Batman: Detective Comics Vol. 5: Gotham Nocturne: Act III

Batman: Detective Comics by Ram V.

by Ram V, Stefano Raffaele (illustrator), Hayden Sherman (illustrator)

Batman, forgotten! The Orghams' plan to use the Reality Engine to erase Batman from the collective memory of Gotham has come to fruition. How can the Dark Knight save a city that no longer believes in him?

Believed dead, Batman has fled Gotham to undertake a quest that boarders on mythical as he fights back against the demon infecting his mind and erasing his identity little by little. But time is running out, both for Bruce and the city he protects as the Orghams, a secret dynasty with their sights set on total control of the city and its citizens, race towards the endgame of their plan.

Will Batman be able to fight his way back to his city in time to save it? And, more importantly, will the Gotham he returns to bare any resemblance to the Gotham he has called home all these years?

Collects Detective Comics #1081-1089.

Genres: Comics, Batman, Dc Comics, Graphic Novels, Graphic Novels Comics

320 pages, Hardcover

First published March 11, 2025

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

[Frédéric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not everything is perfect in this long run. Sometimes it's long, sometimes it's heavy-handed, sometimes it's clumsy.
But when all's said and done, it's still a very well-made run, rich in intensity and characterisation. I know writers on other Batman titles - hey, Chippo, howyadoin' mate? - who would do well to take inspiration from Ram V, which favours a well-constructed, deep script with a real and satisfying ending instead of cheap, slapdash thrills (I swear to God, I'll never get over the "Escape from the moon" issue).

[Brandon Daniels · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ram V and team land the plane, but it was a bumpy ride and the landing wasn’t exactly graceful. At least three characters are added to the already bloated cast, and while everyone sort of gets a resolution to their arc, none of them are really satisfying. The art in this trade is more of a mixed bag than the previous ones in this run. The first few issues feature sequences illustrated by Riccardo Federici, who I think could be argued to be the best artist working in big 2 comics, but the rest of the art is pretty weak in comparison, even though it is perfectly fine.

Overall, the run was pretty disappointing. It was ambitious, and I appreciate that, but I think it was a swing and a miss.

[Alex Sarll]

This run lured me in by being prepared to poke at the problems with a character I've increasingly lost patience with; inevitably, it ends here by insisting that he's brilliant after all, indeed, the best that Gotham can hope for, because to attempt to brighten Gotham's shadows would be to amputate its soul, and if Batman were ever to progress his methods beyond punching crooks in alleyways then that would inevitably progress to a point where he created a nightmarish totalitarian city. Which...look, I'm as sceptical of gentrification and surveillance states as the next greying tosser who's read too much Iain Sinclair, but that's bollocks, isn't it? Cities having all the cool, sometimes grimy bits ripped out in favour of shiny chain nothingness sucks, but every so often you do get somewhere that's iffy enough it does feel better for a bit of an update, and I think a city where mass murder by clowns is an everyday hazard probably qualifies. Still, if it's ultimately special pleading, it is very stylish special pleading. Yes, all this business with Bruce rediscovering his purpose, making peace with his demons, clawing his way back from the dead has been done before, but V, Watters, Paknadel and their dozen mostly excellent artists managed to freight this retread with enough cool scenes, occult significance, and referential bells and whistles to bring this Bat-sceptic along for the whole ride, so I'd call that a qualified win. And heavens know, the idea of (a chunk of) America being subverted by the operation of a reality engine, such that it forgot all sense of its previous purpose and instead took on the agenda of its sinister new masters, ruthless creatures of ancient privilege posing as friends to the common man...well, that worked out unexpectedly prescient, didn't it?

[Khurram · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has been a huge Batman story arc. This is the epic conclusion and the book does not disappoint. Great artwork, very good main story and good side stories starring Jim Gordon and the Question among a couple of others

Batman/Bruce has been taken to the brink of death, while the Azmer drug ravages his mind and soul. He must face the trail of the desert. However back in Gotham the Orghams are seen as the saviours whereas Batman is forgotten by only a few. Even if Batman survives his ordeal can he even save the soul of Gotham what dark deals will need to be made?

An epic conclusion for an epic story arc. So many things are going on even with nine issues in this book and the previous four volumes/books it still feels a bit too much. What is next and will there be a Gotham left standing? The book finishes with a huge variant cover gallery and a sketchbook with character designs.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once you get about halfway through this stops being so boring and starts being worthwhile... but it's quite the slog. At least we got to see Azrael get knocked around a bit, that's worth half a star itself.

[Matthew Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

[André Habet · Rating 4 out of 5]

the status quo change here is slight but welcome. Fantastic art by all contributors. Is it bad to say that Batman's arc was the least interesting to me?

[Roman Zarichnyi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Останній том «Ґотемської ноктюрни» — це п’ятий акт довготривалої опери. Це завершення великого «багатовипускного» полотна, яке цілком могло бути розділене на два окремі томи: перший — про внутрішню подорож і метафізичне падіння Брюса Вейна, другий — про повернення Бетмена в Ґотем, що його забув. Рам Ві вів нас через алхімію міста, демонів і пам’яті, і нарешті завершує свою історію, де боротьба за душу Ґотема — це і боротьба за самого Бетмена.

Перша частина тому — це містична одіссея Брюса, якого забули. Завдяки впливу Орґемів, Бетмен зник з пам’яті міста. Без імені, без обличчя, він мандрує крізь хащі власної свідомості й темряви, одержимий демонічним Барбатосом, що одночасно є й міфічною загрозою, і уособленням гніву, втрати та жалю. У цій частині ключову роль грає Віксен (Питання), яка намагається зрозуміти, що відбувається з містом. Атмосфера тут — гіпнотична, оповідь — філософська, а діалоги сповнені сили.

Друга частина — це героїчне повернення. Бетмен знову стає собою (зміненим звісно) і повертається до Ґотема, щоби зупинити Орґемів і повернути місту його справжнє єство. Але це не класичний тріумф героя: все тріщить по швах, конфліктів забагато, наратив часто перевантажений експозицією, а кульмінація — спірна. Орґеми, що прагнули "очистити" Ґотем, обертають місто на контрольовану утопію з камерами, знищенням і хибними заворушеннями. Це дзеркало сучасного світу, де "порядок" вимагає жертв серед тих, хто не має влади.

Міфологія Рама Ві — це найсильніша сторона рану. Він змальовує Ґотем як живу істоту, що чинить опір змінам, породжуючи "антитіла" — героїв і злочинців — щоби зберегти свою сутність. На диво, «Детективні комікси», які зазвичай були історіями про бійки з різними ворогами Бетмена, стали не просто історією про нього, а історією про місто, про те, як пам’ять і міфи формують ідентичність, і як забуття може бути найстрашнішою загрозою. Це той відрізок під крилом Рама Ві, який вартує вашої уваги.

Завіса опущена, та відлуння цієї опери ще довго звучатиме в темних закутках Ґотема.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Adam Fisher · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm honestly glad this run is over. By the end, I understand what this story was really about:
1) Taking away some of the "old and tired" away from Batman and giving him fresh energy.
2) Updating and giving new purpose to Joker's Daughter, Mr Freeze, Two-Face, and potentially Catwoman.
3) Presenting a new villainous family who felt like diet-Court of Owls, who will probably show up again at some point, but aren't very interesting at all, with the exception of the Ten-Eyed Man, who seemed really cool.
4) Refreshing Batman as the threat to Gotham.

This Volume was better, as it contained the most fighting and overcoming of odds, as well as the win. BUT... I'm really glad to move on from the Nocturne.

Stick with the summary and highlights on this run. You'll save time.

[Aidan]

Another mixed bag, but at least it had my favorite arc of the run, An Elegy of Sand. Minimal Orghams (yay), lots of Simon Hurt (lets goooo), and Batman struggling against Barbatos (yeeeeeees) who is both a metaphor for his darker emotions of regret, vengeance, anger, and also an actual demon summoned by Simon Hurt! Ram V is still writing mountains of text at times but he reigns it in a bit and has some banger exchanges like

“If you will not struggle with me, then let me go.”

“You will fall to your death.”

“I am Batman. I will stand again.”

Chills!

I also found the use of old Batman material no longer felt like a retread, but rather tools with which to comment on the current political moment. I truly felt inspired by this arc to find purpose on the struggle to affect positive change even when surrounded by systems that seem unchangeable. The investigation of the “Batman always wins” trope and moving the character past that feels like a purposeful effort to distance the character from Donald Trump’s obsession with classifying “winners” and “losers,” and the Orgham’s administration of Gotham is loaded with details that parallel the real deportations, prison industrial complex, crackdown on free speech, and law and order policies seen under the Trump administration and other conservative administrations in urban areas. Their bright and clean vision of the future depends on the imprisonment of the impoverished, and the enemies of Batman and his allies are the same as our enemies in the real world that this story calls on us to find purpose struggling against. “An edifice built on homeless ivory,” narrates the Question. “Spikes on the pavement next to storefront displays,” Batman points out later on.

The rest of this is a dragged out ending which has too many long bouts of exposition again, a generic final boss who never had any weight or staying power, and honestly got so confusing it muddied its previously tight metaphor. The riots induced by the Orghams are false flag operations against the rich, but also involve mind control, but then also Joker’s daughter gets people to go out and really riot? Hat on a hat man. I could maybe read this as a shot at Jan 6, but it uncomfortably feels like the theories Qanon folks have about BLM and Antifa. Narratively it all felt rushed and overstuffed, but somehow also too long. I wasn’t really sure who wanted what out in the city streets, and given how much this run harkens back to Morrison it felt like a needles rehash of the riots at the end of Batman and Robin but lacking the same excitement and clarity. “The rich and poor are at each other’s throats” Batman says at one point, which is confusing because idk how the poor can be at the rich’s throats given where rich people live, their investments in security, and police protection of them.

The backups are all great, and I so appreciate this book for jumping around to different POVs. Dan Watters’ Simon Hurt story was a favorite and I liked newcomer Alex Paknadel.

The art is standout this entire book, up until the Finale arc where Guillem March is REALLY not for me, especially compared to how jaw dropping this book has been.

And special shout out to Evan Cagle who does the best covers on a series that I’ve seen since Quitely on Batman and Robin. Especially with the cool borders seen on the single issues (which are annoyingly absent here) each one looks like a movie poster.

[Hugo Emanuel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a review of Ram V's entire run on Detective Comics. It really is one big, ambitious story, so I feel I should review it as such.

Ram V's run lasted from Detective Comics #1062 to #1089 (yes, you read right, a 27 issues long story).

Ram V's story is ambitous in both length and scope, and while it rehases alot of familiar themes regarding Batman's psyche and the nature of Gotham itself, it does present them in a somewhat novel fashion for the character.

The events in it concern the arrival of the Orghams to Gotham, a family with very old ties to the history of Gotham, who claim to want to work towards rebuiding and reshaping the city for the benefit of its population. As expected, their ulterior motives are less than just, especially towards the downtrodden and the poor. We've all heard that concept before: from the League of Shadows to the Court of Owls, that's hardly novel.

However, some elements in the way the Orghams set upon changing Gotham are new - mostly its supernatural elements, in particular, the idea that they aim to change the city's reality and intrinsical nature via a "Reality Engine" (which aims to change the citizen's memories, attitudes and aspirations in a way that changes the city's nature in itself). Gotham is presented as an almost sentient entity, with a personality and character very much its own (which explains why Batman can never fundamentally change it, regardless of how much he tries).
More than that, when Gotham's nature feels attacked, it releases its "anti-bodies" of sorts, in the form of its heroes and villains, in order to maintain its nature - one that embraces light and darkness, order and chaos, without excising either from itself. Hence the parade of heroes and lunatics that run through its streets.

So more than a Batman story, its a story about Gotham, in which both heroes and villains will play important parts in its progression. It's a long cast of characters that influence the run's narrative, and their presence and contributions go a long way towards making the city feel like a sentient, responsive entity.

As for Batman itself, Gotham's main defensive "anti-body", he is put through the ringer here. He loses alot of battles, is often caught unprepared for their machinations and supernatural nature, and is led to fight a battle with himself within himself. Altough we know ultimetly the status quo will be returned, both the exterior and interior battles fought and won by Batman do feel important and deeply changing- sometimes they feel rehased from previous dilemas that have been conquered in previous runs, but its presented in a compelling enougth manner to make the reader believe that THIS TIME he will conquer them for good.

In my personal opinion, I felt the run was very well written and compellingly progressed, even if it could have been of shorter length. I also felt most backup stories were interisting enougth and usefull in complementing the main narrative - altough certainly not essential, especially considering some characters in these were not given anything in the way of payoffs. Some moments that made me wonder if were really necessary (like tales within tales that were racounted by characters) later had payoffs.
Ram was playing the long game, and while its length and frequent lost battles by Batman may test the patience of some readers, I found it compelling all the way through.

I will say that the run reads so much better in sucession. Reading an issue every month must have made this story feel overblown and sluggish in pace. I myself picked up the first two volumes that collect the run (there are five of them), and while I was enjoying it, I decided to wait until the last volume was released to finish the story. Upon the release of the fifth volume, I read the first two again and continued all the way to the end in quite a small period of time.

As for the artwork, its quite inconsistent, as it has a huge amount of artists contribuiting throughout - Rafael Albuquerque, Ivan Reis, Jason Shawn Alexander, Liam Sharp, Stefanno Rafaelle, Ricardo Fredericci, Guillem March, Dustin Nguyen, Goran Suduka, Francesco Francavilla, among others - and that not counting the backups, mind. And while that massive amount of contributors somewhat compromises a consistent mood and feel, the artists are among the more talented working in DC. I must say that visually the only dissapointing moment in the run was that the final two issues of the run were by Guillem March, who, while a decent action artist, doesn't have the gravitas, style and grandeur of most of the artists I mentioned. The final issues should have been visually grand and operatic, rather than what was given.

Also of note are the gorgeous variant covers, thankfully collected in full page size here. The variants, especially those by Evan Cagle, were gorgeous to look at and very creatively constructed.

In short, it's and ambitious and slow-paced story, but one that fully rewards the reader's attention and patience. If you are looking for a fast-paced, bare bones actioneer, look elsewhere - Zdarski's concurrent might might fit the bill for that. Ram V's run is a meditation on Gotham and its inhabitants, and while it can be argued that it could have been shortened, I still really loved as it was presented.


8/10

[Norman Cook · Rating 3 out of 5]

2025 Eisner Award finalist - Best Continuing Series, Best Cover Artist (Evan Cagle)

Collects Detective Comics #1081-1089. It's been a bumpy ride, a ride that ultimately serves to reboot Batman and some of the secondary characters. This volume starts out with Batman being literally dead, but this is comics so he gets better fairly quickly. However, to do so he has to face some demons in a figurative and literal desert. Then, once he gets back to Gotham he and his crew of heroes and villains (where was Nightwing all this time before now; and where are the other Robins?) pull off a miracle and defeat the big bads. There's some hand waving to justify why Superman or one of the other Justice Leaguers don't interfere. The ending, although a bit abrupt, actually worked pretty well and sets the stage for a slightly different Batman. Of course, Ram V is finished and someone else will take over, and who knows if V's threads will be followed up. This entire run has not been helped by the constant parade of artists, most of whom are excellent by themselves but whose different styles take away from the continuity.

[Nathan Bissett · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favourite Batman stories are the long ones, usually they're crossovers (Knightfall, No Man's Land) and this scratched that itch.

I read the first two acts as they were releasing and then decided to wait until the Intermezzo and third act had been fully released then reread all of it.

What a beaufiul story on so many levels. I love the change in Batman, him embracing his darkness, not trying to wield it while holding it at bay and refusing to let it in. I sincerely hope we get more of this exploration in future 'tec or main title stories.

So far the first issue of Tom Taylor's run does not fill me with great hope for that.

[Scott Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

(This will serve as a review of the entire run as I don't care to jump in volume by volume)

While I've enjoyed Chip Zdarsky's run on the flagship title, Ram V's work on this five volume Detective Comics epic is the story I favor. Why? Because Ram is setting out to make a definitive statement about who he believes Batman/Bruce Wayne is and character work like that draws me more than all the epic action sequences anyone can devise. So while Zdarsky is making better use of Zur en argh (or however you spell it) than Morrison ever did, this has been the top Batman book for this reader.

Ram presents a dark, chilling view of Gotham. Without resorting to cheap shock value images like ultra-violence or deviant/sadistic behavior, this story presents a clear vision that what Batman/Bruce is up against in his "war on crime" is not a group of people he can defeat, or a system that he can reset or heal--though there are people defeated and systems more-or-less healed--but an aspect of human nature. Whether motivated by desperation, fear, rage, or human cruelty, there will always be crime to fight. It's a war that can't be won, like fighting entropy. The art throughout the series echoes this dark truth, even the panels where it's clear the characters are standing in the light, for the reader the light is visualized in a way that only emphasizes the shadows.

Batman is torn down and rebuilt here, beaten by his own pursuit of and demand for victory. Volume four, a volume in which Batman is entirely passive--the active role is taken entirely by others: Selina Kyle, Harvey Dent, Talia Al'ghul, Batgirl, Jim Gordon, Commissioner Montoya, etc.--has more to say about what Batman is than most entire runs of Batman, all reflected through a unique collection of his long time supporting cast. And Ram's conclusion about what makes Batman, Batman? What he'd forgotten that allowed his defeat in volumes 1-3 of this story? It's the fact that he doesn't have to win the battle against crime to feel purpose, to be satisfied. He doesn't have to reject his own darkness--instead he embraces it, his trauma, his loss, his darkness, and the struggle against crime they've engendered, and the struggle is enough.. It is a take on the old Romantic notion of finding more honor in a failed attempt at reaching a noble but impossible goal than in perfectly executing/achieving some lesser, more "rational" goal, but I'm fine with that. I have to wonder how one can read superhero comics and love them and not be a Romantic.

[Subham · Rating 5 out of 5]

My god what an ending, this is the sort of stuff that makes you love comics and what an ending it is I say again. The elegy of sand story is so well drawn and is basically Batman’s journey like Farhad, the myth told at the beginning of this volume and how he fights that basically and I love how Dr Hurt is back and he is challenging batman with different scenarios like becoming his azmer here and in a fun way, you’re wondering whether its real or not and its kinda like his odyssey.. “Elegy of sand” very well named and I love how Talia was waiting for him and how unlike Farhad and Alaea they reunite and I love the romance between them.

Then whatever is going on with Bat family and they’re trying to save Gotham and all and have challenges yes but the way it shows how Batman comes back and fights against the forces of Orghams and like any cool finale in an act, its like basically return of the hero and he has new resolve and his new costume with the blood bat sign is so cool and the fight which happens between diff. people and also Two face vs Gael, Dr Freeze vs Neang and Ten eyed man vs Shavhod, which was kinda fun twist and yeah one can say it ended too quickly but honestly TEM was such a great addition and one of the characters to look out for for real. I love how their fights end and yeah its quick but then again so is when the act reaches finale and the heroes start fighting back.

The plan of eternal winter works and when the heroes are faced with DARIAH and her final plans and we see the twists happening and how it ends.. the big fights.. it truly lives upto its name of Gotham Nocturne and I FREAKING LOVE IT!

The ending teases a lot about how Gotham has changed and is even more dangerous than before and the status quo of different members and villains and its kinda exciting, but its also the ending of a great run and like an opera it ends on a high! The art and backup stories were awesome and add so much to the main story and this just makes the reading experience so impactful and fun!

[Guy Raber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review of entire Ram V run on "Tec" --

Overall I loved this run and think it's the most interesting Batman book I've read in years, though not reading Absolute Batman (yet). The art & cover art especially is magic throughout the entire run, it has its own pronounced and surprisingly consistent style, which melds well with the lettering & the content. I will likely keep the hardcovers lying around my apartment just to flip through the art from time to time.

The writing (for the Ram V sections) is largely very good. It's really one story told over 5 sections which is rare for modern comics which are often written trade to trade. You could argue it's super decompressed & for folks who read it as it was coming out, I could imagine it being boring and slow. It works well in collected edition though, at least IMO. What I love in particular about this run, which is less about the overt plot (which is still gripping to watch play out) is how it leans into the thematic idea of Batman as Gotham's 'darkness' & how the imagery of the bat is both his curse & his redemption. The use of a more mystical & surreal art style / color palate works well for this type of moody & introspective Bat-story. It also has interesting things to say about what it would mean to be Bruce & to have grappled with his particular traumas.

Parts of the run were a 5/5 for me and I was tempted to give a higher score, I bumped it down to 4 because it's a bit inconsistent and some parts were paced oddly to me. Also the issue back-ups & parts written not by Ram V were not always as interesting for me, though often they did add some color to the story. For me this is an amazing run with flaws, but the overall is really enjoyable.

As an aside, I would read this book almost exclusively at night while listening to two tracks from the 2022 Batman film - "The Batman" & "Sonata in Darkness". Really elevates the experience!

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ram V's big honking conclusion to Gotham Nocturne is pretty good, as these things go. Batman is put through the wringer, but he and his allies find a way to win. The wringer portion features Batman wandering through the desert in a mental battle with Dr. Hurt (who?). Shades of Tom King's Batman run here, and not in a good way. Someday Batman will be able to recover from a near-death experience without having to like, fight the physical manifestations of his inner demons, reconcile with said demons, and come out of the battle realizing that the demons are a key part of him and not something he needs to right.

Or whatever.

Then, on to the big show as Batman gathers his allies (including Two-Face and Mr. Freeze) with a multi-pronged approach to taking down the Orghams and their army of Azmer mutants. Throughout the story, Ram V returns to the idea that, under the Orghams, Gotham is safe and clean (because the unwanted elements are in the sewers, being turned into monsters). Yet, the city would be better off under Batman's watch, with all of its chaos and crime and poverty. An interesting idea that's more or less shunted aside as the big battle progresses.

The numerous back-up issues and unexpected switches in art make this final Gotham Nocturne volume a hard beast to wrangle, but I found myself having plenty of fun once Batman exited his dream state. All the heavy-handed setup in the previous volumes suggested there might be something more in this conclusion. Not really necessary, ultimately.

[Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

Other Batman writers take heed...
THIS is how you plot out and sell a long form story to readers.

Yes, the list of characters used is long. Yes, there are dull moments in every volume. It's all needed for the flow and pace of the story. We never stayed too long in one location, yet we kept advancing the story.
---
We start out with an azmer afflicted Batman near death and on a boat with Talia. We've been told a similar tale earlier in the story and now we see Bruce fighting...himself...the Azmer..(and maybe the group belief of Gotham's citizens). I love that we get Batman calling in favors from some of the villains that love Gotham in their own way.

Strong love all the way around. It feels like every setup throughout the run was acknowledged and used to complete an epic run.
=========
Bonus: The finale wraps up a lot of loose threads and sets heroes and villains in new directions...
Bonus Bonus: Let the Orgums lay low for awhile. Use them sparingly like the Court of Owls

[Riley Pilgrim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many comic runs end up becoming a mess in the end, or never have a satisfying conclusion. Ram V's Detective Comics run is not that. Is this book often heavy handed with the dialogue? Yes. Does it feel like it struggles to juggle so many characters at times? Yes. However, Ram V's characterization for everyone is stellar. Everyone is written as an individual, with there own journey going on along with Batman's. That is the perfect way to have a supporting cast of characters, everyone is unique, has motives, are compelling, and feel like actual people. I found the villains to be super compelling, and insidious-which I haven't seen done well in Batman comics for a WHILE.

The Art for this entire run was stellar, and I loved the variety of it. There wasn't really any artist I disliked, which is rare when you have so many artists on a book (I went into more detail on the art in my volume 4 review). The biggest achievement of this book was how dialed in every aspect was. Ram V really had a vision of what he wanted, and what we got was an incredible modern Detective Comics run.

[Anthony Rizzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this run overall, and I will definitely read it again sometime! I think that my biggest criticism would be the same I had of Tynion IV's time on the main Batman title- too many characters and too many plot threads. vol 4 Intermezzo was definitely my favorite arc, but I am left wondering what is the resolution for many of these characters? Maybe that was intentional and will be picked up by Tom Taylor in the issues that follow, but it's hard to say. This was different and ambitious and a lot of fun to read. I have concerns and a few things just didn't really click for me, but I would recommend it. I expect that DC will announce a "Batman: Detective Comics by Ram V" or "Batman: Gotham Nocturne" Omnibus any day now.

[Clint · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
The first third of this is yet another “Batman lost in the desert fighting for his sanity” plot that I found interminably paced and overly verbose, guilty of all the criticism directed at Ram V’s broader run that I’ve generally disagreed with. It killed a lot of good will and enthusiasm I’ve had for this run overall. The remaining two thirds is pretty great, grandly tying up the Orghams’ plot to take over Gotham with interesting plotting and a full cast of lesser-seen Gotham faces. It also generally looks great, even when it’s wandering the desert or changing between wildly different art styles.

I wish this was consistently great as the finale to Ram V’s run, but overall it’s still likely been the most memorable and enjoyable run on a Batman comic since King.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ram V's Gotham Nocturne epic ends on a high, bringing all the chickens he'd released out into the world home to roost in time for a huge finale that brings it all to a close. I love it when writers get to tell the story they want to tell in the way they want to tell it, and Gotham Nocturne has been unlike anything the Bat-Books have done for a long time.

I think the only thing I didn't enjoy was the choice of Guillem March on the final few issues, but that's a small niggle; his artwork's great for some stuff, I just don't always gel with it.

[Jason Tanner · Rating 5 out of 5]

For real, that was incredible.

This book marks the end of a five volume epic, which I think can only really be understood as a single entity. It took me until book 3 to be sure I even liked what was going on here, but holy crap that was a magnum opus.

I've read a few Batman epics in my time and this one stands strong among them. It reaches deep into Batman lore but still manages to create something of it's very own. It's long, it's complex, and it's weird, but damn it is satisfying when you come out on the other end.

[laika · Rating 4 out of 5]

i really liked this run! it's definitely not perfect but overall i liked the story a lot and especially what it did with two-face and mr. freeze, who are two of my favorite rogues in general, so i guess that makes sense. i also liked how many different characters it focused on without seeming too busy. ten-eyed man is really cool. all of the art was gorgeous. i am wondering where the rest of the bat family is during this story but i don't really care all that much. fun read!

[Chris Loan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had such high hopes for this run after hearing some great things. Ultimately this wasn’t my favorite run, but it wasn’t terrible. This final act was great, Batman literally fought his inner demons to take Gotham back, but ultimately, is it better for it? With lots of magic, and mystic themes, with great action, this was a great final act of an ok run. Now onto Taylor’s run!

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good god, this story is bloated and overly long. It also has a gazillion artists working on it that add to the confusion, no matter how talented they are individually. Overall it's fine. I'd just prefer not having every member of Batman's rogues gallery and then some in this and a tighter focus on the story. Overall it rates out as fine.

[Sushie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hellboy in Hell by way of Batman, but yanno, I don’t think it quite lived up to its promise. In the way of comic arcs the plot threads just got woolier and woolier until we gotta bring TWO guys back from the dead to fix it oh and also set like, everything on fire.
Bats talked a big game but I didn’t buy the payoff.

[Bertazzo · Rating 4 out of 5]

If a Batman villain put a gun on my head and asked me what Ram V's run is all about I would be totally dead. That said, I LOVED IT!

And an extra hooray for all the amazing Italians and their incredible pencils.

[Keegan Schueler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely the best of the Nocturne Detective Comics stories with it being able to wrap everything up in a great way. Wasn’t a huge fan of this run from start to finish but glad its ending didn’t miss.