DETECTIVE COMICS #1083 CVR A EVAN CAGLE & RAM V

by Ram V

Black boots trudge across yellow sands. Grit-laced winds flutter through a tattered cape. Dreamlike mirages of past, present, and hypothetical futures ripple across the sunbaked landscape, the mystery of their appearance only equaled by the question of their existence. This is the Dark Knight's world now, but it doesn't have to be. He can save himself from this dry limbo and return to his city...or can he? Batman's mind and body may never be the same in this harrowing, hallucinatory, and hypnotic tale.

Genres: Comics, Dc Comics, Batman

32 pages, Comic

Published January 1, 2024

About the author

Ram V (Ramnarayan Venkatesan) is an author and comic book writer from Mumbai, India. His comics career began in 2012 with the award-nominated Indian comic series, Aghori. A graduate of the City University of London’s Creative Writing MA, he has since created the critically acclaimed Black Mumba and the fantasy adventure series, Brigands.

Reviews

[Fazun · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

[Kastie Pavlik · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Gothic Opera started in issue 1062.

Okay, so first, instead of reading 1082 & 1083 back to back, I opted to read and review 1082 first, which was dumb because I spent so much time thinking deeper and being wrong about where the story was going in 1083.

Second, I was curious about the three males in the beginning - young, middle aged, and older - and who they represented. I recognized the names to an extent, but not as much as I'd like and wondered if it was a memory problem (which has been an issue for me lately). Anyway, I stumbled upon a review that I didn't read in case it contained spoilers and read the issue first. Then I read the review and it's pretty spot on. Here it is if you're interested (hidden with a spoiler tag to prevent the link from breaking up the text): https://batman-news.com/2024/03/26/de...

I can't say much without spoiling this issue because we get real movement. I fully expected that the battle with Dr. Hurt would continue on and Ram V would strip Batman raw. I was both right and wrong. And all I can say is that there is a scene where I felt like I could actually breathe again. It was refreshing and rejuvenating and exciting. And then there was a better scene that topped it! It's just excellent. And then another! Bravo!

The Question also makes progress and I got a chuckle out of a certain interaction. Almost forgot? (Haha - although that does make me wonder about the reality engine and its effect on that character. Hm.)

The Dr. Hurt side story wraps up and it's f'd up, man. I thought the Scarecrow was bad. This guy is scary. He actually reminds me of Ozymandias from Watchmen. I wonder if anyone else feels like that?

Ok, the rest goes to spoilers. I sincerely thought we were going to get another issue with the third offer that would take Bruce down to primitive level of thinking and see him acting on basic instinct and suffering and maybe leaving us on a cliffhanger or him emerging victorious as the cliffhanger. The image of him sitting under the cherry blossom tree and knowing that symbolizes springtime and renewal and new beginnings, it felt like the setup for an epic final temptation. But it was over so quickly. I was actually disappointed because the pacing just seemed to change with a finger snap. But I was so excited because in the moment Bruce emerged from fake reality to real reality, or whatever is reality at this point, all of the tension and darkness that was wrapped up in the sands broke away and it felt like I could breathe like I said before. And you could feel the sunlight and what Bruce was experiencing. Like he emerged renewed. But I loved that once I got over the disappointment. Lol. I had completely forgotten about the dude in pink. The flamingo? Something? I can't remember. Anyway, I loved that scene, too, even if the "you're late" line is a bit cliched and overused. Here again, I was hoping maybe Catwoman would be behind the pink dude and then we would see Bats coming in hot, which would freshen up the cliche, but the scene worked nonetheless.

I found it interesting that he admitted to depending on Superman to be there if his life was ever truly in danger, and also to the level of trust he puts into him. There's a comment on a panel very near to that where he talks about the man who's always known what's truly under his skin, and because of seeing Superman, I think it's easy to believe that's who he's talking about. But I'd expect that he's talking about Alfred, so I wish we had gotten an image of Alfred like we did of Superman.

And then, lol, the question sneaking up on Gordon was just so fun. And her handing the evidence over to Jim so that he can basically give it to her when she's not the mask is also funny, but also shows a perversion of the justice system that is often exploited in comics with superheroes in particular. They turn over the bad guys no questions asked. Because they're heroes, the guys they're turning over must be bad, evidence or not.

But here she completely circumvents the justice system by illegally getting the evidence she needs so that she can anonymously turn it over to Jim Gordon who can then turn it back over to her as Renee Montoya Chief of Police who can then investigate it legally. ಠಿ_ಠ Catch all that? Either way, we're seeing support for the means justifying the ends - only this time, it can play out (on the surface) in the court of law. And then . . .

KAPOW! Awesome! The heart of the City has returned. But will she accept him? Or see him as a transplant? (Come on, he's her heart! Of course she's going to accept him!) I can't wait for 1084, but I have to because my comic shipment order is being processed and has been being processed for a few weeks now, and I don't even know if 1084 is in it even though it's probably waiting for me somewhere. Gotta love online shopping right? SIGH

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ram V's "Elegy of Sand" continues in Detective Comics #1083 with the arc’s best issue to date. This latest installment maintains V’s operatic narrative that has defined the arc so far & finally ratchets this arc into an exciting territory.

Once again, V balances the story between Batman's struggle against Doctor Hurt's insidious mental manipulations & The Question's quest to expose the Orghams for the evil frauds they are & finally seek revenge for her fellow officers. Even though these two narratives have felt a bit disparate in the past, they come crashing into each other by the end of the issue.

In Batman’s story, we witness the Caped Crusader trapped in the same desolate dreamscape, forced to confront twisted versions of his past & grapple with his deepest fears, namely what he might become if he were to give into his most primal urges. The psychological torment feels palpable, but Batman is finally able to break free of Hurt’s hold & return to the land of the living where he meets back up w/ an awaiting Talia to quickly defeat one of their common enemies. Meanwhile, The Question finds herself on a reconnaissance to obtain evidence of the Orgham’s dirty deeds. She’s able to get phone recordings & tries to hand them off to Jim Gordon but is stopped in her tracks by Orgham forces ready to kill them both. What happens next (won’t spoil it here!) was truly an awesome moment & sets things in motions for “Elegy of Sand’s” next phase.

The visuals this week continue to be nothing short of phenomenal, perfectly capturing the distinct tone of each interspersed story. Ricardo Federici & Stefano Raffaele’s art, along w/ Lee Loughridge’s colors, are integral parts of Ram V’s story, especially Federici’s dramatic renderings of Batman’s journey.

Dan Watters’ backup takes the “His Name Was Doctor Hurt” story to a new, supernatural level w/ impressive visual storytelling by Jorge Fornés. While it all adds to build the villain up as a formidable mental adversary, I do wonder if it was slightly less effective after seeing Batman seemingly defeat him earlier in the issue.

[Ziyad Baksh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Batman returns!!!

2 of the seperate story threads start to intertwine as Batman returns to Gotham.

The detour through surrealism comes to an end. So far this has been the weakest set of issues in the run. I'm hoping the end of Ram V's run pulls itself together.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was definitely a better issue than lately. I really enjoyed it and felt suspense, actually. The conclusion to the Dr. Hurt story was also really good. I loved that whole arc!

[David Dalton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not really crazy about this storyline. Have not liked the past several issues. Detective is far from my must read first list of weekly comics. Might drop this title soon.

[Steven Shinder · Rating 2 out of 5]

Getting kinda bored of this run.

[Dani · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the artwork, especially how Batman’s cape was drawn.

[Lizzy DeMarco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love how these is progressing!