases.
The back-up stories by Matthew Rosenberg and Dan Watters were actually a little more interesting. Here we are shown the origin of the new "Task Force Z" series, a team of undead heroes presumably taking on tough supernatural cases.
November 1, 2021
This issue begins a new arc, and I found myself being a little confused. There was a great cliffhanger at the end of #1042, which hinted that what Vile did wasn't quite over. And the ending of this issue picks up on that, but throughout most of the issue, from what I can tell, the mayor is abducted, and Batman and the city's police force are looking for him. The mayor wanders into the sewers to escape his kidnappers and stumbles upon something strange. There's also a dispute between the city's security and the privatized police force in Gotham, so that's interesting. It was mostly confusing because of the artwork, I think, like it was just hard to tell what was happening from panel to panel and who the characters were. More clarity there would help.
August 22, 2022
A good continuation of the plot threads left from the previous volume, with amazing artwork by Dan Mora.
It did feel a bit rushed at times, but I do hop ethe whole Vile storyline is over and done with, as two volumes of it are enougth.
I did appreciate though how the first volume had a more detective angle going, and focused a bit on Bruce Wayne living in the midst of Gotham, with limited resources, and what that meant for his personal life. This volume however focuses more on action, and less in character development, but its still a fun ride, and we get to see a compromise of sorts between the anti-vigilante Mayor Nakano and Batman, which was interesting.
Overall, veru good read. More a 3.5 than a 4, but still entertainning enougth to worth my time.
It did feel a bit rushed at times, but I do hop ethe whole Vile storyline is over and done with, as two volumes of it are enougth.
I did appreciate though how the first volume had a more detective angle going, and focused a bit on Bruce Wayne living in the midst of Gotham, with limited resources, and what that meant for his personal life. This volume however focuses more on action, and less in character development, but its still a fun ride, and we get to see a compromise of sorts between the anti-vigilante Mayor Nakano and Batman, which was interesting.
Overall, veru good read. More a 3.5 than a 4, but still entertainning enougth to worth my time.
November 17, 2025
I tend to like Detective Comics more than the main-line Batman book, because it's smaller-scale and focuses more on Gotham characters like Huntress or Mayor Nakano (though Batman is still prominent). I also like when comic book stories extend past one trade paper-back. That usually indicates a level of confidence within the author, about their world and story. And Fear State is a solid continuation from Tamaki's last set of stories-- well-paced in its own right, and well-built upon the previous volume. It simultaneously feels high-stakes without feeling EXHAUSTINGLY high-stakes, like so many comic stories do. So this story's a win!
As for the art: some of it is nightmare fuel! And the action is kinetic. So the graphic parts of Fear State are a win too!
As for the art: some of it is nightmare fuel! And the action is kinetic. So the graphic parts of Fear State are a win too!
July 19, 2022
Gotham City is a cesspool of violence, weirdos, and overall corruption. Add in a mutating and evolving virus and things go from the normal everyday crap to a new level of bat shit crazy. Seriously, even Batman goes crazy when affected by the virus. See what I did there? Bat shit crazy-- crazy Batman. LOL.
This story is very good told at a nice pace from the different people involved in the chaos. The art has nice perspectives with moody effective coloring. However, I do not like the thin lines, especially on the character's faces.
The bonus stories with the Red Hood and Task Force Z piqued my interest. I am going to order this book for my library.
This story is very good told at a nice pace from the different people involved in the chaos. The art has nice perspectives with moody effective coloring. However, I do not like the thin lines, especially on the character's faces.
The bonus stories with the Red Hood and Task Force Z piqued my interest. I am going to order this book for my library.
September 17, 2022
I read this out of order, which is not a shocking thing to do with cape comics, so some of my lack of investment could involve not having read volume 1, but also this was such an absurd situation taken so seriously I really ... I just couldn't. I was curious because I generally really like Tamaki's indie work and I think she's a great writer, but the Animorphs-level plot was both ridiculous and way too easily resolved. The Huntress short didn't really grab me, nor did the Man-Bat one. I liked the setup with Jason and Task Force Z except again it felt like Jason Being Dumb, The Plot (also what was that art at the end?). Maybe the first volume will be better, though I have doubts.
January 22, 2023
Fear State in name only...
This is a continuation of the creepy parasite story from the previous volume. Imagine if you took GCPD storylines and then threw in some 'Resident Evil' monsters. I can see how, in a vague sense, it touches on 'Fear State' and the increasing unease and distrust in Gotham....but...no...
This is also the start of 'let's give Huntress something to do (and make it weird)'. Poor Helena.
Bonus: Vile in more than name only...
Bonus Bonus: When in doubt, lock your protagonist in a location with their antagonist? Sewers work great in this regard.
This is a continuation of the creepy parasite story from the previous volume. Imagine if you took GCPD storylines and then threw in some 'Resident Evil' monsters. I can see how, in a vague sense, it touches on 'Fear State' and the increasing unease and distrust in Gotham....but...no...
This is also the start of 'let's give Huntress something to do (and make it weird)'. Poor Helena.
Bonus: Vile in more than name only...
Bonus Bonus: When in doubt, lock your protagonist in a location with their antagonist? Sewers work great in this regard.
March 22, 2023
I'm not a huge fan of Batman anyway but I did want to check a comic out. I realized too late that I was half way through a series and didn't know what we going on. It was quite beautiful the drawings anyway and of course it had to be about a virus so I was a bit taken aback but the colors.
Did discover that for these comics to sale it gets into the action right away, quite interesting.
Did discover that for these comics to sale it gets into the action right away, quite interesting.
July 7, 2022
J'ai vraiment aimé le travail de Mariko Tamaki et Dan Mora (et le petit easter egg de sa série once & future !!), un peu moins visuellement l'Annual a la fin même si j'ai aimé la thématique de la santé mentale et la façon de la traiter plutôt que la punir/l'emprisonner
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