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Batman: Detective Comics: The New 52 Omnibus Vol. 1
1048 pages, Hardcover
Published June 24, 2025
3 people are currently reading
34 people want to read
About the author
James Tynion IV
1,645 books1,992 followersPrior to his first professional work, Tynion was a student of Scott Snyder's at Sarah Lawrence College. A few years later, he worked as for Vertigo as Fables editor Shelly Bond's intern. In late 2011, with DC deciding to give Batman (written by Snyder) a back up feature, Tynion was brought in by request of Snyder to script the back ups he had plotted. Tynion would later do the same with the Batman Annual #1, which was also co-plotted by Snyder. Beginning in September 2012, with DC's 0 issue month for the New 52, Tynion will be writing Talon, with art by Guillem March. In early 2013 it was announced that he'd take over writing duties for Red Hood and the Outlaws in April.
Tynion is also currently one of the writers in a rotating team in the weekly Batman Eternal series.
Tynion is also currently one of the writers in a rotating team in the weekly Batman Eternal series.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
October 20, 2025
Let’s go back to the days when the Detective Comics series wasn’t the best ongoing Batman title. Let’s go back to the New 52 era!
New 52 Tec started off downright terrible — and without sugarcoating it, the first 12 issues were absolute garbage. Tony S. Daniel is an absolute beast with a pencil, but as a writer, he’s a disaster. His Batman feels flat and uninteresting, the mysteries are completely predictable, and the stories are just plain boring. The most enjoyable parts of his run were actually the tie-ins to the main Batman events (Court of Owls, Death of the Family), which is ironic, because usually tie-ins are the weakest links — here, they were the saving grace.
When John Layman took over the writing duties, things started getting back on track. We got stories like Emperor Penguin, where we see how even Oswald Cobblepot can be overthrown and betrayed by his own right hand, and Wrath, which follows a tech-savvy villain seeking personal vengeance against the GCPD. Between the two, I prefer Emperor Penguin, since you can easily guess Wrath’s identity just a few pages into his arc — but thankfully, that doesn’t make it any less entertaining to read. Layman also used the backups to focus heavily on Man-Bat, and I have to say — Kirk Langstrom doesn’t have many great stories, but this one is genuinely engaging, even if it’s “just” a backup feature.
The true highlight of the omnibus, however, is Penguin: Pain and Prejudice. This story explores everything that led to the rise of Gotham’s criminal kingpin, showing us Oswald’s tragic childhood, the roots of his cruelty, and even his rare moments of tenderness. It’s a truly exceptional tale, and I’m really glad DC decided to include it in this collection.
Batman: Detective Comics – The New 52 Omnibus Vol. 1 may have had a rocky start, but it’s still a strong and enjoyable read overall. And while the best Batman title of the New 52 era unquestionably belonged to Snyder and Capullo, this omnibus definitely deserves a spot in every Bat-Fan’s collection! 🦇
New 52 Tec started off downright terrible — and without sugarcoating it, the first 12 issues were absolute garbage. Tony S. Daniel is an absolute beast with a pencil, but as a writer, he’s a disaster. His Batman feels flat and uninteresting, the mysteries are completely predictable, and the stories are just plain boring. The most enjoyable parts of his run were actually the tie-ins to the main Batman events (Court of Owls, Death of the Family), which is ironic, because usually tie-ins are the weakest links — here, they were the saving grace.
When John Layman took over the writing duties, things started getting back on track. We got stories like Emperor Penguin, where we see how even Oswald Cobblepot can be overthrown and betrayed by his own right hand, and Wrath, which follows a tech-savvy villain seeking personal vengeance against the GCPD. Between the two, I prefer Emperor Penguin, since you can easily guess Wrath’s identity just a few pages into his arc — but thankfully, that doesn’t make it any less entertaining to read. Layman also used the backups to focus heavily on Man-Bat, and I have to say — Kirk Langstrom doesn’t have many great stories, but this one is genuinely engaging, even if it’s “just” a backup feature.
The true highlight of the omnibus, however, is Penguin: Pain and Prejudice. This story explores everything that led to the rise of Gotham’s criminal kingpin, showing us Oswald’s tragic childhood, the roots of his cruelty, and even his rare moments of tenderness. It’s a truly exceptional tale, and I’m really glad DC decided to include it in this collection.
Batman: Detective Comics – The New 52 Omnibus Vol. 1 may have had a rocky start, but it’s still a strong and enjoyable read overall. And while the best Batman title of the New 52 era unquestionably belonged to Snyder and Capullo, this omnibus definitely deserves a spot in every Bat-Fan’s collection! 🦇
Displaying 1 of 1 review