Name: Detective Comics (2016-) #1097
Rating: 4.16 (14 reviews)

3,129 reviews16 followers

May 22, 2025

Alright now this is what I’m talking about, I feel like the mystery of detective comics has been taken up a few notches. Even though the murders with Asema are over there are still pieces to the puzzle missing, the immortal benefactor: Elixir. We immediately open this issue where we see the Elixir representative we saw threaten Cobblepott and Savage in the last storyline, Ambrose, and a Doctor Burton, who I am sure has no relation to the Batman Forever movie character, torturing Faultless prison Warden Slattery for any information he may have told anyone on Elixir. Turns out he knows nothing, which is good for them and makes it easier for them to dispose of. Turns out that Elixir is moving out of Gotham and won’t return in this center, and according to Ambrose someone by the name of Perpetuam, wants them to bring in anyone that was too inquisitive. Still doesn’t want them to touch any badges and a few other rules, but that leaves open season on a lot of characters.

And now that one character is no longer part of the GCPD it leaves them wide open for that…especially since Harvey Bullock isn’t done investigating the Asema murders. Batman found him in one of the crime scenes, and ended up creeping up on him enough to almost give him a heart attack. Which spurred a hilarious comment from Harvey wondering if scaring someone into a heart attack goes against the no killing rule. But heres the best part, all Batman has is the name Elixir and nothing else…but Harvey has come across them before! Turns out years ago, during one of his first cases, he was sent with his colleague to a wellness check in a very old man who wasn’t picking up his mail. They arrived to find the door unlocked and when Harvey stopped inside he was horrified to find Daniel Tommey spread open by Doctor Burton in his living room. Ambrose and another yet to be known muscle for elixir were standing by. Harvey naturally freaked out and pulled a gun on them, all while his partner stayed calm and hung back. Ambrose immediately deescalated the situation and had his colleague pull out his badge. But he pulled it out to show some badge with LXR engraved across it, Harvey has no idea who they are and knows they can’t do this. Ambrose tried to just get him to leave, but before Harvey can call it in the muscle grabbed Harvey and shoved his own gun in his face. That’s when Harvey’s partner finally stepped in and told them that they would get out of their hair, and apologized for Bullock being new and not knowing the understanding. Bullock’s partner then took a bribe and split it with him once they got outside. Sulley dedicates his “ill gotten gains” towards his boat, and they can use Bullocks to celebrate not being dead.

The next day the house was burned down and Harvey was told not to investigate it. “Daniel Toomey. Murdered at 112 years old.” Elixir has been around for a long time with a lot of power and Harvey hates them. But now that Harvey has gone private, and because of all the connections he has…Batman decides to hire him to continue investigating this case and Elixir. Batman also gave him a secure phone number to call if he has any information.

And with that Batman pulls his vanishing act when Harvey wasn’t looking and Harvey goes off to check with his informants. He looked high and low but it eventually led him to the one person he has been avoiding for years…to the pier and the ship of Sulley suitably named “ill gotten gains.” Turns out Harvey didn’t lie when internal affairs started investigating Sulley and that’s what got him kicked off the force. But Sulley is older now and filled with regrets and doesn’t hold the excuse for early retirement against Bullock. Turns out that Sulley also started investigating Elixir after the incident with Bullock and after one of their own was found dead in the harbor. They left gotham shortly start Bullock’s incident but Sulley did some digging in them and has some information he is able to provide to bullock for a payoff.

When Harvey gets back to his office he realizes that he found a gold mine of info. He sends images of the files to the number Batman gave him, and then proceeds to call it…where he is linked with Oracle. They are able to setup a meeting point at Harvey’s office o can talk to Batman. And right as he hung up he received a knock at the door…except it isn’t Batman. Three men step in wanting to know what he has learned from the questions he has asked. But against their warning that “resisting would be unwise,” Harvey immediately opens fire on them, and even gets a head butt in before they take him down. Batman shows up hours later to signs of struggle and blood on the floor. Batman is able to work with Oracle to access the local cameras and see where they took Harvey. Turns out they covered his head in a hood and drove him away in a van out back. That van ended up at an airfield which had one plane take off for Pokolistan. So of course 8 hours later and we see that Batman is there in his own batwing. The plane landed at a runway and Batman was able to get visual on a truck leaving the area. Batman doesn’t want to risk going into the unknown of wherever they are going, so he decides to eject from the batwing and glide onto the truck right there! He is then able to laser cut his way into the truck and take the guards down inside. Finally as the issue comes to an end he walks over to the hooded figure and rips their mask off only to reveal that it’s not Bullock…but Cobblepot!! Yeah I guess cobblepott would also fit the bill for people asking questions in the last storyline.

This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.

Detective Comics (2016-) #1097

Tom Taylor, Lee Garbett (Artist)

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